Williston Observer 2/11/2021

FEBRUARY 11, 2021

WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985

CVU to end police officer position

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Bill introduced to ban school officers statewide “I’ve changed my mind,” she continued. “I am not safer with an SRO and our students of color are Champlain Valley Union High less safe. I am no longer OK …

School’s experiment with having a prioritizing my comfort and the full-time, armed police officer in comfort of some of our white colthe building will end in June after leagues and students over the safea three-year stint. ty of our students of color. There is School district administrators no shame in changing our minds announced last week that they will in order to create a community in not renew the contract of Matt Col- which all of our students feel safe, lins, a member of the Shelburne supported and respected.”

Police Department who has filled School Superintendent Elaine the role since 2018.

Pinckney said the district will The school resource officer change its approach to school safeposition was created in the wake of ty, focusing on using contracted exthe deadly school shooting in Park- perts to make professional assessland, Fla. The tragedy triggered ments of specific threats. national protests from students and “It’s not someone who would teachers demanding safety mea- be walking the halls. It would be sures for school someone who buildings. CVU Adam or Greg students and staff ‘There is no shame (Marino, Willisparticipated in ton’s lead princiin changing our those protests, pal) would refer walking out of minds in order to concerns to so class en masse on they can do an asa day in March, create a community sessment and fol2018. low up,” District CVU Princiin which all of our Chief Operations pal Adam Bunting Officer Jeanne students feel safe, Jensen explained. said Tuesday that the meaning of The new supported and safety in school safety model will has evolved since also include a respected.’ then. The killdeeper connection ing last year of between CVU and — Jessica Lemieux George Floyd the Hinesburg PoChamplain Valley ignited a reckonlice.

Union High School teacher ing with systemic “They are racism in policing really a minute and elevated the discomfort some away,” Bunting said. “We really members of the school community need to work with them on how have with an armed officer in the we maintain the level of safety that building. has helped people feel comfortable During a school board meet- with an SRO and how we work ing last November, a group of with our police so that they are our CVU educators urged the school allies in any racial justice and racial district to eliminate the SRO posi- equity work that we are doing. tion. Teacher Jessica Lemieux ex“I think it’s a mistake to marplained to the board how her views ginalize police,” he added. “They on the SRO have changed. are a part of our community and “At times, I’ve felt incredibly they can be really powerful allies anxious to be at school. Many of and we need to figure out what that those moments happen after trag- looks like.” ic school shootings,” she said. “So Bunting said he could have when the idea of having an SRO done a better job introducing Colwas bought to my attention, I am lins as the SRO to the student comashamed to say that I was grateful, munity in 2018 so that any discomand very naive. I felt that an armed fort with his presence was allayed. police officer would somehow “There was a lot of discomfort make my community safer for everyone. see CVU page 24

BY JASON STARR Observer staff

Members of the Williston Central School Sliding Club enjoy the snow on a sunny Monday at Williston's Community Park.

OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY

Page 2 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

Duke earns his keep Richmond tightens ‘Fair and Recapping a year of police comfort dog program Impartial Policing’ policy

Williston’s police comfort dog Duke is about to turn 1.

In his first year, the black Labrador retriever has visited Williston schools 29 times, attended 68 community events and responded to 20 emergency situations, according to Duke’s handler, Officer Matt Cohen.

Cohen provided a first-year recap of the police department’s comfort dog program — the first of its kind in the State of Vermont — last week to the selectboard. Going into year two of the program, the police department expects Duke’s presence in the community to increase as COVID restrictions are hopefully eased.

Lt. Josh Moore said Duke will make more visits to schools in the coming year and will be a fixture at the Isham Farmers’ Market this summer.

In addition to a community relations role, Duke’s primary responsibility is to comfort crime victims and witnesses in emergency situations. Since arriving in Williston as a puppy in May, and undergoing continuous training at Williston’s Thin Blue Line K9 school, Duke has responded to car crashes, sexual assaults, grieving communities and COVID vaccination clinics.

Cohen highlighted one incident where Duke comforted two children on a roadside as their parent was arrested for driving under

the influence of alcohol.

“The kids only remember in-

BY JOHN ELY Special to the Observer

tanski has said he’d adopt the policy changes, but that the selectboard did not establish that compliance is mandatory.

“We would have loved to have had a selectboard actually say ‘we’re putting this policy in place and the police chief has to implement it,’” said RRE founding

At a virtual meeting on Jan. 19, Richmond’s selectboard passed a Fair and Impartial Policing policy that limits cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities and stipulates that police may not ask about individuals’ immigration status, closing what some saw as a loophole in statewide policy.

“Richmond seeks to support and pursue the vision of the United States Declaration of InWilliston police comfort dog Duke.

OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO dependence, which founded our nation teracting with Duke and not their on the principles that parent being arrested,” Cohen said. all men are created “He had a major impact.” equal,” the board statAnother standout occasion ed in a resolution inwas spending three consecutive troducing the policy. days at Williston Central School “Policies are importafter the unexpected death of a stu- ant statements of who dent. we are as a commuThe dog facilitates communi- nity.” cation, helps victims and witnessStatewide Fair es get through trauma and helps and Impartial Polic- Police cruisers sit idle next to the historic Old Round Church in Richmond. Under a first-responders deal with calls in- ing rules forbid law policy passed last month, Richmond police are barred from asking about an individual’s volving mental health crises, Co- enforcement from immigration status. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COMMUNITY NEWS NETWORK hen said. “biased policing,” but “This has been a great tool for local group Richmond Racial Equity (RRE) has argued member Ann Naumann. “Instead they said … ‘we’ve us in a number of cases,” he said. that loopholes put undocumented migrant workers at convinced the police chief to implement it, basically.’” risk. RRE has been working with immigrant rights orThe selectboard made a unanimous decision to — Jason Starr ganizers from Burlington’s Migrant Justice to advocate hand the new resolution to Kapitanski. Communifor tighter local policies. ty members attending the virtual meeting broke into A selectboard meeting on Jan. cheers, and Nauman addressed the group.

4 focused primarily on who has the “I just want to thank our selectboard, our acting power to implement such decisions. police chief, and Josh (Arneson), our town manager, An attorney for the selectboard ar- for all their hard work on this,” she said. “I’m very, gued that the police department has very proud of our town for doing this.” the final say. RRE and a lawyer from the Vermont chapter of the National John Ely is a reporter with the Community Lawyers Guild responded that the News Service, a collaboration with the University selectboard holds that responsibility. of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling Request Your FREE Pick-Up Today!

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February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 3

Town freezes animal trap permission after citizen petition

BY JASON STARR Observer staff

After a coyote was found trapped illegally on land owned by the Town of Williston in December, about 240 residents signed a petition asking the selectboard to ban the practice of setting animal traps on town land.

The State of Vermont allows trapping by body-gripping traps during the winter months. Trappers typically target foxes, coyotes, beavers and bobcats. But

about two-thirds of the animals caught in traps are not targeted, according to Peggy Larson, a Williston veterinarian who organized the petition. Pet cats and dogs and non-target birds and land mammals often suffer and die at the hands of body-gripping traps, she told the board.

“It’s the wanton waste and the suffering that these trapped animals go through that would bother any veterinarian, and anyone who owns a dog or cat,” Larson said.

Lynn Blevins, another peti-

tion organizer, said the knowledge that there are dangerous traps set in town-owned open space is disconcerting to people who recreate outdoors.

“There is this collective fear and anxiety that any of us — a child or a pet — might come across this while walking,” she said.

The coyote that was found trapped in December was on the Mahan property across from the Williston Fire Department. Town Conservation Planner Melinda

Scott noted that the trap was set illegally because the trapper failed to get permission from the landowner, as required by state law.

Town Manager Erik Wells said, after hearing of the incident, he decided to deny all requests for trapping on town-owned property.

Town administrators also plan to put signs up at the Mahan land entrance off Williston Road explaining that trapping is not allowed without permission.

The town prohibits trapping, using signage to alert people, at

many of its rural parks, including Five Tree Hill Park, Sucker Brook Park and the Catamount Community Forest. But about a dozen town-owned conserved areas don’t have that signage.

Selectboard chair Terry Macaig said he will invite trappers and state Fish and Wildlife officials to a future board meeting to provide input as the board considers creating a policy about when the town would grant permission for trapping on townowned land.

State cleans up kerosene spill near Mt. Philo

BY ROWAN HAWTHORNE Special to the Observer

A kerosene tank along Mount

Philo Road in Charlotte and Shelburne was reported Dec. 30 to have spilled an unknown amount of oil into a nearby storm drain and

stream. State environmental authorities began a clean up process that day.

A seal had broken from the

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tank to a pipe and released fuel.

The owner has since removed the tank.

The Department of Environmental Conservation was notified there was a “red dyed fuel in the tributary.” The call was put in by the caretaker of Peter Dietrich of Shelburne, who noticed the fuel in the waterway when she was driving to Dietrich’s house.

Jaymi Cleland, who is with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Spill Team, worked with the Miller Environmental Group (MEG) to put fuel absorbent materials into the ground and stream at the spill site. The majority of the oil ran down into a storm drain and into a drainage ditch, some of it going into a nearby stream.

“Where the spill occurred we have removed contaminated soil,” said Cleland. “So far, we have gen-

erated approximately 50-60 tons (of soil) transported off site.”

When the excavation is complete, MEG and the Vermont DEC will take tests to ensure proper cleanup levels. They have also removed all kerosene from the waterway.

The majority of the oil was contained within the soil around the spill and cleaned up. There is little possibility for widespread soil contamination because the kerosene did not flow across large areas of topsoil, but directly into the storm drain, according to Lee Krohn, Shelburne town manager.

“It stayed pretty well contained,” Krohn said.

Rowan Hawthorne is a reporter with the Community News Service, a collaboration with the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.

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Page 4 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

Agencies acquiring motels as homelessness solution

BY KEVIN O’CONNOR VTDigger Ask advocates for the homeless about the state’s emergency motel voucher program, which is now sheltering 2,500 Vermonters at a federally funded rate of some $150,000 a night, and they’ll tell you it’s a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

But there is a growing list of Vermont human service organizations going from booking overnight accommodations to buying motels outright to turn into permanent apartments.

The state, aiming to stop COVID-19 from spreading in homeless encampments, is currently housing nearly 2,200 adults and 400 children in 70 motels and hotels from Brattleboro to Burlington — a feat that is costing some $4.5 million in federal funds a month.

