Views of Dummerston - 2024#4 - Fall by Views of Dummerston

Covered Bridge Travel Lanes Replaced

By Roger Turner

My first ride over the newly-replaced driving surface of the covered bridge this past summer? Well, I drive through the bridge frequently, often multiple trips a day. And that first ride when the bridge reopened seemed very smooth, smoother than usual, and I wondered if I was just imagining if it felt that way, or if in fact it could actually could have been smoother. I looked into the matter by speaking with road foreman Lee Chamberlin.

Replacing the bridge deck was always a significant project, but in 2009 when it last needed to be done, Mike Renaud of Renaud Brothers, who had been contracted to do the job, came up with a plan to focus on the travel lanes where the wear was occurring, rather than the entire deck. This approach limited the area of the deck which needed to be replaced for that job, and would result in simpler future projects. The Renaud crew marked out 40-inch-wide travel lanes on each side of the bridge deck, and then used an asphalt grinder to create two channels two and a half inches deep. For about eight feet at each end of the bridge the channels were expanded to the full width of the deck between the elevated lane bumpers.

Then three-inch thick oak planking was bolted into the channels. The bolts were countersunk, meaning the top of the bolts were screwed into a hole which leaves the top of the bolt below the surface of the wood, and the recessed bolt heads were then covered by pegs hammered over them into the countersink holes. This results in a nice smooth, travel surface. Thereafter, when the travel lanes become worn down, only the oak planks, not the full deck, need to be replaced.

About four years ago Lee noticed that the travel lanes were getting worn down enough so that some of the bolts were starting to appear in the countersink holes. He informed the selectboard that the surface would need to be replaced in the next three to four years and advised them to start putting money aside for the project.

“The original quote for a crew doing the whole job was $90,000, so we started saving that up. But I thought we could do it cheaper,” Lee told me. “I don’t know what a bid would have been today.”

To do it cheaper, Lee devised a plan of splitting the work up between the town road crew and a contractor, and having the town purchase the materials directly. He determined they needed about 6,000 feet of 3x8 white oak planks, which he bought from and had delivered by Allard Lumber. Dan Jenks of Finishline Construction, a Dummerston business, got the contract for the work.

Then, on Monday July 29th, the bridge was closed and the town crew went to work. They removed 3,100 bolts from the original planks, used pry bars to pry up the lumber, then hauled it away. The wood was wet and about one and a half times as heavy as its original weight. The crew then had to clean the channel and remove any bolts that had broken off. continued on page 11

Art by Gary Blomgren

the town crew finishes the process by pegging the countersink holes.

the Finishline crew starts installing the new planks from the east side of the bridge

Photo

The Views of Dummerston is a quarterly newsletter published by a group of citizen volunteers since 1990, and has non-profit status through the Dummerston Community Center. Mary Lou McBean had the original vision for and was first editor of the Views, and Gary Blomgren created the original masthead art. The current steering committee includes Roger Turner (editor), Michelle Cherrier (co-articles coordinator and calendar), Fred Lee (layout), Sara Ryan (ad coordinator), Linda Rood (co-articles coordinator), and Lee Ives Tice (mailing). We always welcome new interest in joining the committee.

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

The Views is mailed free of charge to all residents of the town of Dummerston. It is also available online at viewsofdummerston.org. We encourage people to help us save printing and mailing expenses by cancelling their print subscription and accessing the Views online at viewsofdummerston.org; to do so please email Sara Ryan at: subscribe online@viewsofdummerston.org. If you are not a resident of Dummerston and would prefer to receive a paper copy of the Views, you may subscribe for an annual cost of $5. Mail a check made payable to Views of Dummerston, with your name and mailing address to Lee Tice, 230 School House Rd., East Dummerston, VT 05346.

ARTICLES:

We welcome all articles related in any way to the town of Dummerston, including news of town organizations, personalities, history, or activities. Email Microsoft Word documents (preferred) to: articles@viewsof dummerston.org. Typed or hand-written articles can also be sent to: Michelle Cherrier, 72 Miller Rd., East Dummerston, VT 05346.

CALENDAR:

Any (non-commercial) event you would like listed on our Calendar of Events should be emailed to: calendar@ viewsofdummerston.org, or mailed to Michelle Cherrier at the above address.

NEXT ISSUE:

Submissions due: January 7 2025

Views will be mailed on: February 19, 2025

ADVERTISING:

Rates: All rates are for four issues, however a large or small box ad can be placed for just one issue at an adjusted rate. Payment should be by a check made out to the Views of Dummerston, and mailed to: Sara Ryan, 53 Greenhoe Rd., East Dummerston, VT 05346 Small Box Ad $55 Large Box Ad $85 Information/Inquiries: Contact Sara Ryan at: ads@ viewsofdummerston.org, or at 387-0110.

