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Dog havoc threatens public trail access
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Family looks to conserve 110 acres off Route 2A BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Dog owner Alison Frey displays proper leash etiquette Tuesday at Oak View Hill Trail. Dogs running off leash have caused havoc on the adjacent farmland, and the town is considering banning dogs from the property. OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
BY JASON STARR Observer staff Off-leash dogs are terrorizing turkeys, killing chickens, stressing wildlife and damaging native plant habitat at the Isham Family Farm as they roam free on the publiclymanaged Oak View Hill trail system on the property. The situation, which has worsened over the past year as trail use and dog ownership have both increased through the pandemic, has town officials considering closing off the trails to the public. “The voice control thing is honestly kind of a joke,” Williston Conservation Planner Melinda Scott said of the previous dog policy — which allowed dogs to be off leash but under voice control — that was in place up until last spring. Erin Alamed of the Humane Society of Chittenden County agrees. She said it’s rare for a person to have true voice control over their dog. “I think it’s a lovely idea. I don’t think it’s realistic,” she said, “because there are so many elements outside that you can’t predict. And you never know what the dog is actually thinking. Some dogs are great at coming back to their owners no matter what. But I think most dogs you really just can’t trust that.” With dogs romping through the mead-
ows that line the trail system, and dog waste bags dotting the trails, landowners Mike Isham and Helen Weston requested a leash-only dog policy be implemented. In May, the town posted the new rule on signs along the trails. “The signs are pretty clear what the expectations are, but it hasn’t really seemed to solve the problem,” Scott said. “A lot of people are ignoring the signs and allowing their dogs off leash.” Isham and Weston have focused their work at the fifth-generation farm on creating a haven for birds, wildlife and native plants. They put land on the west side of Oak Hill Road into a conservation easement with a public trail corridor managed by the town. Each week, year-round, dozens of dog owners use the trail, Weston said. “I have spoken with many individuals about the rules and been ignored multiple times,” Weston wrote in an email to the Observer. “Many dogs are still off leash, many bags of excrement still left behind, and many people and dogs not staying on designated trails. (Our) environmental work is compromised with each time these directives are not followed.” Scott has drafted a proposal for the selectboard to consider banning dogs from the property. The selectboard is expected to take up the proposal in February. “We’ve discussed closing the trail to
all uses, at least temporarily, just to get the message out, but we decided to try a no dog policy (first),” Scott said. “If people don’t comply with the no dog rule, we may have no choice but to just close the trail. “I understand people’s desire to let their dogs run but it does have impacts.” The town manages seven conserved natural areas totaling about 500 acres with 12 miles of trails crossing both public and private land. Dogs are permitted off leash under voice control on the public land, but must be leashed when trails cross into private land. The Oak View Hill trail system is the only one of the town’s natural areas that runs through working farmland. “This really is a unique situation because the trails are embedded into their farm where they have all of their other operations going on,” Scott said. Weston said she was seeing up to 100 dogs per week on the trails during the warmer months. Alamed, the director of community outreach at the Humane Society, said that the pandemic has spurred an increase in dog ownership. “We’ve seen cats, dogs and small animals just flying out the door getting adopted in record time as people are just looking for companions since they’ve been home for so long now,” she said. “People are reaching out desperate to adopt and we can’t quite fill the need for the community.”
Williston resident Dan Boomhower is planning to donate the development rights on 110 acres off Route 2A to the Vermont Land Trust, expanding a conserved forest and meadow block that stretches between Route 2A and Oak Hill Road, and includes the Town of Williston’s Sucker Brook Hollow and Five Tree Hill conservation areas. The property is currently a source of timber, firewood and hay, Boomhower wrote in a December letter to the Williston Conservation Commission. It also has a trail system maintained by local snowmobilers and is open for hunting. Boomhower would like those uses to continue, and would consider creating a public trail easement. “The property is a wildlife corridor used by bear, bobcats and coyotes. The property is home to deer, turkeys, ravens and other birds or prey,” Boomhower wrote to the commission. “Our family has made a conscious choice to keep the property informally open for people to meander on.” He is requesting roughly $20,000 from the town to help with legal and administrative fees associated with transferring development rights to the Vermont Land Trust. “This property is pretty high value and high priority for conservation because it’s located in this big forest block adjacent to already conserved properties,” Williston Conservation Planner Melinda Scott said. Boomhower’s family has owned the property since the 1840s. While the conservation easement would protect the property from development, it would not open it to public access unless a future trail easement is created. “We would like that and we’ve proposed that, but it’s got to be compatible with the other uses of the property,” Scott said. “Conflicts can arise and we’ve got to make sure that if there is a trail easement that we can manage the use of it so it’s compatible with the forestry operations.”
Page 2 • Williston Observer • January 7, 2021
Share warmth with neighbors in need Throughout the month of January, Williston Federated Church is collecting new hats, mittens, socks, scarves and neck warmers for all ages to be distributed to clients at the Williston Community Food Shelf. Collection boxes are located at the back entrance to the church, 44 North Williston Rd. and at the Williston Fire Station, 645 Talcott Rd. Please wear masks when dropping off donations.
