The Citizen - 7-13-23

Master mimic

Northern Mockingbirds can learn over 200 songs

Page 7

Worlds collide

Green Valley Coconut bridges two cultures Page 11

Community building

Charlotte selectboard forms committee for new administrator

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

With only two months left to replace Charlotte’s town administrator of more than 10 years, the selectboard has officially formed a committee to help with initial interviews.

Committee members will include selectboard liaisons Lewis Mudge, Kelly Devine and Jim Faulkner along with development review board chair Charlie Russell, assistant town clerk Emily Tupper and resident Moe Harvey.

Dean Block resigned as administrator last November, giving the selectboard until October 2023 to find his replacement.

As of Monday, the job posting — which has been up for less than a month — had received eight applicants. The deadline for applications is July 14.

“We may have a ninth, we still have some days,” Mudge said. “It’s not a huge batch and I think we got some good brains that we

See COMMITTEE on page 12

Hinesburg will spend $300K on town hall

Long term renovation still years away

Room back open again.

Hinesburg will spend $300,000 to stabilize the town hall’s failing roof and reopen the building’s main hall, or the Big Room, which has been closed for nearly two years.

The expense comes as officials acknowledged the town was not in the position, as originally laid out, to spend for a full renovation of the historic building. That project was put on hold after another major item — a wastewater treatment facility — forced the town to reconsider its spending priorities.

But officials at the last selectboard meeting indicated that they felt it was important to get the Big

“This is the least expensive option that we have in front of us,” Joy Dubin Grossman, assistant town manager, said. “It’s allowing us to use the Big Room for a period of time until we are able to make a greater investment in the town hall.”

The town first discovered serious water leaks and “visible movement of the roof line” in the winter of 2022, and asked a local engineer to inspect the slate roof, who told town officials that wooden frame members had bowed and had serious cracking, Grossman said at the time.

Originally built in 1901, there

See ROOF on page 12

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

Charlotters gathered for the town’s annual beach party barbebuce and potluck July 8. More photos on page 10.

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Local school districts join Monsanto lawsuit

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

The Champlain Valley and South Burlington school districts have both signed on to a lawsuit against Monsanto that argues the company is directly responsible for PCB contamination now present in many schools across the state.

The two Chittenden County districts are among more than 90 in Vermont that have signed on to the litigation against the agrochemical manufacturer “to recover past, present, and future costs, losses, damages and other relief relating to the presence of toxic PCBs manufactured by Monsanto.”

As part of a state-mandated program, schools throughout the state — including the Charlotte Central School and Rick Marcotte School in South Burlington — had begun testing their facilities to find the chemicals, but many more will still need to conduct testing.

“We are certain that many districts are going to discover that there is PCB contamination in the air — there are action levels that will require remediation, and many communities will decide to remediate even if the PCB levels are below the state mandated amounts,” said Pietro Lynn, an attorney with Lynn, Lynn, Blackman and Manitsky that filed the lawsuit.

“That’s going to be a very expensive undertaking. The question that we think this lawsuit answers is who should bear responsibility? Should it be the communities in Vermont? Or should it be Monsanto?” he said. “We think it ought to be Monsanto.”

This lawsuit is one of several to be filed against Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.

Vermont’s attorney general, Charity Clark, filed a lawsuit against the company; the Burlington School District is in a suit of its own against Monsanto after PCB contamination forced it to build a new high school; and two former Burlington High School educators also filed suit, claiming they were harmed by exposure to the chemicals.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, Lynn’s lawsuit says, are “toxic and dangerous” chemicals that were almost exclusively manufactured, marketed, sold and distributed by Monsanto throughout the 20th century in construction materials such as caulk, sealants and adhesives. Children and adolescents are particularly sensitive to the neurodevelopment impacts of PCBs.

“Certain Plaintiffs’ districts will have no choice but to raze the buildings of the campus and replace them with an entirely new set of safe, PCB-free buildings,” the lawsuit reads.

Monsanto, the lawsuit alleges, “intentionally misled the public about the dangers

posed by its PCB products” and knew the chemical compounds were toxic “as early as 1937.”

“Monsanto also knew well before 1970 that a number of studies, both internal and external, had demonstrated human and animal toxicity,” the lawsuit reads.

Bayer, in a statement, said that the case “has no merit.”

“Monsanto never manufactured, used or disposed of PCBs in Vermont and has not manufactured these products for more than 45 years,” the statement reads. “The PCB-containing products that likely are alleged to be the source of any impairment claims were produced by third party companies, not Monsanto.”

“We believe the evidence in this case will show that the school districts’ inaction combined with the state’s unprecedented and scientifically unsupported PCB screening levels has cost the state and its taxpayers millions of dollars that they are now trying to recoup by shifting blame to Monsanto,” the statement read.

Among the Champlain Valley and South Burlington district schools, only the Rick Marcotte Central School and the Charlotte Central School have taken part in testing since Vermont’s PCB testing began. The state is testing all schools built before 1980.

An indoor air sampling review by the Vermont Departments of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation found PCB levels under state limits at the Rick Marcotte Central School in South Burlington.

“No levels of PCBs at (Rick Marcotte Central School) are determined or considered to be harmful at this time,” Julia Maguire, a communications person for the South Burlington School District, said.

Testing had been done at the South Burlington High School in 2016 and at the Chamberlin School in 2018, Maguire said.

“PCBs were found after those tests and remediation took place,” she said.

The Charlotte Central School in February discovered PCBs above state action levels and was forced to shut down the school’s kitchen — moving the staff there out into the cafeteria to serve meals.

The district ordered and installed carbon filters in the Charlotte school kitchen, and later removed the source from the kitchen, according to Gary Marckres, the district’s chief operations officer. No PCB detection has been found in subsequent testing.