SPONSORSHIPS:

Sponsorships of $25 for four issues augment our ad revenues to provide us with operating funds. You will be notified when your sponsorship is up and invited to renew. If you wish to become a sponsor or have questions, contact Sara Ryan as above.

Views

Featuring easy navigation, clickable links, and full color. We’re sure you’ll love it! viewsofdummerston.org

Dummerston Selectboard Meetings

Recorded and televised by BCTV and online at www.brattleborotv.org. (Select “Watch”, select “Watch On Demand”, select “Playlist”, scroll to “Dummerston”, select meeting.)

The Views of Dummerston Mission Statement

Providing reports of town organizations, and stories of townspeople and their good deeds, in promoting cooperation and understanding toward creating a more “ideal” Dummerston. “All who read may also contribute!”—Mary Lou McBean, founder, Views of Dummerston

civic government

Dummerston Selectboard

Deliberations Focus on Taxes and Roads

By Todd Davidson Dummerston Selectboard Chair

The selectboard began bi-weekly FY2026 municipal budget and tax planning meetings on September 11 th . The meetings will be warned and take place every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the town office. The public is always welcome to attend to provide input, feedback, and to understand how we put together the budget plan to be presented at the next town meeting. Our job is to propose a budget for town approval. Of note in FY2026, the town will begin payments on the new firetruck, currently pegged at $113,000 for each of the next five years. There are also some expensive road crew equipment purchases planned in 2026. After each meeting we will post the working documents/spreadsheets on the town website. Bear in mind that working documents are just that, and same as last year, these will change considerably over the months of work. Our municipal taxes make up about twenty percent of our annual property tax bill; the remainder is education/ school taxes set by the state. A quick overview of broad categories is always helpful:

General Fund:

This category addresses almost every funding line outside the realm of the highway department. One exception is payment of town employee taxes (SSA, unemployment,

health insurance, etc.) for highway department wages, which is included in this fund.

Highway Fund

This includes pay for the highway department and all other needs for the department (oils, sand, fuel, etc.).

Capital Fund

This is money that has been earmarked for the annual share for large purchases within a multi-year payment plan. For the most part, this fund covers equipment and vehicle purchases. Money that is earmarked and approved by the town cannot be moved from that assigned purchase without a special town meeting and vote.

In August the town sent out notifications to property abutters in West Dummerston that we voted to discontinue about half of town highway (“TH”) 61. Town Highway 61 runs from West St. through the Community Center parking lot and then northbound back toward West St., running behind the post office and old Grange building. The northbound stretch is now discontinued and

will be updated on maps early next year. Everyone who participated provided strong input and reasoning for the discontinuance. We are working on open meeting procedures for non-advisory boards (selectboard, development review board, board of abatement, and board of civil authority). Our goal is to make sure these meetings are executed in the same manner as our great town meeting. The town meeting rules and guidance for interactions and votes will hopefully be mirrored by these boards. If you show up at board meetings you should recognize the processes and organization as a natural event.

As always, if you have questions, you can email the selectboard at selectboard@ dummerston.org.

Dummerston Conservation Commission

Finishing Touches Made to Covered Bridge steps civic government

By Lynn Levine and John Anderson

This month conservation commission members met for a work day at the new steps by the covered bridge, led by Lew Teich. The contractor that built the steps, with a state grant, did a great job, but there were a few final details to be seen to. So Lew and Jesse Wagner added supporting boards underneath the handrail to strengthen it and extend its life expectancy, and David Greenewalt and Jesse’s daughter Phoebe sanded the handrail smooth to avoid splinters. While they did that, Christine Goepp and Cliff Adler (not a member but a stalwart puller of invasives) pulled up the bittersweet that was already starting to make an appearance where the soil had been disturbed. Two large bags of bittersweet were removed. We saw plenty of native plants coming up to stabilize the bank next to the steps and provide food for birds and insects.

by m arie Ca D uto

this is what the steps to the river looked like during Lynn and marie’s visit. these were very dangerous to use! Later, a load of gravel was dumped on the steps, which made the descent even more precarious.

This work day was the culmination of the project that began in July 2020 when Lynn Levine of the conservation commission and Marie Caduto from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation met at the site. The vision began to form when Marie wrote her report: “The steps were installed in 2005

Dummerston Cares Celebrates volunteer of the summer season

Volunteer of Season Improves Region’s Environment

By Catie G. Berg

Akin to the mycelia fungi that quietly and continuously enrich our soil, Michelle Cherrier serves Dummerston as the representative to the Windham Solid Waste Management District, better known as WSWMD. The mycelia work below ground, while Michelle works above. Both improve the earth!

Eighteen towns in Windham County are members of the WSWMD. Its mission since 1988? Provide services for managing solid waste, including education, recycling, and disposal. And oh, has solid waste management come a long way since March of 1987, when a heaping barge of waste left New York City for a landfill in North Carolina. After a public outcry, several states refused the barge, causing its return to NYC, where the waste was incinerated. With huge public interest in this trash debacle, people’s determination to recycle skyrocketed.