Dollar trees Mike Isham and Helen Weston of Isham Family Farm donated $5 from every Christmas tree sold this season to Audubon Vermont and 350Vermont. They are pictured, right, with Sophia Bielenberg of 350Vermont donating a $2,500 check. 350Vermont is a climate justice organization working against fossil fuels and for energy alternatives and resilience. A $500 donation went to Audubon Vermont, an organization dedicated to protecting birds and bird habitats. OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
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Moon over Mansfield A full moon rises last Tuesday over Mt. Mansfield as seen from Oak Hill Road in Williston. COURTESY PHOTO BY ALEX PINTAIR
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CSWD to pay $400K in glass dumping case BY AMANDA GOKEE VTDigger The Chittenden Solid Waste District will pay a $400,000 fine to settle allegations of improper glass dumping, according to an announcement Tuesday from Attorney General TJ Donovan. The move closes an enforcement case that dates back to April 2018. CSWD will pay a $78,000 penalty for improperly disposing of glass in three locations on its Williston property. In addition, it will pay nearly $180,000 directly to the state and put $220,000 toward environmental projects intended to benefit the public. The settlement comes after the state Agency of Natural Resources decided to halt the processing of contentious back-permits to CSWD, while the enforcement case was pending. “I think it’s a good resolution for the state,” Donovan said. “I think it holds Chittenden Solid Waste accountable. They’re going to pay a hefty fine, and they have to give back to consumers. They have to disclose to consumers what they’re doing with people’s glass that they bring to recycle because everybody thinks it’s being recycled.” According to Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Peter Walke, the case shook “Vermonters’ trust in the recycling system” when it became clear that glass was being disposed of on CSWD’s Williston property. According to the settlement, 2,186 tons of glass were disposed
of “to repair a depression in the closed landfill” in 2013, while another 15,029 tons of glass were disposed of at the end of Redmond Road between 2016 and 2018. An additional 734 tons of glass were used as subbase for a compost field on the Williston property. But CSWD reported that this glass had been “transferred offsite” and used appropriately for local projects. While CSWD admits to the facts that are laid out in the agreement, the settlement doesn’t require it to admit that these actions were wrong or illegal. The waste district maintains it acted in good faith and disagrees with the alleged violation. Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, the state’s largest environmental advocacy organization, called for additional steps on the part of CSWD. “The credibility of CSWD officials is hanging by a thread at this point,” Burns said in a statement. “They repeatedly failed to mention to their customers and to various state and local officials that they had essentially been dumping glass over the side of the road for years.” “CSWD has violated environmental regulations and the public’s trust by collecting material meant for recycling and then secretly dumping thousands of tons of processed glass in unapproved locations for years,” according to Burns. CSWD maintains that it did not secretly dispose of glass and properly reported all actions to the see CSWD page 4
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Page 4 • Williston Observer • January 7, 2021
Testing dips over holidays; gathering ban returns BY ERIN PETENKO VTDigger
Vermont reported 78 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, in line with the new normal of cases in the previous weeks, as the state moves on from the holidays and a temporary lifting of COVID restrictions. Cases fluctuated in late December, including one day, Dec. 31, when the state recorded 182 cases, the second-highest single-day record of COVID cases. The record: 228 cases on Dec. 2. However, that record was set after the Thanksgiving weekend and officials said it was partly due to testing and reporting delays. It’s unclear how those delays may have contributed to the total on Dec. 31. Testing dipped around Christmas and rose again just prior to New Year’s Day, a sign that the increase in cases around that time could be tied to more testing. The state also skipped K-12 staff testing in the last week of December because schools
were on winter break. Gov. Phil Scott lifted a multi-household gathering ban through the holidays, allowing Vermonters to meet with one other trusted household, but that ban is now back in place. As of Monday, Vermonters were not allowed to hold multi-household gatherings except for outdoor, masked gatherings with one other household. People in unsafe situations may also move to another household, and people who live alone may socialize with a single other household. Scott said he wants to see the effects of the temporary easing in the restrictions before he considers a more permanent turn of the spigot, an analogy he uses to indicate incremental loosening of restrictions. Cases from Dec. 25 may already be starting to crop up in the data, since they tend to begin appearing after seven to 10 days. But the full effects of the holidays won’t be clear until roughly mid-January.
CSWD continued from page
3
state. The agreement requires CSWD to post information on its website about where recycled glass goes. For some, the settlement didn’t go far enough because it didn’t include an admission of liability. “They can say it was legal, and continue to say that,” said John Brabant, who worked as a regulator for the Agency of Natural Resources for 20 years. Now Brabant is the director of regulatory affairs for the nonprofit group, Vermonters for a Clean Environment. “This is unbelievable to me,” he said. Donovan said the language in the agreement is customary. “But look at the outcome,” he said. “They were held accountable. We’re putting requirements in place that hold them accountable.” Sarah Reeves, the executive director of
CSWD, said the organization acted in good faith believing “that the use of recycled glass was consistent with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Acceptable Uses for Processed Glass Aggregate policy and also reflected industry standard management practices for this material.” CSWD disagrees with the state’s allegations, but Reeves said “these past decisions caused confusion, concern and mistrust in how CSWD has managed glass processed at our Materials Recovery Facility.” Donovan said he is confident that the fine is large enough to dissuade the waste district from committing any future violations. “You know, I think 400,000 bucks is a pretty significant number,” he said. CSWD is a chartered municipal entity with taxing authority. It has not yet determined how it will pay for the settlement. The decision will be made with input from the CSWD board.
