The Citizen - 5-25-23

Presidential Scholar

CVU senior awarded top academic honor

Page 3

May 25, 2023

Charlotte selectboard questions petition for manager

The ad hoc group of residents in Charlotte spearheading the petition to switch to a town manager form of government led a special meeting Tuesday night to answer questions from the selectboard and residents.

Although the group’s petition garnered 200 votes — enough to force a town vote — it has agreed to work with the selectboard instead of filing the petition with the town clerk and forcing a vote.

But some selectboard members have felt the petition was “uncooperative” from the start, especially at a time when the selectboard was attempting to pass a budget.

“Everybody knows that the budget failed,” selectboard member Kelly Devine said. “Why take the route of the petition while we were in the midst of dealing with that significant challenge rather than coming to the selectboard before going forward with the petition?”

“What made the petition feel aggressive is because it doesn’t acknowledge the time constraints that we’re under to replace this position,” she continued.

See PETITION on page 12

Page 9

CVU students propose new equity requirement

Students from Champlain Valley Union High School are asking administrators to consider implementing a new ethnic studies and social equity credit as a requirement for graduation.

The proposal would require every CVU student to earn a half-credit in a course

that focuses on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, according to a presentation given to the Champlain Valley School District School Board.

“To fully implement the (school district’s) equity policy, CVSD must not only implement curricula which reflect the history and culture of students of all backgrounds, but also make engaging in these experiences a requirement,” Nisha Hick-

BAM BAM BURGER, Anyone?

LaPlatte Beef, Pickled Jalapenos, BBQ Sauce, Crispy Onion

ock, a junior at CVU from Hinesburg, said. “This also gives students the opportunity to meet the graduation standard of the responsible and involved citizenship.”

CVU “already has routes to fulfill the equity credit in place,” said Bageshree Blasius, a social studies teacher at the high

See EQUITY on page 11

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg

‘Pleased to meetcha’ Chestnut-sided warbler brings welcome song

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

PHOTO BY AL FREY

Robert Fragola reaches for the bag as an Essex player waits for the throw. CUV won Saturday’s game with a score of 8-5 and moves to 10-1. More sports on page 10.

Hinesburg, Richmond police agreement hits a brief snag

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

An agreement to share police services made between Hinesburg and Richmond was briefly put on hold this month after the local police union stepped in.

Originally agreed upon in April, the inter-municipal agreement allowed for Richmond to make an advance request for a Hinesburg officer to respond to calls from Richmond at a rate of $50 an hour, or to patrol the town at a rate of $70 an hour, but only when the Hinesburg department has the staffing bandwidth.

The agreement was made to assist Richmond’s police department, which at the time was functioning with only two working officers.

But after the agreement was made, a grievance was filed by the New England Police Benevolent Association.

“We did one day of coverage, but it sounds like a grievance was filed,” Hinesburg Town Manager Todd Odit said at the town’s May 3 selectboard meeting. “So, despite our best efforts, that’s on hold. But the one shift we did cover did go well.”

The union and the town of Richmond negotiated and on May 19 signed off on two agreements — one to bolster the wage scale for Richmond police, and another setting parameters around when a Hinesburg cop could get called in to Richmond — giving Richmond police first right of refusal to work overtime.

“We got it all resolved last week, but essentially they wanted to make sure that union work was

being done by union employees when we have them here in Richmond,” said Josh Arneson, Richmond’s town manager. “But they also understood that our situation right now is that we’re losing employees, and we need some extra help. So, they really, I think, wanted to make sure they put in some safeguards to make sure that the union employees were getting treated fairly for their contract.”

Arneson said he understands their concern, that they “need first right of first refusal here. They also wanted to make sure that we were continuing to look long term for recruitment and propose some wages at the board.”

Richmond’s policing situation went from bad to worse in recent weeks after their interim chief, Benjamin Herrick, sent in his resignation.

“His last day will be early June, so we are currently evaluating next steps of what we need to do,” he said.

Hinesburg, meanwhile, has begun to see some stability in its department’s ranks after a tumultuous year. After getting its budget voted down in March 2022, three of its six officers left for neighboring departments.

But things have stabilized a bit. The town recently hired a fifth officer who started last weekend.

Both towns have been in communication about possibly merging their two departments into one — which would mark the first time two municipalities in Vermont created a shared department — but that has been put on hold for now.

Have you heard about all the non-native invasive species in Lake Champlain? These include 50 species of plants, animals and pathogens that were introduced to the Lake Champlain Basin.

Some were planted because they had pretty flowers. Others got here through ballast or bilge water from boats. These non-native species (species that were not present at the time of European settlement) can, in some cases, spread and becoming invasive because they have no natural predators. This can cause a major problem for ecologically rich natural areas, not only for native plants and animals that get choked out by

these intruders, but also for people who like to recreate on the water.

Plants like water chestnut, European frogbit and Eurasian watermilfoil can grow so thickly that it they are difficult or impossible to boat, swim or fish in. Some of the aquatic invasive species you’ve likely heard about (like zebra mussels) can be difficult to control. Others, like European frogbit, are more easily removed to limit their spread.

Lewis Creek Association has been working closely with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and the Lake Champlain Basin Program since 2009 to monitor and remove

European frogbit, water chestnut, yellow iris and flowering rush in Town Farm Bay in Charlotte, and the LaPlatte Natural Area in Shelburne. These two areas are very diverse ecologically, and many people recreate there, making control of non-native invasive species critical.

When frogbit was first discovered in Town Farm Bay in Charlotte, there was over 50 percent cover throughout the wetlands. The LaPlatte Natural Area had lower frogbit levels to begin with, due to earlier detection. Lewis Creek Association, funded by the towns of Charlotte and Shelburne, organized groups of volunteers to rake frogbit off the surface of the water in these areas. Through this work, the percent cover has been reduced to 5 percent or less annually and has held there thanks to long-term and annual maintenance efforts of volunteers.

This spring, the association will lead groups in June and July to remove frogbit in Charlotte and Shelburne.

“These expeditions are great fun — all the equipment is provided, so all you have to do is show up and be able to paddle in a canoe or kayak, raking plants off the water surface, and putting them into a bucket or laundry basket on your boat,” Kate Kelly, Lewis Creek Association program manager, said. “While paddling, your leaders will help identify as many animals and plants as possible so you’re almost sure to learn something new out there.”

If you’re interested in participating, contact Kelly at lewiscreekorg@gmail.com.

A volunteer removes European frogbit from the LaPlatte River in Shelburne.

Champlain Valley senior named Presidential Scholar

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

A Champlain Valley Union high school senior was one of two Vermont students recognized for a Presidential Scholar award for academic excellence this year — an ambitious goal that Samuel Yager says has followed him throughout his entire high school career.

“When I was a freshman, I arrived at (Champlain Valley Union), and on the wall of our gym, we have a ton of banners,” Yager said. “The one that had the least names on it for academics was this Presidential Scholar award. And I thought, ‘Oh, I want to get my name on that banner.’”

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects students annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as a demonstrated commitment to community service and leadership. The 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars are comprised of one male and female student from each state, as well as 20 scholars in the arts and 20 scholars in career and technical education.

Created in 1964, the program has honored over 8,000 of the nation’s top-performing students. Of the 3.7 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 5,000 candidates qualified for the 2023 awards determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT or ACT exams or through nominations made by state school officers.