Michelle grew up in Brattleboro and spent most of her life, to date, living and working in the area. She and her husband, Phil Goepp, moved to Dummerston in 1989, after which Michelle retired in 2004 from United Natural Foods, Inc.—UNFI, formerly Stow Mills.

Inclined toward service after retirement, Michelle trained with Brattleboro Area Hospice as a Hospice Care volunteer, providing physical, spiritual and emotional support for the terminally ill and their loved ones. Wanting to learn more about Dummerston and meet civic-minded neighbors, Michelle also volunteered for The Views of Dummerston, our amazing community newspaper. Now, she’s the Views ’ articles coordinator, collecting all incoming articles and preparing them for editing, proofreading the final versions of the articles, minding commas, apostrophes, and the errant autocorrect that changes “a snow fall” to “a snot fall,” and she also serves as a valued member of the Views steering committee. Additionally, for over ten years, Michelle has volunteered with The Rich Earth Institute to promote water conservation and organic fertilizer.

Dummerston Cares especially appreciates

Michelle’s service to the WSWMD. The selectboard appointed her as its representa-

Births

Passings

Naomi Dunbar 6/29/2024

Nancy J. Chamberlin 9/2/2024

Beverly Fay Schaffer 9/10/2024

Ann “Annie” Wilder Richards 10/11/24

tive in 2012, after the incumbent rep, Ernie Kinney, moved from town. Listening and learning for the first three years, Michelle grew in knowledge and leadership, becoming chair of the WSWMD Board of Supervisors in 2017.

Michelle urges us to learn more about the WSWMD’s services at windhamsolidwaste. org. We can recycle glass bottles, metal cans, plastic containers, paper, and cardboard. We can compost our food scraps. With a daily or annual permit, we can dispose of household trash.

More services, guided by visionary Executive Director, Robert Spencer, which expand recycling opportunities, include:

• On Tuesdays, one can dispose of household hazardous waste (HHW) by making an appointment at (802) 257-0272 x117. This service safeguards soil and groundwater from the many toxins that threaten our Earth and our health. No access permit is required for HHW drop-offs.

• Vermont’s largest solar array has been installed on the closed, capped landfill. It generates five mega-watts of electricity at a daily maximum capacity, shared with 19 schools and municipal entities in Windham County.

• Accepting waste tied to manufacturers’ “Extended producer responsibility” continued on page 12

Sponsors

John & Karen Abel

Roberta Garland

Orly Munzing & Bob Dunbar

Mark and Lee Tice

Fred Lee

Meg Murtha

Barbara Evans

Joe & Anne Little

Alvino & Bea Fantini

Sponsors

Piper Jolie Hamil

michelle Cherrier is Dummerston Cares’ Volunteer o f the Quarter because of service with the Windham regional Waste management District and her contributions to the Views of Dummerston.

Evening Star Grange Community Meals Continue to serve as social Hubs

By Sallie J. May Secretary

We have a couple of week’s break between our September Chicken Pie Supper and our October Craft Fair. Our Fall Harvest Dinner, which takes place on the last Saturday in October, is usually turkey. If you came to any of our meals this year, “thank you.” Looking back over the meals we’ve had this year, we notice a slight decline in numbers over last year. I’m not sure of the reasons for this decline, but note that while some Dummerstonians participate routinely in all of our public suppers, many do not. We don’t know the reasoning behind this, but if you want to drop us a line anonymously, please do so. We’d like to know and change our ways if we need to.

We are in the talking stage with Vermont Theatre Company about once again doing a play or two at our Grange Hall. They have

Debbie & Dennis Baker

Eleanor & Charles Fish

Teri Robinson

Marguerite Demotte

Sallie May

been reorganizing and trying to make future plans to appear here over the next couple of years. We are delighted that they are planning to bring live theatre back to our stage. Watch for announcements as we begin to know when the play(s) will take place. Our Senior Lunches continue to be held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, with prep work being done on Tuesday afternoon beginning around 12 noon. Anyone with a little free time and a willingness to peel potatoes, chop onions, etc. is welcome and we hope to see some of you in the future.

We also want to thank all of you who use our used clothing shed; it has brought in quite a bit toward our 2024-25 fuel bill and for this we are very grateful.

We wish all of you a happy and healthy fall season and will be touching base with all of you again in our winter edition of notes from the Grange. Remember, if you would like to learn more about the Grange, please get in touch with me, Larry Lynch, or any Grange member and we’ll see you get your questions answered. Call the Grange at 802-254-1138 and we’ll get back with you as soon as we can.