“Vermont was really ahead of the curve on this, and we are fortunate to live in a state that has prioritized shelter,” said Josh Davis, executive director of Brattleboro’s Groundworks Collaborative. “We have interrupted homelessness as a foregone conclusion — a bright spot that should be celebrated in this pandemic.”

But government can’t afford to fully fund vouchers forever, he said. The eventual end of the state program could send hundreds of people now in motels back onto the streets.

Burlington’s ANEW Place shelter is one of the agencies

that has purchased property. Last fall, it purchased the Champlain Inn on Shelburne Road to offer free rooms for the homeless yearround.

The Champlain Housing Trust, which bought Shelburne’s Econo Lodge in 2013, recently purchased the former Baymont Inn and Suites in Essex, Handy’s Extended Stay Suites in Colchester and Ho Hum Motel in South Burlington with similar money to host a variety of programs.

State officials caution the projects won’t eliminate the problem.

“We have been able to house many who were living temporarily in motels,” said Jennifer Hollar, director of policy and special projects at the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, “but as the pandemic has gone on, more Vermonters are becoming homeless.”

That said, the motel purchases are making a dent.

“The state’s allocation of these resources,” Champlain Housing Trust Chief Operating Officer Michael Monte said in a statement, “is helping address this significant need to address people’s safety and health in the midst of a pandemic.”

Human service providers say the coronavirus has changed their game plan in once unimaginable ways. A year ago, Groundworks Collaborative, whose motto promises “basic needs met with dignity” — began construction on a new $3.3 million downtown headquarters to provide a permanent place for daytime support services and overnight accommodations.

The Champlain Housing Trust last year bought the former Baymont Inn and Suites in Essex to help fill the need for temporary and emergency housing. OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR

The facility is set to open this spring.

Groundworks has also teamed with the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust to purchase the old Dalem’s Chalet motel in the village of West Brattleboro for a new 35unit permanent supportive housing community.

“It’s really challenging to move people from motels into housing, just given the limited stock,” Davis said. “The fact that

we’re able to bring new units online is nothing short of amazing.”

The local plan has tapped $2.3 million from a state pool of nearly $33 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money targeted for the initiative.

“There are unprecedented resources right now, so we’re trying to utilize those,” Davis said. “Typically these projects develop over years, but this has moved at blister-

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Planners eyed the half-century-old alpine lodge last summer and purchased it from 93-year-old founder Ursula Dalem last fall. In its heyday, according to the former owner, Dalem’s Chalet was a stop for celebrities such as singer Linda Ronstadt and CBS News “On the Road” reporter Charles Kuralt.

Contractors have renovated “The Chalet” with energy-efficient doors and windows, a fire alarm and sprinkler system and fresh paint, flooring, furniture and fixtures. Social workers are arranging for rental subsidies, as well as support for homeless people who often wrestle with physical, mental or addiction issues.

Groundworks and the housing trust teamed up four years ago to turn Brattleboro’s former Lamplighter motel into the 22-unit Great River Terrace apartment complex.

The housing trust has also launched a Re-housing Recovery Program to help private landlords create rental units. Together with the Chalet, that initiative is projected to add up to 90 new housing units to the Brattleboro area.

“I think Vermont is a shining beacon in the country right now,” said Elizabeth Bridgewater, executive director of the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust. “Especially now, when it is abundantly clear that the health of our community is deeply connected with the health of every community member — everyone needs a safe place to call home.”

February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 5

Mother in landmark civil union custody case detained on kidnapping charges

BY ALAN J. KEAYS VTDigger A former Vermont woman, accused of kidnapping when she fled the country more than a decade ago, is now behind bars.

Lisa Miller had fled the United States in a child custody dispute with her former civil union partner, Janet Jenkins. After more than 10 years, Miller turned herself in to authorities in Nicaragua, and was listed Monday afternoon as an inmate at a federal detention center in Miami.

A federal judge in Florida ordered that she stay in jail until her case can be transferred to a federal court in the western district of New York, where the kidnapping charges were brought.

Authorities allege she crossed from New York State into Canada when she fled the country in 2009 with the child, Isabella, after custody was granted to Jenkins, her former civil union partner.

Isabella, now 18, is believed to be still in Nicaragua.

Sarah Star, Janet Jenkins’ family attorney in Vermont, said her client is relieved to learn of her daughter’s whereabouts, but is concerned that she’s still in Nicaragua.

“I just want Isabella to know that I love her very much and that I have never stopped loving her,” Jenkins said in a statement issued late Monday afternoon.

“Isabella has a family and support system here who will always welcome her home with open arms.”

An attorney for Miller was not immediately available Monday afternoon.

A federal warrant had been issued for Miller’s arrest on charges of conspiracy and kidnapping. Related charges were also brought against others who had helped her flee and hide for years in Nicaragua, including an Amish Mennonite pastor. They have

since been arrested and convicted. cal or adoptive parent of a child.

The case, known as Miller-Jenkins v.

In the custody dispute, Miller had Miller-Jenkins, atbrought childtracted national abuse allegations headlines as one of against Jenkins. the first legal casState authorities es highlighting the investigated those fate of children in accusations, and derelationships sanctermined they were tioned in one state, unfounded. but not in others.

E v e n t u a l l y, Lisa Miller and Cohen issued full Janet Jenkins had custody to Jenkins moved from Virginwhen Miller reia to Vermont to enpeatedly refused ter into a civil union to abide by family in 2000, and they court orders, inreturned to Virgincluding visitation. ia, where they deHowever, Jenkins cided Lisa would obtained that cusconceive a child tody just as Miller through artificial infled. semination.

In addition The child, Isto the criminal abella, was born in Janet Jenkins, pictured, had not seen her charges, Miller facdaughter since 2009, when former partner Virginia in April Lisa Miller fled to Nicaragua to avoid sharing es a civil lawsuit 2002 and the two custody of the girl. Miller has turned herself in to Jenkins filed against women returned to authorities in Nicaragua, and was listed Monday her and those who Vermont. They later afternoon as an inmate at a federal detention allegedly helped her broke up and filed center in Miami. PHOTO COURTESY OF VTDIGGER/ flee the country.

SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER to dissolve their civMiller’s aril union. Miller moved back to Virginia and rest came to light when Jenkins’ attorney Jenkins has resided in Fair Haven, Vermont. asked a court Monday to issue a summons In 2004, Judge William Cohen, who for Miller in connection with the civil suit, has since been appointed to the Vermont noting that she was in custody in Florida.

Supreme Court, made a landmark decision in the civil union child custody dispute. Cohen’s ruling, for the first time in Vermont, granted legal parental rights to a person in a civil union, even though that person was not the biologi-

30 YEARS

30 YEARS

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According to Jenkins’ filing, Miller “was returned to the United States and arrested in Miami” on Jan. 27, and made an initial appearance the next day in a federal court there. She was ordered held until she’s transferred to New York State on the criminal charges.

Since the split with Jenkins, Miller has said she “renounced her homosexuality” and was previously represented in the custody dispute by Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal group known for supporting anti-gay causes.

Jenkins is represented in her civil suit by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has designated Liberty Counsel as a hate group.

Liberty Counsel is among the parties Jenkins is suing.

Scott McCoy, interim deputy legal director with the Southern Poverty Law Center, issued a statement late Monday afternoon about Miller’s arrest. “We expect that she will be prosecuted for kidnapping to the fullest extent of the law,” McCoy stated.

Frank Langrock, another Vermont lawyer involved in representing Jenkins, declined comment Monday, referring questions to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

LifeSiteNews, which describes itself as “The #1 pro-life news website,” started a petition earlier this year that it stated had more than 6,000 signatures urging President Donald Trump to pardon Miller and the others convicted in the case. Those pardons were not granted.

Page 6 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

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A plan for economic resurgence

BY GOV. PHIL SCOTT

At the start of every year, I get the opportunity to share my priorities, proposals and a state budget.

My team remains focused on responding to the pandemic, protecting Vermonters and emerging as quickly as possible, with the fewest lives lost and a stronger, more resilient economy.

The pandemic has deepened problems we’ve grappled with for decades. Like the growing regional economic inequality we see, an aging population and shrinking workforce, a widening educational opportunity gap and a mounting crisis of affordability.

But it has also presented us with a rare opportunity to take big steps in addressing both immediate needs and long-term challenges.

To take full advantage of this opportunity, my budget makes big investments in economic growth and job creation, downtown revitalization, infrastructure, broadband and climate change — all without raising taxes or fees or cutting essential services.

Importantly, my proposals seek to level the economic playing field from region to region, so every corner of Vermont has a chance to recover and thrive in the future.

Because for far too long, places like the Champlain Valley have grown, while other parts of the state have watched their economic centers slowly erode.

By strengthening and revitalizing our communities and mak-

ing them more attractive to the families and workers we need in Vermont, we will see our economy grow organically, and ensure we have the funding we need to protect the vulnerable, pay for schools, pave roads and continue to invest in priorities like childcare, climate change and mental health, well into the future.

The federal aid we’ve received will help us achieve these goals, but we must remember it is one-time money, which means we won’t have it next year. That’s why we must invest in areas that lower costs in the future and drive economic growth.

With all of this in mind, my budget dedicates this one-time money to jumpstart projects that have been stalled for years, so communities can act now to build a prosperous future with more jobs, more opportunities and more security for Vermonters.

This starts with $17 million to enhance and rebuild downtowns and village centers, push much-needed repairs and community projects over the finish line and help towns and businesses adapt to public health needs while keeping their economies going. I’ll also continue pushing to modernize Act 250 and make tax increment financing — an economic development tool that’s revitalized areas like Winooski and South Burlington — available for small towns, so we can level the playing field and spur smart, responsible development in the places we

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need it. And I propose another $25 million to transform old industrial sites — which are a barrier to economic growth for places like Springfield and St. Johnsbury — from eyesores to opportunities, delivering both environmental health and economic benefits.

To further strengthen our communities and help them attract more families and workers, as well as more jobs, I’ve also proposed an additional $23 million for more housing Vermonters can afford and $20 million to expand broadband.

All this while we continue our work to build the best cradle-to-career education system in the country with initiatives to strengthen childcare, PreK-through-12 schools, career and technical education and our Vermont State Colleges.

