Snuggle goats
Local farm makes connections to land, food, each other
Charlotte assesses storm damage, works to secure funding
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Three weeks after another historic flood ravaged much of the state, Charlotte is assessing the roughly $2 million in damages and is now hoping to access federal and state funding to offset those escalating expenses.
“This has been kind of a 24/7 event for us to manage,” select-
board chair Jim Faulkner said at a selectboard meeting last week.
Road commissioner Junior Lewis and his crew have been working around the clock cleaning roads and filling washouts. While most of the town roads are back in shape, there is still nearly two months of work to be done.
See STORM DAMAGE on page 12
Hinesburg updates housing bylaws
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The Hinesburg Planning Commission has adopted a set of zoning changes meant to align with new state laws aimed at spurring more housing, specifically affordable housing.
In 2023, the town was awarded an $18,000 grant from the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development to update its bylaws to reflect changes in state law concerning zoning. The commission engaged planning consultant, PlaceSense, to take a deep dive into its regula-
tions to see where changes could be made, which laid the groundwork for this group of zoning changes.
“The state was recognizing that the housing crisis was getting worse, so they worked with an outside group to come up with a new guide for municipalities called ‘Zoning for Great Neighborhoods,’” Hinesburg director of planning and zoning Alex Weinhagen said.
The guide was intended to help municipalities reevaluate their
See ZONING on page 12
PHOTO BY BILL FRASER-HARRIS
A setting sun offers the perfect backdrop to Charlotte Town Beach.
From the beach
Awaiting declaration, state forges ahead with Vermont’s flood cleanup
SARAH MEARHOFF VTDIGGER
Two weeks after this month’s catastrophic flooding event, Vermont is still waiting on the federal government to issue possible disaster declarations, which could release significant funding to support recovery efforts. In the meantime, Vermont offi-
cials are taking matters into their own hands, establishing staterun disaster recovery centers and exploring ways to redirect state funds in this year’s budget to quickly aid Vermonters in their recovery.
That’s not to say that the feds are absent. Rather, Gov. Phil Scott told reporters last Wednesday, the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency is “moving in a more traditional path,” compared to its expedited response to last summer’s flooding, which he said was quicker due to robust media coverage of that event.
FEMA officials are conducting damage assessments in eight Vermont counties to see whether the state qualifies for an emergency declaration.
“While it may seem like it’s taking a while for damage to be assessed, it’s important to remember it’s only been two weeks since the storm,” Scott said last week. Still, he acknowledged, “for many, two weeks feels like a very, very long time,” so the state has been forging ahead on its own. It has opened four of its own disaster recovery centers, modeled after those stood up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of last year’s floods. Those state-run centers are in Barre, Hinesburg, Lyndonville and Plainfield and are expected to remain open for about three weeks. Vermonters can visit them to receive assistance in documenting flood damage, filing reports with 211, connecting with volunteer groups, or receiving basic medical and mental health treatment.
PHOTO BY CABEB KENNA/VTDIGGER Flooding on River Road in New Haven on July 11.
Recovery centers open in five locations
Flood recovery centers in Barre, Hinesburg, Lyndonville and Plainfield are now open.
Flood recovery centers provide snacks and water from the Red Cross, cleaning kits, help finding recovery resources, and mental health and basic medical services.
Centers are open every day from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. at the following locations:
• Barre, Mondays and Fridays — Barre Municipal Auditorium, 16 Auditorium Hill.
FLOOD CLEANUP
continued from page 2
“I encourage anyone who is impacted by the flooding to take advantage of this resource,” Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said. “Whether you are an impacted resident, a responder assisting with the aftermath or anyone feeling overwhelmed by recent events, you can stop by and have a snack and a bottle of water, provided by the American Red Cross, and talk to a trained professional.”
As the state awaits word on potential federal funding, Scott said, it’s exploring ways to redirect state money to recovery efforts before legislators return to the Statehouse in January. The governor said he met with state economist Jeff Carr last week to review the state’s finances, and the updated fiscal forecast was “generally good.”
To draw on funds from this year’s state budget, though, Scott said he would need the blessing of legislators on the powerful Emergency Board — composed of the governor and chairs of the Legislature’s budget-writing and tax committees.
“There’s not an appropriation to be made for that unless we change the current path for money that is spent,” Scott told reporters. “We can’t just spend new money.”