Dummerston Cares Sponsors

Bi-Monthly Afternoon Socials

Dummerston Cares is sponsoring bi-monthly Afternoon Socials for all Dummerston residents. This is a wonderful way to reconnect with old friends and meet some wonderful new folks while enjoying sweet and savory treats and, of course, a cup of tea! Mark your calendar with these dates and feel free to share this invitation with friends: December 18, 2024 1-3 p.m.

February 19, 2025 1-3 p.m. April 1, 2025 1-3 p.m. June 18, 2025 1-3 p.m. Pl ease RSVP a few days in advance of each event:

Call the Cares Message Line (802) 257-5800 and leave your name, phone and number in your party. If you need a ride, let us know. Our volunteers are ready to drive you to and from the event.

Cliff

Gordon & Linda Evans

Heather & Gene Rostov

Akara Draper & Linnie Jones

Elizabeth Catlin & Jared Flynn

Adler & Lynn Levine

organizations

Dummerston Historical Society

Bill schmidt Recounts elysian Hills History

By Muriel Taylor

The summer exhibit at the Schoolhouse included Roger Turner’s eclectic collection of photographs, including several of Dummerston itself. Thank you, Roger, for sharing your wonderful work and your time with our Historical Society and our many visitors over the summer months.

By the time you read this, our October quarterly meeting will have taken place, and your pleasure in having attended can only be matched by our current eager anticipation for the upcoming meeting. Bill Schmidt, well known to all of us, will speak about his homestead, Elysian Hills, its long history as the Knapp farm, its prominence for a number of years as a Morgan horse stable known regionally for its work, and, in greater detail, about Elysian Hills itself, a farm that produced many crops, including Gilfeather turnips and Christmas trees, under the imaginative management of Bill and his wife Mary Lou. Bill has served the community in many other ways as well, including as head of the Windham Regional Planning Commission and his long work with Dummerston Cares.

The current exhibit, from October 6 through December 15 is sure to be of interest. As a natural complement to Bill’s talk about Elysian Hills farm, several local farms have loaned us artifacts from their own collections of tools and implements from days of yore. As of this writing we are in the process of acquiring these items, and it is rumored that an old horse harness and a chicken catcher may be in the mix. Thanks in advance to the following for participating in this exhibit: Scott Farm, Miller Farm, Thorndike Farm, Walker Farm, Elysian Hills, Hickin Farm, and Bunker Farm. Come see what they discovered in the recesses of their barns and haylofts!

Filling our Artist Corner for the next several months, we are fortunate to welcome the work of Connie Evans, a Dummerston artist who is displaying her works at the Schoolhouse until December 15th. Connie, a retired teacher and lawyer, has dabbled in a range of arts, but her primary focus has been watercolor painting. “Painting helps me to really see—to appreciate the amazing array of greens in the springtime, the play of light and shadow, the tiny fascinating patterns that make a flower a work of creative genius.” On November 3 at 1:30 p.m. DHS will host a talk with the artist, and all are invited to

join in on this sharing time to meet with Connie. Yes! Our stunning 2025 Scenes of Dummerston calendars are now available at the town office, from board members, at the Schoolhouse during open hours, or by calling Jody Normandeau at 802-380-9027 or Sheila Pinkney at 802-490-0407. They are still only $10! Thanks to Jody, Sheila, and Kevin Ryan for pulling the calendar together and a special shout out to the photographers whose work graces the twelve months and cover. Well done! We are grateful for the continued support of C&S Printing in this important fundraising effort.

In addition to our calendars, DHS has newly designed tee shirts in two colors, royal blue or black, and new gray or cream-colored hats, both with the covered bridge and the words Dummerston, Vermont, on them. Tee shirts are $20, and hats $25. They can be purchased at the Historical Society during open hours, or by contacting Gail Sorenson at gailsvt@gmail, or 802-254-9311.

We are open the first and third Sunday every month from 1-3 p.m. or by appointment. Please call any member or Muriel Taylor at 802-380-7525 to arrange a special visit. The Dummerston Historical Society always welcomes donations of historical interest to Dummerston, and we encourage you to join us in 2024 as a member, a volunteer, a participant in our programs, or as a viewer of our exhibits. (Please note that you do not need to be a member of the Historical Society to attend any of our functions.) Find more information and videos of recent programs at www.dummerstonhistoricalsociety.org. Our Schoolhouse is handicapped accessible. You are always welcome.

Snippets and Sayings from History

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day, they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there quite a while. Hence the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.”

Author unknown Beautiful full color calendar featuring Dummerston images by local photographers Available at the Town Office and Dummerston Historical Society

THese sell OuT everY YeAr! email dummerstoncalendar@gmail.com or call Sheila (802) 490-0407 or Jody (802) 380-9027 for more information

Elsa Waxman

& George Wright

Brunelle

Olmstead Sponsors

Happenings at Dummerston school

Students gather for an all-school meeting on a beautiful September morning.

the weather this september was fantastic, and students made the most of their time outside on both the main and early Learning Center playgrounds.