I know families are hurting, with too many struggling long before the pandemic, and we face serious challenges, from climate change to racial inequity and injustice. So, we’re also investing to address food insecurity, mental health and substance abuse, and to modernize policing and our criminal justice system. I’ve proposed a $43 million climate change mitigation package, which will not only significantly reduce our carbon emissions, but also lower energy costs — from home heating and electricity to transportation — for Vermonters across the state.

I look forward to working with the Legislature to advance these priorities. If we can work together and put politics and partisan agendas aside, we can pass a budget that revitalizes our economy and truly transforms the future by setting us on a path that supports all Vermonters in every corner of our state.

Phil Scott is in his third term as governor of Vermont.

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February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Black Lives Matter flag works against unity The selectboard is considering a request to fly a Black Lives Matter flag over town hall. This is controversial, and a vocal minority is pushing this decision.

Though I am opposed to the flag, I very much support equality issues across the board. The flag has become a divisive symbol and is not in the best interest of the town or anyone who seeks unity and equality.

As a Vermonter, I experience limited but important interactions with different races. A relative adopted two amazing babies from Africa 30 years ago and they are now responsible Americans. I know people of different ancestry, now Americans. I have French-Canadian heritage. That was looked down on when I was young and is now a non-issue.

My daughter’s family fostered an infant girl who was black. When I first met her, I admit I was a bit uncomfortable because of her race.

I didn’t like that feeling, and as she grew, so did I. She taught me so much about dealing with race relations. She showed me how we are all people, and inclusion is part of growth. If this young lady knew so much about basic human relationships, why do we as adults seem to miss the message?

All these scenarios show how we are part of the American fabric, woven together for the benefit of all. If you seek to separate a thread from this fabric, it starts to unravel. Putting a wedge of division between people is only a step apart, not a joining of efforts for a just cause.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the character of their heart. We need to get to know each other, be neighbors in our community. I suggest you contact the selectboard to voice your concerns and offer thoughts on forging unity.

John Marcotte Williston

Community Outreach Program expands to Hinesburg, Milton

Vermont vaccine priorities on target As we all know, the primary goal with coronavirus vaccination efforts is to save lives. Since the start of the pandemic, over 90 percent of Vermont deaths from COVID-19 have been among people 65 and older.

The data clearly show that the older a person is, the higher the risk they face if they contract COVID-19.

With limited doses available, there is a moral obligation to vaccinate those most at risk of death and those we rely on to care for them. Vaccinating those most vulnerable to severe illness and death first also helps Vermont get to the end of the emergency faster and reduces the chances of overwhelming our health care facilities.

AARP Vermont strongly supports Gov. Phil Scott’s plan to prioritize older Vermonters to receive vaccines. It is imperative that we take care of our most vulnerable, both to reduce the death toll and hasten our return to normalcy as a society.

Greg Marchildon State director AARP Vermont

A Community Outreach Team from the Howard Center has been responding to incidents in Williston since 2018. The program is expanding to Hinesburg and Milton. OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO

A Community Outreach Program that has been in place since 2018 in Williston, South Burlington, Colchester, Winooski, Essex, Richmond and Shelburne is expanding to Hinesburg and Milton.

The program is a partnership of the Howard Center and law enforcement agencies. It helps law enforcement respond to individuals with unmet social service needs, often due to mental health or substance use issues.

In 2020, the Community Outreach team had about 4,000 contacts with nearly 600 individuals in Chittenden County. Team members partnered with Feeding Chittenden to deliver 2,436 meals to those who were homeless and housed at local hotels. The program is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

at 488-7778.

Individuals often self-refer to Community Outreach. The team also receives referrals from service providers, police, families/friends, merchants and concerned community members.

“The Community Outreach team looks forward to working with the Milton and Hinesburg communities to help address a variety of needs including mental health, substance use and homelessness,” said Community Outreach Assistant Director Brandi Littlefield of the Howard Center. “We have been working to introduce ourselves to the community and provide information about how Community Outreach can assist.

More information is available at www.howardcenter.org.

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Page 8 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

Williston hosts soldier sendoff

Guard members head to Europe, Africa

BY DON BRANUM Vermont National Guard A sendoff ceremony for the Vermont National Guard’s 172nd Law Enforcement Detachment was held Jan. 25 at the Guard Armory in Williston. The sendoff marked the departure of the unit to Fort Bliss, Texas, the first step in a yearlong deployment to Europe and Africa.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont’s adjutant general, spoke at the ceremony, assuring soldiers that the Guard and the state would take care of their families throughout the deployment.

“I’m sure it’s not easy leaving your family and friends, especially in the middle of a pandemic that’s completely changed our lives over the past year,” Gov. Scott said. “I can assure you, while you do your part to keep us safe, we’ll continue to do ours by supporting and protecting your families while you’re away.”

The soldiers will be supporting the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa, where they will conduct customs, traffic enforcement, investigations and force protection duties, according to Capt. Shawn Slaney,

the detachment commander.

The unit has trained for more than a year for the mission, capped by a Jan. 15-16 evaluation at the Ethan Allen training site in Jericho.

The evaluation included tests on a number of scenarios they might encounter during the deployment, including traffic stops, criminal investigations and interpersonal disputes.

“We told them many times that they were one of the best units that we’ve trained in the northeastern region we work in,” said Staff Sgt. Alicia Foy. “We are confident they’re prepared for their deployment.”

The 172nd was reorganized from combat support to law enforcement in 2019 and has since received certification on multiple law enforcement-related tasks, including crash reconstruction, drug recognition, speed detection using radar and lidar, and standard field sobriety testing.

A partnership with local and state law enforcement agencies helped make the certifications possible.

“We relied heavily on networking with civilian law enforcement,” Slaney said. “We couldn’t have done this without them.”

The tools and certifications soldiers have received during their predeployment training could help them find careers in civilian law enforcement if they’re not already employed in those fields, Slaney

Capt. Shawn Slaney, left, assumes command of the 172nd Law Enforcement Detachment from Sgt. 1st Class Charlie Winn during a sendoff ceremony in Williston on Jan. 25. The unit is deploying to Europe and Africa for about a year.

added.

During the sendoff ceremony, Maj. Gen. Knight reminded soldiers’ family members of the Guard Family Services program.

“Just know that we’re here for you,” Knight said. “We’ve got resources. Don’t hesitate to call.”

The unit left from Burlington International Airport the next day, some taking private moments to say goodbye to their families.

“I’m ready to go, but I’m going to miss my kids,” Sgt. 1st Class Charlie Winn said.

The soldiers are scheduled to return to Vermont in early 2022.

Soldiers with the Vermont National Guard’s 172nd Law Enforcement Detachment unload a bus at Burlington International Airport in South Burlington on Jan. 26 to begin their yearlong deployment to Europe and Africa.

Vermont National Guard member Katelyn Durfee practices an arrest Jan. 16 at the Ethan Allen training center in Jericho. PHOTOS BY DON BRANUM

Guard members vaccinated through Defense Dept. supplies

continue to wear masks, wash their hands regularly, practice social distancing and continue following all Medical personnel with the state guidelines after receiving the Vermont Army National shot.

Guard and the Univer“Even though you sity of Vermont Medimay not get COVID-19, cal Center administered it’s possible that you still COVID-19 vaccinations might be able to spread it,” to 60 guard members at Knight said.

Camp Johnson in ColchesVermont National ter last month.

Guard service members Guard members who will continue receiving are part of overseas dethe vaccine as it becomes ployments and those whose available through the jobs come with higher Department of Defense.

COVID-19 exposure were Those on orders supportamong the first recipients of ing the COVID-19 rethe vaccine, which arrived at sponse and deploying in Camp Johnson the last week 2021 are the first to receive of December. the vaccine.

“My unit was looking The COVID-19 vacfor volunteers, so I said, cine is designed to be de‘Why not,’” said Staff Sgt. livered in two doses, with Kevin Stevens, a water puthe second dose received rification specialist currentfour weeks after the first. ly assigned to support the It takes approximately six Strategic National Stockpile weeks after the second dose warehouse in Colchester. for the body to develop efSgt. Stephen Maynus prepares a dose of COVID-19 The Vermont National vaccine for delivery during a vaccination clinic for fective immunity to the Guard’s supply of vaccines members of the Vermont National Guard at Camp disease, according to the is provided through the De- Johnson in January.

Centers for Disease Confense Department. The State trol and Prevention. of Vermont and Department of Vet- uneventful, with a few noting that erans Affairs have separate supply they didn’t even feel a sting. channels.

“Even my flu shot hurts worse “None of these vaccines are than this,” said Staff Sgt. Yolande diverted from the state’s alloca- Allen, who normally performs with tion for nursing homes or high-risk the 40th Army Band, but is currenthealth care providers,” said Maj. ly working in an elevated-risk enGen. Greg Knight, the state’s adju- vironment. tant general.

Service members were told to

BY DON BRANUM Vermont National Guard

Those receiving the vaccine were kept for 15 minutes in case they exhibited any reactions to the shot, but the first round was

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February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 9

Vermont sends 100 troops to capitol for inauguration

BY DON BRANUM Vermont National Guard Approximately 100 Vermont Army National Guard soldiers supported security in Washington D.C. during the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden.

They joined about 20,000 National Guard members from around the country in providing security, communications, medical evacuation capabilities and safety support to federal agencies during the event.

“We are honored to play our part in securing one of the most

time honored traditions in American history: the presidential inauguration,” said Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont adjutant general.

The guard worked with Gov. Phil Scott to ensure Vermont could assist in this mission without impacting its support of the state’s COVID-19 response or other state needs.

“I am grateful to the brave men and women of the Vermont National Guard for their service and doing their part during this deployment to protect our republic and the democratic values we hold dear,” Scott said.

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Page 10 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

SPORTS CVU skiers start strong

Clayton Murphy

Jessie Kennedy

Olivia Osekoski

Anders Johnson

Ben McAuliffe

Sam Holmes

Skyler Heininger

Finnegan Mittelstadt

Maya Vander Els

also came in first last Wednesday at the Essex Carnival at Smugglers Notch.

Zubarik came in with a combined time of 1.77 in the two slalom runs, with Dicey Manning following in second, Ella

Lisle coming in third and Ellie Ramirez-Richer finishing in fourth place for a CVU sweep of the top four. Kate Kogut (ninth) and Charlotte Couperwaith (10th) also finished in the top 10.