Yager, who has dreams of becoming an astronaut, has placed a strong emphasis on his academic achievements throughout high school — his SAT score was 1540, just shy of a perfect score of 1600. But Yager said his SAT score was only a small first step to being considered for the award.

“That’s only to determine who gets into the initial pool. I think there were around 50 (students) for Vermont. From there, they send out an application that you fill out and you write tons of different essays on different topics, then you have to send in your grades, recommendations and a bunch of other stuff.”

On top of his skills in math and physics, Yager said he helped create robotics teams throughout the entire district with the help of robotics coach Olaf Verdonk, who he says he owes much of his

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success. Verdonk also brought CVU’s Scholars Bowl team — Yager is on that too — to victory with the 2022 Vermont State Championship, the second state championship for CVU since 2007.

“That’s actually one of the reasons I got this thing is because (Verdonk) recommended me for it. Then he’s helped me get a lot of the milestones along the way that have led up to this,” he said.

Yager explained that the staff in the district helped cultivate his talents while also creating a safe and welcoming environment to ask questions and get help when needed.

“One thing that’s great about CVU is you can find time to get help in any class if you need it,” he said. “I’ve never had a class where I couldn’t talk to a teacher after or during class and find time to work on an assessment that didn’t go well. But also, they’re all just people there. They’re not just this higher-up person that teaches me. They’re someone I can talk to you have a conversation with and get help from.”

Yager plans to attend Purdue University in the fall for aerospace engineering with the hope of one day walking on the moon.

But for now, he is looking forward to his next Ultimate game, and of course, seeing his name among the other select few on the Presidential Scholar banner.

“It shows me that I can do anything. To the kid who told me, way back in the day, ‘Oh, that’s really hard, you’re not going to get that award.’ I proved him wrong,” Yager said. “I did it. But it also is super encouraging because it’s been more than 10 years since anyone at my schools won. So it’s huge for our school, and even just the community in general. It’s an honor.”

Jennifer Bickel-Hayes, Yager’s high school counselor for the past four years, described him as an “exceptional individual and student.”

“He has strong goals for the future and most certainly has the skills and abilities to make them come to fruition,” she said. “While I know that Sam is much smarter than I’ll ever hope to be, he never makes you feel less than. He is kind and friendly, asks appropriate and well-thought-out questions, shows interest in others, and offers his opinion when appropriate. I have no doubt that I’ll be reading about Sam someday in the news.”

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COURTESY PHOTO

Samuel Yager

Doused

Hinesburg Police Blotter, May 9-22

Total incidents: 52

Arrests: 3

Traffic Stops: 17

May 9 at 8 p.m., a loose dog was found on Silver Street and later returned to its owner.

May 10 at 10:45 a.m., lost property was turned into police.

May 10 at 12:18 p.m., a 911 hangup on Hillview Terrace was investigated.

May 10 at 8:31 p.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on CVU Road. The operator, Wayne Aiken, 51, of St. Albans, was cited for driving with a criminally suspended driver’s license.

May 11 at 9:55 a.m., a property theft on Cottage Hill Road was reported.

May 11 at 11:07 a.m., a welfare check was conducted on Commerce Street.

May 11 at 1:18 p.m., officers responded to a single-car motor vehicle crash on Charlotte Road.

May 11 at 6:11 p.m., officers responded to a juvenile problem on Hillview Terrace.

May 12 at 9:54 p.m., officers responded to a domestic dispute on North Road.

May 14 at 8:50 a.m., a traffic hazard on Route 116 was investigated.

May 16 at 8:45 a.m., officers responded to a single-car motor vehicle crash on Silver Street.

May 16 at 9:51 a.m., a welfare check was conducted on

Village Heights.

May 16 at 11:15 a.m., a traffic hazard on Place Road West was investigated.

May 16 at 2:15 p.m., an officer investigated the report of damage to a motor vehicle at Champlain Valley Union.

May 16 at 2:56 p.m., officers investigated a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on North Road.

May 16 at 9:05 p.m., an officer responded to a single-vehicle crash on CVU Road.

May 17 at 5:10 p.m., officers investigated a juvenile incident involving narcotics possession and possession of stolen property.

May 17 at 9:30 p.m., an officer investigated suspicious circumstances on Lewis Creek Road.

May 18 at 7:50 a.m., a welfare check was conducted on North Road.

May 18 at 4:15 p.m., a citizen was assisted with fingerprinting for employment purposes.

May 19 at 7:15 p.m., a traffic stop was conducted on Route 116, and Lindsay Sandham, 64, of Essex, was arrested for driving under the influence.

May 20 at 7:55 a.m., officers responded to Silver Street for the report of a medical emergency. A death investigation followed.

May 21 at 1 p.m., officers responded to Piette Road where they assisted first responders with a reported overdose.

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SHELBURNE FIRE DEPARTMENT

Shelburne Engine 1 arrived on the scene of a fully involved garbage truck fire on Juniper Ridge in Shelburne on May 16 at 2:54 p.m. Crews deployed two hand lines and promptly knocked down the bulk of the fire from the cab and body of the truck. Although the cause of the fire is still undetermined, fire officials think a mechanical malfunction under the truck’s cab may have caused the blaze. Eleven Shelburne firefighters were assisted by a crew from the South Burlington Fire Department.

Senate, House address suicide prevention, growing workforce

From the Senate

Sen. Ginny Lyons

On May 12, the Senate and House adjourned after a productive legislative session. We provided solutions to many of Vermont’s important problems. Issues such as investing in child care, affordable housing, opioid addiction and response to climate change received significant media attention. Legislation covering other areas such as mental health, access to medication, public health and suicide and workforce initiatives have received less. I am sharing a few of these less publicized topics.

Many hospital and other care facilities have unused prescription drugs that are left when patients are discharged. I have worked with the Department of Health to determine how we might rescue these drugs for other patients who need them. The legislation we passed this session should be signed into law soon.

It will allow for a Vermont unused prescription drug repository to be established. Vermont will work with a program already established in another state. This will save considerable time and money. Unused prescription drugs that are securely wrapped will be catalogued and made available through a repository for Vermont patients.

The pandemic left many children and adults with anxiety and or severe mental health issues, potentially leading to suicide. Last session we dedicated $3 million to mental health programs. That bill was identified as a model by the national afterschool program. Recovery will take more time, planning and resources.

H.481, when signed into law, will result in statewide model protocols for suicide prevention. It is disturbing to know that there is a high rate of suicide among service members and veterans. The bill will help identify best practices for family members and others to

provide support for this group.

The bill also recognizes a need to explore research about how social and other media have adverse effects on young people, perhaps leading to suicide. The bill includes reference to prior legislative work on eating disorder treatment and prevention. Afterschool programs can help prevent suicide and help with other mental health issues.

The budget includes $4 million for such programs. These initiatives and others are greatly needed to turn the tide on critical areas of Vermont’s mental health crisis.

Last year, Chief Justice Paul Reiber and others in the Vermont judiciary invited me to participate with a statewide group of public safety officials, state’s attorneys, public defenders, and others to improve judicial procedures for those with mental health issues. My subcommittee recommended that I introduce S,91, an act relating to competency to stand trial and insanity as a defense.