Library Makeover

the Dummerston school Library got a makeover this past summer thanks to new librarian ellen rago, facilities manager Dan bailey, and community volunteers.

as part of their middle school exploratory experience, a group of students participate in a crew that works with facilities manager Dan bailey where they learn light carpentry and landscaping skills through projects and tasks that benefit our school.

o l der students enjoyed their first morning with their younger buddy Classroom friends this past september.

aLL Photos by juLianne egan

The Buddy System

Outdoor Play, Outdoor Learning

The Crew

a Wonderful Day for an ice Cream social

Families picnicked on the playground and then enjoyed homemade royal Diner ice cream during our third annual ice Cream social sponsored by the Family involvement team and Dummerston Leadership Council.

aLL Photos by juLianne egan

school news

New staff Take Their Place at Dummerston school

By Julianne Eagan, Principal

Dummerston School students saw new faces on their first day of school on August 28th, as well as familiar faces in new roles. Please join me in welcoming the following new staff to Dummerston School:

Lisa Boyd will be a new member of our elementary paraeducator team. Lisa has over fifteen years of experience working in early childhood education and is excited to support the learning and growth of Dummerston School children.

We are excited to welcome back Tina Deal as humanities teacher! Tina served as long-term substitute humanities teacher at Dummerston School during the 2022–2023 school year, and,

By Cindy Bacigalupo

School is back in session after the summer break. Some may think the school was closed in the summer, but a dedicated maintenance staff was busy completing many new projects this summer including the replacement of a couple of ceilings, asbestos abatement, new flooring in the elementary area, tree removal in Early Learning Playground, burying the fuel tank underground, painting in the classrooms, and remodeling the library.

Dan Bailey and Peter Burdo are the maintenance crew and both work year-round at the Dummerston school. Head of maintenance Dan Bailey has been at the school for five years and has worked for the WSESU district for twenty years.

He has a background in cabinet making and design and has utilized his talents in designing and building the new pavilion located at the back of the school. Dan stated that many parents and community folks helped with the pavilion to make it happen. It is a beautiful structure that will have many uses for the school. The brick flooring is made from bricks purchased through a fundraiser for the playground. Names of the contributors are engraved on the bricks.

Dan has many duties at the school besides maintenance, which takes up most of his work day. He helps out with traffic control and greeting the kids at the bus area, and at lunchtime he can be found in the cafeteria keeping an eye on things and maintaining the area. All of the children know his name.

Dan is also a musician at heart and enjoys singing and playing guitar; he likes classic rock. He is in a band named The Xternals. He does

since that time, has been serving as academic support teacher at BAMS. Prior to joining our district, Tina worked as a humanities teacher at Chesterfield School and in special education at Keene Middle School.

James Capen will be joining our middle school paraeducator team. James is retired from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, has experience coaching youth sports, and is eager to embark upon a new career in education.

We are also welcoming Kierstan Landin to our elementary paraeducator team. Kierstan is a recent Landmark College graduate who studied integrated arts and has provided social, emotional, academic, and behavioral support to neurodivergent students in a range of programs.

Katie Legare is our new academic support teacher and instructional coach. Katie comes

open mic at the Pioneer Open Valley Brewery in Turners Falls, MA (dogs are also welcome). Look them up, and I am sure you will have a fun time if you go.

Dan is an asset to the school and is always willing to help out where needed. He is also planning to start an exploratory learning project class for some of the middle school students. It is a hands-on learning class, in which students build projects, and learn how to use the tools needed for the project.

Peter Burdo has been at the school for one and a half years and previously at the Vernon contined on page 11

to us with nine years of experience teaching a variety of grade levels, including fourth, first, and third grade, as well as experience teaching physical education. She also has served as a WSESU mentor teacher and leader of the Diversity and Equity Team at Vernon Elementary School.

M aggie Lonardo will join Dummerston School as a paraeducator in the Intensive Services program. Maggie has been working with children ages two to ten in a variety of school-based settings, including early childhood classrooms and programs for students with autism spectrum disorder.

Luke McCullock will be serving as longterm fourth-grade substitute for Katie Tafe during the period of her maternity leave. Luke has been working at Dummerston School during the 2023–2024 school year as a substitute teacher in a variety of contexts: one-onone behavior support paraeducator, classroom teacher, academic support teacher, and special educator.

Ashley Perkins joins us as a second-grade teacher. Ashley has served as an elementary school teacher since 2017, most recently at Vernon Elementary School. During her tenure as an elementary school teacher, Ashley has taught third, fourth, and fifth grade. She is certified in both elementary education and special education. Heather Sperling is joining our school community as kindergarten teacher. During her time in education, Heather has taught kindergarten and third grade and has served as an academic interventionist; she also has served in a number of leadership capacities in several key areas, including farm-to-school, nature-based learning, and early literacy.

