The Citizen - 3-9-23

Silver anniversary

Hinesburg Artist Series celebrates 25 years of music

Hinesburg approves $4.7M budget, votes in new board member

Voters also approve police department spend

Hinesburg voters approved the town’s $4.7 million budget and voted in Paul Lamberson to the selectboard to fill the seat vacated by Phil Pouech.

Lamberson will serve out the remaining year on the vacated by Pouech, who is now Hinesburg’s state representative in Montpelier. Lamberson submitted his petition for the seat several days after discovering that no one had yet filed to run.

He has served nine years as a trustee with the Carpenter Carse Library, and previously served as a school board member.

“I’d certainly like to thank the voters who placed their confidence in me, and my colleagues on previous boards who helped me learn so much,” he said.

Lamberson will join selectboard members Merrily Lovell, the chair of the selectboard who also ran uncontested for a new three-year term; and Dennis Place, another uncontested incumbent who won a two-year term; as well as current members Mike Loner and Maggie Gordon.

“I look forward to working with the existing select board members and all stakeholders as we look at

Title bound CVU boys’ basketball advances to Division I championship Page 12

the challenges Hinesburg is facing right now,” Lamberson said. “None of the solutions sound easy, quick or cheap. But we’re lucky to have an abundance of innovative people in Hinesburg, and I will be ready to draw on that collective talent to keep our town a special and welcoming home for all.”

Budget items

In addition to the selectboard, Hinesburg residents also approved the town’s $4,798,710 budget.

Budget items — police, fire, highway, general government, and other items — were overwhelmingly approved. Voters decided last year to move all decisions to Australian ballot, instead of the traditional, in-person vote.

The town’s budget includes little in the way of spending increases — about $11,000, or roughly 0.25 percent.

The budget “is more about lost revenue than it is about expenses,” Lovell said during an informational meeting held for voters Monday night. “About $290,000 in non-tax revenues that were in last year’s budget are not available for this year’s budget.”

More than 80 percent of the

See HINESBURG on page 10

Charlotte town budget voted down

Devine wins selectboard seat, Siket elected to the school board

Jim Faulkner said at the informational meeting on Monday.

After a contentious budget season, Charlotte’s $2.9 million town budget failed by just 35 votes, 493 to 458, forcing the selectboard back to the drawing board.

“We’re concerned about the direction of our budget, we’ve got to keep these families in town. They’ve been living here for generations,” chair of the selectboard

Juggling with inflation-related employee benefit increases and the town garage debt services, members emphasized that the largest cost driver was a necessary overall pay increase for town employees.

“We hired an expert, Gallagher and Flynn, to do a market analysis for us to see where we stood in terms of what we’re paying our

employees,” Faulkner said. “The goal was to get to the market rate which we did. We were way behind the eight ball so that brought us up to a market rate.”

“Our most valuable asset is our employees, we need to pay them competitively,” said board member Louise McCarren. “Even though this is jolting to the eye, I think it’s

See CHARLOTTE on page 11

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

PHOTO BY AYLIN ARIFKHAN

A helpful sign at Hinesburg Town Hall welcomes voters on Town Meeting Day.

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Tensions high at Hinesburg meeting over contaminated drinking water

Town applying for planning study for solutions

The town of Hinesburg, amid rising tension among residents, applied for a grant through the state revolving loan program last week, a small step towards remedying the increasingly disconcerting problem of contaminated drinking water emanating from the town landfill.

The selectboard approved the loan application after more than a dozen residents came out to their March 1 meeting to request continual testing for 18 residential properties to the south of the landfill — which an environmental consultant group hired by the town confirmed in a report is leaching dangerous chemicals and other harmful contaminants.

“The town is trying to do the right thing, we acknowledge that,” said Janet Francis, one of the property owners near the landfill. “(But) we need to be sure that we do more — that all of the houses in our neighborhood meet the safe water standards that have been set.”

The grant application, through Vermont’s water and wastewater revolving loan fund program, will hopefully give the town some

Hinesburg Artist Series celebrates 25 years of music, memories

As a celebration of bringing joy and music to the community, the Hinesburg Artist Series will present its annual spring concert featuring the Rutter Requiem that was performed at its first concert in 1997.

direction as to how to address the situation: should the town purchase point-of-entry treatment, or POET, systems to treat all the contaminated houses, should it extend the town water system up to the area, or do something else entirely.

“I hope you know we’re doing everything that we possibly can to address this issue,” Merrily Lovell, the chair of the Hinesburg Selectboard, said.

High levels poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances — or PFAS — were found in the drinking water of two more residential homes last month, about two years after the town and state first discovered two wells serving a private residence and the town garage had high levels of methylene chloride and PFAS.

PFAS, referred to as “forever chemicals,” have been linked to cancer, reproductive harm, immune system damage and other serious problems. It is becoming an increasingly urgent problem across the country, as more than 2,800 communities in at least nine states have found the contaminants in their water, according to information from the Environmental Working Group in Washington D.C.

This 25th season will feature the South County Chorus and Hinesburg Artist Series Orchestra under the direction of Rufus Patrick. Performances will be at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, at St. Jude Catholic Church in Hinesburg.

“We have sung so many wonderful pieces over the years, and this program includes some of the pieces we have loved most,” said Patrick, music director and founder of the organization. “We are so grateful to have had so many years of performing for a very appreciative audience right here in our community. It brings joy to us all. We are inspired to perform this concert and celebrate 25 years of music and memories.”

Musicians will also perform “Kyrie” by Rene Clausen, “Agnus Dei” by Mark Hayes, “I Will Live” by Bryan Sharpe and “Sanctus” by Dan Forrest.

The concert will feature solos by oboist Dan Frostman and cellist Jiwon Lee. Through music, the concert will celebrate the memories of Brian Busier, Marshall Webb, Robert Levis and others.

The White House last week advanced a proposal to impose new drinking water limits on

“Singing in the community for so many years has been incredibly satisfying,” said Yvonne Whitaker, who joins 10 other musicians who also performed in the first Hinesburg Artist Series concert. “We’ve had such a variety of music, and it has all been so inspiring.”

Guest cellist Lee, who is currently maintaining an active schedule as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher in the U.S. and South Korea, has participated in numerous music

specific forms of PFAS.

The story of why Hinesburg’s 38-acre landfill continues to leach

festivals and concerts in Korea and North America, such as Music in PyeongChang, Eumyeon International Music Festival and Bowdoin International Music Festival.

She is coaching cello at Browns River Middle School, is faculty at Vermont Youth Orchestra Association and joined the faculty at the University of Vermont in 2022. Tickets for the concert are $25 and available at the door or at hinesburgartistseries.org.

these chemicals — and how it was never officially capped and sealed off — remains a mystery. The state conducted annual testing of properties nearby for some 20 years through 2009, and paperwork for the landfill’s closure certification ended up missing — both on the state and town’s end.

The property operated from 1972 until 1988, receiving solid waste from both Hinesburg and Richmond. It was eventually closed and sealed off with a permanent chemical-resistant plastic sheet in 1992 to contain any contaminants.

Residents packed in the town meeting area last week argued that the volatility of the groundwater — the fact that detection levels of PFAS and other chemicals has been changing over both a shortand long-term period — shows that the town and the environmental consultant group it hired, Stone Environmental, should be testing as many homes as they can.