The law will shorten the length of time it takes for the judiciary to work with someone who is accused of a crime who may be incompetent to stand trial or who wishes to use insanity as a defense. House and Senate judiciary committees, as well as House and Senate health care committees, acted on the legislation to ensure that competency to stand trial is determined before someone is evaluated for insanity related issues.

Rep. Martin LaLonde’s column in the May 18 edition of The Other Paper provides a solid description of that bill.

The statewide group also supported S.89, which will establish a secure forensic facility for those with a mental illness or disability who may have committed a severe

crime. The facility is designed to provide the medical and counseling services needed for people in these situations.

Our reduced health care workforce is a continuing issue. This session we passed several bills that will allow for physical therapists, psychologists, counsellors and audiologists to access temporary licenses in Vermont or other compact states. Vermont will join compacts with other states that allow these professionals to work in all these states. Hopefully, Vermont can benefit by drawing professionals into the state for needed permanent health care jobs.

In addition to these bills, the Legislature continues to invest over $70 million in state college forgivable loans, critically needed health profession scholarships (including nurses), small business technical assistance, Adult Basic Education, a sustainable jobs fund, and others. The combined support for professional education and workforce development, with the state’s investment in housing, can help Vermont become more economically sustainable.

To attract and keep workforce, the budget includes $50-plus million for supportive and general assistance housing, over $100 million for affordable and emergency housing, including a possible $10 million for the missing middle category of worker force housing. This upfront investment is critical to Vermont’s economic growth. These are a few of the issues we have debated and supported during the session. I look forward to continuing our productive work next January.

Ginny Lyons, a Democrat from Williston, represents South Burlington, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne and several other towns in the Chittenden-Southeast Senate district.

Letters to the Editor

Weaponization of FBI America’s real problem

To the Editor:

What a bloviated full page guest perspective in this week’s edition of The Citizen by a supposed Vermont-based writer roasting Tucker Carlson and Fox News. (“Tucker Carlson, Fox News and fresh visions of Orwell’s ‘1984’, May 11, 2023)

A great textbook example

of majoring on the minor and ignoring the real issue, the weaponization of the FBI and intelligence agencies.

With the publishing of the devastating Durham Report, we now know the real answer. The perspective by Amses is only good to wrap garbage in. Of course, the Durham Report was seven years too late.

Steve Ciardelli Burlington

Sen. Ginny Lyons

After-school programs can help prevent suicide and help with other mental health issues. The budget includes $4 million for such programs.

State’s trapping, hounding recommendations fall short

Guest Perspective

Brenna Galdenzi

Wildlife advocates were excited at the prospect of two wildlife-protection bills during the 2022 legislative session: S.201, a ban on leghold traps, and S.281, a ban on coyote hounding. The commissioner of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department convinced legislators that they did not need to ban these activities outright and that the department would address these highly contentious activities via rulemaking and make them more humane.

But we know that there’s no way to make a leghold trap more humane. Same goes for addressing the inherent cruelty of siccing a pack of powerful hounds on a lone coyote, an activity that is akin to dog fighting.

But that didn’t stop the department from wasting countless hours of staff time and resources from making toothless, unenforceable recommendations that will result in no meaningful changes to lessen the suffering that animals endure because of these cruel activities.

S.201, now Act 159, directed the department to improve trapping safety and the welfare of animals trapped during the state’s recreational trapping season. The department ignored recommendations from wildlife advocacy groups on the advisory panel for that directive, which included Protect our Wildlife, the Vermont Wildlife Coalition and the Humane Society of the United States. The groups’ recommendations included prohibiting body-crushing kill traps on land and requiring traps be set away from trails and other public areas on all public lands to protect people and their pets.

The department’s trapping changes are misleadingly termed best management practices for trapping, but those practices still allow for tremendous suffering to individual animals. For example, research finds that 30 percent of animals that are trapped can suffer amputations, and even death, and the traps still meet the criteria.

“It is telling that the department never includes photos of living, trapped animals in their press releases or other communications,” said Jennifer Lovett,

a Protect Our Wildlife board member and conservation biologist. “Instead, they use sanitized images of trappers in the field, never showing the desperate look of terror on a trapped animal’s face as they struggle to escape before they are bludgeoned to death — that cruel reality of trapping doesn’t support the department’s narrative.”

Aquatic mammals like beavers can hold their breath for extended periods of time and thus suffer even greater in these cruel devices. The American Veterinary Medical Association says that drowning is not a humane form of death. Protect Our Wildlife has photos and videos of Vermont animals in leghold and body-crushing kill traps depicting visible injuries, which tell the real story about this cruel practice.

S.281, now Act 165, directed the department to create rules guiding the use of hounds to hunt coyotes, a practice that is not currently regulated. Wildlife advocates made recommendations including prohibiting baiting coyotes and requiring the hounds to be under visual and verbal command of the hounders, but the

department did not adopt those recommendations.

“Their proposed changes are what most hounders are already doing, which will translate to zero meaningful changes to lessen the cruelty or to protect wildlife and the public whose private property rights are violated every year,” said Jane Fitzwilliam from the Vermont Coyote Coexistence Coalition.

The department considers the use of GPS and shock collars to be methods of controlling the hounds, even when the hounds are running miles away from their handler.

Protect Our Wildlife and other wildlife advocacy groups participated in working group meetings

in good faith and while we didn’t expect to get everything we asked for, we had hoped for some meaningful changes. The silver lining that will hopefully come from this is to illustrate to legislators that the only way Vermont will see safer, more humane policies as it relates to hunting and trapping is through legislation.

Protect Our Wildlife looks forward to the 2024 legislative session where bills to ban recreational trapping, H.191 and S.111, and bill H.323, a ban on hounding, will hopefully be enacted into law.

Brenna Galdenzi is president and co-founder of Protect Our Wildlife, based in Stowe.

American carnage: Believing in guns and nothing else

Guest Perspective

Walt Amses

In a country where over half the inhabitants don’t believe in science, the expectation that Americans will suddenly believe in the science fiction of artificial intelligence stretches the imagination, unless we consider our nebulous notion of belief and all it entails.

We already accept concepts and ideas that, when systematically examined, reveal a kind of childlike gullibility that gives rise to the comforting fantasies many of us rely on to get through the day. Some are simple, effective and generally harmless: I’m surrounded by angels looking out for me. Others have become way more problematic, even deadly.

WeeklynewscoverageforCharlotteandHinesburg

The assumption, for instance, that hopes and prayers are anything beyond a placebo for terminal illness has become at this point a justification for the carnage that more and more defines our country’s self-congratulatory exceptionalism. The American dream is more about surviving a trip to the mall than a small home with a white picket fence.

The recent wall-to-wall coverage of King Charles III’s coronation — a British tradition — dominated the airwaves until blown off the front page by an American tradition for which we don’t have to wait 70 years. In the case of mass shootings, the

wait isn’t even 70 hours before the next one sucks up all the headlines — 2023 has had more shootings than days — which apparently doesn’t register enough with the gun lobby to even attempt to make sense.

The most recent — maybe, hopefully, but unlikely — chapter in the nonfiction book not on any Republican reading lists was written outside Dallas, the state that most closely conforms to the GOP firearm theology — many guns, few laws — that it should be the safest in the nation, but of course it’s not, having been ground zero for some of the worst mass shootings in recent years: El Paso 2019, 23 dead; Sutherland Springs, 2017, 27 dead; and Uvalde, 2022, 22 dead.