With the Emergency Board already scheduled to meet next week, Scott said he did not foresee the need to call a special legislative session to rework the budget. He said the greatest areas of need for state aid were flooded businesses and, as always, housing, including manufactured homes.
“We have been challenged by housing for a number of years,” Scott said. “As we know, the last flood exacerbated that, and this flood did, as well. So, we need to do something now.”
Scott did not provide additional detail about how much state funding he would seek for flood recovery nor how it would be spent.
State officials are continuing flood response work in other areas, too. According to Morrison, the 211 system has received 2,215 reports of residential flood damage across the state, and 244 reports of flood-damaged businesses. Should Vermont receive a federal disaster declaration, residents of any counties that qualify for individual aid would have to apply for it through FEMA directly, Morrison
• Plainfield, Wednesdays and Sundays — Plainfield Health Center, 157 Towne Ave.
• Lyndonville, Tuesdays and Saturdays — Vermont State University, Grey House, 180 Vail Drive, Lyndonville.
• Hinesburg, Thursdays — Champlain Valley Union High School, 369 CVU Road.
Learn more at vem.vermont.gov/ flood/recovery-center or by calling 2-1-1.
Flood impact survey
Following major flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl in July, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation is launching a flood impact survey to understand the impact on Vermont’s forest economy.
Forest economy businesses and landowners affected by flooding are asked to complete the survey, which will document the type and extent of the damage. The survey is for forest economy businesses such as logging contractors, consulting foresters, sawmills and forest products truckers, and forest landowners.
The survey will remain open until Aug. 20. Find it at bit.ly/3WDdWU1.
Those who also sustained losses should also report any damage to 211.
If you need a paper copy or help in completing the survey, contact Oliver Pierson at oliver.pierson@ vermont.gov or call 802-505-3563.
emphasized, even if they had already reported damage to 211.
Vermont is down to three flood-related state road closures, from a peak of 54 immediately after the flood, Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said. Those remaining closures — in Barnet, Duxbury and St. Johnsbury — are due to damaged bridges. According to Flynn, the state suffered “severe damage” to its roadways — enough to qualify for aid through the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief program.
State officials are also hustling to coordinate flood debris removal and state reimbursements to municipalities for that removal. Morrison directed Vermonters to remove flood-soiled debris from their homes and businesses by next week when debris is “likely” to be picked up around the state. She directed Vermonters to follow local guidance on where to place their debris.
“In the meantime, clean up, dry out and get that debris to the right-of-way,” Morrison said.
Public investment in child care is
WORKING.
THANK YOU LAWMAKERS FOR IMPROVING SCHOOL READINESS, GETTING PARENTS BACK TO WORK, AND MAKING OUR COMMUNITIES STRONGER!
LEARN MORE ABOUT ACT 76 AND PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN CHILD CARE:
PAID FOR BY LET’S GROW KIDS
CRIME & COURTS
Hinesburg Police Blotter: July 23-29
Total incidents: 42
Traffic Stops: 8
Arrests: 2
Selected incidents:
July 23 at 2:56 p.m., officers responded to a motor vehicle complaint on Place Road West.
July 24 at 1:53 p.m., an officer investigated a report of shoplifting at Kinney Drugs on Route 116.
July 24 at 3:00 p.m., an officer investigated the report of a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle on Route 116.
July 25 at 10:53 a.m., an officer attempted a traffic stop on Lincoln Hill Road and the driver fled from police. That incident is still being investigated.
July 25 at 3:02 p.m., officers investigated the report of shoplifting at Landman’s on Route 116.
July 26 at 8:47 a.m., an officer responded to an animal problem on Tyler Bridge Road.
July 26 at 10:08 p.m., officers responded to Richmond Road for a juvenile problem.
July 27 at 7:19 a.m., an officer responded to an animal prob-
lem at Lyman Meadows.
July 27 at 9:56 a.m., officers attempted to serve a trespass order to someone at a residence in Hinesburg.
July 28 at 11:52 a.m., a vehicle on Richmond Road was reported stolen. It was later located on Route 116. Sara Whritenour, 37, of Hinesburg, was arrested for operation without the owners’ consent.
July 28 at 2:16 p.m., a domestic dispute on Route 116 was investigated.