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January 7, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 5
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Champlain Valley Union High School student athletes got a surprise right before winter break. Gov. Phil Scott announced on Dec. 22 that schools could resume non-contact, socially distanced practice starting Dec. 26, allowing the winter sports season to very slowly get started. “I was shocked to be honest,” said Dan Shepardson, CVU activities director. “It gave the kids and the coaches, but the kids especially — for those who celebrate — an early Christmas present and something to look forward to. “It was a huge surprise and very well received by everybody.” Shepardson left the decision of when to begin practices up to coaches, allowing training plans, ice time and holiday schedules to determine when each program was ready to get going. As of Monday, all sports had begun practices. “We made it clear to the coaches that this has nothing to do with tryouts,” Shepardson said. “They couldn’t put any pressure on kids to show up.” While ice hockey, basketball and gymnastics balance space in the gym/rink with the amount of players and skills they can work on, Nordic and alpine skiing are getting outside and hitting the snow. Coaches plan to focus on strength, conditioning and specific skills while they wait for the state to take the next step for the winter sports season. While teams would love to jump into full practices and games, Shepardson said the extra time to focus on skills and conditioning is a silver lining to the slow start. Coaches can focus on the fundamentals and athletes can get in game shape. “It’s needed,” Shepardson said, “both for the physical conditioning part and the mental and emotional health part of it. Even if they played a fall sport, it has now been a couple of months. I think it’s been a real blessing, both for the kids and for the coaches.” A decision about starting games is expecting be announced in the coming weeks. “My personal best guess is that the first week of February we will start games, which would give us a six-week season,” said Shepardson. “If we can actually do that, that’d be wonderful.”
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Page 6 • Williston Observer • January 7, 2021
GUEST COLUMN
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A proposition for the future of Vermont BY PAUL COSTELLO As we come out of the crucible of the pandemic and look to a new year, we need more than recovery. We need to work together to advance renewal and resilience for our communities and economy. The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) has been asking Vermonters what recovery will look like. Almost universally, Vermonters say that we can’t just go “back to normal” in 2021. There’s no way to go backward, and we need to learn from this crisis. We must go forward to answer some of the fundamental challenges we faced before COVID-19 and also to prepare for the challenges from climate change that we are already seeing and that science predicts will intensify. We are asking Vermonters what we should do in the next three years to build success for the next 30. What do we need to do today to build foundations for the success of the next generation of Vermonters? What should we prioritize for action? To catalogue the ideas we have heard so far
from over 1,000 Vermonters, we have built a very preliminary first draft of a “Vermont Proposition.” The Proposition, in its current draft, is made up of 10 statements. We are now testing these statements and want to hear thoughts for improvements, additions and deletions. What are your propositions for the future of Vermont? Here’s our draft list of statements: 1: Vermont must ensure universal broadband and cellular access, while using digital tools to promote community, civility and democracy, and to advance local commerce and economic opportunity. 2: Vermonters must oppose racism, renew and expand our collective identity, and welcome new Vermonters. 3: Vermont must advance creative economic solutions to climate change. 4: Vermont must reduce economic disparity, advance economic opportunity and rebuild the middle class. 5: Vermont must re-localize energy, agriculture and business investment for a resilient economy. 6: Vermont must ensure all children have access to affordable, quality child care and education. 7: Vermont must strengthen
business vitality by advancing entrepreneurship, investment, workforce and rural innovation. 8: Vermont must reform regional coordination and governance and advance efficiency and foresight in state planning. 9: Vermont must protect our lands and waters and advance the economy of the working landscape. 10: Together, Vermonters must renew civic engagement and strengthen trust, civility, democratic decision-making, and empower young Vermonters. There are a lot of ideas and potential strategies behind each of these statements; think of this proposition as a book-length action plan, with these as chapter titles. What are we missing? What have we gotten wrong? What needs to change? Send us your ideas by taking the “Proposition Survey” at www. futureofvermont.org or contact us for a paper copy at info@vtrural. org. Let’s turn into the new year with hope and mutual dedication to build the best possible future for the next generation of Vermonters. Paul Costello is the executive director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Gratitude for good citizens I would like to say thank you to the kind woman and man who helped my friend and I on New Year’s Day at the Williston Community Park when my friend was not feeling well. Thank you for calling for an ambulance when my phone would not work, and for tending to my friend until the ambulance arrived. I am sorry I did not get your names on that day, but would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank you. It is heartwarming that Williston is the kind of town that has such community-minded individuals as you, who are so willing to help out other citizens. My friend and I really appreciated your help in coming to our aid. Judy Isham Williston
My New Year’s resolution My New Year’s resolution is that we all move forward in 2021 making this a better year in our country by honoring and respecting all people no matter the color of their skin or where they are from. Many people from different countries have come to live here and have added much to enrich our daily lives. Let us raise our children to love and be kind to all people. There is much we can share with each other.