Ethan Lisle earned first place on the boys side in the Essex Carnival, coming in with a combined time of 56.89. Ari Diamond was third for CVU, Sean Gillam was fifth, Will Bartley was sixth, Peter Gilliam was eighth and Kaye Marvin was 10th.

Both the CVU boys and girls were the top team in the event.

Meanwhile, the CVU Nordic ski team competed last Wednesday in a classic race at Sleepy Hollow in Huntington with both CVU teams, boys and girls, placing second.

Finnegan Mittlestadt finished tied for second for CVU, while Emma Crum came in fourth place to help the Redhawks to the second spot behind Burlington.

Geo DeBrosse came in fifth place, the top Redhawks finisher on the boys side, Matthew Servin followed in sixth and Anders Linseisen was seventh. Skyler Heininger rounded out CVU’s finishers in the top 10 with a ninthplace result.

The CVU Nordic team competes at Sleepy Hollow in Huntington last week. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY AL FREY

The Champlain Valley Union High School alpine ski team raced to a second-place finish in the girls giant slalom event Monday at Burke Mountain.

Olivia Zubarik paced the Redhawk girls with a first-place

finish, coming in at 1 minute, 15.15 seconds. Ella Lisle rounded out the top 10 finishers for CVU with a ninth place result. Harwood grabbed the top team spot with three skiers in the top 10.

On the boys side, Ethan Lisle

was the top finisher coming in third place. The Redhawks came in third in the team competition, just behind St. Johnsbury (first) and South Burlington (second).

It was the second win in as many events for Zubarik, who

— Lauren Read

February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 11

Hoops and hockey begin play this week Five-week season commences with no spectators allowed

BY LAUREN READ Observer correspondent There are still questions that Champlain Valley Union High School Activities Director Dan Shepardson has to answer when it comes to the winter sports season, but “when are games going to start” isn’t one them.

Not anymore.

The State of Vermont announced last week that all high school winter sports competition is allowed to start Friday. Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding and dance have already started interscholastic competition, but basketball and ice hockey teams have been relegated to just practices.

“Coaches, players, everybody was very, very happy and excited,” Shepardson said about the announcement. “We can play through March 13. We’re going to get about five weeks of a season.”

Girls basketball will start things off with a home game against South Burlington on Friday, with boys basketball and both ice hockey teams starting on Saturday.

“They were ready to release the games and the assignments once they knew if, and when, we were going to start,” Shepardson said. “Now, we can get started.”

There will be some differences when CVU athletes step on the floor and the ice to start games. All athletes will be required to wear masks, there will be no spectators allowed and there will be some changes to the venue layouts, depending on the building.

“No fans, that’s pretty much the biggest change. It’s going to be incredibly quiet,” Shepardson said.

“There’s no fist-bumping, high-fiving, meeting with the officials and the other players and stuff like that.”

The biggest question mark surrounding the season may be the requirement that all teams have three days in between games. That could raise issues if or when there

are weather-related cancellations or teams need to make up games.

“If you don’t play your game because of a weather cancellation, that game is probably lost,” Shepardson said.

“There’s no place to make it up in the schedule because you gotta have three days between games.”

The other big question for Shepardson remains the streaming question. CVU is planning on live-streaming all of its home games for families and fans to All CVU sports can resume competition, Gov. watch and he is current- Phil Scott announced last week. ly working out the kinks OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY in the system to have it ready for Friday.

Not a bad problem to have and do the right thing. The goverwhen there were questions about nor likes to use this term ‘opening whether or not there would even be the spigot.’ He’s opened the spigot to allow us to play games. a winter season just weeks ago.

“It can be closed and those “We’ve got the opportunity to games can go away. We just gotta play,” Shepardson said. “It’s imdo the right thing.” perative that we all follow the rules

‘No fans, that’s pretty much the biggest change.

It’s going to be incredibly quiet.

There’s no fistbumping, highfiving, meeting with the officials and the other players and stuff like that.’

— Dan Shepardson Champlain Valley Union High School Activities Director

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Page 12 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

Camp is crucial in 2021

BY BUD COPELAND Special to the Observer Since 1861, countless children and young adults from across the country have called camps throughout New England “home” for the summer. Unfortunately, that was not possible for too many in 2020.

Camp in New England has faced unprecedented challenges before. Each time, true to the

brand, camps and the professionals who run them have shown resilience, and they are eager to take what we’ve learned this year and prepare for a successful run in 2021.

Michele Rowcliffe, executive director of the American Camp Association, New England, sees camp as crucial to helping campers, staff and families thrive into the future.

“Because of the pandemic, young people face unique chal-

lenges to their mental and emotional well-being in ways we’re not used to,” Rowcliffe said. “Camp has always been a safe place for personal development, overcoming challenges, making friends and trying something new. On the heels of such disruption in 2020, camp is exactly what we need in 2021.”

With that in mind, here are three reminders of why camp is crucial in 2021.

Soft Skills

In this unique experience, young animal lovers will learn about a variety of topics including: proper pet care, animal safety, homeless animals, animal-related careers, the HSCC’s mission and more!

Ages 5-6: $250 (July 5-9, 8:30AM-12:30PM) Ages 7-9: $390 (July 12-16, July 19-23 or July 26-30, 8:30AM-3PM) Ages 10-12: $390 (August 2-6 or August 9-13, 8:30AM-3PM)

Talk to any camp director, and they’ll tell you the wonderful stories of success they’ve witnessed over the years for both campers and staff. You’ll hear about beating homesickness, learning new skills or meeting someone from a totally different state or country. These experiences lead to increased confidence, resilience and independence.

The American Camp Association’s five-Year “Camp Impact Study” backs that up with its findings. According to the study, the following are the most essential and lasting outcomes of the camp experience: improved relationship skills, independence and responsibility, appreciation for living in the moment, perseverance and willingness to try new things. Any po-

Arrival day at Camp Takajo in Maine. PHOTO COURTESY OF ACA NEW ENGLAND

tential teacher, coach or employer would love that profile.

Opportunity From lockdowns to quarantines, many are suffering from COVID fatigue and champing at the bit for a chance to get out and play. When the time comes, whether focusing on a single, specialty activity or looking for a general experience, camp provides opportunities to hone skills and try new things.

There aren’t too many homes with archery ranges or pottery kilns or climbing towers. Camp gives children the chance to play and explore in ways and with friends not usually available at home.

Camp is healthy for the whole family In 2020, we all hunkered down and enjoyed more quality

time together than probably most of us had in quite a while. That said, time apart is also critical for healthy development, and camp can play a role. We know how important and impactful camp is for the camper and counselor, but what about family members not at camp.

Camp is an important element in their development too.

It’s difficult to relax when sending children away for a day, week, month or summer. But by sending campers and counselors to play and work at accredited camps, families create healthy, safe opportunities for families to grow while spending time apart.

Bud Copeland is director of membership and engagement at the American Camp Association, New England.

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February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 13

2021

SUMMER CAMPS www.Willistonrec.org • 802-876-1160 • recreation@willistonvt.org Detailed information on the Camps can be found on the Recreation Website-

www.Willistonrec.org REGISTRATION

Camp registration is now open, and all registrations are done online. To register log in to your Household Account or create one if needed, then choose the child you want to register, select all the camps for that child, if there are additional children choose them and register them for their camps. Now you are ready for checkout. Go through the checkout process answering any questions along the way.

At the end of checkout, you will have two payment options to choose from.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

DEPOSITS

Option 2- Offline Payment: at checkout choose the offline payment option, print off the form and send in a check by mail or use the drop box at the back entrance of Town Hall. Deposits can be done using this method of payment.

BALANCE DUE

NOTE: Children are not enrolled in camps, using the offline payment option, until payment or deposits are received.

For cancellations, refunds, and other important information, visit the department website. On the home page click on the “Info/Form” tab.

Option 1- Online Payment: at checkout choose the online payment option and pay in full with a credit card. There is a 3.5% process fee to do this, but your children will be enrolled in the camps that you registered for and you will be paid in full.

DAY CAMP

ENRICHMENT CAMPS

R.E.C. Camp- Recreation Experiences for Children is a wonderful twist on the traditional day camp. Packed with recreation, sports, and arts & crafts activities, there is never a dull moment.

This activity-based camp is the perfect blend of choice activities, group games, free play, and the ever-popular field trips. Children entering grades 1st-8th in the Fall 2021.

Lunch Hour Free Sign your child up for a morning and afternoon Enrichment Camp, in the same week at the same location, and the Rec. Staff will watch your child for the hour in-between for Free. The staff will have lunch with them, 12:00-1:00p, and then get them to their afternoon camp at 1:00p. No transportation is available.

Camp Options: Full Days- 7:30a-5:30p Half Days- Mornings- 7:30a-12:30p or Afternoons- 12:30-5:30p.

Sessions: Full Days- 8-one-week sessions are offered from June 28- August 20.

Half Days- 7-one-week sessions are offered June 28-August 13.

(A session cannot be broken up by the day or the half days, you must choose one option for a session).

There is No camp Monday, July 5th.

Camper Info/Health Form: is part of registration and only has to be done once for each child attending the Day Camp this summer.

Pricing: Prices vary between the 3 Pods due to field trip days.

Extended Camp Options Extend your child’s day. 8:00-8:30am or 4:30-5:00pm can be added to some Enrichment Camps. Price is $5 per camper, per week, per half hour. Some camps don’t have extended camp options.

Day Camp- Half Day Option Register your child for a Day Camp morning or afternoon option to compliment an Enrichment Camp to have your child in camps all day. Staff will get or bring your child to their Enrichment Camp .

SPORTS CAMPS Ultimate Frisbee Camp Ages 11-14, 8:30am-12:00pm, June 28- July 2. $135/$145. Director: Anne Watson Tennis Camps Ages 6-8, 8:30am-12:00pm S1- July 12-16 S2- August 2-6 Ages 9-12, 8:30am-12:00pm S1- July 19-23 S2- August 2-6 $135/$145. Instructors: The Edge Tennis Staff

Explorers Pod- Entering 1st/2nd Full days- $175 Res/$185 Non, per session Half days-$90 Res/$100 Non, per session

Girls Self-Defense Camp Ages 13-18, 12:00-3:00pm, July 26-30 $199/209. Director: ONTA Studio

Adventurers Pod- Entering 3rd, 4th, 5th Full days- $185 Res/$195 Non, per session Half days- $95 Res/$105 Non, per session

SPECIALTY CAMPS

Teen Adventure Pod- Entering 6th, 7th, 8th Full days- $195 Res/$205 Non, per session Half days- $200 Res/$210 Non, per session

Chess Wizards Camp Ages 6-12, 8:30am-12:00pm, June 28-July 2 $200/$210. Instructor: Chess Wizard Staff Creative Baking Fun Ages 8-10, 8:30am-12:00pm, July 19-23 $170/$180. Director: Sally Dattilio

Deposits are $25 per child, per sessions, per camp and are non-refundable. Deposits are part of the camp fees, so you will be paying the first $25 of a camp fee. Choose the offline payment option to pay deposits.