July 29 at 11:33 a.m., an officer responded to a resident dispute on Hillview Terrace.
July 29 at 7:28 p.m., police investigated threatening behavior on Hillview Terrace.
July 29 at 11:36 p.m., an officer responded to a single vehicle crash on Gilman Road. Danniel Auclair, 21 of Bristol, was cited for driving under the influence. They refused a breathalyzer test.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Office and can be amended or dropped.
The Citizen
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Woman gets no jail time for gun buy
MIKE DONOGHUE CORRESPONDENT
A federal judge has placed a Jeffersonville mother under supervision by the U.S. Probation Office for two years as part for making an illegal gun purchase two years ago at a Chittenden County firearms store.
Tamira Lynn McKenna, 38, admitted in U.S. District Court in March that she lied about her drug use when she went to the Powderhorn Outdoor Sports Center in Williston to buy a Smith & Wesson 9-mm pistol in March 2022.
Federal Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also imposed a time served sentence for the felony count, although she had not since her indictment.
Federal sentencing guidelines, which are advisory, recommended that McKenna spend between 18 and 24 months in prison because her conduct involved three or more guns, court records showed.
McKenna also returned to the gun store in January 2023 and attempted to buy two more 9-mm pistols, but the sale never went through. Law enforcement found McKenna the next day and
she admitted to an addiction to cocaine and heroin, court records stated.
McKenna said one of the two guns was for her, but the other was for “Tim” or “J,” who had given her money to make the firearms purchase, court papers noted. She knew he was a convicted felon and that he sold illegal drugs, according to court records.
The actual gun buyer was from Connecticut and was known to sell cocaine and heroin/fentanyl, Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Stendig said in his sentencing memo.
Both the defense and prosecution proposed that McKenna, who has two children, not get any jail time because she had taken responsibility since her arrest.
McKenna, who has struggled with drug addiction, sought treatment at Valley Vista in Vergennes in August 2023, Stendig said. McKenna also later had intensive outpatient treatment through the Howard Center.
Defense lawyer Lisa Shelkrot said McKenna is a devoted wife and mother, a lifelong Vermont resident and a hard worker. McKenna hopes to regain her
licensed nursing assistant license and resume her career. She had worked at Burlington Health and Rehab.
Shelkrot asked that the court not prevent her from regaining her LNA license.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with members of the Chittenden County Gun Violence Task Force, conducted a raid at the McKenna residence on Sand Hill Road on July 27, 2023.
Meanwhile, her husband, Jacob Daniel McKenna, 38, was also indicted on three felony counts of making false written statements to deceive licensed dealers in South Burlington and Williston to unlawfully obtain guns.
In each case he knew the firearms were being bought in his name, but were for somebody else, records show.
Jacob McKenna has pleaded guilty in May to one count for the illegal purchase of a Ruger LCP Gen 2 pistol at the Powderhorn in October 2022, records showed.
Under the plea agreement, two other charges for false statements will be dropped at sentencing.
A New Voice for Vermont
Health care in Vermont is in crisis. Our failing system is costing Vermonters hundreds of millions of dollars each yearand sometimes their lives.
There are changes we can make right now to improve the situation, and with 30 years of experience as a physician, I would like to help.
I’m running against three incumbents, but I feel strongly that if we keep electing the same people year after year, we’re going to get the same failed policies. We need new voices, new energy, and new ideas in the State Senate.
I ask for your support and your vote in the August 13 primary.
Website: louismeyers.com | Email: louismeyers1@gmail.com
OPINION
Lawmaker calls out misinformation on heat act
Guest Perspective
Jill Krowinski
There has been a significant and intentional misinformation campaign circulating across Vermont about the Affordable Heat Act. Much of this information is coming from groups outside of Vermont, like Americans for Prosperity.
Founded in 2004 by brothers David H. and Charles Koch of Koch Industries, this super PAC has emerged as a leading defender of the oil and gas industry and a well-funded opponent of climate and environmental initiatives nationwide. In May 2024, Americans for Prosperity announced a “major five-part mail and digital campaign” to target Vermont voters during this election cycle. Its postcards, for example, include false claims that the act “mandates heat pump installations in homes.
I condemn the spread of this misinformation and the influence of dark money that aims to promote confusion and fear. Vermonters deserve to know the truth about legislation that affects their daily lives and the last thing they need is interference from bad actors.
rule-drafting process, and requires several important fact-finding studies, for consideration and possible action by the Legislature in the upcoming biennium.