Uplifting Vermont by preventing domestic violence Every Vermonter has the right to thrive and live their life free from violence. Unfortunately, the reality is that too many Vermonters aren’t safe. Each year, thousands of Vermonters experience domestic or sexual violence. What would it mean to Vermont if our homes were free of violence? If Vermonters were free from the limitations and dangers posed by this violence? If those who use violence were able to change? Imagine a Vermont where this violence doesn’t pose a risk to our families and our communities and where children thrive and families can safely navigate the conflicts that arise in daily life. This isn’t an unrealistic dream. It is possible for us to interrupt the inevitability of violence in Vermont. The pandemic has presented new challenges for all of us with stay-at-home orders, lost income, school closures and the anxiety that comes with the reality of a global pandemic. In this unprecedented year, realities about our lives have been uncovered — including that many of our community members live in homes where violence is the norm. The stay-at-home orders, which have been necessary for our
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health, have brought to light the often hidden and insidious nature of domestic violence. Despite restrictions, over 19,000 Vermonters called domestic and sexual violence organizations last year for support and resources. Throughout these many months of the pandemic, domestic and sexual violence survivors have sought shelter and housing. Domestic and sexual violence are not new, but the pandemic has highlighted it in a new way. Knowing about domestic and sexual violence and its impact on all Vermonters is the first step toward a Vermont where homes are free of violence. Now, more than ever, we have the chance to reconsider domestic and sexual violence and focus on the ways we can prevent violence before it happens. The Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence is bringing individuals and communities together to seek statewide and community-level solutions to domestic and sexual violence in a new initiative called “Uplift Vermont.” Together, we can build a violence-free Vermont where every one of us has the opportunity to thrive. Visit www.vtnetwork.org/ uplift for more information. Karen Tronsgard-Scott Executive Director Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
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State switches vaccine priorities
Elderly are next in line, leaving essential workers waiting — and worried BY ERIN PETENKO VTDigger Vermont says it will not prioritize frontline workers for the next stage of vaccination, bucking federal guidelines and frustrating workers who hoped to get the vaccine soon. The state will instead focus on vaccinating elderly residents, after Health Commissioner Mark Levine said the federal guidance was overly ambitious and doomed to fall short. He described the
state’s alternative as a more realistic and simpler approach that will ultimately prevent the most vulnerable Vermonters from dying of COVID. The state is “trying to balance the science and the data … about who’s been most adversely impacted by this virus, and a clear priority from the top down to save lives,” Levine said. Providing vaccines by age is both ethical and easier to implement, Levine said. It brings an “element of simplicity and not want-
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ing to disappoint everyone from the get-go.” The shift from the state’s earlier plan has raised questions about who the state chooses to protect, and why. “I worry about our likelihood of contracting COVID,” said Angela Burke Kunkel, a teacher at Vergennes Union High School whose partner is a nurse. The situation is complicated, she said. She wants to protect the most vulnerable, elderly Vermonters, but “I don’t understand how the state can prioritize keeping schools open, yet not prioritize vaccinating teachers.” After the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency approval to a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and soon after, to Moderna, the feds recommended that the first doses go to older Americans in elder care facilities and to health care workers. Vermont followed suit, offering the first doses on Dec. 15. Hospitals and pharmacies have administered about 14,000 doses, about half the vaccine they’ve been allocated. Levine said he expects the state will be able to provide doses to 60,000 health care workers and elder care residents by the end of January. The controversy comes in deciding who’s next. The federal vaccine advisory group voted on Dec. 20 to provide the next doses to both essential workers and elderly Americans. The problem? According to Levine, it’s not realistic. “What the (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) came out with is trying to do ev-
erybody at the same time, which we looked at as not only complex, but almost a formula for failure,” Levine said. “Essential workers” could cover as much as 85 percent of the state’s workforce, he said. Even frontline workers comprise a “huge number of people.” Texas and Florida have also rejected the Centers for Disease Control recommendations to focus on vaccinating elderly people. Levine worried that if the state had to decide which essential workers were at the highest risk, it would breed a “tremendous amount of divisiveness.” But he acknowledged it’s a difficult balance. “We want our economy to thrive, we want people to be able to work, we want our schools to be in person. And we want our teachers to be able to be in front of the class with their class. All of that’s true,” Levine said.
Thorny subject Essential workers who reached out to VTDigger were often conflicted about the news. Many asked to remain anonymous, fearing retribution from their jobs or public backlash. One 29-year-old Vermonter, a school social worker, didn’t want her name used because her clients don’t know she is a cancer survivor. She was worried about being called “selfish” for asking for a vaccine before others. But she also thinks she and her peers need this help to keep going. “How about instead of it being like, ‘You’re taking something
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away from someone else,’ being like, ‘We want to give you something so that you can continue to give?’” she said. Such debates — whether to vaccinate essential workers or the very elderly — are going on nationwide, said Anne Sosin, program director at the Dartmouth Center for Global Health Equity. The underlying ethical question centers on whether to vaccinate people who are most likely to die (the very old) or those most likely to catch and pass along the virus (essential workers). Part of what makes this debate so difficult, Sosin said, is that it is not yet known how vaccination affects transmission. If it could be determined that those who receive the vaccine couldn’t then act as vectors for the virus, “that would shift the balance,” she said, in favor of putting frontline, essential workers at the very start of the line. “Absent that data, there’s still reason for ongoing debate around that question,” Sosin said.