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

COURTESY PHOTO

Cellist Jiwon Lee

Hinesburg Fire Department completes ice rescue training

Following two hours of classroom instruction, members of the Hinesburg Fire Department took to the ice on Lake Iroquois to practice what they learned.

On Feb. 12, over a dozen members of the department, along with instructors from Shelburne, took to the ice. The ice had been tested and a hole cut a few days earlier when full-time firefighters completed their training.

Members who got into the water donned ice rescue suits. Other members who provided support from the ice wore life vests.

Training started with the members in suits practicing getting into the water, crossing the opening, and exiting. As the rescuer crossed the opening, they floated on their back and were directed across by someone on the ice using hand signals.

As the training progressed, members started tossing rescue lines to the “victim,” practiced using a pole to rescue them, and finished with the rescuer entering the water to save the victim. Prior to entering the water, the rescuer is secured to a rope, which is handled

by members on the ice. Once the rescuer has reached and secured the victim with a belt to the rope, the rescuer signals the team to start pulling both to safety.

The Shelburne Fire Department, attended the training and allowed the use of its ice rescue equipment.

Members of the public are reminded to always check ice before going out and pay attention while on the ice, particularly during times of temperature swings.

— Eric Spivack

COURTESY PHOTOS

Above: A rescuer practices using a pole with a loop on the end to rescue a victim.

Below: The Hinesburg Fire Department ice rescue class.

Arrests: 0

Traffic stops: 12

Total Incidents: 46

Feb. 21 at 4 p.m., found property was turned into police and later returned to its owner.

Feb. 21 at 7:45 p.m., police investigated a complaint of threats through electronic communication on Hollow Road.

Feb. 22 at 3:45 p.m., a resident was helped with fingerprinting for employment purposes.

Feb. 22 at 6:04 p.m., officers assisted a person with a civil issue on Charlotte Road.

Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m., officers investigated a domestic dispute on Route 116.

Feb. 22 at 8:25 p.m., an offi-

CRIME & COURTS

Hinesburg Police Blotter

cer assisted a person with a disabled vehicle on Charlotte Road.

Feb. 23 at 5:45 p.m., a person was assisted with fingerprinting for employment purposes.

Feb. 24 at 12:01 p.m., an officer investigated a motor vehicle complaint on Route 116.

Feb. 24 at 3:30 p.m., a person was assisted with a lockout on Crow Hill Road.

Feb. 24 at 5:15 p.m., officers assisted Vermont Fish and Game with an animal complaint on Kelley’s Field Road.

Feb. 24 at 5:57 p.m., officers responded to a residence in St. George to assist state police with a suicide investigation.

Feb. 24 at 9:35 p.m., officers

responded to a single-car motor vehicle crash on Turkey Lane.

Feb. 25 at 2:40 p.m., a late report of motor vehicle damage was investigated.

Feb. 27 at 11:06 a.m., a theft of property on O’Brien Meadows was reported.

Feb. 28 at 10:20 a.m., a stray pup was found and later returned to its owner.

Feb. 28 at 12:50 p.m., an officer responded to Richmond Road for the report of a vehicle causing a traffic hazard.

Feb. 28 at 8:20 p.m., an officer assisted first responders with a medical call on Mountain Springs Court.

March 1 at 3:23 p.m., an officer assisted residents with a custo-

dy dispute.

March 1 at 5:05 p.m., a fraud was reported and investigated.

March 2 at 1:09 p.m., a complaint of harassment by electronic communication on Farmall Drive was investigated.

March 2 at 4:38 p.m., a 911 hang up on Sunset Lane West.

March 2 at 4:52 p.m., a person was assisted with fingerprinting for job purposes.

March 2 at 5:30 p.m., officers

responded to Starksboro to assist state police with a juvenile issue.

March 3 at 7:52 a.m., suspicious circumstances on Hillview Terrace were reported.

March 3 at 11:38 a.m., an officer responded to a business on Commerce Street for a citizen dispute.

March 3 at 1:24 p.m., another citizen was assisted with fingerprinting.

Vermont State Police Blotter

A St. Johnsbury man, Aaron Grzych, 28, was arrested for negligent operation and driving under the influence, first offense, after a two-car crash near Route 7 and State Park Road in Charlotte March 3 around 2:15 p.m. Police say Grzych was speeding while headed south on Route 7 and crossed over the centerline. He struck a utility pole, causing power lines to block the road, which were hit by a second car operated by a James Higdon, 54, of Sparta, N.J. No one was injured in the crash. Route 7 was closed for a short period while emergency crews removed debris and the power

lines from the road. Troopers were assisted by the Vergennes Police Department, Charlotte Fire Department, Charlotte Rescue, Ferrisburgh Fire Department, Shelburne Fire Department and Green Mountain Power and AnyTime Towing.

March 5 at 3:41 p.m., David D. Darr, 64, of Waitsfield was arrested for driving under the influence, second or subsequent offense, after police say he crashed into a tree on Baldwin Road in Hinesburg. He was uninjured but his 2015 Volvo XC60 was totaled. Troopers were assisted by Hinesburg Fire and Rescue.

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Vermont must work to meet Global Warming Solutions Act

From the House

Rep. Phil Pouech

The Statehouse is now in full gear. We have had more than 375 bills introduced in the House and passed on to the appropriate committees. Each committee is working through its assigned bills in anticipation of crossover on March 27, when House bills must be passed and sent to the Senate.

There are several impactful bills in process. It’s important to remember, at this stage these are proposed bills and may change as they make their way through both chambers. Many bills will not make it through the process to become law.

Here are a few bills folks may be interested in:

• Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (H.56) is a program to provide up to 12 weeks of universal paid family leave for all employees. It is expected to be funded by a payroll tax estimated at about 0.5 percent. Obviously, there are many concerns with this bill. I support paid family medical leave and am looking

Trapper makes specious arguments

To the Editor:

forward to seeing the details as they sugar out in committee.

• Universal free school meals (H.165). This is a bill to keep the free school meals program, which was initiated during the pandemic, for all Vermont schools. Again, there will be more details as the committees work through the policy, its cost and how it would be funded.

• A sports wagering bill (H.127) to legalize online sports betting in Vermont. This bill proposes to have controls on the companies who would be licensed to offer online sports betting. While this bill will generate some funds — estimated at about $5 to 10 million — its primary purpose is to capture those who are already betting online using illegal uncontrolled websites or going to our surrounding states to place bets. The bill will require Vermonters who wish to wager on sports to use companies vetted by the state who have procedures in place to provide honest betting options.

• As I’ve mentioned before, I am on the House Committee on Transportation, which works on the annual transportation

Letters to the Editor

as a practice see the trapping of a coyote or bear to be as cruel and repugnant as trapping a dog.

bill or “T-Bill.” The bill starts with the governor’s proposed transportation budget of $885 million, which includes all state highway construction and maintenance, along with bike-ped projects, support to local towns roads, rail and public transportation.

Included are several income-sensitive incentive programs to help Vermonter’s transition to higher efficiency or electric vehicles. The federal, bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides an unprecedented $324 million of federal dollars to allocate over the next three years. This money will be applied to infrastructure repairs and upgrades — think of things like bridges and rail — providing a one-time opportunity to complete several important projects that were delayed due to the lack of funding. Because this federal money has a 20 percent state match requirement, the administration is proposing taking $79 million from the general fund surplus to use for the required match.