In 2020, Vermonters could purchase home heating oil at a price of $2 dollars per gallon, which is a relatively affordable price for most families. However, in November 2022, Vermonters saw heating prices skyrocket to $5.87 dollars per gallon, which no family can afford. These dramatic price changes were a result of global factors beyond our control.
I am hopeful that Vermonters will see through the fossil-fuel-funded misinformation campaign that looks to drum up fear and uncertainty through the use of inaccurate and alarmist messages.
The Affordable Heat Act is an important step in ensuring that all Vermonters have access to low-cost, reliable heat and relief from the dramatic increases in heating fuel that we see year over year. The bill, which passed in 2023, sets in motion a public
The goal of the Affordable Heat Act is to help insulate Vermonters from fossil-fuel price swings, and to make it easier and more affordable for them to transition — if they want to — to more sustainable renewable energy sources.
There has been much uninformed speculation about how or whether this proposed policy initiative might impact the price of heating fuel, and while there is little, I can do to stop superPAC-funded misinformation from flowing into the state, I can provide the facts to Vermonters on where we stand in the process.
Currently, draft rules for the Affordable Heat Act are being developed, informed by equity and technical advisory groups and a comprehensive study. All of this will be brought before the Legislature for a thorough and transparent review. This process will be open to all, with committee testimony and public hearings to ensure
CREMATION SERVICES
that Vermonters in all 14 counties have a voice and are heard.
When the Legislature reconvenes in January, we will take up the draft rules for implementing a clean heat standard and consider them as we would regular legislation. This means there will be public hearings, ongoing expert testimony and input from fuel dealers and energy regulators. It is possible that additional work will need to be done by the Legislature and administration prior to implementing this policy.
It will not become law unless, and until, it is approved by successful votes in both the House and Senate and signed by the governor. My commitment is to do the work to ensure that all Vermonters have access to reliable and affordable heating sources.
Additionally, we are working to develop opportunities to make Vermont more resilient in the face of a changing climate. The
devastating repeated flooding of the past two years highlights the need to double our resiliency efforts and ensure that Vermonters can live safely in their communities. Our mission is clear: adapt to climate change, lower emissions and promote sustainable and affordable energy options for heating and transportation. This is imperative to support an economy that works for all Vermonters.
I am hopeful that Vermonters will see through the fossil-fuel-funded misinformation campaign that looks to drum up fear and uncertainty through the use of inaccurate and alarmist messages. Vermonters need access to reliable, affordable heating solutions and we will continue our steady, thoughtful and transparent work to secure that access.
Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, is speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.
Letters to the Editor
School spending needs a legislative fix
To the Editor:
Here are some recent articles that I found enlightening: “Vermont’s education property tax system is not broken,” Rob Roper, Vermont Daily Chronicle; “Setting the record straight on education funding in Vermont,” Pattie McCoy, Mountain Times; and “Lack of transparency means unchecked tax increases, school bills,” Ben Kinsley, The Citizen.
Roper points out that in 1997 when Act 60 became law, Vermont had 106,000 students and a state school budget of $840 million. In 2024, the state school budget will grow to $2 billion while educating 80,000 students.
with 3,629 students and 254 teachers, and an operating budget for fiscal year 2025 of $101.8 million, and per pupil spending of $23,724. With that in mind, the Legislature has achieved little in balancing spending across the state with the state per pupil spending average being $13,440 and some school districts spending less than $10,000. What has Act 60 really achieved?
Yet the Vermont Legislature can take a hard line on education spending as the consolidated Vermont State University school budget has been cut to $135 million for 2025, cutting $5 million per year, and cutting four onsite dean positions, 33 staff, closing residence halls across five campuses and enacting a flexible hybrid curriculum for its declining 5,000 students.
McCoy points out that as a state, we now spend more educating 80,000 students than we spend on human services for 200,000 Vermonters. Kinsley points out that Vermont student test scores have been declining downward across the board for the past decade. Vermont’s test scores are declining faster than the national average.