Uncertainty over chronic conditions Vermont still has to work out the details. As a cancer survivor, the social worker may be able to skip the line. Gov. Phil Scott said qualifying chronic health conditions will get priority. But the state hasn’t yet defined what those conditions are, and that may be a complicated process. Twelve conditions are listed as “risk factors” under Centers for Disease Control guidance, but 11 others are listed under “might be under increased risk.” “COVID-19 is a new disease,” the CDC guidance said. “Currently, there are limited data and information about the impact of many underlying medical conditions on the risk for severe illness.” Cancer is one example: Having current cancer is a known risk factor for severe COVID, but it’s not known whether a history of cancer increases your risk, according to the CDC. Levine said the issue of chronic conditions is an important one, since loosening the definition of conditions could “open up the floodgates” compared to being more stringent. “We don’t want to make cavalier and quick decisions,” he said. Levine said roughly 400,000 Vermonters could be included in this phase of the plan, including 125,000 Vermonters over 65 and 275,000 people with chronic health conditions, although it’s not clear if see VACCINE page 9
January 7, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 9
Despite less traffic, Vt. road deaths spiked during pandemic BY JACK LYONS VTDigger Soon after Vermont’s first wave of COVID-19 deaths subsided in May, another wave of death quickly began to climb: traffic collisions. Crashes at one point surpassed the death toll of the coronavirus, and killed 62 people in the state in 2020, up from 47 the year before. Vermont roads have had less traffic and fewer crashes than usual during the pandemic, but the percentage of crashes that ended in a fatality in 2020 is significantly higher than previous years, according to data from the Agency of Transportation. The summer proved especially deadly for Vermont drivers, with 14 deaths in July alone, more than any month in the past decade. State officials say restrictions meant to stop the spread of COVID-19 may have emboldened reckless drivers, with fewer cars on the road and minimal police presence. “You’ve got people out on the road with very little traffic and very little enforcement going on, and what’s the temptation? Hammer down,” said Paul White, a law enforcement liaison for the Vermont State Highway Safety Office. “They’re doing all sorts of irresponsible driving behaviors that they might not do in normal traffic or when you have a greater likelihood of getting pulled over.” It’s hard to say whether emptier roads led otherwise safe driv-
Vaccine continued from page
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every one of those will qualify. That’s more than two-thirds of the state. If everyone on that list qualifies, other Vermonters may have a while to wait.
The long view It’s reasonable for Vermont to prioritize the elderly and sick over essential workers in the next, most immediate phase of vaccine distribution, Sosin said. But the state shouldn’t stick strictly to age and health, she said, when it decides who gets the batch after that. “It will be really important to ensure that that population that’s most exposed is prioritized in the next phases of vaccination,” Sosin said. And Vermont will have to think carefully about not only who is prioritized for vaccination, but also how the medicine gets to them, Sosin said. The logistics of delivering the coronavirus vac-
Light traffic zips along Interstate 91 in Brattleboro. Vermont roads had less traffic and fewer crashes than usual in 2020, but the percentage of crashes that killed someone rose significantly. PHOTO BY KEVIN O’CONNOR/VTDIGGER
ers to change their habits, but there was at least “a higher ratio” of risky drivers from March onward, he said. “The risk-takers are always going to be out there,” White said, “even though some of the more cautious drivers are staying home.” The pandemic has brought about a five-year low in car crashes, and traffic levels are about 75 percent of what they were the previous year. Levels were even lower in the spring, though traffic increased as Gov. Phil Scott loosened restrictions for restaurants and other businesses in late May. And that’s when road deaths started spiking.
cines, which require two doses several weeks apart, will be complicated. And more vulnerable Vermonters — like essential workers in low-wage work — may also be the hardest to track down. “There’s some desire for expediency. And equity sometimes loses out when that happens,” she said. Doctors are thinking about those issues as well. Patients calling to ask about when they can get a vaccine have inundated the phone system at Community Health Centers of Burlington, said spokesperson Kim Anderson. Staff at the health center, which provides care for many New Americans and homeless patients in Chittenden County, are brainstorming ways to partner with other organizations or use its van to meet people where they live. For now, staff members are thinking of reprogramming the phone system to stem the tide of calls. “When it’s your turn, you’ll know,” Anderson promised.