A second source of PCB was found in the boiler room of the school, Marckres said, but he noted that those are at low levels and kids are not exposed.

“We will end up mitigating that down the road, but it’s nothing that requires immediate action,” he said.

“Certain Plaintiffs’ districts will have no choice but to raze the buildings of the campus and replace them with an entirely new set of safe, PCB-free buildings.”

Capital improvements get underway this summer at Charlotte Central

Residents can expect to see a lot of construction at Charlotte Central School this summer as phase two of an ongoing capital improvement plan makes headway.

Last summer, phase one work included improved ventilation, new siding and insulation, and thermally-improved windows and doors for more efficiency.

“We did an HVAC upgrade, and replaced all the air handlers

and improved the air quality in the building, that was just our first phase,” Chris Giard, the school’s facilities director, said.

Now, phase two includes the life safety and code compliance portions of the project, which was funded through a $7.5 million bond in Champlain Valley School District towns in March 2022.

“We are installing a sprinkler system,” Giard said. “By putting that in, we now have to put in five 4,000-gallon storage tanks because we’re not on town water, so we

Correction

have to have storage in the case the sprinkler goes off.”

The summer will also see the installation of sprinkler piping on the first floor and new ceilings.

The next phase, to be completed next summer, will move to the second floor and also electrical work, air conditioning and dehumidification.

“We have a 1967 vintage switch gear, which is old and outdated,” he said. “We have a new electrical

See SCHOOL on page 4

We incorrectly listed the rank of the late Eric Spivack in a photo caption last week. He was assistant chief, and after his death earned the rank of deputy chief.

LIBERTY DARR

STAFF WRITER

COURTESY PHOTOS

Construction mades headway this summer at Charlotte Central School.

Vermont State Police Blotter

On July 5 around 1:50 p.m., David Apowhid, 68, of Gansevoort, N.Y., noticed smoke coming from the tires on his tractor trailer while headed north on Route 7 in Charlotte. He turned into a pull-off near Patton Woods Road and a fire erupted in the truck’s back tire well. The trailer was carrying diesel fuel. The cause of the fire is being investigated by Department of Motor Vehicles. Apowhid was uninjured. Troopers were assisted by Charlotte Fire Department, Department of Motor Vehicles and Rick’s Towing.

SCHOOL continued from page 3

switch gear going in, new sub-panels throughout the building, and with that, we’re also installing a new fire alarm system. While we’re digging, we’re putting all that in now.”

Giard said that the plan this summer is to complete all sprinkler piping on the first floor and new ceilings.

Because of the availability of certain pieces of equipment, the construction team had to spread the project out over two years.

Crews will also reconstruct and pave the bus lot to create a smooth parking area.

Young recruits

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PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

Members of Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services explain various aspects of their ambulance and services to young children at Saturday’s community summer party at Charlotte Beach.

Taxpayers shouldn’t fund religious schools

James A. Bruce & Kathleen B. Bruce

In response to the opinion piece written by Rob Roper, former Vermont GOP chair, a few points need clarification. (“The Blob continues discrimination against Christians,” June 29, 2023)

First, it is offensive of Roper to label school personnel such as teachers, teachers’ unions, superintendents and school board staff as “The Blob.” These professionals work hard to maintain Vermont schools as safe and effective places of excellent learning. We doubt they appreciate his simplistic and derogatory depiction. The far right has long tried to defund public schools, funneling tax dollars into private Christian education, and weakening our public school system.

Regarding vouchers and school funding, if you compare costs between private and public schools, private schools may look cheaper on a per student spending basis, but the private schools have no requirement to educate everybody, including those with disabilities and special needs, and are not required to support special education infrastructure.

If tax dollars go to private religious schools, student costs in public schools will go up for all of us. Unless private schools have all the same requirements with respect to admission, retention and graduation, then it is a false and misleading equivalence that has been drawn.

Private schools that eschew government funding, including religiously based schools, can selectively accept students, refusing admission to any child based on their own criteria. It could be children who have two moms or two dads, or transgender or LGBTQ kids.

Roper was careful to claim “racial diversity,” but he does not claim the term diversity in the full sense of the word. And for a reason. He fully realizes that there is no tolerance or acceptance for

LGBTQ and transgender students at most Christian schools. And that is the point, and the objective. Intolerance.

Many Christian schools worldwide actively discriminate against marginalized groups and vilify vulnerable students. We do not support this vilification effort via our tax dollars. We reject the GOP’s extreme hatred and vitriol towards LGBTQ people. These are children. Not targets.

Performance statistics for private schools are influenced by the fact that admission and retention of students is discretionary. Private Christian schools don’t have to accept a student population with special needs, those that may be less likely to graduate or go to college. (bit. ly/3O6hie6)

Quoting the Economic Policy Institute from the link above, “School vouchers — which include traditional private school subsidies, Education Savings Accounts, and private school tuition tax credits — are diversions of public funds to private and religious schools. Efforts to implement and expand voucher programs in states across the country are key to the relentless and enduring campaign to defund and then privatize public education, a movement that also includes manufacturing mistrust in public schools and targeting educators and their unions.”

In essence, Roper is drawing a false equivalence.

Roper claims discrimination against Christian kids. No one is discriminating against kids or families who are Christian. The beauty of the United States is that people are free to choose their own religion or no religion and still be safe in that choice.

However, in the U.S., and worldwide, there is an upsurge in Christian nationalist ideology driving fear and hatred of “other.” It is these same hateful tenets on which the Nazi party was founded. Some Christian schools in the U.S., and two in Vermont, have refused to sign pledges

prohibiting hateful discriminatory behavior such as bullying, abuse and religious discrimination.