To date, new tax bills have not arrived. But in Hinesburg, a home assessed at $400,000 will have a tax bill increase of $1,434. We live in a state with a property tax burden ranked 50th in the country. Yet the poverty rate in Vermont was 10.7 percent in 2000, and 10.4 percent in 2022, proving that the Vermont Legislature has done nothing to improve the number of citizens living in poverty over the past 22 years. In fact, the Legislature has made the problem worse.
In Hinesburg, Champlain Valley Union High School is regulated and managed by the Champlain Valley School District. The district manages five schools in five towns
Yes, the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont is underway and held its first meeting on July 15. Don’t get your hopes up though as the same “Big Ed” cast is controlling the study. In Vermont, we have a school spending problem.
It’s time for the Legislature to take back the checkbook from school districts and set reasonable spending amounts and open up transparency.
Student test outcomes can’t get any worse, and perhaps state regulators will be more successful removing wealthy long-term teachers from the payroll. Was it our plan to make the largest companies in Vermont the school districts? The problem is, we pay the bill. Hint, vote for conservative legislators.
John Clifford Hinesburg
Protect Our Wildlife gets grant to help coexist with beavers
The Maine Community Foundation has awarded the Vermont-based Protect Our Wildlife advocacy group a $40,000 grant to promote beaver coexistence.
The nonprofit Protect Our Wildlife works to educate the public about the importance of beavers through presentations, distributing informational brochures at events, testifying to the Legislature, fielding inquiries from landowners and municipalities and funding the installation of flow devices to protect against beaver damage.
The group has funded tens of thousands of dollars across the state to protect beavers, wetlands and infrastructure. It is looking for the public’s help to identify locations that may benefit from flow devices, wrapping trees and other coexistence practices.
“Beavers are a keystone species who create wetlands that provide habitat for other wildlife and that also help combat
LETTERS continued from page 6
Lewis Creek Association completes strategic plan
To the Editor:
Over the last six months, Lewis Creek Association has been working to develop a strategic plan for the next five years.
With the help of Momentum Communications, we were able to complete interviews with key stakeholders, analyze a survey of supporters, complete a board and staff survey and hold a board retreat. In addition, an analysis of our financials was completed by Structural Integrity, and recommendations were given to the board. Combined, these sources helped drive the goals and objectives in our newly completed strategic plan.
Over the next five years, Lewis Creek Association will recommit to being a leading community-based organization working to protect and restore the ecological health of watersheds; inspire people to be active stewards of watershed communities, both natural and human; and strengthen our organizational capacity to accomplish the goals outlined in this strategic plan.
You can view the completed plan at lewiscreek.org/what-we-do.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
Kate Kelly Program manager
Lewis Creek Association
CDC revises rules for dogs, borders
To the Editor:
In response to popular outcry from various countries, industry officials, veterinarians and the public, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has simplified the process for meeting requirements for dogs arriving from dog rabiesfree or low-risk countries.
Starting on Aug. 1, dogs entering or returning to the United States that have
the effects of climate change,” said John Aberth, a board member and wildlife rehabilitator who specializes in beavers. “Funding non-lethal solutions to human-beaver conflicts allows beavers to coexist and continue their hard work that benefits all of us.”
Beavers may help mitigate some climate change risks, including regulating stream flows, he said.
“We’re honored to work with Skip Lisle from Beaver Deceivers to address the needs of both private landowners and municipalities who are tired of the trap-killrepeat loop, which never solves the problem,” said Jennifer Lovett, another board member, conservation biologist and author of “Beavers Away!”
For those interested in learning more or applying for funding, email info@protectourwildlifevt.org.
only been in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the past six months must meet the following requirements:
• Dogs must appear healthy upon arrival.
• Dogs must be at least 6 months old at time of entry or return to the U.S.
• Dogs must have a microchip that can be detected with a universal scanner to identify them.
• A dog import form must be completed.
The CDC dog import form can be found online and easily completed in just a few minutes. Once completed, a receipt will be emailed, and you can print the receipt or show it on your phone to border officials. The free form and instructions on filling it out can be found at the CDC website.
For dogs that have only been in dog rabies-free or low-risk countries in the 6 months before U.S. entry, this is the only form that is needed. It is valid for 6 months from when it is issued and can be used for multiple entries into the U.S., unless the dog visits a high-risk (for rabies) country during that time. You can find a list of high-risk countries on the website.