The period from Memorial Day to Labor Day — coined the “100 deadliest days” by traffic safety experts — had 40 road deaths in 2020, a steep increase from the six deaths recorded in the winter and spring. It was enough to make June to September of 2020 the deadliest four months for Vermont roads in the past decade, even as crashes
and traffic remained well below normal. The problem isn’t limited to Vermont. In October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported an increase in the national traffic fatality rate, though the number of fatal crashes nationwide has decreased. In addition, White said he and his colleagues in other states have discussed the issue in their regular conversations with each other. The timing of the spike doesn’t seem coincidental, White said, and can be tied to the state’s reopening. “People started to get into this habit of driving inappropriately, and then things started to loosen up — so you’re introducing more traffic on the road — and people weren’t driving well,” he said. Poor driving could also come from high stress levels, officials say, as worrisome events draw the attention of drivers away from the road. Crashes often occur when preoccupied drivers ignore a pedestrian or curve in the road they normally would have seen, a circumstance called “inattentional blindness.” “When we’re thinking about, ‘Man, I’m losing my business,’ or ‘My mom is sick’ or ‘I don’t want
my mom to be sick’ — and we’re not here to focus on the driving task, that contributes to the inattentional blindness,” said Sgt. Jay Riggen, who works in traffic safety for the Vermont State Police. About half of the traffic fatalities this year have involved an intoxicated driver, which Riggen said is typical in Vermont. What isn’t typical, though, is that most of those individuals were under the influence of alcohol, whereas in recent years, drivers have often had drugs in their system. The shift in which substances are causing crashes may be connected to an increase in alcohol consumption during the pandemic, Riggen said. But with Vermont’s small numbers, it only takes a handful of fatal DUI crashes to tip the scales, making it hard to distinguish between trends and statistical abnormalities. White said the same is true when analyzing any trend in Vermont’s fatal crash data: “When your overall numbers are so low, it doesn’t take much of a spike or much of a dip to really throw your percentages off.” One piece of data that stands see TRAFFIC page 13
Page 10 • Williston Observer • January 7, 2021
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Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network forms Group receives VCF grant to foster anti-racist school systems
The Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network recently received a $1,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Spark Connecting Community grant program. The grant will help further the network’s mission of promoting anti-racism in schools through student leadership. “Racism is driven by mindsets, unconscious biases and how our brains are structured, so if we can get young people into anti-racist habits early on, it is likely that these habits will stick with them into adulthood,” said Olivia Miller, a member of the group from Champlain Valley Union High School The Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network was founded over the summer to bring a diverse group of students together from around the state to advocate for anti-racist education. It endeavors to
make an impact by undertaking projects in schools, encouraging curriculum changes and changes in statewide education policies. “We envision a Vermont that acknowledges how racism is historically and institutionally embedded and takes seriously our ethical obligation to end racism,” said Kyle Mitchell, a member of the group from Middlebury Union High School. The group plans to use the grant money to purchase racially inclusive and anti-racist books that amplify diverse voices for elementary schools around Vermont, then video-conference with students around the state for activities and discussion about the books. For more information, email antiracismvtschools@gmail.com.
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January 7, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 11
SENIORS
How seniors can make their bathrooms safer and easier to use
Dear Savvy Senior, What tips can you recommend for making a bathroom senior-friendly? My 78-year-old mother has mobility problems and fell getting out of the bathtub last month. I’d like to modify her bathroom with some safety features that can help keep her safe. Concerned Daughter
Dear Concerned, Great question! Because more accidents and injuries happen in the bathroom than any other room in the house, this is a very important room to modify, especially for seniors with mobility or balance problems. Depending on your mom’s needs and budget, here are some simple tips and product recommendations that can make her bathroom safer and easier to use. Floor: To avoid slips, a simple fix is to get non-skid bath rugs for the floors. Or if you want to put in a new floor, get slip-resistant tiles, rubber or vinyl flooring, or install wall-to-wall carpeting. Lights: Good lighting is also very important, so install the highest wattage bulbs allowed for your mom’s bathroom fixtures and get a plug-in nightlight that automatically turns on when the room gets dark.
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Bathtub/shower: To make bathing safer, purchase a rubber suction grip mat, or put down adhesive nonskid tape on the tub/ shower floor. And have a carpenter install grab bars in and around the
step over than a standard tub. They also have a built-in seat, handrails and a slip resistant bottom. Some have therapeutic features like whirlpool water jets and/or bubble massage air jets. Curbless showers and walkin-tubs run anywhere between $2,500 and $10,000 installed.
Savvy Senior BY JIM MILLER tub/shower for support. If your mom uses a shower curtain, install a screw or bolt-mounted curtain rod, versus a tension-mounted rod, so that if she loses her balance and grabs the shower curtain the rod won’t spring loose. For easier access and safer bathing, consider getting your mom a shower or bathtub chair so she can bathe from a seated position. In addition, you should also have a handheld, adjustable-height showerhead installed that makes chair bathing easier. If your mom has the budget for it, another good option is to install a curbless shower or a walkin-bathtub. Curbless showers have no threshold to step over, and come with a built-in seat, grab bars, slip resistant floors and an adjustable handheld showerhead. Walk-in tubs have a door in front that provides a much lower threshold to
Toilet: Most standard toilets are around 15 inches high and can be an issue for taller seniors with arthritis, back, hip or knee problems. If your mom has trouble getting on or off the toilet, a simple solution is to purchase a raised toilet seat that clamps to the toilet bowl, and/or purchase toilet safety rails that sit on each side of the seat for support. Or, you can install a new ADA compliant “comfort height” toilet that is 16-to-19 inches high. Faucets: If your mom has twist handles on the sink, bathtub or shower faucets, consider replacing them with lever handle faucets, or with a touch, motion or digital smart faucet. They’re easier to operate, especially if she has hand arthritis or gripping problems. Also note that it only takes 130-degree water to scald someone, so turn her hot water heater down to 120 degrees. Doorway: If your mom needs a wider bathroom entrance to accommodate a walker or wheelchair, an inexpensive solution is to install some swing clear offset hinges on the door that will expand the doorway an additional 2 inches. Emergency assistance: As a safety precaution, you should also
consider purchasing a voice-enabled medical alert system like Get Safe (www.GetSafe.com) for her bathroom. This device would let her call for help by simple voice command, or by pushing a button or pulling a cord. You can find all of these suggested products at either medical supply stores, pharmacies, big-box
stores, home improvement stores or hardware and plumbing supply stores, as well as online. 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.