The Republican representing the congressional district in which the latest massacre happened, Keith Self, had a typically conservative response, quickly reverting to magical thinking as a solution.

At first trying to brush off CNN’s Paula Reid with the fallback, “This is not the time” crap, Self finally suggested critics who say prayers are insufficient in preventing shootings are “people who don’t believe in an almighty God who is absolutely in control of our lives. I’m a Christian. I believe that he does.”

The believe word comes up again and again in evangelical

circles and begs a follow up: So, when you lay this on God’s doorstep WTF do you mean? That God approved the shooting? Condoned it? Pulled the trigger? God’s greatest hits?

One of Self’s supporters, an apparent laboratory creation of the terrorists at the NRA, arms manufacturers and spineless congressional Republicans, tweeted: “This is why I tell people, get your permit (if necessary) and ‘carry’ at all times possible. Always be prepared. Never assume anywhere is safe. This is the world atheistic progressive policy has given us.”

Never assuming anywhere is safe has been the gun lobby’s priority for years, a powerful selling point contributing to widespread paranoia and the firearms proliferation threatening us all, every day, everywhere.

Trying to blame a convenient non-thing, “atheistic progressive policy,” is just as absurd as blaming God, who, according to fundamentalist Christians, also delivered an avenging Katrina to New Orleans ostensibly to punish the LGBTQ community. The very same sanctimonious simpletons have little to say about their favorite deity repeatedly slamming the Bible Belt with multiple tornados, hurricanes, hailstorms and floods, perhaps as retribution for their hate-filled hypocrisy, especially the fetishizing of guns, as noted by Joe Nassivera in last weekend’s Times Argus.

The millions of Americans who think that owning a gun is their God-given right didn’t acquire that assumption by accident. Nassivera contends: “The NRA, since about the year 2000, has been conducting information warfare against the U.S.,” resulting in millions understanding the phrase, not as hyperbole or metaphor, but a literal belief rooted in the NRA’s creation of a new religion “where far too many people believe that to be a true Christian you need to own some guns and be ready to shoot them” while fully supporting the Christian nationalist ideal, making us “a stronger and safer nation.”

But the conservative version of stronger and safer is essentially about the outlandish idea that there needs to be an armed

WHY GO LOCAL?

someone readily available to shoot people who shoot people, as though daily pitched gunfights would be a preferable alternative to daily mass shootings. The twisted far-right, GOP, Christian nationalism firearm ideology maintains the entire country needs modification to protect gun owners from any accountability whatsoever while the rest of the country looks for escape routes before they enter a business, trembles each morning as they put their children on the school bus or, worse yet, begins thinking “maybe it’s time that I got an AR-15 too.”

While conservatives reliably dissemble after every mass shooting — it’s mental health issues, it’s immigrants, it’s rampant crime, it’s the pandemic — the world’s other industrialized first world countries have had to deal with precisely the same issues but without a similar epidemic of bloody streets, shopping centers and elementary schools.

The difference of course is guns.

With less than 5 percent of the world’s population, the United States accounts for 46 percent of global civilian gun ownership. There is a direct relationship between the sheer number and the type of weapons easily acquired and the body count.

But when the Supreme Court codified the right to individual gun ownership in DC v. Heller in 2008 — frequently cited as the be-all, end-all clarification of the Second Amendment by the gun lobby — the final decision, authored by Antonin Scalia, is not all that final, leaving room for the type of courageous legislation necessary to stanch the hemorrhage before the country becomes more of a battleground than it is now.

The Second, as interpreted, does protect a fundamental constitutional right but that right, according to Scalia, “is not unlimited,” allowing for the regulation of some “types” of guns.

Until weapons of war are excised from private ownership it’s open season … on the rest of us.

Walt Amses is a writer from Central Vermont.

Trapping, coyote hunting hearings set

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board are accepting public comment and will hold three public hearings on new proposed regulations for trapping and for hunting coyotes with dogs.

The new proposed regulations come in response to the Vermont Legislature’s passage last year of acts 159 and 165.

Act 159 directed the department to improve trapping safety and the welfare of animals trapped during the state’s regulated trapping seasons. The department’s proposal includes establishing a safety buffer between public roads, state-owned trails and places where traps can be set, and restricting the use of body-gripping traps to reduce the risk to pets.

Act 165 directed the department to create rules guiding the use of dogs to hunt coyotes, a practice that is not currently regulated. The department’s proposal will cap the number of individuals permitted to hunt coyotes with dogs in Vermont to 100 hunters.

It will also restrict the number of dogs involved in each hunt to four or fewer and includes safety provisions like requiring that dogs wear tracking and control collars

Build community

when hunting.

Complete details on both sets of legislative requirements, the proposed regulation changes approved for public comment by the board earlier this spring, and additional recommendations from the department are available at bit.

ly/42N0qOu.

Public comment will be accepted through the end of June. Comments can be emailed to anr. fwpubliccomment @vermont.gov with the subject line “trapping and coyote regulations.”

Hearings will be held:

• June 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Rutland Middle School, 67 Library Ave., Rutland.

June 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Montpelier High School, 5 High School Drive, Montpelier.

June 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m., online on Microsoft Teams at tinyurl. com/trappinghearing.

Following public comment, revisions by the department, and a final vote by the board, the new regulations are expected to go into effect in January 2024.

PHOTO BY VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE

A trapper sets a trap for beaver during Vermont’s regulated season for this species, which runs from October through March.

PHOTO BY VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF FISH & WILDLIFE

A red bone, a common hunting dog, wears a GPS collar and control unit.

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Community Notes

Hinesburg seeks people for public safety groups

The town of Hinesburg is looking for 24 people to participate in focus groups as it develops a public safety strategic plan.

There will be two focus groups of 12 who must attend a 90-minute session on June 15. One group will be held in the morning and one in the evening. Specific times will be determined after participants are chosen.

Officials want opinions about public safety in Hinesburg, including but not limited to the fire and police departments. Those who participate will receive a $20 Lantman’s gift card.

Participant comments will be anonymous. Town officials also hope the group will represent the demographic breakdown of Hinesburg.

State chamber honors Leahy at reception

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce is hosting a reception for the state’s business leaders to honor the career of Sen. Patrick Leahy on Thursday, June 8, 4:30-7:30 p.m. at the University of Vermont’s Dudley H. Davis Center.

“Throughout his illustrious career, Sen. Leahy, alongside his wife Marcelle, has left an indelible mark on Vermont’s economic landscape, supporting innovation, research, higher education, transportation and manufacturing,” according to a chamber press release. “From advocating for policies that foster business growth to championing initiatives that protect the environment and uplift local communities, Sen. Leahy’s tireless efforts have shaped Vermont’s prosperity and future.”

Early registration is encouraged. More at vtchamber.com.

Talk addresses substance use prevention for kids

Charlotte resident, author of “The Gift of Failure” and “The Addiction Inoculation,” prevention coach at Sana at Stowe, and a mother in substance use recovery for the past 10 years, Jessica Lahey is giving a local talk on preventing substance at Champlain Valley Union High School on Thursday, May 25, at 7 p.m.

Lahey will talk about risk, prevention and setting family and community standards around

substance use.

The talk is free and open to the public. Sign up at bit.ly/3pUU8hg.

Hinesburg Garden Tour seeks gardens for 2024

The Hinesburg Garden Tour committee of the Friends of Carpenter Carse Library is looking for some new gardens to add to its tour next year.