• The Environment and Energy Committee is looking at a community resilience and biodiversity protection bill (H.126), otherwise known as the “30x30” bill. It requires a state plan to permanently conserve 30 percent of our landscape by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050 as called for in the Vermont’s Climate Action Plan.

to change how they heat their home, but rather provides funds to help homeowners to transition to lower cost heating systems if or when they are ready. The bill requires formal studies on the costs and benefits before the law is enacted.

Vermont must work to meet Vermont’s Global Warming Solutions. The act requires Vermont to reduce greenhouse gas pollution to 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Emissions would need to be 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80 percent below by 2050. There are several bills in process to continue to work to meet those goals.

In the transportation bill are policies to address transportation’s 40 percent contribution to total state emissions. These policies include the transition to electrify vehicles and investments in alternatives to single occupancy vehicles, including public transportation and rail.

The Affordable Heat Act addresses the second major contributor to emissions — over 30 percent of all emissions.

Both bills focus on providing low and moderate-income earners financial support to help them transition to cleaner transportation and heating solutions.

I’m writing in response to Paul Noel’s commentary that labeled people’s concerns about the indiscriminate nature of trapping as based on falsehoods and lies. (“On the essence of trapping, truth and falsehoods,” Feb. 23, 2023)

Noel argues that people who engage in trapping for hobby have pets and are fond of their dogs, too, and so this means trapping is not indiscriminate and cruel. This argument does not follow. I’m sure he would not argue that his feelings about dogs would somehow transfer to his traps. A trap laid in the forest cannot make a distinction between a dog’s leg and a bear’s leg, or a young child’s leg for that matter. However, I am glad to know that Noel and other hunters have a fondness for dogs. I would hope that this fondness and concern for the well-being of dogs might allow him and others who engage in trapping to understand that folks opposed to trapping are concerned for the well-being of all living creatures and are opposed to the inherent cruelty of the trapping of any animal, not just dogs.

If trapping a dog’s leg potentially results in a a cruel and agonizing death for the dog, as it bleeds out or is attacked by another animal or slowly dies of dehydration, as Noel seems to concede, then of course we know that trapping would result in a similarly cruel and agonizing death for any other creature. Those opposed to trapping

Furthermore, his specious argument regarding the ecological benefit of trapping really has no scientific basis and does not account for the current vast shrinkages of habitat across of state due to housing and business development. In any case, any purported ecological effects would not be relevant to a living being dying a slow, torturous death while caught in the violent grip of a trap laid even by the most careful and dog-friendly hunter.

Rachel Daley

Charlotte

Child Protection Registry is a broken system

To the Editor:

Before I retired as an attorney, I had been professionally involved in all sides of the child protection system: represented children and parents, run a child protection agency, and advocated for changes in the system to better serve children and families. I believed that the state had an important role in the protection of children. But never did I think that we would come to a point where our government would include one out of every 26 people on their list without ever going to court. This list is called the Child Protection Registry. If you are on this

• The Affordable Heat Act (S.5) has passed through the Senate and will now go to the House. I do support this bill but will need to wait and see what might change as it is processed through the House. This act is designed to help Vermonters reduce their dependence on high-cost, price-volatile, fossil heating fuels. The program provides the lowest-income homeowners the resources to weatherize or convert fossil fuels heating systems to new, cleaner heating technology such as cold climate heat pumps and advanced wood heat.

This program does not mandate anyone

Several of you have reached out with questions or concerns. I have also met quite a few folks from Hinesburg who came to the Statehouse to advocate for issues. Let me know if you will be in the Statehouse for any reason; I’d like to talk to you. I listen carefully to everyone’s concerns, and I learn a lot from these interactions. It is best to reach me on my legislative email ppouech@leg.state.vt.gov. I try to respond within two days, but if you have not heard back from me, pleae contact me again. I get a heck of a lot of emails.

Rep. Phil Pouech

Phil Pouech, a Democrat, represents Hinesburg, in the Chittenden 4 House district.

Town meeting, affordable heat act, cannabis — oh my

From the House Rep. Chea Waters Evans

We’re on town meeting break this week from the Statehouse. These last couple months have been complete intellectual chaos, but I’m enjoying every second of it.

This seems like an abrupt but appropriate segue into a topic people have been talking about: What does the future of town meeting look like?

Town meeting is a lovely tradition. As a kid, and as an interested citizen, and then as a reporter, I’ve attended many. As with many things in our lives, COVID-19 put reality into sharp perspective, especially with so many new options for electronic participation. Town meeting’s purpose is for people to vote on the budget and discuss other matters relating to the town in an open and public forum.

At the risk of sounding overdramatic: voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. Making voting as easy and accessible to as many people as possible, then, should be the goal, and voice votes at town meeting seem to attract fewer voters than Australian ballot on Town Meeting Day. So, on the surface, it seems like a move to Australian ballot would be the right thing to do. But town meeting is such a special Vermont tradition.

My committee, government operations and military affairs, will address Town Meeting Day, open meeting law, remote and electronic voting and other

serious issues over the next months and year. As we do this work, though, we’ve been clear on allowing towns to make their own choices about how to hold town meeting and how to vote.

It’s up to Charlotte to find a solution. I’d hate for town meeting to disappear, but I understand that the more people who vote, the more representative it is of our town as a whole.

I hope the selectboard can figure out a way to change the date, change the time, change the setting — something — to keep that wonderful tradition and still make it easy for people to vote.

Speaking of voting: I haven’t had the opportunity yet to vote on the Affordable Heat Act. It came out of the Senate and won’t be directly in front of my committee in the House, but I will have the opportunity to vote on it eventually.

I’ve heard from many people who are worried about it, and these are consistently folks who support reducing greenhouse emissions and are worried about the environment, yet who are worried that the cost of these legislative actions will put the burden on people who purchase fuel to heat their homes. I get it. There are a lot of inflammatory ads and opinions out there that are trying to scare people into opposing it; these are generally full of wrong information.

Here’s where it gets sticky for me. It’s true that over the coming years, Vermont and Vermonters will save money by reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The difficult part is figuring out what,

exactly, it will cost to make that happen, and who, exactly, will pay for it. It’s easy to say that we should all weatherize our homes and get electric heat pumps. It’s a hell of a lot less easy to figure out how to lay out the up-front cost to do that, especially now, when groceries cost so much and property taxes are going up. Since it’s just in the process of moving over to the House, and I’m sure there are many more negotiations to come, I hesitate to say where I stand on it. I’d love to hear people’s thoughts and opinions.

Finally, cannabis. We’re rural towns out here in Charlotte and Hinesburg, and farming and agriculture looks a lot different than it did 40 years ago; using this land for crops like cannabis seems bizarre to those of us who grew up with it as an illegal

LETTERS

continued from page 5

list, employers can reject you as a job applicant for any job involving children, and current employers can terminate you.

A new study, “Broken System, Broken Promises,” has found that every time the state’s allegations are challenged, the state is found to be lacking the necessary evidence. Unfortunately, few people challenge the process because of the cost and complexity involved. When the state takes away your right to employment, due process of law requires that the system is fair and provides opportunities to be heard. The report shows that the current system is woefully lacking in due process.

substance.