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January 7, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 13
Lottery for school district preschool upcoming The Champlain Valley School District’s early education programs are now accepting applications for a random preschool lottery drawing for next school year. The district has part-time, partial-day preschool classrooms licensed to provide play-based, developmentally appropriate early education in an inclusive setting for all children. The curriculum is based on the Vermont Early Learning Standards and Teaching Strategies Gold. Programs follow the school district’s calendar. Students who will be age 3 or older by Sept. 1, 2021, who have not enrolled in kindergarten, are eligible to enter the
lottery for program spots. Act 166 funding is available. Applications must be received by Feb. 5. Application materials are available at www.cvsdvt.org. Students will be selected via lottery and families notified in February. The district’s early childhood education team is available to screen children ages 3-5 if parents have any concerns about their child’s development in any of the following areas: communication, social-emotional skills, motor skills, adaptive skills or cognitive skills. Contact Kristin Eisensmith at keisensmith@cvsdvt.org to request a screening.
Traffic
public who is at risk.” In December, an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Vermont Police Academy infected almost 80 percent of the state’s new recruits. In the absence of regular enforcement levels, state officials have turned to awareness campaigns and social media to deter reckless driving. A recent video by transportation officials, “The 12 Days of Highway Safety,” adds a whimsical twist to the popular Christmas song, featuring lyrics such as “three texts ignored” and “four snow tires installed.” The video may be goofy, but Riggen said he hopes the overall message is not. “(We’re) trying to help people see that this is not numbers on a spreadsheet,” he said. “These are human beings.”
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out to Riggen, however, is an unusually high number of single-fatality or single-vehicle collisions this year. That statistic might reflect the state’s order to physically distance between households. In the effort to reduce fatal crashes, officials say they’ve lost a key tool: enforcement. Since interactions like pulling over a vehicle provide an opportunity to transmit the coronavirus, authorities across the state have been scaling back their presence on the highways. “While we’re out there and we’re trying, we want to be careful,” Riggen said. “We don’t want to contribute to the next tragedy by infecting another member of the
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CROSSWORD • SOLUTION ON PAGE 15
ACROSS 1. Army meal 5. Basketful of clothes 9. Darlings 13. Curved doorway 14. Tiler’s calculation 15. Certain clubs 17. Enjoying liberty 18. Radio feature 19. Twangy, as a voice 20. Suffix for elect 21. Wine variety 22. Have a tab 24. Gather intelligence 25. “The Hunger Games” venue 27. Mule 29. ‘’A Bug’s Life’’ bug 31. Stomach muscles 33. Catalina, e.g. 37. Question persistently 40. Fair-sized garden 42. Pot material 43. “Just as I thought!” 44. Farfalle or fusilli 46. A wee hour 47. Untangle your hair 49. Lion’s warning 50. Has obligation towards 51. Bangkok native 52. Writer 53. “The Sweetheart of Sigma ___”
55. Letter 57. Be rude in a crowd 61. Night bird 64. Delivery truck 66. Community property word 68. Chromosome component 69. Cycle 71. Concedes 73. Two 74. Representative 75. Net-surfer’s stop 76. Much-respected person 77. Run into 78. They give people big heads 79. Perfect scores, often DOWN 1. “The Godfather” group 2. Bug 3. View of a landscape 4. Vixen or dam 5. Roe opponent 6. Parched 7. Perplexed, at ___ 8. Angel’s surround 9. Conifer trees 10. Hurler’s stat. 11. Chuck 12. Break 16. Arch 21. Governed
23. Used to be 26. Down time 28. Command to Fido 30. Select 31. Property destruction 32. Kind of testing 34. School zone sign 35. Rural route 36. Where to find contacts 37. Bargain 38. “Looks like trouble!” 39. Cry from a crib 41. Have concern for 45. Rainbow shape 48. Tom Hanks film 50. Spa liquid 52. ___ green 54. “And I Love ___” 56. Charity affair 58. Support 59. Shallot 60. Advises 61. Select, with “for” 62. To ____ it may concern 63. Water-skiing locale 65. Sniffer 66. Not taken in by 67. Purposes 70. Catch 72. Hairpiece 73. Prune center
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Page 14 • Williston Observer • January 7, 2021
OBITUARY
VOLUNTEERING
Annette M. (Dennis) Guertin Annette M. (Dennis) Guertin, 81, a longtime resident of Williston, died peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Dec. 25, 2020. Annette was born in Burlington, the daughter of Henry J. Dennis and Rose (Vashaw) Dennis and grew up in Williston. She attended the Burlington schools where she met her husband of 62 years, Ronald Guertin. They eventually moved from Vermont to Woburn, MA in 1959 where they started raising a family. Annette loved being a homemaker where she was able to raise her children before they were of school age. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, as well as playing bingo, taking ceramic classes and eventually learning how to bowl and being on a bowling league. In 1977 they decided to move back to Vermont and made their home in Williston. Annette is survived by her loving husband, Ronald Guertin of Williston, their son Ronnie Guertin from Anaheim, CA, daughters: Cindy LaForce and her husband
BLOOD DONORS NEEDED
Mark LaForce of Essex, VT. Kimberly Richards of Addison, VT. Their Grandchildren: Rob MacLeod, Heather McSweeney, Brandon Richards, Logan Drexler, Shawn Richards and great grandson: Tristan McNight. Annette was predeceased, by her parents Henry and Rose Dennis, Brother: Gary Dennis, Sister: Carole Pecor, and daughter Lori MacLeod. Services will be this Spring or at a time when we can all be together. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Arrangements are under the care of LaVigne Funeral Home and Cremation Service.