Many Christian schools believe that homosexuality is a sin, and therefore something to be fixed. Bullying and hazing is the norm for trans and LGBTQ kids, and cause increased rates of mental health crises, suicide and self-harm. We should all be concerned with our tax dollars supporting systems that are inherently hateful and intolerant of a subset of children.

Historically speaking, Catholic and Christian schools have a long track record of serious discrimination against women, and abuse toward both men and women and children.

and infuriating at worst. We do not deny that there are many good religious organizations that do wonderful work. And as Americans, we have a right to be free of religion if we so choose.

It is wrong to require the general taxpayers to fund religious education of any sort, no matter how good a school it is academically. Religious education can come with a hefty price, that of indoctrination and potential lethal discrimination.

Roper’s comment about drag queens was a right-wing dog whistle, a nod to the public enmity that

It is absolutely within our rights as Americans to hold religious beliefs. However, subsidizing any student’s tuition into a religious school is violating the sacrosanct separation of church and state that was laid down by the Founders, eating away at crucial funding from public schools.

the GOP is fueling the LGBTQ population.

While the GOP puts forth a concerted effort to vilify and target LGBTQ people, it is up to us to speak up and fight for those who would be hurt and marginalized. We all see the numerous targeted attacks on trans and LGBTQ kids in our country and worldwide. This is what Hitler did. Hateful rhetoric, new laws restricting health care for trans kids, and fear mongering about drag queens and LGBTQ people from the far right is their only tool to gain power and amplify hatred and fear.

Roper’s comment about drag queens was a right-wing dog whistle, a nod to the public enmity that the GOP is fueling the LGBTQ population. The GOP, of which Roper was the leader in Vermont, actively promotes hatred and fear regarding sexuality. I would rather have my grandchildren listen to a story read by a drag queen than by a religious clergy person anytime.

Friends and family of mine have suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church, and to suggest that Christian schools are safe places is laughable at best

Let’s not put kids at risk. The men in dresses you might need to watch out for may be religious figures, not drag queens, and I resent the implication that it is otherwise. Vilifying vulnerable populations is hardly a noble pursuit, Mr. Roper?

Let’s keep schools safe for all children, and support our public schools, and the hard-working people who work to keep our children, all of them, safe and educated.

James and Kathleen B. Bruce live in Hinesburg.

Reader objects to writer’s piece on school choice

To the Editor:

With regards to the opinion column by Rob Roper, I would think the Citizen would have the good sense not to print both headlines and pieces that are so patently false. (“The Blob discriminates against Christianity,” June 29, 2023.)

Is Christianity being targeted in Vermont? It is the dominant religion, so this constant playing the victim as you leave less and less space for others’ opinions … well, maybe that’s a Christian thing.

Josh May

Charlotte Attorney general explains Monsanto lawsuit

To the Editor:

Like many Vermonters, I have a deep connection to Vermont’s forests, clean water and green landscape. I grew up hiking and skiing in our beautiful Green Mountains, swimming in our rivers and ponds and watching sunsets over Lake Champlain. I believe that when bad actors poison our natural resources, they are harming the soul of Vermont and they must be held accountable.

Monsanto manufactured, marketed, distributed and sold toxic and dangerous chemical compounds called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, from 1929 to 1977. PCB products were sold — including in Vermont — for use in household and business products like paints, caulks, inks,

dyes, paper products, sealants, fireproofing and electrical equipment.

The result is that Vermont’s surface waters and aquatic wildlife have been contaminated with PCBs. Lake Champlain is severely contaminated with PCBs, and there are fish advisories for lake trout taken from Lake Champlain. Not only that, but our statewide PCB testing program has shown that many Vermont schools are also contaminated and will require remediation.

As Monsanto knew, PCBs inevitably volatize and leach, leak and escape from their intended applications and products, contaminating runoff during storm and rain events, and PCBs persist in the natural environment

rather than break down over time.

This is why, as Vermont Attorney General, I have sued Monsanto on behalf of Vermont’s environment, schools, children and future generations. I am leveraging the full force of my office to hold Monsanto accountable for knowingly creating and distributing PCBs.

I’m proud that Vermont is the first state in the country to stand up a statewide school testing program. School testing will provide further insights into additional schools that will need to be remediated.

As Vermont’s school testing program continues, we expect the number of contaminated schools to grow. Vermonters should know that I intend to turn over every

Check Locally First

rock and search for every penny to get Vermont the most funding possible to help remediate.

Vermont taxpayers should not have to bear the full cost of cleaning up someone else’s mess.

Of course, there are no guarantees in litigation, and this could be a long fight, but I am in this for the long haul. We know from past lawsuits against bad actors that the money we can recoup may not be enough. But we must hold Monsanto accountable for the harm that it has caused to this state we all love.

As a mother of a school-aged child, as a Vermonter and especially as your attorney general, I will always fight to protect Vermont’s environment.

Charity Clark Vermont Attorney General

Reader puts

to ‘The Blob’

To the Editor:

a face

I’m writing in response to Rob Roper’s guest perspective piece where he despairs that a collection of organizations invested in public education, including school boards, superintendents and teachers’ unions, whom he refers to as “The Blob,” would prefer to “eliminate all school choice in Vermont than allow some — any — parents to choose to send their kids to a religious school with taxpayer dollars.”

(“The Blob seeks ways to continue discriminating against Christians,” June 29, 2023) I have so many issues with this overheated encomium on the superlative nature of Catholic school education, I hardly know where to start.

I could talk about the separation of church and state and the inappropriateness of public tax dollars funding a religious education. I could talk about the absurdity of calling a refusal to fund religious education with public dollars discrimination.

I could talk about the perils of calling out school choice as a juxtaposition between praying before meals or listening to drag queen story hour at a time when threats of violence against the queer community are intensifying.