The June tour features six gardens throughout Hinesburg to raise funds for the library.

Do you love to garden?

Would you be willing to show your garden to neighbors and other gardeners who will appreciate what you’ve cultivated? No garden is too small, and vegetables and perennials are welcome.

If you are interested, send email to Anne Donegan at ardonegan@gmail.com, Ginny Roberts at 3groberts@gmil.com or Deirdre Erb at erbs@gmavt. net.

Church hosts Red Cross blood drive Crosspoint Church, 237 Commerce St., in Williston is hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, May 31, noon-5 p.m.

Schedule an appointment at redcrossblood.org with the code word crosspoint.

All donors at this drive will receive a limited-edition Red Cross beach towel. Quantities limited.

May programs at Charlotte Senior Center

• Saturday, May 27, 9 a.m.noon. — annual plant sale. Stock up on a great selection of annuals and perennials at great prices..

• Wednesday, May 31, 9 a.m. — birding expedition with Hank Kaestner. Join avid bird watcher Hank Kaestner and learn to identify the various bird species and habitats in Vermont. Group size is limited to 20 participants. Free, registration required.

Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, May 25, is from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center features roast beef with sauce, home fried potatoes with paprika, green beans with lentils, wheat bread with butter, pumpkin bar with raisins and milk.

Commemorate this Memorial Day at Charlotte’s Grandview Cemetery

Charlotte residents are encouraged to gather at Grandview Cemetery behind Charlotte Congregational Church on Church Hill Road Monday, May 29, at 9 a.m. to commemorate the nation’s fallen heroes for Memorial Day.

To some, this day is nothing

You must pre-register by the prior Monday with Carol Pepin, 802-425-6345 or meals@charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

The meal on Thursday, June 1, features salisbury steak, gravy, home fried potatoes, spinach, wheat roll, fresh fruit salad and milk.

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

Cancer Survivors Social returns to Shelburne Farms

The ninth annual Cancer Survivors Social will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2-4 p.m., at the Inn at Shelburne Farms.

The social is free for survivors, caregivers and cancer-related providers. Enjoy lemonade, iced

more than the unofficial start of the summer season, but many other Americans take a moment to remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to country.

The remembrance ceremony will include brief remarks by Charlotte Grange member Karen Tuininga and Charlotte veteran Jordan Paquette and the playing

tea and healthy, local hors d’oeuvres with produce from Shelburne Farms. It’s a special time, place and day to celebrate survivorship — June 4 is National Survivors Day — and to connect with other survivors and caregivers. Since space is limited, so registration is required. Go to give.uvmhealth.org/survivorssocial.

The social is hosted by the Eleanor B. Daniels Fund at the University of Vermont Cancer Center.

Hinesburg hosts welcome baby picnic June 3

Hinesburg families with babies born in the past 12 months are invited to a free picnic outside the Carpenter-Carse Library on

of “Taps” by Charlotte Central School students.

Residents are welcome to stay after the ceremony to help replace old flags with new ones on the graves of those buried in the cemetery who served in the U.S. military. The old flags will be taken to the Vergennes American Legion and retired in a Flag Day ceremony.

Saturday, June 3, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The event features refreshments, a raffle and an opportunity to meet others with kids the same age. Tours will be offered of the food shelf and library. Library books are dedicated to each baby born in Hinesburg and are circulated at the library for all to enjoy. Get the chance to pick out the library book that will be dedicated to your baby at the event. Older siblings are encouraged to attend and can take part in activities and a story time.

RSVP to Alexandra Koncewicz at koncewicz@hinesburgresource.org or 802-482-4649.

The Welcome Baby Picnic is sponsored by the Hinesburg Community Resource Center’s Friends of Families program.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

Towns across the state, like Charlotte, plan Memorial Day ceremonies this week.

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

‘Pleased to meetcha,’ chestnut-sided warbler

The Outside Story

Susan Shea

While planting the vegetable garden last May, I heard a repeated bird song emanating from the adjacent raspberry patch: “Pleased, pleased, pleased to meetcha.” Finally, the small songster perched near the tip of a raspberry cane, its tail cocked. The bird’s yellow crown, black mask, olive back with black streaks, and white breast with rusty side patches were clearly visible — the striking markings of a male chestnut-sided warbler. Breeding females are similarly colored but lack the black eye mask.

Chestnut-sided warblers migrate north each spring and nest throughout the Northeast, north to Atlantic Canada, and west across the Great Lakes states and southern Canada to North Dakota and Saskatchewan. Their breeding range extends south in the Appalachians as far as Georgia.

Unlike many warblers, which prefer mature forests, chestnut-sided warblers thrive in early-successional habitat in rural areas — overgrown fields, regenerating deciduous forests and woodland edges. They benefit from forestry practices that encourage diverse vegetation and shrub growth.

The song of the chestnut-sided warbler is more complex than that of most warblers. While there are two basic song patterns, there are several different variations within each category. The male warbler in my raspberry patch was singing to attract a female. Once nesting begins, males do not sing as often and switch from the “meetcha” song to a whistled, unaccented song used to defend territory and in aggressive encounters with other males.

In “The Singing Life of Birds,” author and ornithologist Donald Kroodsma describes listening to a dawn chorus of chestnut-sided warblers at a power line cut in a Berkshires woodland. Although the birds were all singing the “meetcha” song, he was able to differentiate individual males by their songs and to draw a rough map of their territories. His auditory observations were confirmed by the different patterns on sonograms made from his sound record-

ings. Kroodsma described this early morning singing as a massive competition for females among neighboring males.

In addition to his song, a male chestnut-sided warbler courts a potential mate by spreading his tail and wings and raising, lowering and vibrating his crown and flight feathers. He then guards the female as she builds the nest, and he will chase other males that enter their territory. This is with good reason; DNA analysis has shown that about half the young of a nest are typically fathered by other males, often neighbors.

The female builds the nest between 1 and 6 feet from the ground in a crotch of a small tree or shrub such as blackberry or alder. She constructs the nest from strips of cedar bark, grapevine, or other plant fibers and lines the cup with fine grasses and hair. She lays three to five cream or greenish-white eggs speckled with brown or purple and incubates them for 11 to 12 days. The nestlings hatch sparsely covered with down and helpless. Both parents feed the young meals of regurgitated insects and caterpillars many times each day. The babies develop rapidly. When a little older, the parents offer their young small insects. Ten to 12 days after hatching, the nestlings are ready to embark on their first flight. The parents continue to feed the fledglings until they are a month old.

Ninety percent of the chestnut-sided warbler’s diet year-round is insects, caterpillars, fly larvae, and spiders, with seeds and fruit comprising the remaining portion. In fall, chestnut-sided warblers migrate by night to the second-growth forests, thickets, and shade-grown coffee plantations of Central America, where they can continue to find insect prey, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks of resident birds.

As farm fields in the Northeast and beyond were abandoned and reverted to second-growth woodland during the early 20th century, the chestnut-sided warbler population grew. The species is now one of our most common warblers. Still, following the trend for most songbird species, this population has declined in recent decades — by 45 percent between 1966 and 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. In addition to the usual stress-

ors of habitat loss, building strikes during migration, pesticide use and climate change, this warbler has likely been affected by the maturation of northeastern forests.