We are also welcoming Annette Wilson as our long-term substitute guidance counselor. Annette served as a classroom teacher at Dummerston School from 1996-2026 in grades one through four. Since her time at Dummerston School, Annette has served as a long-term substitute teacher at Kurn Hattin Homes and Walpole Elementary School. She also serves our community as Guardian ad Litem. She is filling in for Nicole Thomas who is on maternity leave.

In other staff news, as I wrote earlier this summer, we are thrilled that Ellen Rago is our new library/media specialist! Ellen has spent the summer months putting her vision of an interactive, engaging, enriching, inspiring, and welcoming library space into action–wait until you see the results!

And, we are excited to announce that Jonah Pauloo will be joining our behavior and emotional support team as a behavior support paraeducator.

Dan b ailey stands under the pavilion that he designed and helped to build behind the school..

Finishing Touches Made to Covered Bridge steps

continued from page 4 to replace or repair the walking bridge over the wetland on the trail up to Prospect, probably in the spring of 2025. Anyone is welcome to attend a meeting or join us for a work day. We always have a good time, and at the end of each meeting we share wildlife sightings. This month, for example, members spotted great blue herons eating voles in meadows instead of their usual wetlands!

Speaking of observing the natural world, local

giving its top a star-like appearance and exposing the round spore sac within. Fluid pressure then builds up within the fungus until, five to six hours later, the spore sac is forcibly and audibly ejected, flying as far as six meters. The sticky spore sac is always fired toward the nearest source of light and adheres to whatever it encounters.

The sound produced when a spore sac is ejected is a less than cannon-like “audible pop.” They may be cannon fungi but, as I learned, they’re very small and somewhat muffled cannons.

The scientific binomial Sphaerobolus stellatus derives from the Greek words, sphaer meaning sphere and obolus meaning to throw. Given that, I think sphere thrower is the most logical common name for this species.

The little fungus has acquired the many common names which led me to imagine a

violent and thunderous explosiveness; a noisy explosiveness belied by its small size. But, violent and explosive it is. A sedentary fungi one to three millimeters in diameter suddenly and with an audible pop hurling a spore sac some six meters is impressive despite its unimpressive scale. Preconceived notions such as I had about this fungus don’t always match what the natural world offers but the reality should never disappoint.

Phil Goepp, another “civilian” volunteer, is helping us update the conservation commission website, www.dummerstonconservation.com/ Here you can see upcoming events, sign up for our newsletter, and download our booklet “10 Trails in Dummerston.” There are also physical copies at the town office and at our events. Donations are welcome to cover the cost of printing.

Covered Bridge Travel Lanes Replaced

continued from page 1

naturalist John Anderson has noticed a strange fungus. He reports:

The many common names of Sphaerobolus stellatus are all implicitly violent. Those names include shotgun fungus, cannon fungus, artillery fungus, cannonball fungus and sphere thrower, all of which hint at violent explosiveness or actions somewhere in their life story.

Such explosive salvos of fungal artillery should not, I had to think, go unnoticed. Sphaerobolus stellatus is described as “cosmopolitan” and “common world-wide, often on wood mulch” yet I had never knowingly encountered one. That puzzled me.

A little research added some clarity. S. stel-

latus is indeed as explosive and as common as the literature claims, it’s just not as large or attention attracting as its many common names caused me to either expect or imagine. In fact, this fungus is tiny, one to three millimeters in diameter. And, it’s nearly spherical. Common substrates for this species are aged manure (often horse manure) and rotting sawdust, mulch, or wood.

According to the literature, an internal spore sac forms near the top of the fruiting body, the above-ground part of the fungus. At maturity the outer layers of the fungus split into several lobes

“It was hard on your body if you’re not used to that work – hard on the knees. It was dirty and dusty,” Lee told me. “I was thinking originally of working ten hours a day, but I don’t think we could have done it with that kind of work. And it was pretty hot. We had a fan going in there.”

As they worked their way east to west removing the deck, they brought bundles of planks from the garage to the bridge with the town tractor so that the Finishline crew could begin laying down the new lanes. “There were six of their crew and five of ours,” Lee recalled. The Finishline crew fit and bolted the new planks into place, and the town crew pretty much took care of putting the pegs in the countersunk holes over the bolt heads.

While the original notification was that the bridge was to be closed for a week, at 1:42 on Thursday afternoon town clerk Laurie Frechette sent out an email that read: “Good news - the covered bridge has been reopened! Thanks to the crew for their hard work & thanks to all of you for your patience this week.”

“The total cost at the end was about $40,000, not including the cost of the town work,” Lee said, an expense which was eligible for and covered by ARPA funds. He’s concerned that if new travel lanes are good for only about 14 years, having to spend $90,000, the value of the original quote for the full project, this often would be a significant cost to the town. So Lee has given thought to extending the life of the planks, including the possibility of applying an epoxy with sand grit to the lanes, which might gain three years to the lives of the planks. But there is cost to that, and health concerns about applying epoxy which would have to be taken into consideration.