However, my biggest issue is the utterly juvenile choice to refer to public education professionals as “The Blob.” These are human beings — hard-working and often underpaid human beings — who have committed themselves to the education of our children.

Referring to these valued community members in such profoundly disrespectful manner isn’t just immature, it’s dangerous. This is how we start disregarding each other’s humanity. This is how we start seeing people we disagree with as lesser beings than ourselves. This is how we start to view people as animals and objects, not worthy of the same rights and protections. This is how violence starts. This is what makes killing innocent people easy, and I, for one, don’t want to add any more grease to that already-slippery slope.

On a final note, I’ve known plenty of Christians and plenty of drag queens. No drag queen ever told me I’m going straight to hell for not believing in the Goddess of Glitter. Can’t say the same thing for the Christians.

Kathryn Blume Charlotte

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

Shelburne’s resident ospreys — mom, dad and youngster — survey the surrounding landscape from their nest.

Buying and shopping locally helps independent businesses, which in turn helps all of us shape our community’s distinct flavor, personality and character. We’re all in this together.

Mockingbird: A master of mimicry

The Outside Story

Laurie D. Morrissey

When I worked on a college campus, a northern mockingbird often accompanied me on the walk between my car and my office. This slender gray bird darted from the hedges, flashing white wing patches and outer tail feathers before landing on a crabapple branch, where it poured forth a string of trills and phrases, sounding like several different birds singing and calling one after another. A noted mimic, the northern mockingbird is in the same family as the brown thrasher and the catbird.

Mimus polyglottos (Latin for many-tongued mimic) is North America’s only native mockingbird. A few decades ago, this species was relatively rare in northern New England, but its range has expanded northward as far as southern Canada. It is found mainly at lower elevations, in human-created landscapes.

It does well in suburban areas, often staying through the winter and surviving on berries and fruits including sumac and holly. Mockingbirds also eat the fruit of multiflora rose, an aggressive invasive shrub that has populated old fields, pastures and roadsides — and may be one reason for the mockingbird’s expansion.

This robin-sized bird has

several interesting behaviors, including aggressively defending its nest from predators. “They’ll fly at you and actually hit you on the top of your head if you get too close,” said Rebecca Suomala of New Hampshire Audubon. The birds also have a feeding behavior known as “flush pursuit.” Foraging on open ground, a mockingbird runs several steps, stops, and flashes its wings, startling insects, spiders, and other prey out of hiding.

But the northern mockingbird’s reputation rests on its impressive mimicry, which ranges from other birdsong to insects, frogs, and human-made sounds such as car horns, sirens, rusty hinges, and musical instruments. Unmated males even sing at night, especially during the full moon or near streetlights. Avian experts often field calls from disturbed sleepers. “They ask if there’s anything they can do,” said Suomala. “I suggest that they go scare the mockingbird away every time, and maybe they’ll get out of the habit of singing in that spot.”

While young songbirds typically learn songs from adults of their species, most species do not continue adding to their repertoire after a year or so. But male mockingbirds — and other mimics — add phrases every year, and mockingbirds may learn more than 200 songs. Although catbirds

and brown thrashers tend to have a greater number of songs, the mockingbird’s playlist includes more songs that are distinctly imitative.

Donald Kroodsma, author of “The Singing Life of Birds” and “Birdsong for the Curious Naturalist,” is one of the world’s leading experts on the topic. “I think of the mockingbird with about 100 songs, the catbird with 200 to 400, thrasher with 1,000 to 2,000,” he said. “All three mimic, but the mockingbird mimics far more than the other species. The catbirds and thrashers have far larger repertoires because they improvise their songs, making them up.”

Another difference between these avian mimics is the number of times their songs are repeated. Brown thrashers sing phrases twice before moving on, while mockingbirds usually sing a phrase three to seven times. Catbirds do not typically repeat phrases backto-back, but produce an irregular succession of notes and phrases.

In “The Singing Life of Birds,” Kroodsma describes an unmated male mockingbird singing 465 songs in 26 minutes. This performance included songs of seven species, repeated 2 to 8 times apiece, separated by pauses of about a second and a half. He esti-

ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL

COMMUNITY

Community Notes

Henry Sheldon Museum presents lunchtime talks

This summer, the Henry Sheldon Museum in Middlebury presents a series of six lunchtime gallery talks, held every other Wednesday through Aug. 23 highlighting its current exhibition, “Artists in the Archives: Unseen Neighbors.”

Each presentation will focus on a particular artist’s collage that explores themes with which communities have grappled historically, such as race, difference, sexuality and gender.

The Wednesday, July 12, noon gallery talk is “Making Sense of Representation: Rural Queer Life in and beyond the Archive” with Carly Thomsen, associate professor of gender, sexuality and feminist studies at Middlebury College.

On Wednesday, July 26, the gallery talk, also at noon, will be “Forecasts for a post-Roe America.”

Within hours of the end of Roe, state abortion bans began to take effect and clinics began to close, leaving would-be patients with little time to lose scrambling to figure out where to go next in a shifting and unstable landscape.

Professor Caitlin Knowles Myers will discuss a forecast for a post-Roe America covering changes in abortions and births and downstream effects on the economic lives of women and their families. She is the John G. McCullough Professor of Economics and co-director of the Middlebury Initiative for Data and Digital Methods.

All talks are free with museum admission. For more information, go to henrysheldonmuseum.org.

Circus returns for summer at Bread & Puppet

Bread & Puppet Circus returns for the summer with “The Heart of the Matter Circus & Pageant” every Sunday through Aug. 27 at 3 p.m.