In our many young forests, the distinctive song of the chestnut-sided warbler prevails. If you follow the song and watch closely, you may catch a glimpse of this

colorful little bird.

Susan Shea is a naturalist, writer, and conservationist based in Vermont. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.

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CVU boys’ lacrosse rebounds

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Girls’ Ultimate

Champlain Valley 15, Burr and Burton 2: Champlain Valley snapped a two-game losing streak with a decisive victory over Burr and Burton Monday, May 22.

Grace Thompson paced CVU with six goals and three assists. Samara Ashooh and Abby Bunting each tallied twice for the Redhawks, while Stella Ewald and Ruby Opton each added three assists.

Greta Friesan, Abby Niquette, Kate Sayre, Skyler Gade and Elizabeth Parent had goals for the Redhawks, who moved to 4-5.

Girl’s lacrosse

Burr and Burton 11, Champlain Valley 8: The Champlain Valley girls’ lacrosse team suffered just its second defeat of the season, falling to Burr and Burton Monday.

Stella Dooley led the Redhawks with three goals, while Dicey Manning added a goal and an assist. Amelie Scharf, Emerson Rice, Tess Everett and Grace McNally each chipped in with a goal.

Ava Medici and Clare Stack-

pole McGrath combined to make five saves in goal, now 11-2.

CVU won on Saturday, May 20, beating Mount Mansfield 19-10.

Bibi Frechette, Everett, Scharf and Dooley all had hat tricks and Marlie Cartwright added two goals and an assist.

Boys’ tennis

Champlain Valley 5, South Burlington 2: Champlain Valley nearly swept the singles matches in boys’ tennis as it beat South Burlington Monday.

Oscar Anderson, Ziggy Babbott, Jacob Braham and Nolan Sandage all won in singles for the Redhawks, while Fernando Tejera and Zach Vincent teamed up for a win in doubles.

Baseball

Champlain Valley 8, Essex 5: Champlain Valley won its second game in a row on Saturday, beating Essex on the back of a strong pitching performance from Jack Richburg.

Richburg allowed five hits in six innings of work, while Kyle Tivnan went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Travis Stroh had a double and drove in two runs, while Calvin Steele and Steve Rickert each

added an RBI.

CVU moves to 10-1 with the win.

Boys’ Ultimate

Champlain Valley 10, Essex 5: The boys won two in a row, beating Montpelier on Saturday and then grabbing a win over Essex on Friday, May 19.

DJ Steinman had three goals and Jacob Lepple added four assists in the win Saturday.

Lepple had two goals and two assists to pace the Redhawks on Friday. Quinn Bagnato and Zach Spitznagle each added two goals, while Tom Roberts and Charlie Garavelli each chipped in with two assists.

CVU moves to 7-1.

Boys’ lacrosse

Champlain Valley 6, Woodstock 4: Champlain Valley rebounded from its first loss of the season with a win over Woodstock Friday.

Calvin Malaney tallied twice for the Redhawks, while Connor Malaney, Jason Bose, Brian Rutherford and Trevor Stumpff each scored.

Harper Anderson got the win in goal with eight saves for CVU, which moved to 11-1.

PHOTO BY AL FREY

The CVU boys’ tennis team won all its matches May 18 against Colchester.

Chittenden County road construction gets underway

Burlington — Construction continues along U.S. 7 (Shelburne Road, Shelburne Street, South Willard Street) to the intersection with U.S. 2 and Alt. U.S. 7 (North/South Winooski Ave, St. Paul Street) to the intersection with Riverside Avenue. Nighttime work hours are 7

EQUITY

continued from page 1

school and a diversity, equity and inclusion coach. Those include courses in art and activism, global literature and media and society, for example, among other options.

“If we make this credit as a mandatory class, I think that would also motivate us into expanding some of our offerings as well,” Blasius said. “We’re hoping to do both: create new classes and electives and incorporate ethnic studies into required classes like the ninth grade and tenth grade curriculum. That’s one of the equity audit recommendations — a review of the curriculum and doing some work on horizontal alignment.”

The equity credit, students said, could also potentially meet future state recommendations to integrate ethnic studies and social equity learning. Act 1, signed into law by Gov. Phil Scott in 2019, created a working group tasked with finalizing recommendations to make Vermont schools’ curricula more inclusive, and to better include the history and contributions of underrepresented groups in Vermont’s classrooms.

The curriculum is ultimately made at the local level, but the State Board of Education does set academic standards.

The Act 1 working group has been working to iron out those recommendations, and last year proposed a slate of changes in rules that would require schools to incorporate ethnic studies into pre-K-12 school curricula — although it is now hung up over whether it can apply those standards to private schools, according to a report from VTDigger.

But CVU students are hoping to get ahead of those recommendations to help “manifest the new CVSD diversity, equity and inclusion vision to create and sustain safe, diverse, equitable and inclusive learning ecosystem that would meet individual needs, foster belonging, acknowledge histories, and cultivate and celebrate identities and stories,” Lexi Hall, a junior at CVU, said during a recent school board meeting.

“Students have repeatedly requested more diversity of voice and perspective in our curriculum

p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday through Thursday. Expect delays. Parking restrictions will be in effect at various times.

Burlington, Shelburne Street Roundabout — Construction continues on the Shelburne Street Roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 7 (Shelburne

Street, South Willard Street), Alt. U.S. 7 (Shelburne Street), Locust Street and Ledge Road. The entrance to Ledge Road at the roundabout will be closed Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Charlotte-South Burlington — Roadway resurfacing contin-

ues along U.S. 7. Nighttime work hours are 7 p.m.-6 a.m., Sunday through Thursday. Delays may occur, particularly in the evening.

Colchester — Construction continues on the Exit 16 diverging diamond interchange located along U.S routes 2 and 7. Travelers should expect single-lane closures between 6 a.m.-3 p.m. There will be intermittent stoppages between 6 a.m.-7 p.m. and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. for blasting. Wait times should not exceed 10 minutes.

Essex Junction — Work on the second phase of the Crescent Connector project is underway. Motorists should expect flagged traffic and delays on VT 2A (Park Street) near Five Corners. Seek alternate routes if possible.

– mandating an equity credit (and expanding class offerings) would honor our students,” Hall said.

Angela Arsenault, chair of the Champlain Valley school board and a state representative in the Vermont Legislature representing Williston, said that “on this, students and administrators are aligned.”

“I know that we’ll have a lot to consider, sometime soon, when the Act 1 working group recommendations are actually adopted. This is right in line with a lot of those recommendations, but in a way even better because it’s coming from students asking for this education,” Arsenault said. “I really appreciate that and your willingness to ... share this with us.”

The new proposal comes as the school district has worked to establish work in diversity, equity and inclusion into students’ educational experience. CVU is the largest high school in the state.

The district hired its third director of diversity, equity and inclusion, Dr. Asma Abunaib, in September. Several weeks later, an equity audit found that marginalized groups in the district have not been achieving comparably outcomes compared to their peers.

Those historically marginalized students in the district had graduation rates of 82.6 percent in 2019 and 86.6 percent in 2021, compared to 97.2 percent and 98.3 percent, respectively, for their peers, according to the audit.

Two incidents added urgency to the district’s work: in October, a homophobic slur was levied at CVU field hockey players during a game in Manchester. Then, in January, two CVU girls’ basketball games were postponed — one by Rice Memorial High School and another by Burlington High School — after students at the schools learned of a social media

video that a CVU player posted that included racist language.