But cannabis, whether you like it or not, is legal. Growing it, whether you like it or not, is legal. State laws put in place to manage cannabis grow operations were created to allow municipalities some leeway to make their own guidelines, with the very clear provision that towns can’t make land use regulations so specific and restrictive that it essentially prevents a person with a state-issued permit from growing anywhere in town. If anyone has any questions about this, my committee has jurisdiction over the Cannabis Control

Board, so please reach out.

I’m happy to hear from anyone, and I do get lots of emails and phone calls on every issue you could imagine. On that note, I’ve been working on and communicating with people about animal welfare stuff, Medicare Advantage issues, gun control laws, and a bunch of other topics. Please email me at cevans@leg.state.vt.us or text or call at 917-887-8231 any time.

Chea Waters Evans, a Democrat, represents Charlotte and Hinesburg in the Chittenden-5 House district.

Our child protection laws have created two parallel processes:

First, the substantiation of child abuse and neglect, where a state department finds one guilty and can place you on the Registry. The second is the Child in Need of Care and Supervision process in family court. The two processes use different standards of proof. As a result, a person can be found not guilty in one forum, but guilty in the other for the same allegations, because neither process knows what the other is doing. The state provides a public defender in family court, but no attorney in the substantiation process and the cost of hiring an attorney is prohibitive for most

Vermonters. The study also found that often the people who have been placed on the registry did not get any notice and only learn of it when they are rejected from a job opportunity. The report proves that families are routinely traumatized, children removed and taxpayer dollars wasted on a system that cannot tell the difference between those who abuse children and those who do not.

This is a mess and Vermonters deserve better. We can and must clean this up through legislation, and House Bill H.169 is a good starting point.

Trine Bech Burlington

Rep. Chea Waters Evans

The difficult part is figuring out what, exactly, the Affordable Heat Act will cost, and who, exactly, will pay for it.

The freezing-cold hard truth

In Musing

Carole Vasta Folley

If you walk into my kitchen, it all seems quite normal. Counters and cupboards, sink and stove, we all get along just fine. Not true for our side-by-side refrigerator and freezer, the cause of consternation in the otherwise warm vibe of our home. Specifically, I blame the freezer. It’s provoked cold shoulders, frosty conversations and icy stares all due to our fundamental, irreconcilable difference of opinion of how to use this appliance.

It’s a cold war, baby.

Did you know the freezer is a magic box that makes food last forever? Please say no to that question. If you do, I’ll hire you as a marriage referee and you can tell my husband the cold hard truth: the freezer is not some marvel of posterity that makes the beef chili frozen in 2002 still good in 2023. Even government food safety guidelines recommend that chili comes out of the freezer in two to three months, tops.

And don’t get me started on that cucumber that’s in there.

I hate to give my spouse a hard time. It’s not his fault he can’t throw food away. Actually, isn’t that a great quality to have? No! I tell you, it is not. People, why else have a compost bucket? If dinner is lousy, for the love of Ina Garten, let me toss it! Instead, at

my house, it’s wrapped, labeled and put in the freezer for time immemorial.

This is an unacceptable problem. Why? Ice cream. On what planet does it make sense to store food from the Bush presidency — and I’m talking George Sr. here — instead of using that coveted frozen real estate for Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch?

I’d like to tell you my husband is being thoughtful, but that’s not the case. He genuinely believes all food is edible. The thought of which stops me in my tracks. Doesn’t he notice the difference between my seared salmon with lemon-caper-orzo and that hunk of god-knows-what he just scraped ice off? I’m throwing away my cookbooks.

I once made a gorgeous butternut squash soup that appeared yummy, but was inedible due to my overzealous use of jalapeños and cayenne pepper. Instead of giving the soup a zesty bite, I gave it a bark. It was a real dog of a dish, one that should have gone down the drain. But no such luck. It was frozen in minuscule portions which my husband, risking obliteration of his taste buds, ate a thimbleful at a time.

Exacerbating the freezer space problem is his proclivity to roam the aisles of Costco. Whenever he gets in the car to head to that warehouse selling a ton of things we don’t need, I sprint to the driveway

and scream, “Remember, there’s no room in the freezer!”

Pretty sure my neighbors love this. Somehow what my husband hears is, “Don’t come home unless you have a car full of frozen food.”

Thus, deep in the recesses of our freezer, you’ll find gems like fossilized patties of some sort of bean protein, a weird cauliflower rice thing and lots of frozen fish. Frankly, I feel bad for them. By the time this catch gets to my freezer, they’ve probably been frozen for months. At our house, they won’t see the light of day until the next Haley’s Comet.

Listen, I don’t blame my husband for his freezer hoarding ways. He came by it honestly — or should I say, maternally? His mother has a loaded freezer filled with unidentified, aluminum foil wrapped rocks.

OK, it’s probably food, but who would know? Chisel out and thaw one of those crinkly silver chunks that looks like it’s been encapsulated since the 1950s and voila, your mystery dinner is served. Oh, it’s tuna pea wiggle. And it is from the 50s.

Oh well, at least we have food. That is more than a little fortunate. Even if it is crusted in permafrost and has to sit on my kitchen counter for eight hours to reveal itself. I am lucky — that I don’t have salmonella. Meanwhile, there is no doubt I’ll keep my hot husband and shop for a bigger freezer.

Carole Vasta Folley is a playwright and columnist. More at carolevf.com.

Local actors headline ‘Robin Hood’

Huzzah, huzzah! The Shelburne Players is producing its 40th show, “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood,” at Shelburne Town Center from March 17-25.

Featuring 15 actors from Shelburne, Ferrisburgh, Vergennes, Hinesburg, South Burlington and Burlington, the cast will put on six family-friendly shows, including four evening performances and two matinees.

“It sure is hard to be humble when you’re a swashbuckling, egocentric super-hero. But our gallant guy-in-green tries his best as he swaggers through ‘The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood’, a frantically funny, Monty Pythonesque retelling of the classic,” according to the Dramatists Play Service.

The production is directed by Su Reid-St. John and produced by Jill Silvia. Returning actors include Shelburne’s Alex Nalbach (Robin Hood), Karlie Kauffeld (Town’s Gal) and Katie Pierson, as well as South Burling-

2023 GUN & OUTDOOR SPORTSMAN SHOW

Sponsored by the Lamoille Valley Fish & Game Club

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ton’s Kimberly Rockwood (Lady in Waiting), and Burlington’s Nathalie Mathieu-Bolh, all of whom also appeared in The Shelburne Players’ fall production of “Almost, Maine.”

Newer to the Players’ stage are Shelburne’s Kendra Culley (Lady Marian), Ferrisburgh’s Finn Yarbrough (Prince John) and South Burlington’s Mike Mahaffie (Sheriff of Nottingham). They are

The Shelburne Players, founded in 1971, produces two shows a year, and is made up entirely of volunteers.

For more information, visit shelburneplayers.com.

More than 200 tables of new and used, modern and antique firearms, hunting equipment and accessories.

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 9AM-5PM

SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 9AM-2PM

Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, VT

Adults: $10 • Kids under 12: FREE!

For information, call Larry Hamel, 802-917-2886, or email lwhamel@aol.com.

