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NOVEMBER 21, 2018
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Farmhouse Group plans eatery By Jason Starr Observer staff
Good coffee and chatting go hand-in-hand. And lately, talk around Williston’s Starbucks has been that the restaurant going in next door at the former RehabGYM space will be a Farmhouse Group project.
Village repaving planned for spring
That is true. But it won’t be in the style that diners are accustomed to from the group’s other four Burlington-area restaurants. And while it will certainly be aff iliated with the Farmhouse Group, the precise makeup of the ownership group is unique. The new restaurant is called
Bliss Bee and is planned for a spring opening, according to Farmhouse Group owner Jed Davis. Its slogan is “real food, real easy.” Davis also plans to open a Bliss Bee location next year on Shelburne Road in Shelburne. Unlike the group’s four sit-down restaurants — the Farmhouse Tap
& Grill, Guild Tavern, El Cortijo and Pascolo Ristorante — Bliss Bee will specialize in fast, casual counter service at an “approachable” price point, said Davis. “We expect to do a lot of takeout business,” he said. The Farmhouse Group came together in 2010 and opened three
restaurants in downtown Burlington in four years. It later opened the Guild Tavern in South Burlington. The group’s commitment to locally sourced food is a common thread and will be a part of Bliss Bee’s foundation. The menu will feature beef, turkey and veggie burgers; see EATERY page 8
Thanks for giving!
Bike lanes will be added along Route 2 By Jason Starr Observer staff
The passing lane on Route 2 will be eliminated and bike lanes will be added next summer when the Vermont Agency of Transportation repaves 2.3 miles of road through Williston Village. A June start is planned for the project, which will begin where this year’s paving ended at Maple Tree Place. The project scope ends on the east side of the stop sign at North Williston Road, in front of Williston Federated Church. Vtrans Project Manager Brandon Kipp said the passing lane that climbs the hill just west of the village has proven unnecessary. That roadway width will be better put to use accommodating cyclists, he said, as the road is reduced to two lanes of travel for cars. Route 2 narrows as it enters the village after the hill, but 4-foot bike lanes on both sides of the road will continue. At the busier intersections — for example, at Talcott Road — enhanced markings will see REPAVING page 8
OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
From left, Jean Stauton, Sr. Duckworth and Sr. Drollinger pose with a few of the record number of turkeys donated to the Williston Community Food Shelf on Saturday. According to food shelf president Ginger Morton, a total of 262 turkeys were donated during the annual one-day turkey drive. Fifty-four were distributed to food shelf families Saturday, 50 were donated to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf in Burlington and 139 were transported to storage in Underhill to give out for Christmas. Also, the food shelf received $1,600 in gift cards and $1,000 in donations.
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