Merrill Jacobs, a member of the high school girls’ basketball team, said at the board meeting that “many communities were hurt by my teammate’s actions and if we had that ethnic studies requirement for graduation, we could build an education for students that could prevent future actions like that from happening.”

“We can’t allow students to keep ignoring such a present and ongoing issue in our community and leave high school without the proper knowledge of what those injustices are and how they occur within society,” Jacobs said.

CVU, the students said in their presentation, has had “over 50 bullying, hazing and harassment incidents this year, most of which are related to DEI issues.”

“Throughout my time at CVU I have had to endure, as well as witness, all kinds of microaggressions: Whether this is a comment on how tan I am, or people want to touch my hair, or just jokes made in the classroom when people think that no one is listening,” Hickock told board members. “Although these may seem like insignificant events to many, these events build up for students of color and leave them feeling like they don’t have a place to belong in our community.”

“What’s most frustrating about these ignorant acts is that they’re avoidable,” Hickock added. “They’re taking place not because students have vicious intentions, or because they want to hurt others, but because they simply don’t know. If they haven’t been told what’s right or wrong, how are they supposed to?”

Arsenault said the board will plan on discussing the proposal among administrators at their next meeting.

During nighttime hours, motorists should expect lane closures between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. along U.S. routes 2 and 7. At least one travel lane will remain open in each direction.

Williston — Expect a longterm lane shift on U.S. 2 between Gregory Drive, South Burlington and Adams Drive, Williston. Impacts will be minimal, but travelers should be aware that flaggers will be present to allow construction vehicles to move in and out.

Williston Park and Ride —

Construction of a new park and ride facility along Vermont 2A continues, with one-way alternating traffic. Anticipate delays.

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“What’s most frustrating about these ignorant acts is that they’re avoidable.”

— Nisha Hickok

With town administrator Dean Bloch retiring in October, the group — comprised of Jim Hyde, Charlie Russell, Peter Joslin, Alexa Lewis and Lane Morrison — has worked since March with attorneys

and other town officials and selectboard members to help outline a way forward.

“I thought by getting this going, it would get a focus and that’s what has happened,” said Morrison, who

TOWN OF HINESBURG PLANNING COMMISSION NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Hinesburg Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on June 14, 2023 at 7pm to receive public comment on proposed changes to the Zoning Regulations and Subdivision Regulations. The purpose is to divide the Rural Residential 1 zoning district into three new zoning districts (Residential 3, Residential 4, Rural 1) to better reflect different land forms, patterns of development, and land use priorities. The geographic area affected is principally the RR1 district, but some changes will have a townwide effect.

Copies of the proposed revisions, as well as a report on how the proposed changes comply with State Statute and the Town Plan, are available on the Town web site (www.hinesburg.org), and/or by contacting Alex Weinhagen (Director of Planning & Zoning) at the Town Office or aweinhagen@hinesburg.org or 482-4209. A list of the affected section headings follows, as required pursuant to Title 24, Chapter 117 V.S.A. Section 4444 (b).

had been chair of the selectboard for almost six years before calling it quits three years ago. “From our point of view, we did not want to miss the sequencing of the retirement and kick this can down the road for four months.”

According to their research, 73 percent of municipalities with a population of more than 2,500 has a town manager form of government and as Charlotte faces some major town-wide issues, the group stressed that this as an ideal time for the switch.

In a packet submitted by the group prior to the meeting, they list seven major areas the town will begin to consider in the coming months: Lack of growth and vitality in village districts; lack of housing, particularly for moderate- and lower-income households; ongoing budgetary challenges; town garage and a future highway department; governance of Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service; traffic calming measures in the east and west villages; and protecting areas of high public value.

The only way forward, the group says, is by “freeing the selectboard from the day-to-day town decisions by changing governance to a town manager, thereby enabling the selectboard to focus on the future.”

The switch should also expedite selectboard meetings, which often last upwards of three hours.

“The selectboard has worked many hours. You had an agenda

– Rural residential 1 district (deleted)

3.3 – Rural 1 district (new) 3.4 – Rural residential 2 district 3.10 – Residential 2 district 3.11 – Residential 3 district (new) 3.12 – Residential 4 district (new) 3.15 (now 3.17) – Shoreline district 4.5.7 – Planned unit development greenspace 5.1.8 – Home occupation, vehicle repair service 5.2 – Larger home occupation, size of lot 5.3 – Home occupation contractor yard, location

5.6 – Commercial/industrial design standards

5.20 – Camping, camping vehicles, campgrounds

5.26 – Rural Area Design Standards

5.29.3(9) – Outdoor lighting, street lights

10.1 – Definitions:

• campground

• function hall

• setback

• vernal pool (new)

• wetland

Zoning district maps

Subdivision Regulation Sections:

6.12 – Rural Area Design Standards

10.1 – Article 9 – Definitions:

• vernal pool (new)

• wetland

Notice Date – May 25, 2023

with 10 or 12 items on it at your meeting last night,” said Morrison. “You’re meeting all the time. Some of the officials I talked to, the selectboard chair of both Shelburne and Hinesburg, said there’s so much more efficiency with key points.”

A town manager acts as a chief administrative officer and has direct duties and authority laid out in state statute. A town administrator does not have the same authority and is instead governed more directly by a selectboard.

“(The selectboard) can delegate as little or as much as they want within the law, of course,” Rick McGuire, search consultant with Vermont League of Cities and Towns, said. “But the town manager’s position is spelled out very specifically under state law and that outlines all the powers and duties.”

The group argues that a town manager brings demonstrated expertise to the town, much like a CEO who reports to a board of directors. Key skills for the candidate should include communication, leadership, expertise in human resources, digital literacy, operational planning, financial management, expertise in the legal framework and cost containment.

The change would also allow those with full-time employment to serve on the selectboard more effectively because of the lower time commitment.

Some residents questioned

Highway Positions Available

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This is a supervisory position that is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the town’s highway infrastructure. A valid VT issued CDL Class A license is required. Required skills include proficient operation of a road grader, excavator, front-end loader, backhoe, and tandem plow truck. Starting pay is $32.00 - $38.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.

Highway Maintainer

This is a semi-skilled position of moderate complexity in highway maintenance and equipment operation. The Highway Maintainer II performs a wide variety of manual and automotive equipment operation tasks involved in municipal road maintenance. Work extends to responsibility for maintenance and servicing of assigned automotive equipment, requiring strong mechanical and trouble shooting skills. A valid Vermont issued Class B CDL is required. Starting pay is $22.00 - $25.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.

Both positions provide health, dental, vision and disability insurance; paid time off; pension plan; and 13 paid holidays.

A highway application can be found on the town’s website www. hinesburg.org under “employement.” Applications can be emailed to Todd Odit, Town Manager at todit@hinesburg.org.

whether this potential shift in control is exactly what members of the selectboard fear.

“It sounds like you felt a little defensive and a little threatened that this petition came along at a time when you guys had this (budget) crisis,” resident Mike Russell said. “What I heard was, ‘We have this immediate (budget) issue that we have to solve that keeps us from thinking about a long-term change in the structure of the town,’ and that’s exactly why you want to be able to delegate that stuff to somebody who is going to handle that.”

The group agreed to another public meeting with the selectboard, tentatively scheduled for June 5.