Carole Vasta Folley

joined by John Montgomery of Vergennes, Xander Patterson and Bianca Scherr of Hinesburg, and Chris Acosta, Tiki Archambeau, Clarity Phillips and Maggie York of Burlington.

Bianca Scherr

Xander Patterson

Community Notes

Step right up, Pie for breakfast

The Charlotte Shelburne Hinesburg Rotary will host an all-you-can-eat pie for breakfast event on Saturday, March 18, 8 a.m. to noon, at the Shelburne Town Hall.

A wide variety of sweet and savory pies are available from PoorHouse Pies in Underhill and homemade selections by Rotary members. Entertainment will be offered by Shady Rill and McFadden Irish Dance Academy. Recommendation is $10 for adults and $5 for children.

Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center

The meal on Thursday, March 16 features beef round, boiled potatoes, cabbage and carrots in beef stock, wheat roll, butter, leprechaun cake and milk.

The meal on Thursday, March 23 features roast pork with sauce, mashed potatoes, peas and onions, wheat roll, butter, oatmeal raisin cookie and milk.

You must have pre-registered by the prior Monday by contacting 802-425-6345 or kpughe@ charlotteseniorcentervt.org

The suggested donation is $5. Check the website for last-minute cancellations at bit.ly/3IruDLi.

Chittenden County legislators meet at library

Meet your legislators on Monday, March 27, 4 to 5:30 p.m., in the Shelburne Pierson Library community room.

Representatives Jessica Brumsted and Kate Lalley, along with senators Thomas Chittenden, Virginia Lyons and Kesha Ram Hinsdale, meet the fourth Monday of every month at the Pierson library.

Spring kids clothing and book swap

On Saturday, April 1, at 9 a.m., the Hinesburg Community Resource Center hosts a spring kids’ clothing and book swap at the United Church of Hinesburg’s Osborne Parish Hall.

All gently used children’s clothing, sized infant to 14, and children’s books from toddler to middle-school reading levels are accepted.

Drop off clothing and books at the parish hall on Friday, March

31, from noon to 8 p.m. Donations may also be dropped off at Carpenter-Carse Library from Monday, March 27, to Friday, March 31.

No toys and no drop-offs are accepted on the day of the swap.

For more information, call or email Alexandra Koncewicz at 802-482-4946 or koncewicz@ hinesburgresource.org.

New Lions Club to meet at Pierson Library

Vermont’s Lions Club serving Shelburne, South Burlington, University of Vermont and Burlington, will meet on Tuesday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pierson Library in Shelburne. This club was formed to address the diverse needs of the

local community, with an emphasis on hunger, vision care, the environment, diabetes and childhood cancer. Anyone interested in helping others, building community and making new friends is invited, either remotely or in-person.

For more information, email Mark Hanna at lionmark2000@ outlook.com.

COURTESY PHOTO

The All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne hosts the Middlebury College Choir on March 10, 7 p.m. Admission is by donation.

115 Ferry Road, Charlotte. 802-425-3864. Register at charlottepubliclibrary.org or info@ charlottepubliclibrary.org.

More information and links can be found on the library website.

ADULTS

Garden chat: Getting started

Friday, March 10, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Join seed library coordinators Karen Tuininga and Linda Hamilton to share questions and ideas for how to get ready for your food garden this year. Registration required for the Zoom link.

Stillwater meditation with Rain Stickney

Saturdays, March 11, 18 and 25, 9-10 a.m.

News from Charlotte Library

Beginning and experienced meditators are welcome. No registration required.

Art: Theresa Petrow

Sunday, March 12, 2-4 p.m.

Join Petrow for an informal gallery review of her paintings, currently on display at the Charlotte Library. Refreshments served.

Book study: ‘Gaia’s Garden’

Mondays, March 13, 20 and 27, and April 3, 7-8:30 p.m.

Join Karen Tuininga and Linda Hamilton for this four-part study of Toby Hemenway’s classic guide to home-scale permaculture. In-person, registration required.

Water quality & McCabe’s Brook

Wednesday, March 15, 7-8 p.m.

A presentation about water quality in Charlotte and how it

affects Lake Champlain’s health. Online and in-person.

Short story selections

Wednesday, March 15, 1-2 p.m.

Join library director Margaret Woodruff to share and discuss short stories old and new. Copies of the stories available at the circulation desk.

Book chat

Wednesdays, March 15, 22 and 29, 3-4 p.m.

Join Margaret Friday on Zoom to discuss new books, old books and books missed.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

Saturday, March 18, 10:30 a.m.-noon

Traditional Irish music and tunes in the Celtic genre on harp, fiddle, flute and box, played in the informal style of Irish house

News from Carpenter-Carse Library

To register, reserve books or for more information, contact Rachel Matthews at rachel@carpentercarse.org. Masks required indoors.

Hands and needles

Mondays in March, 10 a.m.-noon

Bring whatever project you are working on — quilting, knitting, embroidery, etc. No registration required.

Chess club

Saturdays in March, 1-3 p.m.

Players of any age or experience drop in for a weekly game of skill and wits. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

Weekly storytime

Tuesdays, March 7, 14, 21 and 28, 9:30-10 a.m.

Stories, songs, rhymes, and crafts.

Weekly Lego club

Wednesday, March 15, 3:15-4:30 p.m.

Students in kindergarten to grade 4. Special weekly challenge for kids.

Golden Dome book club

Thursday, March 23, 3:15-4:15 p.m.

Afterschool book club for students who would like an opportunity to read and discuss books that are past or current Golden Dome Book Award nominees or winners. For students 8 to 12 years old. Contact jen@carpentercarse. org.

Monthly craft club

Fridays, March 10 and April 7,

CAMP ABNAKI

Make it the best summer ever!

• Overnight boys camp in North Hero

• Boys learn skills, build confidence, and make friends

• Incredible location on the lake, all technology-free

• Archery, sailing, ropes course, more! campabnaki.org

3:15-4:30 p.m.

Seasonal crafts, hear a story, and enjoy a snack. Kindergarten to grade six. To sign up, email jen@ carpentercarse.org or stop by the circulation desk.

Creative café

Saturday, March 11, 10 a.m.-noon

Adults and teens drop by for snacks, drinks and artistic community. Bring your own writing, art or craft project, find inspiration, or unwind with adult coloring books.

Evening book talk: ‘The Martian’

Tuesday, March 28, 7-8 p.m. The pick for February is “The Martian” by Andy Weir. Reserve a copy of the book and sign up for the virtual link at rachel@carpentercarse.org.

sessions by Mary’s Lane. For all ages.

Braver Angels Workshop

Sunday, March 19, 2:30-5:30 p.m.

Learn skills to bridge the political divide.

Mystery book discussion: ‘Billy Boyle’

Monday, March 20, 10-11 a.m.

Backyard biodiversity

Wednesday, March 22, 7-8:30 p.m.

Native bees are in serious trouble, and the biodiversity so essential to a healthy ecosystem in general is at great risk. With master gardeners Julie Parker Dickerson

and Karen Tuininga. Free, registration required.

‘The Hummingbird’s Gift’

Thursday, March 23, 7:30-9 p.m.

‘Changes in the Land’

Saturday, March 25, 11 a.m.-noon

Join librarians from Hinesburg, Shelburne and Charlotte for tri-town book walk. Discuss William Cronon’s book while walking through the Charlotte Park & Wildlife Refuge.