In the tradition of the iconic Bread & Puppet circuses that began at Goddard College in Plainfield in 1970, the show will draw on traditional circus tropes and familiar Bread and Puppet iconography to draw attention to the urgent issues of the day. Stilt dancers, paper maché beasts of all sizes and a riotous brass band make a raucous, colorful spectacle of protest and celebration.

The circus is followed immediately by the pageant in the adja-

cent field. After both shows are finished, Bread & Puppet will serve its famous sourdough rye bread with aioli.

Bread & Puppet is located at 753 Heights Road in Glover. Tickets can be purchased in advance at breadandpuppet.org for $10, or by donation at the door on the day of the show. No one is turned away due to lack of funds.

Holocaust survivors’ families give museum talk

On Sunday, July 16 at 2 p.m., the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum’s free monthly lecture series presents “Holocaust History and Its Connections in Vermont” by Vermont Holocaust Memorial members Miriam Rosenbloom and Tom Glaser.

Vermont Holocaust Memorial vice president and daughter of Holocaust survivors, Rosenbloom will share the background and efforts of the nonprofit organization, including its goals, mission and vision.

Glaser, a son of Holocaust survivors and a Vermont Holocaust Memorial speaker bureau member from Shelburne, will share a presentation of his family’s harrowing story of survival through the Holocaust. By imparting the lessons to be learned from these legacies Rosenbloom and Glaser hope that current and future generations of Vermonters will become respectful of all.

At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be invited to take part in the Leaf Project, a memorial to the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust.

Camp Ta-Kum-Ta holds lobster bake, auction

Camp Ta-Kum-Ta holds its annual catered lobster and steak

dinner on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 5 p.m. in South Hero. Guests will enjoy an evening of food and live music while supporting year-round programs for families impacted by childhood cancer.

Guests will have the option to bid on a curated collection of local and unique items in the silent auction. Items range from one of a kind works of art to gift cards for local restaurants and signed sports memorabilia.

To see auction ideas or to order a Bake in the Box, go to takumta. org/lobster-bake.

Friends of the Hort Farm plant sale is Saturday

Empty spaces in your garden?

Bring your list to the annual Friends of the University of Vermont Hort Farm plant sale on Saturday, July 15, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the UVM Horticulture Farm, 65 Green Mountain Drive, South Burlington.

The sale offers a wide variety of ornamental trees, shrubs and perennials donated by over 40 Vermont nurseries. Members-only preview is from 9-10 a.m. Members are able to view and purchase plants early. Become a member at friendsofthehortfarm.org or at the sale.

Don’t forget Charlotte’s porch book sale Sunday

The Charlotte Library welcomes everyone to the Friends of the Charlotte Library for its annual porch book sale, Sunday, July 16, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Ice cream will be served during the sale.

Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte

Senior

Center

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, July 20, is from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center features beef steak with mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes, broccoli florets, wheat roll, pumpkin and

white chocolate chip cookie and milk.

You must pre-register by the prior Monday at 802-425-6345 or meals@charlotteseniorcentervt. org.

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

PHOTO BY GARRETT MACLEAN Protesters perform at the Bread and Puppet Circus in 2022.

PHOTO BY HAYLEY HORNUS Plants from Vermont nurseries will be on sale at the annual Friends of the University of Vermont Hort Farm plant sale.

Professor Carly Thomsen

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.

ONGOING

Preschool free play

Wednesdays in July, 10-11 a.m.

Kids explore the sensory table, sorting, playing with blocks, play dough and more. Ages 3 and 4.

Book chat

Wednesdays in July, 3-4 p.m.

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

Preschool storytime

Tuesdays in July, 10-11 a.m. Join us at the Charlotte Library for preschool stories, crafts and activities. No registration required. Age 2 and over.

Make it Monday

Mondays, July 17 and 24, 1-2 p.m.

Monday afternoons in July are the perfect time for craft projects. Dabble in art, make suncatchers and dinosaur gardens, weave friendship bracelets and create rain sticks. Age 6 and up.

PROGRAMS

Grange on the Green: Will Patton Quartet

Thursday, July 13, 5:30-7 p.m. Gypsy jazz and Brazilian styles as well as straight up bebop and many original compositions. Hosted by the Charlotte Library and the Charlotte Grange. On the

town green. Rain location: Charlotte Senior Center.

Friends of the Library Book Sale

Sunday, July 16, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. On the library’s front porch. Ice cream will be served!

Mystery book group: ‘The Long Call’ by Ann Cleeves

Monday, July 17, 10-11 a.m.

In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Det. Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his estranged father’s funeral takes place. Then, a body is found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.

Project Micro

Wednesday, July 19, 2-3 p.m.

Join Jan Schwarz of Project Micro to study sand from all corners of the globe and other microscopic treasures of the earth. Registration required, ages 7 and up. This is a live event, register at bit.ly/3D53zxT.

Short story selections

Wednesdays, July 19, 1-2 p.m.

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

Garden circle

Wednesday, July 19, 4:30-6 p.m.

Join the garden circle volunteers who tend the educational gardens around the library. Contact stewards Karen Tuininga and Linda Hamilton at seed@charlottepubliclibrary.org to sign up and join in the merry group work sessions this growing season.

News from Charlotte Library

Better together book club: ‘School for Good Mothers’

Wednesday, July 19, 7-8:30 p.m.

Grange on the Green: Nick Carter

Thursday, July 20, 5:30-7 p.m. Carter offers original music as

well as well-known folk music. Hosted by the Charlotte Library and the Charlotte Grange. On the Town Green. Rain location: Charlotte Senior Center.

Book discussion: ‘Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk’

Thursday, July 20, 7:30-9 p.m. A love letter to city life,

“Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk” by Kathleen Rooney paints a portrait of a remarkable woman across the canvas of a changing America: from the Jazz Age to the onset of the AIDS epidemic, and from the Great Depression to the birth of hip-hop. Join on Zoom.