“You’re giving the impression that it’s a little bit of chaos. I think to be fair to the selectboard and Dean (Bloch), we’re not running into chaos here,” selectboard chair Jim Faulkner said. “We’re not looking for someone to come in and be a leader. That being said, a town manager could help us and that’s what we’re here to find out. But there’s no magic by calling somebody a town manager.”

To VLCT or not

With only five months left to hire a new town administrator — or town manager — the Charlotte selectboard is beginning a procurement process with some help from Vermont League of Cities and Towns but has resolved to keep most of the process in-house.

Earlier this month, the league sent Charlotte a proposal for town administrator search services totaling more than $12,000 for advertising, application screenings, interviewing candidates and conducting background and reference checks.

But following a contentious budget season that forced a slew of cuts, Faulkner reminded the board, “We have not budgeted for this. I don’t see why we can’t do a lot of this in-house.”

“It’s not a good time to be allocating five-digit contracts that we haven’t budgeted for,” member Lewis Mudge said.

Selectboard member Lousie McCarren urged the board to “maintain control of the process.”

As a solution, the selectboard is working to form an advisory search committee to oversee the process as opposed to delegating the work exclusively to the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.

“What we had come up with the other day was to take VLCT for the advertisement and possibly the background check,” Faulkner said. “Everything else we were going to do.”

“I have personally served on these types of committees for hiring of very significant positions in the city of Burlington and I found that they worked well,” Devine added.

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CHARLOTTE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

PUBLIC HEARINGS

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Please Note: The Charlotte Town Office is fully open to the public for in-person participation at evening meetings. For those who prefer, remote participation is still available online via Zoom. A detailed agenda and how to join this meeting online will be posted by May 19, 2023 at: https://is.gd/Meeting_Calendar_Agendas.

Pursuant to 24 VSA §117 and the Town of Charlotte Land Use Regulations, the Charlotte Development Review Board will hold a public hearing at Town Hall, 159 Ferry Rd. on the following application during its regular meeting of Wednesday, June 14,

7:05 PM 23-061-PRD Stearns – Final plan review for proposed two-lot Planned Residential Development at 7336 Spear Street, Charlotte, VT 05445. Application materials are available at https://tinyurl.com/ye2axx6s.

For more information, contact the Planning & Zoning Office at 802.425.3533 ext. 208.

NOTICE: Pursuant to 24 VSA §4464, participation in this local proceeding, by written or oral comment, is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal. If you cannot participate directly in the hearing, comments may be made in writing prior to the hearing date and mailed to: Planning Office, Town of Charlotte, 159 Ferry Rd., Charlotte, VT 05445, or via email to: pza@ townofcharlotte.com.

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

get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.

service directory

To advertise in the service directory email: Advertising@thecitizenvt.com or call 985-3091

Health & Fitness

Siding & Trim Work

Carpentry Repairs

Painting & Staining Decks & Porches Outdoor Structures

802-343-4820

www.pleasantvalleyvt.com

CORBIN

Eat and Be Hoopy!

Nutrition + Mindfulness + Hula Hooping = Parties and Events at UMall for Kids, Teens & Adults

Learn about nutrition while participating in arts, craftivities and hula hooping in a fun, supportive atmosphere! Learn more and sign up at eatandbehoopy.com

RABIES BAIT

creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and

The week-long bait drop is a cooperative effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the potentially fatal disease.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its

continued from page 2 saliva. ways treatment 100 a have those animals mal an it. animals

Home Care

Experienced Caregiver

Companionship • Errands • Doctor appointments

SERVICEDIRECTORY

Experience with Alzheimer’s • Parkinson’s • Stroke

When you can’t be there I provide compassionate care for your loved one. Let’s talk. 802-922-1980

Build / Remodel

PLEASANT VALLEY, INC.

Roofing

Spring Cleanup & Mulch

Siding

Renovations

Painting Decks

802-343-4820

www.pleasantvalleyvt.com

Funeral / Cremation

CORBIN & PALMER

FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES

SHELBURNE FUNERAL CHAPEL

Family owned and operated since 1921

Pre-planning services available

209 Falls Road, Shelburne, VT (802) 985-3370

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

You may struggle to get going this week, Aries. But once you do, it will be full speed ahead. In fact, you may need to slow things down to let others catch up.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, if you are feeling a bit scattered as of late, take some time out of your schedule to meditate and re ect on what is most important to you. Then follow that path.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Gemini, give yourself permission to move slowly this week. If you racing through things, you’re apt to make mistakes. Set your own pace and let things play out as they may.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

Deadlines could make for a heated week, Cancer. It’s best to remove yourself from any situations before they get out of hand. Offer advice when things cool down.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Routines are boring you lately, Leo. You may need to shake things up. If you work a set schedule, see if you can go to ex time and look for ways to change.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Do not let drama that doesn’t involve you sneak into your orbit, Virgo. If you need to distance yourself from others for a while, then do so.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

Libra, others feel you’re giving off some highstrung vibes this week, and they wouldn’t be wrong. Something is weighing on your shoulders. Figure out what it is and lighten the load.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, you’re dishing out all sorts of sage advice but it may be frustrating if others don’t want to take it. All you can do is offer and let others lead their lives.

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

Things may be a little rough around the edges lately, and you’ll need to gure out the ways to smooth things over, Sagittarius. Find a few friends who are in your corner.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Capricorn, emphasize a slow and methodical approach to a problem with an elusive solution. Slowing things down has a tendency to provide substantial clarity.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

Disagreements on how to move forward could bring tension at home or work this week, Aquarius. Everyone needs to put their ideas on the table and whittle down the best answer.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

Don’t compare yourself to others, Pisces; otherwise, you may downplay all of your wonderful attributes. Be proud of who you are.

CLUES ACROSS

1. Wear away by friction

7. Insecticide

10. Elicited a secret vote

12. Beef

13. Disagreement

14. __ Crawford, supermodel

15. Jeweled headdress

16. Digits

17. Trillion hertz

18. Snap up

19. Classical portico

21. Residue after burning

22. Large integers

27. Free agent

28. Where ballplayers work

33. Blood type 34. Scottish city

36. Google certi cation (abbr.)

37. Serbian monetary unit

38. Make a sudden surprise attack on

39. Wood or metal bolt

40. Relaxing attire 41. Famed neurologist

44. Dullish brown fabrics

45. Member of ancient Jewish sect

48. Grif th, Rooney

49. Lawmakers

50. Government lawyers

51. The arch of the foot

CLUES DOWN

1. Non owering aquatic plant

2. Britpop rockers

3. National capital

4. Consumed

5. The habitat of wild animals

6. Sun up in New York

7. Cygnus star

8. Male parents

9. Talk to you (abbr.)

10. A place to clean oneself

11. Southwestern US state

12. South Korean idol singer

14. Pirate

17. Pituitary hormone (abbr.)

18. Mistake

ANSWERS

20. Promotions

23. Prepares

24. Partner to owed

25. State lawyer

26. Patti Hearst’s captors

29. Pound

30. Electronic data processing

31. Sports player

32. Treats with contempt

35. Apprehend

Excessively talkative 38. Highways 40. Ribosomal ribonucleic acid 41. College organization for males 42. Any customary observance or practice 43. Employee stock ownership plan 44. Male parent 45. The 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet 46. Female bird