Craft night

Wednesday, March 29, 6:30-8 p.m.

Register for a fun evening of crafting.

camp for boys, ages 10-14 located in Vermont’s Green Mountains

If it’s important to you or your community look for it in The Citizen.

WATER continued from page 2

One Beecher Hill Road resident, Ken Hurd, had PFAS levels below the state limit in the spring of 2022 — and had even lower limits in November 2021 — but six months later was having a POET system installed after discovering high levels in his water.

Francis said that Stone Environmental doesn’t “seem to be exactly sure of what is present where, or what the conditions of the soils and rocks are that might direct contamination in unexpected ways — contaminants that were thought to flow to the southeast show up in the west and no one can fully predict or guarantee where any of the contaminate might go in the future.”

Another property, she said, had methylene chloride under state limits in 2009, but 12 years later levels exceeded those limits and it now also has a monitoring system.

“How many years did the residents of that home drink water containing methylene chloride unknowingly?” she said.

“The testing list is not sufficient, clearly,” Hurd said.

The environmental group in its recent report acknowledged that the extent of migration has not been defined and recommended testing four new homes for contamination. If exceeding limits are found there, the perimeter of testing would be expanded further

to include more adjacent properties.

Adding four more homes is a good thing, Francis said, “but it just doesn’t include the five properties that now adjoin the most recent home that exceed the PFAS limit, and these five homeowners need to know if the contamination has spread to their own water supply.”

At least one selectboard member, Phil Pouech, has said the town should expand testing no matter what the cost, and suggested using ARPA money to help fund the expense. But the mushrooming costs of treatment is already putting financial pressure on a town that is seeing falling revenue.

Expanding testing now, Lovell said, would be a “huge cost” for the town “which is why we’re following the science that stone environmental is doing.”

But Lovell noted that no decisions have been made and said that town officials need to take in information shared during the meeting before deciding.

“This is a lot to think about, it’s a very serious issue. We’ll let you know when we come to an idea of a next step,” she said. “We didn’t cause it, but it’s in our laps, and we have to deal with it — in a way that’s ethical and fair to everybody.”

Hinesburg voters defeat idea to appoint clerk, treasurer

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Two articles to change Hinesburg’s town clerk and treasurer from elected to appointed positions were both voted down on Tuesday.

Voters on Tuesday defeated both articles by more than 100 votes — the town treasurer article was voted down 447 to 304, while the town clerk article vote was 469 to 283.

Town manager Todd Odit presented the proposal to the selectboard to ensure that qualified individuals were in the position. An individual lacking the qualifications could theoretically be voted in, a worrying prospect for some in town.

“The only qualification necessary to run for election is to be a resident of Hinesburg. It doesn’t even require a background check,” selectboard member Maggie Gordon said during the informational meeting on Monday. “We’ve been enormously fortunate in the folks we’ve had serve, but just imagine a scenario where what if

HINESBURG continued from page 1

budget’s revenue comes from property taxes, and the town saw less than expected non-tax revenue: $100,000 in anticipated revenue from the town’s own ambulance service, for example — which was scrapped this time last year — and $50,000 in the form of a cops grant before the size of the police department shrunk, eliminating the town’s eligibility for the grant.

Because of this, officials said, the budget includes a 3.6 percent tax increase — which will result in a $42 rise in the town’s tax bill per $200,000 of assessed value.

“Vermont towns don’t have a whole lot of sources of major revenue — mainly the property tax,” Hinesburg town manager Todd Odit said.

The town had intended to fund a fourth highway employee, but decided not to even though, officials said, the position is needed.

“It’s likely that will come back, we need that position,” Odit said. “But that’s how thin the town is running. There’s not a whole lot of excess.”

That fourth employee “has been budgeted for a number of years, and the fact is we struggled to hire a third person,” selectboard member Phil Pouech said. “We did just bring on the third person and our thought process is that took a number of years, and whether we’d

nobody runs, or what if somebody runs who has zero qualifications.”

Hinesburg was one of more than 20 towns to propose similar articles changing elected positions to appointed ones. But the feeling on Monday among residents and town officials indicated that the proposals had a lack of support among the community.

Former Hinesburg state Rep. Bill Lippert, speaking during the meeting on Monday, likened the town clerk position to “a face to the community.”

“It’s the position that — more so in my experience than the state (representative) or the selectboard in many ways — is the person in office that most people in the community interface with,” he said. “I understand this is well intentioned, in terms of trying to anticipate a problem ... (but) I think it would be a loss to the community to say that our town clerk and treasurer is now going to be simply another management employee. I don’t think we need to do this.”

Other community members

agreed. Former selectboard chair Andrea Morgante said it was “the responsibility of the community to vet these people who run for office, just as we try to vet people running for selectboard” and most of the selectboard expressed hesitancy about approving the measures.

“The board was in agreement that we wanted to put this question on the ballot — and let the voters make that decision,” selectboard member Phil Pouech said.

Hinesburg’s outgoing town clerk and treasurer of 20 plus years, Missy Ross, said she understood the concerns, but said she had “faith in the people of the community to find someone and put someone forward who is capable of doing the job and doing it well.”

Ross will be replaced by Heather Roberts, the town’s assistant town clerk and treasurer, who ran uncontested.

“As I pass the torch to the next town clerk and treasurer, I want to say thank you for your years of support, goodwill and good wishes for the future,” Ross said.

actually have a fourth person right behind them we’re not quite sure. We’ve gotten by with two, now we have three, so we’re thinking we can push that a little bit.”

If the right person came, he said, “we’d have to find a way to fund it, but we’re thinking that’s probably not going to happen.”

The 2024 budget includes some new changes: the town transitioned the director of buildings and facilities position, which oversaw infrastructure and water and sewer, into a director of public works, who will now also oversee the highway and road operations.

“Hinesburg has certainly grown big enough in its services that having someone dedicated to that position would be a huge benefit,” Odit said.

Town officials have discussed the possibility of a local option tax in the future to make up for decreasing revenue.

Police budget

Voters, as part of the overall budget, also approved the town police department’s $808,074 budget, a departure from last year,

when the police budget was voted down.

It’s a slight increase from last year’s revised $800,491 budget, which passed by more than 300 votes in May. But it remains a trimmed down version of the town’s original budget proposal last year of $815,483, which was voted down by less than 60 votes.

Officials crafted a new budget, but by then, three officers had left for neighboring departments — leaving three remaining cops on board. Now, the department is made up of four fulltime officers.

“I don’t know that we are ever going to get back to where we were, we’re just not budgeted for it,” Hinesburg police chief Anthony Cambridge said. “It’s become more expensive, and that’s irrelevant of whether I can find people or not. We just don’t have the budget anymore.”

The town last year explored a regional approach with Shelburne, and later Richmond, but those efforts have stalled as the town undergoes a comprehensive public safety plan to create a vision for its police, fire and rescue services.

“How many years did the residents ... drink water containing methylene chloride unknowingly?”

— Janet Francis

“Vermont towns don’t have a whole lot of sources of major revenue.”

— Todd Odit

CHARLOTTE

continued from page 1

incredibly important to the town that we recruit and retain really good employees.”

Residents expressed their overwhelming disapproval of not holding town meeting in person this year and it showed. Of the 3,329 registered voters in Charlotte, only 29 percent voted.