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 July, 10 a.m.-noon

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

Weekly storytime

Tuesdays in July, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Stories, songs, rhymes, and crafts.

Summer reading club

Wednesdays, July 19 and 26, 10-11:30 a.m.

July 19: Family concert and sing-along with Rik Palieri. July 26: Dance with Ashley. (starts at 10:30 a.m.) Registration is required; sign up online.

ADULTS

Mystery book group

Wednesday, July 12, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Meet the second Wednesday

morning of each month to chat about a mystery book together. The month of July is a free-for-all: read any mystery and come to discuss.

Circle sing with Jody Albright

Wednesday, July 12, 6:30-7:45 p.m.

Circle singing is a community singing and sounding practice, spontaneous and evolving — like a drum circle for voices. Leaders create songs in the moment — patterns, percussive sounds, rhythms, harmonies, melodies, recognizable words or invented language — and teach the parts orally to the rest of the group. Sign up at the circulation desk or email rachel@carpentercarse.org.

Mindful ness with Peggy Dippen

Wednesday, July 19, 1-2 p.m. Are you curious about cultivating a greater capacity for awareness and self-reflection? Are you interested in learning skills to create a deeper understanding of self, others and the human condition? If so, this one-hour introductory workshop will introduce you to some basic Buddhist principles and offer a

few exercises to get you started for beginning an at-home practice. Sign up at rachel@carpentercarse.org.

Evening book group:

‘The Henna Artist’

Tuesday, July 25, 7-8 p.m.

This informal group meets virtually on the last Tuesday of each month to chat about a book together. May’s pick is “Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller. Reserve a book at rachel@carpentercarse.org.

Creative café

Saturday, July 29, 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.

Summer trivia live

Wednesday, July 26, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Exclusively for the summer, trivia night will move from Zoom to the library courtyard. Pizza, music, head-scratching questions and, of course, prizes for the winning individual or team. The theme is summer and all it entails, so bring your sunglasses and your A-game. Sign up at rachel@carpentercarse.org.

Beach party

Charlotters gathered at Charlotte Beach on July 8 for the town’s annual beach party barbecue and potluck, enjoying ice cream, meeting with their neighbors, taking in the grand view of the Adirondacks from Charlotte Beach along Lake Champlain, listening to the tunes of The Hokum Brothers and much more.

PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN

Green Valley Coconut Water brings two cultures together

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

“This country really means a lot to me. I came with a dream and we’re really working toward that,” Klinton Zhegu said, reminiscing about what the Fourth of July means to him and his family, and even more so, what it means for their business, Green Valley Coconut Water.

The South Burlington couple, Kim Nguyen and Klinton Zhegu, are changing the way people think about coconut water while also paying homage to Nguyen’s home country of Vietnam in the process. Zhegu, an engineer by trade, is originally from Albania but came to the United States in 1996 to work for IBM. On business in Vietnam in 2004, he met his wife Nguyen, who would later introduce him to the magic of coconut water.

“When she first introduced me to coconut water, I knew nothing, to be honest, about what it was,” Zhegu said. “But maybe 14 years ago she was like, ‘Hey, let’s have this because this is healthy.’ To be honest, I didn’t like it at all.”

Coconuts and coconut water are a year-round delicacy in Vietnam, Nguyen said. But when she came to the U.S. in 2004, the coconut water she found was strikingly different than the taste she grew up loving.

It wasn’t until the duo went on a routine trip to Vietnam to visit Nguyen’s family in 2014 that Zhegu was introduced to Vietnamese coconut water for the first time. The taste differed so drastically from what he had back in America — it’s much sweeter as opposed to the salty flavor that envelops many of the brands today on store shelves.

“My husband brought me to

the U.S., and he knew my family had a coconut business in Vietnam,” she said. “So, when I came here, we saw so many people drinking coconut water and my husband said, ‘Why don’t we bring that water to Vermont?’”

The couple spent the first year creating a business plan and contracting with family and other local farmers in the valley of Bén Tren in South Vietnam to source the freshest coconuts possible.

The region where the coconuts are harvested is surrounded by rivers and farmland, which Zhegu said is mostly why their product has sweeter undertones.

“Most coconut trees grow close to the sea or ocean in other places, even in Vietnam too. But this one is so inland that the soil is not saturated with salt water. It’s mostly the river, so that’s why it’s sweet,” explained Zhegu.

Most everything, including packaging, is done in Vietnam before the product takes the two-month haul to the States and its eventual arrival to a warehouse in South Burlington. But Nguyen and Zhegu oversee the entire process and visit Vietnam frequently throughout the year to ensure consistency, their biggest concern.

“Our vision is centered on these two things: First to be healthy, and second to be affordable because we don’t need to be greedy,” Zhegu said. “There’s no need for pesticides. If we were to apply pesticides, it’s money wasted because there’s always flowing water; it’s a delta with so many rivers.”

The duo sold their first case to Healthy Living shortly after the business plan was developed — before the product was even in

their hands — and interest from surrounding stores has never stopped.

“I was honest that we didn’t have the product yet,” explained Zhegu. “I just wanted to measure how much interest there was in coconut water. We met with Healthy Living in November, and they were like, ‘Yes, we’ll buy your coconut water.’ Then we went to another place, and they were like, ‘Yes, we’ll buy your coconut water.’ And then another place and another place.”

Zhegu said that the dream the couple started with continues to grow as the company grows larger

and reaches more areas outside of Vermont and the Northeast.

“We are close now to actually signing a contract with a company in California that would like to bring our product to California, Arizona and Texas,” Zhegu said.