If you choose to pay the deposits, your remaining camp balance must be paid in full prior to June 11, 2021.

POLICIES & GENERAL INFO

Advanced Cake Fun Ages 11-14, 8:30am-12:00pm, July 26-30 $170/$180. Director: Sally Dattilio Knitting Camp Ages 8-14, 1:00-4:30pm, July 26-30 $30/$40. Director: Chris Heavner Horsemanship Camps Ages 6-16, Times, Sessions and Pricing TBD at time of printing. Info Will be on Rec. website.

TECHNOLOGY CAMPS Minecraft Mania Camp Ages 6-10, 8:30am-4:30pm, June 28-July 2 $325/$335. Instructors: Wicked Cool for Kids Staff Engineering Camps Ages 6-9, 8:30am-4:30pm, July 12-16 $225/$235. Director: Erin Crowley Rocketry Camp Ages 8-12, 1:00-4:30pm, July 19-23 $270/$280. Director: Bob Gurwicz Wow! Science Camp Ages 6-10, 8:30am-12:00pm, July 26-30 $225/$235. Instructors: Wicked Cool for Kids Staff Lego Engineering Camp Ages 6-10, 8:30am-12:00pm, August 9-13 $225/$235. Instructors: Wicked Cool for Kids Staff Ninja Science Camps Ages 4-8, 9:00am-3:00pm S1- June 21-25 S2- July 12-16 S3- Aug 16-20 Ages 9-13, 9:00am-3:00pm, Aug 2-6 $295/$305. Director; ONTA Studio

www.Willistonrec.org recreation@willistonvt.org

Page 14 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

College credit or internship Counselors may be eligible for college credit in some cases or able to use camp as an independent study or internship experience. Counselors should ask potential camp employers about their policies regarding internship or course credits. Additionally, counselors should talk to school advisors and professors about how the skills fostered at camp directly relate to their major and will make them a stronger job candidate in their field.

Even college kids need camp in 2021

To put it mildly, the coronavirus pandemic has been a drag for a lot of people.

However, with limited options in 2020 and still some question marks in 2021, there’s a group that’s slowly slipping further away from the best opportunity to develop personally and professionally.

Being a camp counselor is a boot camp in growing up for many youngsters. It’s where they learn leadership — and maybe how to fold laundry. For a lot of them, it’s the first genuine opportunity to break out of their comfort zone and grow. After one lost summer for a lot of young adults, the following are reminders of why in 2021, college kids need camp.

Networking opportunities

travel. It is not uncommon for campers and staff to travel from a variety of places, bringing cultural perspectives from around the U.S. and world. This might look different in 2021, but the opportunity to connect with folks you normally wouldn’t meet is still there.

Between other staff and camp alumni, working at camp provides a link to internships or future job/business opportunities down the road. Very few experiences bond a network like working at camp.

Professional development, training and certifications

21st century skill Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and contribution are all skills developed and practiced at summer camp. The sheer nature of how camps are set up and operate force young adults to utilize these skills, and they are skills or traits that draw the eyes of potential employers.

Diverse and global experience

Leadership

Camp often provides a global experience without the expense of long-distance

This is learned in a real-life context. Counselors will likely be supervising

Ongoing professional development sets up counselors to learn about their jobs while building a strong relationship with the diverse group around them. Also, counselors get to keep any additional training or certifications acquired during their summer (e.g., CPR, first aid or activity-specific certifications).

Being a camp counselor comes with a host of benefits, including gaining professional certifications such as CPR and first aid required for lifeguarding duties. PHOTO COURTESY OF ACA NEW ENGLAND

between 7-10 others, engaging in decision-making, learning behavior management and living ethics — all necessary leadership skills for today.

Paycheck Counselors typically receive a base salary with add-ons for experience, certifications, leadership roles, extra duties, successful referrals, etc. With most camps providing room and board, spending a summer at camp is a great way for college students to earn and save some money.

Letters of recommendation Camp directors/leaders write great letters of recommendation, for they take the time to get to know counselors as individuals and see them in action daily. They also love writing references for strong counselors. It helps promote the benefits of the camp experience as they pertain to the outside world.

It’s fun That’s right. Camp is fun. It’s an extension of the school year. It provides opportunity for developing 21st century skills.

Counselors and campers try new things and build lasting relationships, and they do all this while having fun.

Room and board If working at a residential camp, housing, meals, laundry, utilities and other living expenses may be fully covered. This translates to some extra money at the end of the season when returning to school or venturing out for the next job.

This article was provided by the American Camp Association, New England.

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February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 15

Marveling at the prickly persistence of Rubus

BY ETHAN TAPPER Special to the Observer Whether you know them for their delicious berries or as a painful obstacle in the woods, everyone probably has some relationship to raspberries and blackberries. These incredible plants are often referred to by foresters and ecologists collectively as Rubus, which is the genus they belong to.

While there are many species of Rubus in Vermont, I separate them into raspberries, blackberries and purple-flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus). This last one is the oddball of the group; it lacks thorns, and has golden, shreddy bark, maple-like leaves and large, pink flowers. Also called “thimbleberry,” it produces raspberry-esque fruit which (ironically) is much flatter and less thimble-shaped than raspberry or blackberry. The berries are edible, with a “felty” texture.

Both raspberries and blackberries can be identified by their distinctive berries and thorny canes. You can tell them apart by the color of their berries (although there are black raspberries), their leaves or their canes. While both species have thorns, blackberry canes are ridged — a cross-section would reveal that it is angular, not round. Raspberry canes are round in cross-section and smooth (in

Blackberries are part of a genus known as Rubus, of which there are many species in Vermont. PHOTO COURTESY OF PEXELS.COM

between the thorns), often with “glaucous bloom” — a bluish waxy coating.

The leaves of both raspberries and blackberries are compound, meaning that the leaf is made up of several leaflets, each of which looks like a separate leaf. Blackberry leaves are “palmately-compound,” meaning that the base of each leaflet attaches at a common point (like a fan), whereas raspberry leaves are “pinnately-compound” — pairs of leaflets attach opposite one another at different points, like a fern.

Rubus are everywhere, but especially common in disturbed areas where trees have been cut or otherwise died. They have two main strategies for reproduction. The first is layering — creating new plants by sprouting from their root system, sprouting from the base of an existing plant or by establishing adventitious roots where the tip of a cane touches the ground. If you’ve ever battled Rubus in your yard, you know that their knack for layering makes them very resilient.

The second and more incredible method that Rubus uses to

reproduce is their seeds. It seems like every animal in the woods, from birds to bears, gorges themselves on raspberries and blackberries. The seeds pass through their digestive systems and, some time later, are deposited throughout the woods, wherever that critter happens to be. It’s a great seed dispersal strategy — essentially hitching a ride on a bird or other animal.

If Rubus seeds end up in a suitable place — maybe somewhere with scuffed-up soils and plenty of light — they can germinate right away. However, most Rubus seeds get dropped in places that aren’t ideal spots. When this happens, they become part of the seed bank — seeds that wait in the soil, remaining viable but ungerminated. Rubus seeds can remain in the seed bank for 20-40 years, and in some cases up to 100 years.

When opportunity knocks — in the form of a windstorm, logging or a forest fire — they sprout.

What this means is that, for the most part, Rubus that appear after forest management or a natural disturbance aren’t just arriving at that site. They’ve been in the soil under your feet, maybe for decades, waiting for their opportunity to grow.

Rubus was once disliked by the forestry community, mostly because of how it springs up following forest management. Foresters wanted to grow trees, not bushes,

and so they considered Rubus to be interfering vegetation, taking up growing space that could be growing trees. Rubus was sometimes cut and sprayed with herbicide just to get it out of the way. However, science has revealed that Rubus doesn’t interfere with the ability of trees to grow. On the contrary, it is an integral part of an ephemeral stage in forest development.

Rubus provides valuable nutrient cycling and some seedling protection, shielding young trees from herbivory with their thorny canes. They are also an incredibly important food source for all manner of wildlife, from neo-tropical songbirds stocking up for migration to black bears building up fat reserves for hibernation.

Like many things in forests and forestry, understanding the role of Rubus requires us to be patient and to zoom out. The briars, brambles and prickers that scrape your legs will give way to young forests, and someday to old forests.

Instead of cursing these prickly plants, enjoy this moment in time, and marvel at their patience and persistence.

Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County Forester. He can be reached at ethan.tapper@vermont. gov or (802) 585-9099.

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Page 16 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

Governor steps in to remedy labor department data breach

BY ANNE WALLACE ALLEN VTDigger Vermont Gov. Phil Scott stepped into a widening information void formed by a huge Department of Labor data breach last Wednesday, appointing a deputy commissioner to the department and deploying a team to help with the immediate response.

Scott also asked the state au-

ditor, Doug Hoffer, to audit the department to find out how the error occurred and identify long-term quality improvements.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers and the labor department itself are discussing an investigation of the mistakes that led to the release of personal information on misprinted 1099G tax forms, including Social Security numbers.

“We want to make sure that we

understand what exactly happened, and it doesn’t happen again,” said House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, at a press briefing last Wednesday. “As we get more information, we’ll be able to decide what path makes sense for an investigation.”

Assessing the impact At a hearing last week before the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, Labor Commissioner Mike Harrington scaled back earlier estimates of how many people might have been affected by the data breach, which occurred after the department mailed out some of the tax forms Friday and Saturday.

The labor department printed out 180,000 1099s to send to unemployment insurance recipients this month. But most of the forms hadn’t been mailed yet, and many Vermonters will receive more than one form because they used more than one labor department program during the COVID-19 crisis. In an email Tuesday, the department asked anyone who received a 1099 this week to return it.

Harrington said about 2,000 of the faulty 1099s have already been returned, either by post offices after staff members noticed the names didn’t match the addresses or by people who opened their returns and saw someone else’s information.