Peter Richardson said at the Feb.1 selectboard meeting, “What you’re doing in an Australian ballot is you’re forcing a conclusion on thoughtful people to vote it down.” While this may seem to be a way to increase voter turnout, “there are others who won’t participate because there is no way to affect the conclusion,” he said.

Even though the selectboard had already managed to shave off nearly $160,000 from its originally adopted $3 million budget, dozens of residents still aired grievances in the weeks before the annual meeting. For some, the concern over rising taxes due to increased spending and a townwide reappraisal could have been remedied by letting “people be involved with looking at the budget in a (in-person) town meeting,” Brown Adsit said at the meeting. Voters did, however, approve the $965,806 Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services budget 513 to 440 along with the $324,356 library budget. That vote was 491 to 461.

Faulkner said that the selectboard is looking at this budget defeat in a positive way.

“The voters have spoken, and they want a lower budget,” he said. “So, our job is to make an affordable budget.”

“We’ll come up with a revised budget. It’ll take a couple of weeks to do that. And then we’ll have to warn it and that takes 30 days,” he continued.

Assuming that everything goes as planned, the earliest time for a town revote will be near the end of April.

Selectboard, school budget, town officers

In the contested two-year selectboard seat race Kelly Devine got 508 votes over opponent Patrice Machavern’s 336 votes.

Incumbent Lewis Mudge garnered 731 votes in an uncontested race for reelection of a three-year term.

“Thank you Charlotters for having the faith and trust in me to elect me to serve on your Selectboard,” said Devine. “I plan to work hard to understand the issues at hand, gather your input as to how the town can move forward, and communicate regularly about

town governance issues.”

Devine, currently vice chair of the planning commission, said, “The biggest challenge facing our town is the need for sound fiscal policy. Right now we are facing building a town garage, a town budget with double-digit increases, creating a new town-run fire and rescue service — all while we are both reappraising property and managing the transition of our longtime town administrator. Each of these issues has a fiscal component. How they are managed will impact our property taxes.”

Meghan Siket won a three-year term as Champlain Valley school director.

The $96,119,804 school budget was also approved 3,084 to 1,673 along with a bond for $395,000 for the purchasing of three new buses.

Other elected town officers include Hugh Lewis Junior for a one year term as road commissioner — a position he has held for 24 years — Charlie Russell for a one-year term as town moderator, Mary Mead for a one-year term as delinquent tax collector, Matt Krasnow for a three-year term as trustee of public funds and Lindsay Smith for a five-year term as library trustee.

Summer Camps 2023 GUIDE

The Secret to Your Summer Camp’s Success

Promote your program in our Summer Camps guide for targeted exposure to a local audience of kids and parents as they make plans for the upcoming summer season. This advertising section is a go-to guide for summer camp and recreation researchers, making it the ideal place to outline your offerings and secure more early enrollments.

Publication Dates: March 9 and April 6

Deadlines: Thursdays before each issue

Contact: Stowe Reporter/News & Citizen at 802-253-2101, Shelburne News/ The Citizen at 802-985-3091 or The Other Paper at 802-864-6670 for information or to advertise your camp (ask about multi-paper, half-price color and Burlington Area Newspaper Group deals).

To learn more or reserve your space, talk to us today!

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

A snowman weilds an umbrella in an attempt to spare himself from the fate of his shortened compatriot.

Snow survivor

“The voters have spoken and they want a lower budget.”

— Jim Faulkner

We are hiring for the 2023 season! JOIN

Chef/Pub Manager

Full- and part-time positions available. Must be 18 years of age. Apply online at kwiniaska.com/employment or send your resume to Charli at ckail@kwiniaska.com.

Boys advance to championship SPORTS

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Champlain Valley did not leave much doubt on Monday night in the Division I boys’ basketball semifinals.

The Redhawks jumped out to a double-digit lead at halftime enroute to a 64-40 win over BFA-St. Albans to advance to the DI championship game for the second time in program history.

The top-seed CVU team will face No. 2 Rice on Saturday, March 11, at 7 p.m. at the University of Vermont’s Patrick Gym in the final, looking to dethrone the three-time defending champs.

The Redhawks used a 19-9 run in the third quarter to put away the No. 4 Bobwhites and put a stranglehold on the semifinal.

CVU was led by a double-double from Logan Vaughn, who scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Tucker Tharpe also scored 15 points for the Redhawks (21-1).

The Redhawks faced Rice twice in the regular season, with the Green Knights handing them their only loss midway through the schedule. CVU got a measure

of revenge in the final week of the regular season, beating Rice 53-50.

No. 2 Rice beat No. 6 Brattleboro 76-49 in the semifinals to advance to the championship.

Girls’ hockey

Spaulding 7, Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield 0: The Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield girls hockey co-op team saw its season come to an end against top seed Spaulding in the DI semifinals Friday, March 3.

No. 4 CVU-MMU finished the season with 13-8-1 record.

Grace Ferguson (18 saves) and Ella Gilbert (14 saves) combined in goal for the Redhawks.

CVU-MMU advanced to the semifinals with a win over No. 5 Essex, 5-1, in the quarterfinals.

Riley Erdman had a hat trick to pace the CougarHawks, while Ferguson got the win in goal.

Megan Rivard and Tess Everett each added a goal.

Boys’ hockey

South Burlington 3, Champlain Valley 2: The boys’ come-

back effort fell short in the quarterfinals as they fell to South Burlington on Wednesday.

No. 4 CVU got goals from Travis Stroh and Nic Menard in the loss, with Jason Douglas making 36 saves in goal.

Champlain Valley finished the season with a 7-11-3 record.

Nordic skiing

The Champlain Valley Nordic ski teams each came in third place in the DI state championship meet, wrapping up the classic race at Rikert Outdoor Center on Tuesday.

On the girls’ side, Stella Laird came in fifth in the classic race and 10th in freestyle to pace the Redhawks. CVU came in third place behind state champs Burlington and second place Mount Anthony.

For the boys, Matthew Servin was the top finisher with a seventh-place finish in the classic race and a sixth place finish in freestyle. Owen Deaie was fifth in the freestyle for CVU.

The Redhawks came in third behind top finisher Mount Anthony and No. 2 Mount Mansfield.

Museum presents Burton film

Meet the team behind “Dear Rider, The Jake Burton Story” on Thursday, March 16 at 7 p.m., as part of the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Red Bench Speaker Series.

Director Fernando Villena and co-producers Ben Bryan and Mike Cox will join moderator and former Burton rep Chris Copley for an in-depth look at the HBO film documenting the life of Jake Burton Carpenter, Burton Snowboards founder and owner, as he built the company and snowboarding into a global and cultural phenomenon.

Inspired by a surfboard-styled

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PRIVACY HEDGE: Arborvitae 6-foot. Reduced to $125/each. Free installation. Free delivery. Fast growing, high quality. Beautiful and bushy. Order now to reserve for spring delivery. Lowcosttreefarm. com or call 518-536-1367.

strip of wood, Burton Carpenter created his first snowboard in 1977 as an inexpensive alternative to skiing. From there, he developed increasingly versatile boards, lobbied ski resorts to allow snowboarding, sponsored world-class athletes and navigated the cultural backlash of what media outlets called the worst new sport. By the late 90s, Burton Carpenter’s vision catapulted snowboarding into the mainstream and onto the world stage of the Olympics. Learn how each panelist contributed unique and intimate aspects to the film. A Q&A session will follow.