For Nguyen, the business has held a much deeper meaning, that of melding together two places she calls home.

“My husband made the name because Vermont has the Green Mountains and then Vietnam is like the Valley of Coconut, so that’s where the Green Valley comes from — combining two worlds together,” she said.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Kim Nguyen and Klinton Zhegu and their family. The couple’s company, Green Valley Coconut Water, is thriving.

THE OUTSIDE STORY

continued from page 7

mated that with a reach of at least a quarter of a mile, the bird’s recital reached dozens of mockingbird territories.

The male mockingbird’s mimicry advertises his breeding territory to other males, warns competitors away from the food supply, and attracts females. Biologists believe that the quality and quantity of the repertoire are factors in mate selection. The older the bird, the more songs he’s picked up, and females may find mature males to be the most alluring.

Mockingbirds sing almost constantly during mating season, slowing down once they have secured a female partner. Singing picks up again after the eggs hatch, just before a potential second nesting cycle.

With all that is known

about mockingbirds, I am still curious about what makes them able to imitate so many sounds. Is it something about this bird’s brain or the anatomy of its syrinx? And why do they imitate other species – or a chainsaw or a washing machine? Even Kroodsma says he doesn’t know. “I don’t think that anyone has an answer to that,” he said. As any scientist knows, there is always more to learn.

Laurie D. Morrissey is a writer who lives in Hopkinton, N.H., 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.

SALES EXECUTIVE

Award-winning group of community weeklies with offices in Stowe, Morrisville and South Burlington seeks a sales person. Ideal candidate should have a basic knowledge of the local towns, business and communities we serve. A proven track record in sales and an ability to offer topnotch customer service is a required. In addition to servicing established accounts, candidate must be able to generate sales from qualified leads as well as establish new ones. Our company offers health benefits, vacation time, and provides on the job training in newspapers sales. Generous base salary during training and ideal hours (few nights or weekends). If you possess these qualifications and would like to be considered, please send your resume and cover letter to: Bryan Meszkat at bryan@newsandcitizen.com.

COMMITTEE

continued from page 1

could knock these around and pretty quickly we can come up with a small group. I mean, maybe we’ll get a 10th. But I think with the folks that we have right now we could come to a consensus on three people who make it to that next level.”

The committee is expected to conduct firstround interviews through mid-August before finalists are selected. Finalists are anticipated to meet with town staff and officials for half-hourlong meetings followed by a final round of interviews with the selectboard. The hope is to make an official offer by the end of August.

person,” board member Louise McCarren said. “The interview committee, and God bless them for stepping forward, is just to interview people and to make some recommendations to the selectboard.”

Do you have photos you would like to share with the community?

Send them to us:

news@thecitizenvt.com

—

Selectboard members reminded residents that they remain solely responsible for the official hiring.

“The selectboard has all the authority to appoint the next

ROOF

continued from page 1

has been no structural work done on the building since 1993. The Big Room, the main meeting room for town officials and the public, has been closed off the fall of 2021.

The $300,000 will temporarily shore up the roof and walls of the area in question, allowing use of the meeting room. But the expenditure remains a temporary fix.

The town had explored a full rehabilitation of the entire building in April and heard proposals from engineering firm Wiemann Lamphere Architects to spend, at a minimum, $3.4 million for improvements to the building, such as structural rehabilitations to the roof, a new elevator, stair components and other improvements to bring the building into ADA compliance.

It remains uncertain whether the town will even continue with a town administrator form of government in a few months. There is still a petition — with more than 200 signatures — floating around to switch to a town manager form of government.

Instead of filing the petition to force a townwide vote, petitioners, at the urging of selectboard members, agreed to hold off until there is more information about what the change could mean for the town — a conversation that selectboard members said feels like a “gun-to-the-head” situation.

The selectboard decided last month to pay a consultant — resident and former Shelburne town manager Lee Krohn — $2,500 to research the ins and outs of a town manager form of government and how it might differ from how it operates now, with just a town administrator. His findings will be presented at the July 18 selectboard meeting.

While an administrator works under supervision and direction from the selectboard, a town manager has more authority and acts as a liaison between town staff and the board.

Members circulating the petition have agreed they would not release it yet but plan to bring the topic back up in August — in the thick of final candidate interviews — to give the selectboard time to fully digest Krohn’s report.

The current town administrator job posting on the town’s website does specify that the position could change to a town manager after hiring.

“This is an important decision by the way,” said Faulkner, speaking of the interview committee. “So that’s why we’re glad we have a good, experienced group.”

The preferred renovation to modernize and upgrade the building, including adding more than 12,000 square feet of new construction to the building, would have cost at least $6 million.

But the town put that on hold, after receiving bids well over expectations for the state-mandated wastewater treatment facility. The selectboard has since rejected those bids and are still weighing its options.

Selectboard chair Merrily Lovell last week questioned whether spending the $300,000 would turn into “work that would be undone if we eventually are able to update the town hall the way we like to. Are we throwing money away by doing this temporary fix?” she asked.

CHARLOTTE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

Will hold a public hearing at Town Hall, 159 Ferry Rd., Charlotte, VT on the following applications during its regular meeting of Wednesday, July 26, 2023:

7:30 PM 23-077-CU Smith– Replace existing camp at 2588 Thompson’s Point Rd.

For more information, contact the Planning & Zoning Office at 802.425.3533 ext. 208, or by email at: pza@townofcharlotte.com.

Grossman and town manager Todd Odit said the money would allow for the use of the Big Room but said they couldn’t give a definitive answer as to how long the fix would keep the room open.

“I don’t think anyone’s going to give us a definitive answer on how long it’s going to last — you have to add on top of the fact that we have a very old slate roof and that could start leaking again in a year or two,” Odit said. “I would see this as a temporary solution.”