Lawmakers pressed Harrington to do a better job of communicating with the thousands of

What to do if your 1099 has issues

• If you receive a 1099 with a mismatched name and address on the envelope, or if the information on the form doesn’t match the information on the envelope, sit tight. The state will provide instructions for returning the incorrect form.

• The state will mail new 1099s to all unemployment claimants.

• The state will provide instructions for identity protection to anyone whose personal information was potentially released.

• In the meantime, monitor your bank and credit card accounts for any unauthorized activity. If you believe your identity may be stolen, contact Experian, Transunion and Equifax to freeze your credit score, or file an identity theft report at www.

IdentityTheft.gov or www.USA.gov. All are free of charge.

Vermonters who have received the faulty 1099 forms. Vermonters are receiving an array of tax notifications at this time of year and will eventually receive new, corrected 1099s from the labor department.

Meanwhile, they’re being asked to mail back all of the ones mailed out last week.

Sen. Michael Sirotkin, chair of the Senate Economic Development Committee, suggested the department run its letters by advocacy groups or others who can make sure the language is understandable “and doesn’t get wrapped up in bureaucratic things and covering your rear end in all the legal requirements in what you have to say,” Sirotkin said.

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“I’ve seen that over and over again, unfortunately, in my very lengthy career,” Sirotkin said.

“Advocacy groups look at letters that come out of the administration and can’t believe that kind of letter has been sent by a governmental official. It almost thwarts the purpose of what you are trying to achieve because it gets people so confused.”

Response mode When the COVID-19 crisis hit nationally, and in Vermont, state labor departments became the payment mechanisms chosen by the federal government to get emergency money out to newly unemployed Vermonters as quickly as possible.

The Vermont Department of Labor, which normally processes about 6,000 claims a week, saw its volume of claims rise to as high as 90,000 in the spring. Although it hired a contractor and brought in other state agencies to help, the department suffered from hourslong phone backlogs and an array of problems, including another data breach, also involving Social Security numbers, that happened in May. In the most recent crisis, the labor department is still in the early stages of response mode, assessing what happened and how many people were affected.

The department is now working on the assumption that as few as 25,000 people or as many as 44,800 people were affected, Harrington said. That’s based in part on responses the department has been receiving since the tax forms started arriving in people’s mailboxes with the wrong information in them on Monday.

Reports from unemployment insurance recipients indicate that see BREACH page 17

February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 17

Breach continued from page

16

the errors appear to be limited to people who received 1099 forms for two unemployment insurance programs: The Lost Wages Assistance program and the Vermont Short Term Supplemental Benefit program, Harrington said.

He said the department is looking for a company that can work with anyone who experiences identity theft as a result of the breach.

Scott said that the newly created response coordination team will help recover the faulty 1099 forms, deliver the correct forms in a timely manner and improve the labor department’s communication with Vermonters and legislators. That team includes Brittney Wilson, Scott’s deputy chief of staff; Douglas Farnham, chief of operations at the Agency of Administration; and Shawn Nailor, deputy secretary at the Agency of Digital Services.

“State agencies and departments have a responsibility to Vermonters to deliver excellent service and to safeguard their information,” Scott said in a prepared statement. “This incident does not meet those standards, and we must do all we can to make this right for Vermonters.”

Opportunity for error Sen. Randy Brock, R-St. Albans, told Harrington it appeared the department’s antiquated mainframe was partly to blame for the error.

“Transmission of data from a mainframe to an Excel spreadsheet that is then manipulated: That is probably one of the top, if not the top, causes of failure that folks see in financial audits,” said Brock, an accountant and a former state auditor. “It’s a real danger signal.”

Harrington said some blame rested not with the mainframe itself but with the labor department’s outdated systems.

“The fact that we are now shuffling data from multiple programs and processes and having to do much of it in a manual fashion instead of an automated fashion increased the opportunity for the error to occur,” he said.

‘Did you send it back unopened?’

The breach happened with a row of cells in the spreadsheet that was moved. In many cases, unemployment insurance claimants received mail marked with their first name and address and someone else’s last name. Inside, they found an incorrect Social Security number.

Robert Bliss of Brattleboro tried to track down the person whose last name was on his tax form, reasoning that this might be the individual who received Bliss’

Social Security number in error. In an online search, he found a newspaper story about one of them, a young man who had recently been arrested.

“All the others were more elderly than me, so I’m hoping it’s one of them,” said Bliss, who is 68.

Bliss noted that he’s a recipient of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. The labor department has said that program does not appear to have been affected.

“It was definitely PUA,” Bliss said. He’d like the labor department to provide the name and address of the person who got his Social Security number.

“I’m going to go find this person and say, ‘Did you send it back unopened?’” he said.

Ryan Kriger, an assistant attorney general in the consumer protection division of the state attorney general’s office, said anyone worried that their Social Security number might be misused should put in a credit freeze through the three credit reporting agencies.

That service is free.

“Freezing your credit reports is the single most effective way you can protect yourself,” he said.

“That means no one can open up a loan account in your name.”

He added that everyone, not just unemployment insurance recipients, should be checking their accounts for unfamiliar charges and monitoring their credit reports carefully.

“It’s a really unfortunate thing, but all Vermonters should assume their Social Security number has been acquired by someone in some context,” he said. “Data breaches have become so ubiquitous.”

— VTDigger writer Kit Norton contributed to this report.

Vermont to receive $1.5 million in opioid settlement

The State of Vermont will receive $1.5 million as part of a multi-state settlement with McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s largest consulting firms, for the company’s role in the opioid epidemic. The settlement, announced by Attorney General T.J. Donovan last week, resolves investigations into the company’s work for opioid companies, helping those companies to promote their drugs and profit from the opioid epidemic.

The settlement totals $573 million nationwide and is the first multi-state opioid settlement to result in substantial payment to the states to address the epidemic, according to the Attorney General’s office. In addition to providing funds to address the crisis, the agreement calls for McKinsey to prepare tens of thousands of its internal documents, detailing its work for Purdue Pharma and other opioid companies for public disclosure online.

“McKinsey helped drug companies like Purdue create the opioid crisis,” Donovan said. “This settlement will not only bring money back to Vermont, but it will require McKinsey to change

its practices and to make internal documents public. While we will never be able to make whole the individuals, families and communities that have been devastated by the opioid epidemic, my hope is that by taking McKinsey out of the opioid business, we can better protect Vermonters and Vermont communities.”

A complaint filed with the settlement says that McKinsey contributed to the opioid epidemic by

promoting marketing schemes and consulting services to opioid manufacturers, including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, advising Purdue on how to maximize profits from its opioid products, including targeting high-volume opioid prescribers, using specific messaging to get physicians to prescribe more OxyContin to more patients and circumventing pharmacy restrictions in order to deliver high-dose prescriptions.

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Page 18 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

OBITUARIES Sharon Litwhiler It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Sharon Gail Litwhiler of Shelburne, Vermont.

Sharon was born in Newport, Vermont on July 5, 1945 to Elizabeth and Arlton ‘Red’ Tillotson. She lived on the family farm in Lowell, Vermont before the family moved to a home on Maple Street in Morrisville. Sharon graduated from Peoples Academy and studied at UVM. She met her husband Steve in 1961 and they married in 1965. Steve and Sharon moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan so Steve could complete his Bachelor’s degree at Eastern Michigan University. On June 26, 1966 Sharon gave birth to daughter Lisa. In 1967, they moved back to Vermont and opened their first Domino’s Pizza store. Sharon took care of Lisa and helped out in the store.

After the business was off and running, eventually growing to five locations, Sharon focused on raising the kids but also became a successful real estate agent working for Desautels Realty. She also became a certified financial advisor and volunteered her time to help those in need. For the past 10 years, she spent a lot of her time managing her apartment building.

Sharon was very active in many sports such as golf and skiing, but most of all tennis.

Most of her closest friends are people she has played tennis with throughout the many decades of being a member at Sports and Fitness Edge. Tennis was the sport she loved most and, despite suffering from asthma, she continued to be a competitive tennis player to the end.

She enjoyed long bike rides and particularly loved the Stowe bike path. Family friends Samir and Elani Elabd introduced her to ballroom dancing and she loved it. Sharon was also very knowledgeable and skilled with her many flower gardens, which kept her quite busy throughout much of the year. Sharon enjoyed observing birds, rabbits and other wildlife around her home. She had a deep admiration for the beauty of wild cats and she was a loving, responsible companion to a long list of

family pets over the years.

Sharon was the kind of person you wanted by your side through difficult times. She would stop at nothing to help a friend or family member in need. During her mother’s long battle with Alzheimer’s, she would make al-

Sharon Litwhiler

most daily trips from her home in Shelburne to Morrisville to make sure her mother was taken care of. During her daughter’s long battle with breast cancer, Sharon spent long hours and endless days researching to make sure Lisa received the best, most promising treatments possible. Sharon was there for every doctor’s appointment and every chemotherapy session.

She was quick to lend a helping hand to her tenants, many of whom were new to the country and/or did not have a car. Whether it was a ride to the doctor’s office, a ride to the grocery store, or sometimes purchasing something a tenant may need, she was a reliable landlord who built a relationship with many tenants that often lasted beyond the term of a lease. Sharon went to great lengths to make sure she was available to us all, especially in times of need.

She was very thoughtful and paid close attention to the details. They mattered greatly to her.

Sharon leaves behind her husband of 55 years, Stephen Litwhiler. Her beloved son Michael and wife Nikolina of South Burlington.

Her grandson Stefan Radan, his wife Michaela Radan and great grandson Nikola Radan, all of whom brought great joy to Sharon’s life.

Her nieces whom she loved very much, Alyssa Hayes of Punta Gorda, Florida, Christa Lyman and husband Rob Lyman of Burlington, Jessica Burkhard and husband Joe Burkhard of Colchester and nephew Richard Sparling of San Antonio, Florida. Sister-in-law Sue Davis and husband Jim of Ypsilanti, Michigan. Former brother-in-law Carl Giddings and his wife Pam of Ocala, Florida. She also leaves behind many friends whom she cared for deeply and whom cared for her deeply as well. Sharon was predeceased by her parents, Arlton and Elizabeth Tillotson, her sisters Elsie and Merilee Tillotson, her nephew Raymond Hayes Jr. and her beautiful daughter Lisa Litwhiler.