The American Red Cross has an urgent need for blood and if you are healthy and eligible to donate, visit www.redcross.org for more information and to schedule an appointment at a drive near you. The Jericho-Underhill Lions Club will be hosting a blood drive on Feb. 3, from 12-5 p.m. at the Covenant Community Church, 1 Whitcomb Meadows Lane, Essex Junction. You can schedule an appointment at www.RedCrossBlood. org by entering COVENANT. DELIVER MEALS TO HOMEBOUND NEIGHBORS The Age Well Meals on Wheels program needs help now more than ever. Deliver nutritious meals to homebound elders in Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle and Addison counties. Drivers pick up food at a central location and deliver to residential locations on their route. Time commitment varies from one day per week to one day per month from approximately 10:30-11:45 a.m. Background, license and insurance check required. Contact 662-5249 or email volunteerservices@agewell-
vt.org to learn more. FUNDRAISING & EVENT PLANNING VOLUNTEER The Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile needs volunteers to work in a team to plan literacy themed fundraising events. Examples of past events include a Book It! Running Marathon, a No-Bake Sale and a Giving Tuesday Book Drive. For more information, contact Lauren Walsh at (802) 2322554 or email americorps@fgibookmobile.org. DATA MANAGEMENT & PROGRAM EVALUATION Samaritan House, St. Alban’s homeless shelter, is seeking a volunteer to maintain, improve and protect agency-wide data systems. The volunteer would coordinate methods and procedures for data acquisition, input, management and quality control. Volunteer needed one day a week and is welcome to choose the day that best suits their schedule. To learn more, contact Ben Kaufman at (802) 527-0847 or email ben.kaufman@samaritan-house.com.
VOLUNTEER DRIVERS Champlain Islanders Developing Essential Resources (CIDER) needs volunteers to transport (primarily) older adults living in Grand Isle County to medical appointments or therapy, as well as destinations such as grocery stores and pharmacies. Most trips are to locations in St. Albans or the greater Burlington area. Volunteers use their own automobiles and can be reimbursed for their mileage (currently 57.5 cents per mile to and from their home). Trips are scheduled through the CIDER office and usually with at least 48 hours notice. Volunteers may drive when they like and it is always ok to say “no.” We do not operate during bad weather. Background checks are required of all CIDER drivers. During the current health crisis, masks are required of both drivers and riders. We do not transport individuals with COVIDlike symptoms nor do we transport individuals to COVID tests except when the rider is required to have a test for another type of medical treatment. Volunteers should be between the ages of 21 and 80. Contact Deb Piché at cidervt@sover. net or call 802-372-6425.
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CLASSIFIEDS
LEGAL NOTICE
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TOWN OF WILLISTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD AGENDA Tuesday, January 12, 2021 – 7:00 PM Zoom Webinar ID: 823-369-798
HOUSE CLEANING: Experienced and meticulous house cleaner available to clean your home. Reasonable rates. Strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocol including mask, gloves, etc. Call (802) 989-2489 to schedule a cleaning.
DP 21-09 Jean Gauthier requests pre-application review to demolish the existing barn and construct an 8-unit residential building (the existing 3-unit house to remain) at 8397 Williston Road 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: 878-6704 Meeting Location: Zoom Webinar ID: 823-369-798 https://zoom.us/j/823369798
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FOR SALE SAFE – 28-gun safe $900, “short gun” safe $400. Call Mark in Williston 802-338-5442. FURNITURE - all items as priced, OBO. Dresser, great for kid’s room $25; Bar stools – 4 brand new, $25 for set; Recliner Sofa, 3-section, faux leather, good shape, $50; Director’s Chair, leather seat and back, $25; Sewing Machine, Singer (working) in cabinet, with original accessories, cabinet needs refinishing $25; Vacuum, Hoover upright, runs well, $25. Assorted rugs: runners, and one 8 ft. x 11 ft. - take ‘em away! Call 802-839-0294 to inquire - leave a message regarding “furniture. DOG RAMP - 61” x 15”, sturdy, folds, carpeted, used inside only once- $50. Also 4 step dog stairs for smaller dog $15. Call 802-363-4611.
”TIRES: 4 Eldorado Tourmax GFT all season radials 195/65R15T. Used less than 5 months and have low mileage on them. We are selling these because we traded in the vehicle and they will not fit on our new one. $200. Call Tom at 802-318-3581. SNOWBLOWER - Cub Cadet 3 stage 24 inch 277 ccOHV Electric start Snow Bloer. Excellent condition!!! Only used a few times. $650. Call 878-0405 and leave message on answering machine with your name and phone # and Bill will call you back.
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11 Maple Street, Street, Essex Junction, VT VT 11 Maple Essex Junction, 11Open Maple Street, Junction, VT Mon SatEssex 10-5 Sun 11-4 Open-Mon - Sat 10-5 Sun 11-4 Open Mon - Sat 10-5 Sun 11-4 5CornersAntiques.com 5CornersAntiques.com 5CornersAntiques.com
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Page 16 • Williston Observer • January 7, 2021
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