Selectboard members Mike Loner and Paul Lamberson advocated for spending the money to ensure the building remains useable.

Full renovations of town hall included big budget numbers that “I just can’t imagine are going to happen very soon,” Lamberson said.

“If we get five years out of the $300,000 expense before the next major repair is needed, that’s OK with me — (but) we got to get that building back into public use.”

“If the roof does finally fail, it’s not like we’re just losing that one section of the building. We won’t be able to use the (entire) building,” Longer said. “I think we’ve been limping along with an un-useable section of the building long enough.”

“I think with the folks that we have right now we could come to a consensus on three people who make it to that next level.”

Lewis Mudge

Charlotte Selectboard

PUBLIC HEARING

Hinesburg Development Review Board

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

7:00 pm

Gayle Erdman & Doug Gardner - Subdivision revision to modify a building envelope for a property located at 2555 Shelburne Falls Road in the Agricultural Zoning District.

The meeting will be both in person and remote. See meeting agenda on town website with details on how to participate.

TOWN OF CHARLOTTE IS ISSUING A REQUEST FOR BIDS For Installation of Power Door Openers at the Charlotte Library

The Request for Bids can be viewed at www.charlottevt.org and can also be obtained by contacting Dean Bloch, Town Administrator, at townadmin@townofcharlotte.com or 425-3071 ext. 5.

Sealed bids are due by 4:00 PM August 14, 2023

Mailed or hand delivered to: Dean Bloch, Town Administrator, Charlotte Town O ce, 159 Ferry Road, P.O. Box 119, Charlotte, VT 05445—envelopes should be labeled “Library Power Door Installation”. If hand delivering, use the mail slot to the right of the front door.

Bids are to be opened on August 14, 2023 at 6:40 PM at the Town O ce.

The Town of Charlotte reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids for any reason, and may not necessarily select the lowest bid.

WHY GO

Buying

helps all of us shape our

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.

100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal.

So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.

SHELBURNE DAY

continued from page 4

RABIES BAIT

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

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

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.

saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal.

Buying Sports and

So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.

Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food vendors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and

SHELBURNE DAY

continued from page 4

face burne-Hinesburg head the Golf depending land.

Rotary’s

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.

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Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food ven dors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and

face burne-Hinesburg head the Golf depending land. Rotary’s

for rates: call 985-3091 or email advertising@shelburnenews.com

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Aries, there are tips and tricks to learn through observation of others, particularly if those people are doing something with style. Keep your eyes peeled for inspiration.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, let other people know what you are feeling by wearing your heart on your sleeve a little more often. You don’t have to be stoic all of the time. It is alright to ask for help as well.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

It may seem like the days this week will trickle by at a snail’s pace, Gemini. It is perfectly ne to enjoy some slow-moving days for a change to help you recharge.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

Cancer, kick up your irtatious nature, particularly if you have your eye on someone and are eager to start a relationship. Those who are attached can rekindle the passion.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Leo, share your optimism and level-headedness with someone who could use your support right now. You have an uncanny way of making others feel relaxed just by being in your company.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

An interesting travel opportunity comes your way, Virgo. However, at rst glance it might not seem like the type of trip you would normally take. Keep an open mind and be surprised.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

Libra, if you do not like the way things are going in one of your relationships, it is alright to speak up and encourage change. You are an equal partner and compromise is necessary.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, you have to jump on every opportunity to get ahead that is presented to you, even if it may temporarily upset your schedule and life. The investment will be worth it.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Get involved with helping others as much as possible, Sagittarius. This way you will be in the unique position to help someone close to you who needs it soon enough.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Capricorn, there is nothing that you cannot accomplish when you lay on the charm. Others will ock to you this week and want to hear what you have to say.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

Enjoy every meeting of minds that you encounter, Aquarius. Each relationship and discussion can help broaden your horizons, and you can use that information wisely.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

Pisces, no matter how good a partnership looks on paper, if you are not meshing with this individual then it is not a partnership worth pursuing. Focus your attention elsewhere.

CLUES ACROSS

1. Database management system

5. Medical procedures

11. __ Clapton, musician

12. Defender

16. Exert oneself

17. Indicates position

18. Prevents river over ow

19. Atrocities

24. Mister

25. Ends

26. Slope or tilt

27. Taxi

28. The very ends

29. Actor Sean 30. Japanese persimmon

31. Sours

33. Bene ciary 34. Baseball of cial 38. Muddy, boggy ground

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

56. Local jurisdictions

58. It cools your home

59. Dismounted from a horse

60. Charge with a crime

63. Close in 64. Spoke

65. Famed garden

CLUES DOWN

1. Draw a scene

2. Its sultan is famous

3. Unlucky accident

4. A way to ski

5. Abba __, Israeli politician

6. Saw

7. “Westworld” actor Harris

8. Belonging to me

9. Shoelace tube

10. Takes to court

13. Early multimedia

14. In a way, produces

15. Bowlers

20. Of I

21. Equally

22. Gets some sun

23. A place to stay

27. Town in Galilee

29. Aronofsky lm

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!

30. Klingon character, “Star Trek”

ANSWERS

31. Equal to 100 square meters

32. Atomic #58

33. Arrived extinct

34. Loosen grip

35. A distinctive odor that is unpleasant 36. Membranes

37. Some is poisonous 38. Partner to Pa

40. Small brown gray rail 41. A salt or ester of acetic acid 42. Sodium 44. Military of cial (abbr.)

45. Lighted 46. Took off 47. All 48. Ohio city 50. More abject 51. A radio band 52. Controversial tech product (abbr.) 54. Monetary unit 55. Passed with ying colors

57. A way to win a boxing match

The Golden State

Home of the Longhorns