Sharon’s family would like to thank the first responders for their efforts as well as the amazing team at the Intensive Care Unit at UVM Medical Center and Dr. David Kaminsky.

In her memory, we believe it would please Sharon greatly if she could encourage us all to get out there and be active, whether that be hitting a tennis ball, biking, skiing, hiking or just taking a walk outside. It really doesn’t matter what it is. You will find her spirit in the polite conversation of strangers, in the birds and flowers that she adored and in the many joys and benefits that come from sports and being active.

There will be no calling hours. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. If you would like to be notified when that date has been made final, please send an email to Mike at msl3105@aol.com.

In lieu of flowers please consider a contribution to the Humane Society of your choice or to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Research Department at MSKCC-Research Dept., 1275 York Ave., New York, NY 10065.

Karen Black Karen Black passed on Feb. 1, 2021 in Naples, Florida after a long illness with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Born on Aug. 11, 1943, Karen lived in Burlington, Vermont and attended Catholic schools in Burlington. Karen and Bill Black were married on Nov. 18, 1961 and together raised their two children Taylor Black and Rob Black.

In addition to her children, Karen is survived by her granddaughters Ashley Black and Victoria Black, as well as grandson Steven Black.

She was predeceased by grandson Andrew Black.

Karen was the manager of Essex Automotive Services until her retirement, at which time she moved with her husband Bill to their home in Naples, Florida. Karen and her team received special recognition by the Alzheimer’s Association of Vermont for raising awareness of the disease in the State of Vermont.

Contributions in her memory may be made to Alzheimer’s Association of Vermont, PO Box 275, Winooski, VT 05404 or by visiting the website www.Alz.org/ Vermont and clicking on the donate button.

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February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 19

SENIORS

How to choose a medical alert system

Dear Savvy Senior, I am interested in getting my mom, who lives alone, a medical alert system with a wearable pendant button that will let her call for help if she falls or has a medical emergency. What can you tell me to help me choose one?

Too Many Choices

Dear Too Many, A good medical alert system is an effective and affordable tool that can help keep your mom safe and living in her own home longer. But with all the different products and features available today, choosing one can be challenging. Here are some tips that can help.

Savvy Senior

Three key questions

companies that offer these products.

Medical alert systems, which have been around since the 1980s, provide a wearable help button — usually in the form of a neck pendant or wristband — that would put your mom in touch with a dispatcher who could summon emergency help or contact a friend or family member as needed.

To help you narrow down your options and choose a system that best fits your mom’s needs, here are three key questions you’ll need to ask, along with some top-rated

BY JIM MILLER

Does your mom want a homebased or mobile system?

Medical alert systems were originally designed to work inside the home with a landline telephone, which is still an option. But since fewer and fewer households have landlines these days, most companies today also offer homebased systems that work over a cellular network. With these systems, pressing the wearable help button

allows you to speak to a dispatcher through a base unit located in your home.

In addition, many companies offer mobile medical alert options, too. You can use these systems at home, but they’ll also allow you to call for help while you’re out and about.

Mobile alerts operate over cellular networks and incorporate GPS technology. They allow you to talk and listen to the operator directly through the pendant button, and because of the GPS, your location would be known in order for help to be sent.

If your mom doesn’t leave the house very often, she may not need a mobile system. But if she is still active, she may want added protection outside the home.

Should her system be monitored or not?

The best medical alert systems are monitored, meaning that the help button connects you with a trained operator at a 24/7 dispatching center.

But you also have the option to choose a system that isn’t monitored. With these, when you press the help button, the device automatically dials a friend or family member on your programmed

emergency call list.

These products can often be set up to call multiple people and to contact emergency services if you don’t get an answer from someone on your list.

Should you add a fall-detection feature?

Most medical alert companies today now offer the option of an automatic fall detection pendant for an additional fee of $10 to $15 per month. These pendants sense falls when they occur and automatically contact the dispatch center, just as they would if you had pressed the call button.

But be aware that this technology isn’t fool proof. In some cases, this feature may register something as a fall that isn’t. The alarm might go off if you drop it or momentarily lose your balance but don’t actually land on the ground.

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

Top Rated Systems Here are four top companies, rated by Consumer Reports, that offer home and mobile monitored medical alert systems: • Bay Alarm Medical: Fees range between $20 and $40 per month www.BayAlarmMedical. com 877-522-9633 • GreatCall’s Lively Mobile Plus: The device costs $50 plus a $25 to $40 monthly service fee www.GreatCall.com 800-650-5921 • MobileHelp: Monthly fees run $20 to $45 www.MobileHelp.com 800-809-9664 • Phillips Lifeline: $30 to $50 per month, plus a onetime device/activation fee of $50 to $100 www.Lifeline.Philips.com 855-681-5351

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Page 20 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

CROSSWORD • SOLUTION ON PAGE 23

The Williston Recreation and Parks Department is located at the Town Hall Annex Building at 7878 Williston Rd. For online program registration, visit www.willistonrec.org. For department information, email recreation@willistonvt.org or call 876-1160.

SUMMER CAMPS Registration is now open for summer day camp and enrichment camps. See the camp advertisement in this edition of the Observer. The Rec Department plans to offer camps this summer and will adjust as needed based on the COVID-19 guidelines that come from the dtate. It is best to register now to save a place in the camps for your children, and pay only the deposits per camper, per camp, per session. For payment, use the drop box at the back entrance to Town Hall, 7900 Williston Rd. Across 1. Propel, in a way 4. Graduate 8. Narcissist’s love 12. Treat, as a wound 15. Governing regulation 16. Skating rink 17. Passed out 18. Kind of hygiene 19. Info 20. Zones of expertise 22. Summit 24. Archaeological site 25. Big times 27. Previews, as a film 29. Place setting items 32. Black gunk 33. Objectives 34. Device for generating light 36. America’s Cup contender 40. Cold as ___ 41. Cloud homes 43. “Days of ___ Lives” 44. Maitre d’s offerings 47. “What ___?”

48. Close associate 49. Handle clumsily 51. Perpetual 53. Capitol meeting

57. Sure!

58. Sparkle 59. Hang out 61. It’s used to reach the top shelf 64. Sahara’s climate 66. Grave 68. Brought to conclusion 70. Sushi go-with 71. Composed 72. Driver’s choice 73. Quick-witted 74. Requisite 75. Hot springs Down 1. Unmatched 2. Geometric figure 3. Place to bring up 4. Maven 5. Distinctive atmosphere 6. Sharp insults 7. Choose 8. Turf 9. Escape by trickery 10. Famous quarter 11. Warning signs, when red 13. Rests 14. Uncompromising 21. Takes to the sea

23. Surgeon’s image 26. Drain cleaner 28. Geological time span 29. Pleasant 30. Prayer ending 31. Photographer’s request 33. “We ___ to please” 35. Sauce with basil 37. Cuba libre ingredient 38. Boat frame 39. If at first you don’t succeed, ____ again 42. Searches for the truth 45. Fedex competitor 46. Breeze (through) 48. Tom, Dick or Harry 50. Stiff 52. Mortgage seeker’s concern 53. Fire starter 54. Unearthly 55. It might be put on the rack 56. Easily duped 60. Complimentary 62. Chances 63. Kid’s game, with frog 65. Cave 67. Cut out 69. Paternity identifier

Williston R.E.C Camp is hiring qualified, energetic, creative and fun-loving staff members for this summer’s day camp. Positions are seasonal, full-time from June 21-Aug. 20. R.E.C. (Recreation Experiences for Children) Camp is an eight-week program for campers entering grades 1-8.

Camp activities include gym games, outdoor activities, field trips, arts & crafts, sports and more. Apply now by emailing a cover letter and resume to recreation@willistonvt.org.

YOUTH BASKETBALL Programs are CANCELLED this season as no facilities are available to offer them. Thank you to all in the past who volunteer coached, refereed and helped with running the scorebook and clock during games.

NINJA SCIENCE CAMP This camp unites the body and mind by combining martial arts, tumbling and parkour with environmental science education.

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SNOWMOBILE SAFETY COURSE (ONLINE) Everyone born after July 1, 1983, who is 12 years of age and older is required by law to take

and pass an approved snowmobile safety course to legally operate on Vermont’s statewide snowmobile trail system. Register at www.vsp. vermont.gov/recreation/snowmobile CHESS WIZARDS CHESS PROGRAMS The programs are online and live with a Chess Wizards instructor. Class limits are a 6-to-1 ratio, and kids are in their specific skill level to keep them engaged. Register at www.chesswizards.jumbala.com.

STRENGTH TRAINING (VIRTUAL) Online Live with Toni Kunker, age 50-plus, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free to seniors. Visit www.willistonrec. org for directions how to join the program.

GENTLE/SEATED YOGA (VIRTUAL) Online live with Toni Kunker, age 50-plus, Fridays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free to seniors. Visit www. willistonrec.org for directions how to join the program.

ICE RINK AT WILLISTON COMMUNITY PARK A new 60-by-60 foot area with boards and a liner has been flooded. The rink is located near the warming hut in Williston Community Park. The rink has a temporary fence around it and the entrance to the rink, by the warming hut, will be open when the rink is safe to use, and closed off by fence when the rink is unsafe.

Please respect the rink and be careful of the liner and clips so they can be reused each year.

The opening and closing of the rink will be posted at www. willistonrec.org under “Announcements.”

A shovel is hung up in the warming hut to be used to clear snow from rink. Be careful of sides when shoveling and don’t tear the liner. Return the shovel to warming hut for others to use.

The rink has lights for nighttime use. A panel with a button is on the pole next to rink. Push the button for lights. They are on a timer until 9:30 p.m.

Please remove hockey goals from the rink when you are done.

This will keep them from freezing on the ice.

Respect the users of the rink and share in the use. No one group has priority or allocated time.

Please share and play together. All are welcome.

recreation@willistonvt.org

Red Cross seeks blood donors who have recovered from COVID

The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors, and especially those who have recovered from COVID-19, to give blood this month.

The Red Cross is testing blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. The test may indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to the coronavirus, regardless of whether an individual developed COVID-19 symptoms.

Red Cross antibody tests will be helpful to identify individuals who have COVID-19 antibodies and may now help current coronavirus patients in need of convalescent plasma transfusions. Convalescent plasma is a type of blood donation collected from COVID-19 survivors that have antibodies that may help patients who are actively fighting the virus.