Meanwhile, he’s recording the steps he took to complete the project this time so that a future

road commissioner has a model for a cooperative approach to the work. With this year’s experience, he also observed, “And good luck to them, unless they’ve got a bunch of young guys.”

Having gotten the full story of the process for replacing the travel lanes, I think the sense of smoothness I experienced on my ride through the reopened, rejuvenated bridge wasn’t a figment of my imagination, but real, and a testament to the hard, dirty, efficient work put in by the town and Finishline crews.

Dummerston s chool’s Talented Maintenance Crew

continued from page 10

School for five years. The son of Victor and Mary Burdo, Peter attended Dummerston School. He is not visible around the school during the day as he works the evening shift. But he does see the students as he enjoys watching their sports events, especially a good basketball game. He may not know many of the children’s names but he knows many of the families. Peter helped with the new pavilion and other projects around the school. Peter enjoys working with the land and is now in the process of building a ‘tiny’ house for himself. Both Dan and Peter are invaluable members of the Dummerston School community. Their hard work and dedication behind the scenes help ensure the school is a safe, welcoming, and functional space for all. Dan’s plans to start a middle school project class, combined with his and Peter’s ongoing contributions, show their deep commitment to the school and its students. Be sure to thank them the next time you see them around the school -- whether it’s Dan at the bus stop or Peter catching a basketball game. They’re the heart of our school’s maintenance team, and we’re lucky to have them.

japanese knotweed is a pretty plant but pernicious as it forms a monoculture that degrades riverbanks and excludes food and shelter native wildlife.

fungi in its natural setting.

Long island–Based Novels evoke Memories

By Linda Rood

Over the past half year, it seems that I have, somewhat unintentionally, read three novels that are set on Long Island. I grew up out on the east end of the island, so these books all caught my interest, though they were not a conscious project. It was a lovely place to grow up with its farmland, white sandy beaches, and charming little towns. Of course, it has changed a great deal since then, having become overrun by the hordes of visitors who come to the now glamorous Hamptons, but the lure of the ocean and summers at the beach has never disappeared from my soul. Perhaps these books might not have shown up on your radar.

Colm Toibin’s latest novel, Long Island (Scribner’s, 2024) is a sequel to his 2009 book, Brooklyn, which is also an Academy Awardnominated film. If you enjoyed Brooklyn, then don’t miss this one. It’s not necessary to read Brooklyn first, but your appreciation of the new book would be enhanced by being familiar with the story.

In Long Island, Eilis Lacey, the Irish immigrant protagonist, has been married to Tony, her Italian-American boyfriend, for twenty years; they have two teenage children, and they live in Lindenhurst, out in the suburbs in a family compound made up of Tony’s parents and brothers’ families. Tony and his brothers are successful building contractors; Tony is a plumber. Classic American Dream stuff, right? Well, the first page of this book is one of the most eye-opening, attention-getting

beginnings I’ve seen in a while. Eilis opens the front door to an Irishman, who announces that his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child. Furthermore, he says, that child will never live in his house, and as soon as it is born, he will bring it to Tony and Eilis to raise. This is news to Eilis, and she has to figure out how she is going to handle this development. Right from the start, we are dying to know what happens.

I won’t give anything further away, except to say that in the course of the novel, Eilis returns to Ireland to see her mother for the first time in twenty years, and that of course leads to some intriguing developments. Eilis is an intense and interesting woman. She has some big choices to make, and some compromises too. According to the Amazon listing, it’s a tale of “love lost and love found, the importance of making the right decisions and the fallback from the past that lands in the future.”

In the spring, I read something about a writer new to me, the American author Alice McDermott, that piqued my interest, and I found her novel, Charming Billy (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1992) at the library. This book won the National Book Award for Fiction and the American Book Award. It is considered McDermott’s masterpiece. She is of Irish descent and grew up in Brooklyn; Charming Billy has many points of similarity to Long Island in that the main characters are Irish immigrants who travel back to Ireland to discover some important truths. The story

begins with the funeral of Billy Lynch, who was a handsome and loveable man whose life ended in alcoholic misery. Over the course of the novel, we learn about his past and the sadness that led to his demise. In the summer of 1945 when he was young, he and his best friend Dennis were hired to repair a modest summer cottage out in East Hampton, at the far east end of Long Island. They lived in the cottage while they worked on it, and enjoyed swimming in the nearby bay. While there they met two Irish girls working as nannies for a wealthy family. Billy falls in love with Eva. She returns to Ireland at the end of the summer, promising to come back in a year when they will be married. And the story unfolds from there.

What captivated me in this book was the beauty of the descriptions of the Long Island bays and wetlands that are the landscape of my childhood. Dennis and Billy have a car, and they drive around in the villages of the Hamptons, and their innocent wonder at the beautiful lawns and trees, and the elegant summer homes was familiar and true to my own memories.

