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JANUARY 24, 2019
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Pounds of pot seized in raid
Bus budget busted
Man charged in alleged cultivation operation on St. George Road
OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
Williston police released this photo Tuesday showing marijuana plants allegedly seized from a home on St. George Road.
OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR
Riders use the Williston-Burlington bus route in front of Walmart on Tuesday.
Fare increase and reduced service imminent By Jason Starr Observer staff
Green Mountain Transit put out an alert Monday that a budget shortfall and depleted reserves are likely to cause a fare increase and cut-back on bus service in Chittenden County. Williston’s route through the village would be reduced from five to four trips a day if the GMT board approves cost-cutting measures recommended by administrators at its meeting Jan. 29, according
to Williston’s representative on the board, Chapin Kaynor. Other routes considered for service cuts are the commuter buses into Burlington from Jeffersonville and St. Albans/Milton. Kaynor and his fellow volunteers on the board have observed the trends in declining ridership and level funding from state and federal sources building up over the past three years. As an advocate for public transportation, he’s saddened by the situation. “State and federal funding hasn’t kept up with the increase in operational costs,” he said. “We’ve had that problem for three years, but
we were able to reduce staff, use reserves and find efficiencies. “It’s distressing because, as we as a town grow and Chittenden County grows, I see public transit as really important infrastructure,” he continued. “It’s a huge value to society, so it’s really sad to me to see us in a budget problem to the point that we’re looking at perhaps a cutback in service.” Kaynor disagrees with the way GMT administrators characterized the issue in their Monday press release: “As a result of declining public transit ridership, Green Mountain Transit is experiencing budget challenges …,” the release
begins. Kaynor acknowledges the trend in ridership — it is down about 20 percent throughout Chittenden County over the past three years. But he notes that the bulk of the budget shortfall is the result of state and federal sources remaining flat despite labor and operational cost increases. The bus system covers five counties in northwest Vermont. It ha s a $14 m il l ion a n nu al operating budget. The budget for the upcoming fiscal year is showing a $1 million shortfall, Kaynor said. see BUSTED page 10
The Williston Police Department busted an apparent illegal marijuana growing operation at a home on St. George Road in Williston on Sunday, seizing 15 pounds of pot and 29 marijuana plants. Police charged James O. Gram, 30, with illegally cultivating marijuana. Officer Travis Trybulski said Gram was one of five roommates living in the home. Trybulski expects another arrest will be made in the case. Gram is due to appear in court Feb. 28. Trybulski said the operation involved marijuana sales as well as cultivation. Police seized $7,300 in cash in Sunday’s search. The search followed an eightmonth investigation that began right about the time a limited amount of marijuana possession and cultivation was made legal in Vermont. The law allows up to two mature plants and four immature plants to be cultivated in a home. Of the 29 plants confiscated, nine were mature plants and 20 were immature, Trybulski said. Cultivation equipment and 10 grams of marijuana hashish were also seized, police said. — Jason Starr
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