February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 21

EMPLOYMENT

Plasma from whole blood donations that test positive for COVID-19 antibodies may be used to help COVID-19 patients.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities: • Feb. 23, Vermont Army National Guard Winooski Armory, 255 Lafountain St., Winooski, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Feb. 17, Cornerstone Community Church, 26 Bombardier Rd., Milton, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Visit www.RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS for more information.

Sanders meme mitten sales raise $100K for Feeding Chittenden

Friends of Bernie Sanders, a cam- people with disabilities and people who are paign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, is donating currently unemployed. Programs include $100,000 from mitten merchandise sales to a food pantry, homebound delivery, soup Feeding Chittenden, which will help spear- kitchen, culinary job training and a food head the organization’s new food access truck. center.

Friends of Bernie Sanders’ printed As the largest direct service emer- the iconic photo of Sen. Sanders at Presgency food provider in Vermont, Feeding ident Joe Biden’s inauguration on merChittenden has seen a 38 percent increase chandise for sale to raise the funds. For in people seeking assistance since the on- more information, visit http://www.feedset of COVID-19. In response to both the ingchittenden.org. pandemic and a growing need for emergency food, Feeding Chittenden is creating an online ordering system that will enable community members to order groceries in a safe, efficient and stigma-free manner.

Director Rob Meehan says Champlain Community Services, Inc. the donation will support this new online ordering system, which Work at CCS and support our mission will allow food insecure Verto build a community where monters to order groceries at their everyone participates and belongs. convenience, giving them more choice, including more culturally Champlain Community Services has been named a “Best Places responsive food options for New to Work in Vermont” for the third year in a row and we want you Americans and refugees. to be a part of our team!

“We are so grateful to receive this donation, as people in VerOur current openings for Program Manager, mont need our help now more Direct Support Professionals, Overnight than ever,” Meehan says. “Sen. Supports & Shared Living Providers offer Sanders has been a champion for opportunities to make a positive impact on people who experience hunger someone’s life, and in yours. and we are honored to receive CCS employees receive a comprehensive this gift. We will use these funds benefits package, including paid time off, to make more food available for affordable health insurance, paid holidays the growing number of commuand more. nity members in need of assistance.”

Join us and apply today at www.ccs-vt.org Feeding Chittenden serves over 12,000 people annually, inccs-vt.org E.O.E cluding veterans, older adults,

SHIPPING & WAREHOUSE TEAM MEMBERS Concept2, a market-leading manufacturer of stationary fitness ergometers and composite racing oars, seeks two talented and motivated individuals to join our Shipping & Warehouse team on a full-time temporary basis, for at least three months. The positions are based in our Morrisville, VT headquarters.

Must have excellent attention to detail, the ability to work on your feet for extended periods of time, be able to lift 75 pounds using proper safety methods, and be committed to doing high-quality work.

Successful Concept2 employees combine self-sufficiency and personal accountability with strong teamwork skills. Concept2 has an informal setting, friendly work environment and excellent compensation and benefits, including fully paid medical, dental, and vision benefits for employees and their families.

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Page 22 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL NOTICE WARNING The legal voters of the Town of Richmond Vermont and the legal voters of the Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District residing in Richmond are hereby notified that in person Town Meeting has been cancelled for 2021 due to restrictions in place for COVID-19. The Richmond Selectboard has moved items traditionally voted by voice vote to Australian ballot.

Two informational meetings will be held virtually via Zoom on FEBRUARY 8, 2021 and MARCH 1, 2021 BOTH AT 7PM. The voters are further warned to meet at Camels Hump Middle School, in said Town, on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 where the polls will be open at 7:00 am in the forenoon and close at 7:00 pm in the afternoon to vote the following by Australian ballot: Article 8 Shall general obligation bonds or notes of the Town of Richmond in an amount not to exceed Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($400,000), subject to reduction from the receipt of available state and federal grants-in-aid, be issued for the purpose of replacing and relocating 800 feet of waterline on Bridge Street, the estimated cost of such improvements being Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($400,000)?

Adopted and approved at a regular meeting of the Selectboard of the Town of Richmond duly called, noticed and held on January 19, 2021. Received for record and recorded in the records of the Town of Richmond on January 21, 2021.

LEGAL NOTICE TOWN OF WILLISTON Public Information Hearing 2021 Town Meeting Articles Tuesday, February 16th 7:30 PM Remote Hearing The Selectboard will hold a public information hearing on Tuesday, February 16th at 7:30 PM to discuss the articles on the ballot for Town Meeting 2021 using the video conference platform zoom (access information below).

Visit the Town website, town.williston. vt.us, for additional information and resources about Town Meeting, including the Town budget under consideration.

Please direct any questions to Town Manager Erik Wells at ewells@willistonvt. org or 876-1168.

Public Information Hearing Access: Web Link: https://us02web.zoom. us/j/85962687421 Phone: 1-646-558-8656 Meeting ID: 859-6268-7421 If using phone hit *9 to alert the host to comment

LEGAL NOTICE Advertisement for Bids Town of Williston STP BP17(12) The Town of Williston is requesting bids for the Blair Park sidewalk project as described in the contract documents and plans for Williston STP BP17(12). Work to be performed under this project includes: Construction of two separate sections of 5-foot wide concrete sidewalk, new raised crosswalk, adding raised crosswalks to existing crosswalks, and related items.

Sealed bids from pre-qualified contractors shall be accepted until

10:00 am, prevailing time on March 3, 2021 at the Town of Williston Town Offices, 7900 Williston Road, Williston, VT. A non-mandatory pre-bid conference will be held for the project on February 16, 2021 at 10:00am via virtual meeting.

LEGAL NOTICE

Plans may be obtained electronically from the Town of Williston, 7900 Williston Road, Town of Williston, VT 05495. Phone: 802-735-3852. Email: lschaeffler@willistonvt.org.

All questions shall be directed to Lisa Schaeffler, Local Project Manager, lschaeffler@willistonvt.org or 802735-3852.

Bidders shall call the phone number on the rear entrance to the Town office building, upon arrival at the Town office building, to hand the bid package directly to a Town employee. The Town offices will accept bid drop-offs between the hours of 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday through Friday. The Town offices will not be open for bid drop offs on March 2, 2021.

OFFICE CLEANING ISLAND CLEANING SERVICES has openings for commercial / office cleaning services. Reliable and quality service. Please contact us for a quote at islandscleaning@yahoo.com 802825-7124.

WANTED WANTED TO BUY: Vermont collector will pay cash for all wooden bird carvings, goose, duck, and shorebird decoys. 802-238-1465.

FOR SALE MISCELLANEOUS – Couch in nice country blue, opens to full bed with good mattress, very clean, no tears or stains, 68”L x 34.5” W. Round wood table and 4 chairs, sturdy older set, good condition. $60. Best offers on both, photos available, must pick up. Great for starter apt. or camp. Call 1-802393-2177, can leave message also.

SAFE – 28-gun safe $900, “short gun” safe $400. Call Mark in Williston 802-338-5442.

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, 2-inch, 277 ccOHV electric start. Excellent condition - used a few times. $600. Call 878-0405 and leave message with your name and

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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.

To place a classified or service directory ad, email marianne@willistonobserver.com

Champlain Valley School District enrolling for preschool program

The Champlain Valley School District is currently enrolling for publicly funded pre-kindergarten for children between the ages of 3-5 who reside in Williston, St. George, Hinesburg, Shelburne and Charlotte for the 2021-2022 academic year.

The program is 10 hours per week for 35 weeks of early learning experiences based on Vermont’s Early Learning Standards. Children must be at least 3 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2021 to qualify for prekindergarten funding.

Publicly funded PreK services can be found in schools and private programs. The state tuition rate

February 11, 2021 • Williston Observer • Page 23

Kindergarten enrollment open at Allen Brook School

paid to private PreK providers on behalf of CVSD children attending prekindergarten during the 202122 school year is $3,536.

If your child is going to attend a prekindergarten program outside of the school, you will have to enroll both with the private program and with the school district to ensure that PreK funding for your child is sent to the program. The full registration packet is available on CVSD’s website at www.cvsdvt.org. Contact Wendy Clark at wclark@cvsdvt.org or 985-1903 or Shelley Henson at shenson@ cvsdvt.org or 985-1936 for more information.

Do you have a child who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2021? If so, please note that kindergarten registration for fall 2021 is underway at Allen Brook School. Go to www.cvsdvt.org, drop down to Williston Schools under the Pre-k-8 schools tab and scroll down to find the registration form link.

Submit the form to Allen Brook School, Attention Front Office, 497 Talcott Road Williston, VT 05495. Include proof of Williston residency, birth certificate and immunization record by Feb. 12. Email absfrontoffice@cvsdvt.org or call 871-6200 for more information.

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Page 24 • Williston Observer • February 11, 2021

CVU continued from page

1

with the idea of a firearm in the building,” he said. “We know what that emotional state does for learning. It’s something all schools need to be conscious of.”

The school district’s decision comes as state lawmakers have introduced a bill that would prevent schools from employing a full-time officer. The bill, S.63, co-introduced by Chittenden County Sen. Chris Pearson, would allow schools to call police to deal with security concerns on a caseby-case basis, but would prevent them from contracting with law enforcement agencies to station an officer in a school on a regular basis.

Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, another co-sponsor of the bill, said stationing police in schools has been a failed policy.

“Based on the research that I have seen, there’s not really so much of a gray area when it comes to the impact of SROs on some of our most vulnerable students,” she said.

Study after study has shown that discipline in schools is meted out more frequently, and more

harshly, to students of color, students with disabilities and low-income students. Critics charge that police in schools supercharge this dynamic, and that students acting out in minor ways — or because of a disability — subsequently wind up in the criminal justice system.

Over a dozen advocacy organizations — including the ACLU, Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Migrant Justice and Vermont Legal Aid — have backed a 10-point criminal justice reform agenda this legislative session that includes removing police from schools.

Falko Schilling, advocacy director for the Vermont chapter of the ACLU, said the group was glad the conversation is advancing from the local level to the Statehouse.

“The evidence shows that students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionately arrested in schools,” he said. “It’s important to take a statewide approach to this issue and implement a statewide solution.”

— Lola Duffort of VTDigger contributed to this report

Nature in Williston

A hawk surveys Williston Community Park on Sunday.

Kiernan Fitzgerald takes his friend for a ‘walk’ at Williston Community Park on Sunday.

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