The third Long Island book was Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday, 2009). Whitehead is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys. Sag Harbor is a much less Continued on page 13 continued from page 12

Dummerston Cares Celebrates volunteer of the summer season

continued from page 5 (EPR). Recycling streams are offered for recycling packaging, LED lightbulbs, electronic devices, and appliances.

• The “Swap Shop” is a volunteer-run forum on site for recycling usable household appliances and furnishings, keeping items from the waste stream and offering

Three Long Island Novels, Plus Goodwin’s Love Story

well-known novel, and is perhaps his most autobiographical one, quite different from the works he is most known for. A classic summer novel, it’s a coming-of-age story set in the eastern Long Island village of the title’s name, where Whitehead spent his childhood summers and where he now owns a home. Unique in the Hamptons, Sag Harbor is the location of a planned, beach-front community that was settled by middle-class Black New Yorkers in the 1940s. The novel takes place in the summer of 1985; teenage Benji and his brother Reggie are pretty much left on their own during the week while their professional parents work in the city and come out on weekends. Benji works in an ice cream shop, and spends most of his time trying to prove his coolness to the other kids in the neighborhood. This, of course, is a recipe for trouble. The story is a masterful and mostly funny portrait of adolescent insecurity and the obsessions of teenage boys. Those who grew up in the 80s or had children who were growing up then will enjoy the musical references and the other artifacts of the 80s that play a part in the story. It was fun for me, because Whitehead has kept all the actual street and place names, so I knew the territory.

(Simon & Schuster, 2024). It’s a memoir as well as a history of the Kennedy and Johnson years, based on the extensive archives kept by Richard Goodwin from his years as a Kennedy speechwriter and political advisor to others, as well as on the conversations and memories of the couple from their years working in government. It’s fascinating.

I am also looking forward to Elizabeth Strout’s new book that just came out: Tell Me Everything (Random House, 2024). It’s a bit of a crime novel, and also tells of the meeting of Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge. I can’t wait for that scene. In addition, I am excited to read Sally Rooney’s new book, just out,

Intermezzo (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), which NPR says is her most moving novel yet. And please don’t forget: send me your choices of your favorite books from this past year for my Readers’ Choice column coming up in the winter edition of the Views. Send to me at turood802@gmail.com.

In other news, I have started to read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s new book, An Unfinished Love Story: a Personal History of the 1960s

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www.bakerviolinshop.com

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Dummerston Meetings

CalenDar iS on page 13

Smoke Alarms & Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Dummerston Cares and WDVFD are providing and installing free smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Call the DC Message Line at (802) 257-5800 and leave your name and phone number for callback.

Senior Lunches Evening Star Grange; Second & fourth Wednesday, noon. For Take out call: 802-254-1138. Leave name, phone number, number of meals desired, whether Eat In or Take Out. The Front Porch Forum: online at www.frontporchforum.com

Heating assistance: Fuel options listed on Dummerston Cares website. For assistance, call Cares Message Line at (802) 257-5800. Leave name and phone number to receive a callback.

Firewood: contact Charlie Richardson of the Dummerston Church Wood Pantry at (802) 254-6963. UseFUL sTUFF To KNoW

NaMes & TiMes & NUMBeRs

Community Center Randy Hickin 802-257-0784

Conservation Commission

Web site: www.dummerstonconservation.com

Dummerston Cares Message line & Fuel Assistance 802-257-5800, email: info@dummerstoncares.org, web site: www.dummerstoncares.org

Dummerston School 802-254-2733

Web site: dummerston.wsesu.org

Fire Chief Larry Pratt, 802-579-9494

Fire Warden Ted Glabach, 802-384-6994

Deputy Fire Warden Allen Pike, 802-258-0100

Lydia Taft Pratt Library 802-258-9878

Hours: Tue. 2-6; Wed. 1-5; Thu. 1-5; Sat. 10–1

Web site: library.dummerston.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/dummerstonlibrary email: dummerstonvtlibrary@gmail.com

Vermont Theatre Company 802-258-1344

Evening Star Grange

Larry or Carol Lynch, 802-310-0799

Meals on Wheels Cynthia Fisher, 802-257-1236

Selectboard selectboard@dummerston.org

Senior Solutions Carol Lynch, 802-254-2517

Springfield Office 800-642-5119

Town Garage Lee Chamberlin, 802-254-2411

Town Office Laurie Frechette, 802-257-1496 email: townclerk@dummerston.org

Veterans Assistance Contact Dummerston Cares message line or email

Views of Dummerston views@viewsofdummerston.org WSESU 802-254-3730

Websites: Official Town: www.dummerston.org Calendar: calendar.dummerston.org/ Local Interest: www.dummerston.com

Please note that these meetings may not be taking place at their usual locations. Please refer to the town web site, www.Dummerston.org, for updated information.