Villena began his career editing documentaries, then transitioned to producing music videos with artists such as Incubus, Tupac and The Black Eyed Peas. His film credits include David Lachapelle’s “Rize” (2005), “Every Little Step” (2008) and “Crank: High Voltage” (2009).

Villena made the leap into directing with “Any One of Us.” Next came “Giving Voice” on Netflix, and most recently Dear Rider.

Bryan, co-producer, leads and oversees the team at Red Bull

Media, which produced the Burton film.

Cox, the film’s co-producer, spent 25 years as Burton Snowboards sales rep in the Midwest. Moderating this discussion is Copley, a 20-year Burton veteran as the pro team manager and announcer for the U.S. Open at Stratton.

Virtual doors to the museum open and the discussion begins at 7 p.m. A $10 donation from each guest is encouraged.

A stunning 18-hole golf course nestled in Shelburne, Vermont!

PHOTO BY AL FREY

Tucker Tharpe scored 15 points for the Redhawks in its 64-40 win over BFA-St. Albans to advance to the Division I championship game on Saturday. Here, Tharpe goes for a rebound in a win over Burlington in the second round of the playoffs.

CLASSIFIEDS

FOR SALE

PRIVACY HEDGE: Arborvitae 6-foot. Reduced to $125/each. Free installation. Free delivery. Fast growing, high quality. Beautiful and bushy. Order now to reserve for spring delivery. Lowcosttreefarm.com or call 518-536-1367.

INVITATION TO BID Hinesburg STP BP16(11)

Sealed bids from pre-qualified contractors shall be accepted until 1pm, prevailing time on Friday, March 17th at the Hinesburg Town Office for construction of the project hereinafter described. Bid opening will occur immediately after the bid submittal deadline. The time of receiving and opening bids may be postponed due to emergencies or unforeseen conditions.

Sealed BIDS shall be marked in the lower left hand corner: Bid Documents: Hinesburg STP BP16(11).

Each BID must be accompanied by a certified check payable to the Town of Hinesburg for five percent (5%) of the total amount of the BID. A BID bond may be used in lieu of a certified check.

PREQUALIFICATION OF CONTRACTORS: All bidders on this project shall be on the Agency of Transportation’s prequalified list under the category listed below or shall have submitted a complete prequalification application to the Agency of Transportation, Contract Administration, a minimum of 10 working days prior to the bid opening. For information contact Jon Winter at (802) 622-1267.

All bidders shall be on the current VTRANS Contract Administration pre-qualified list “Contractors List of Curb and Sidewalk Category”.

LOCATION: Beginning at a point on VT Route 116 in Hinesburg, VT, in front of the Hinesburg Community School, and extending south along VT Route 116 for approximately 1,250 feet.

TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION: Work to be performed under this project includes: The construction of sidewalk, drainage, signing, and other incidental items.

CONTRACT COMPLETION DATE: The Contract shall be completed on or before September 29, 2023.

OBTAINING PLANS: Plans will be made available electronically (PDF) by VHB free of charge. Contact Dorie Jones, Administrative Manager via email to obtain a copy: djones@vhb.com.

VHB and the municipality shall track all plan holders for addendum distribution. If a hard copy is requested, arrangements can be made through Dorie Jones at VHB.

ENGINEERS ESTIMATE: For this Proposal the Engineers Estimate falls between $250,000 and $500,000.

PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS AND PROPOSAL MAY BE SEEN AT THE OFFICE OF:

1. Hinesburg Town Office, 10632 Route 116, Hinesburg, VT 05461.

PREBID CONFERENCE: A non-mandatory pre-bid conference will be held for the project at 10am on Tuesday, March 7th at the Hinesburg Town Office.

STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS: This contract is governed by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (“VTrans”) 2018 Standard Specifications for Construction.

QUESTIONS: During the advertisement phase of this project all questions shall be addressed solely to Todd Odit, Hinesburg Town Office, 10632 Route 116, Hinesburg, VT 05461. (802) 482-4206.

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Make

https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

A development may have you feeling a bit down, Aries. That is only temporary, though, as your mood and circumstances will rebound in no time at all.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, people you encounter this week may be exceptionally stubborn, so you may need to avoid confrontations. Keep your emotions in check as best as you can.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Gemini, the weather may not be suitable for getting much done outdoors, but you can certainly stay busy inside the house with any projects you have been putting off.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

This is a great opportunity for getting rid of any clutter that has been holding you back, Cancer. Start sorting through the garage or cleaning out a desk at work.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Leo, do not worry about the small stuff that you feel could be holding you back. If you step away from the situation, you may nd that everything is working out.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Virgo, there are plenty of opportunities open to you, but you may not realize they are so close by. A friend may need to guide your way on this for the time being.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

You may be feeling bad about something you did in the past, Libra, and now you want to make amends. It’s the little changes you implement that will make a difference.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, you may be ready to give your life an overhaul. That may amount to you changing careers in the weeks to come. Do your research before you put in notice.

SUDOKU

Here’s How It Works:

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must ll each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can gure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Sagittarius, stay focused and disciplined this week, especially as it pertains to a diet. You can maintain your commitment, especially with others cheering you on.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Capricorn, rewards will not come without hard work and dedication. Now is the time to stick with the plan and keep moving forward. Save days off for later.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

Do not go up against managers or superiors this week, Aquarius. Doing so likely won’t go in your favor. Just keep out of the spotlight for a little while longer.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

You may be building the blocks of a major life project, Pisces. Use all of the resources at your disposal in the days to come.

CROSSWORD

CLUES ACROSS

1. Half-conscious states

8. Unnatural

13. Deep regret

14. Rogue

15. Taken without permission

19. An alternative

20. After B

21. Partner to owed

22. Weekday

23. Body part

24. World’s longest river

25. One of the Greats

26. Make clean

30. C. Canada indigenous peoples

31. Japanese seaport

32. Most unclothed

33. Small grouper sh 34. Soluble ribonucleic acid

35. Distinguishing sound

38. French realist painter 39. Popular beer brand 40. Views

44. God depicted as a bull 45. Relieve 46. Residue after burning 47. Habitation

48. Poe’s middle name

49. Japanese title

50. TV series installation (abbr.)

51. Beloved country singer

55. Single unit

57. Genuine

58. Develop

59. Traveled through the snow

CLUES DOWN

1. Clues

2. Do again

3. Current unit

4. Neither

5. Corporate exec (abbr.)

6. Second sight

7. The absence of mental stress

8. Supplemented with dif culty

9. Stop for good

10. College dorm worker

11. Bones

12. Most supernatural

16. Spanish island

17. Unlimited

18. Where golfers begin

22. No charge

ANSWERS

25. Print errors

27. Professional drivers

28. Kiss box set

29. Short, ne bers

30. Administers punishment

32. Czech city

34. Normal or sound powers of mind

35. The academic world

Crustacean 37. Currency 38. Pastoral people of Tanzania or Kenya 40. Cloth spread over a cof n

A type of extension

One who assists

College sports conference

Type of screen 56. The 13th letter of the Greek alphabet

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