You must have a form for each dog you are bringing to the U.S., and it can be filled out as late as the day of travel, although it is recommended to do it a few days in advance, just to be prepared. Then you only need show the receipt of the form to border officials.
To be safe, it is always a good idea to have a copy of your dog’s vaccination and health records when you travel. This ensures continuity of care from any emergency veterinary visits as well, should the need arise. Remember to check the import requirements for each country.
For more information on bringing your dog back into the United States, go to bit. ly/4flDDzV.
Dr. M. Kathleen Shaw
Vermont Veterinary Medical Association
COURTESY PHOTO
A Beaver Deceiver in Westminster paid for by Protect Our Wildlife.
Community Notes
Vermont Philharmonic plays pondside, lakeside
The Vermont Philharmonic’s outdoor Summer Pops concerts will be played pondside at Moose Meadow Lodge on Sunday, Aug. 11, and lakeside at Shore Acres in North Hero on Saturday, Aug. 31.
Both concerts are at 4 p.m.
Led by music director Lou Kosma, the orchestra will honor legendary composers and Vermont talent. The featured soloist is tenor Josh Collier who will perform “Besame Mucho,” “O Solo Mio” and Puccini’s “Nessun dorma.”
Concertmaster Joanna Alpizar will offer audiences “Si Nos Dejan” by José Alfredo Jiménez, with music arranged by Joanna’s husband Mark Alpizar. The orchestra will also perform music by Morton Gould, George Gershwin, Andrew Lloyd Webber and young Vermont composer Jamie MaddoxWhite.
Parking is limited at both locations. Tickets and information are online at vermontphilharmonic. com.
Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center
The Age Well meal pickup for Wednesday, Aug. 7, is from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center. The meal features baked meatloaf with gravy, sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts, dinner roll, tapioca pudding with peaches and cream 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.
The meal on Wednesday, Aug.
14, features roast turkey with sauce, potatoes with ranch dressing, mixed vegetables, dinner roll, date and raisin cookie and milk.
Sign up now for Shelburne grab and go meal
Age Well and St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne are teaming up to provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Meals will be available for pick up in the parking lot at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m. until noon and are available for anyone 60 or older. Suggested donation is $5.
The menu roast turkey with gravy, potatoes with ranch dressing, mixed vegetables, dinner roll, date raisin cookie and milk.
To order a meal contact Kathleen at agewellstcath@gmail.com or 802-503-1107. Deadline to order is Wednesday, Aug. 7. Learn more at agewellvt.org.
Enjoy free coffee, muffins at The Grange
On the first Friday of every month through November, enjoy free coffee and muffins, 8:30-10 a.m., at the Charlotte Grange Hall, 2858 Spear St.
There will be iced coffee, hot coffee, tea and homemade muffins. Stay for a moment or an hour.
The dates are Aug. 2, Sept. 6, Oct. 4 and Nov. 1.
Ferrisburgh’s
Rokeby hosts pie, ice cream social
Having a great day is as easy as pie at Rokeby Museum’s annual Pie & Ice Cream Social on Sunday, Aug. 11, 1-4 p.m.
Sandeep Das
The performance is part of Lake Champlain Chamber Music
Sandeep will also give a talk
Colchester the following day. Ticket information can be found at lccmf.org.
The day includes yards and yards of homemade pies, ice cream, live music from Vermont Folk Life Sugar in the Pan Trad Band, raffle baskets, and croquet and badminton on the lawn. Let’s Grow Kids
will have a table with games for kids, and the historic house and museum exhibitions will also be open to the public. Admission is free. Pie and ice cream are $8 per serving, $2 for ice
cream, and $1 for beverages. At the end of the event, if any pies are still available, they will be sold for $20.
See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 9
PHOTO BY MAX WHITTAKER
One of the world’s great tabla players will perform in Shelburne on Thursday, Aug. 22, at 2:30 p.m. Sandeep Das, famed for his role in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road project and widely considered one of the best tabla players in the world will perform at All Souls.
Festival.
about the tabla at Elley-Long in
‘One
of those, and one of those ...’
COMMUNITY NOTES
continued from page 8
For information, go to rokeby. org.
Shelburne church, Age well host Aug. luncheon
Age Well is offering a luncheon on Tuesday, Aug. 20, in the St Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St. in Shelburne.
Entertainment will be provided by Gerry Ortego on guitar. The menu is barbecue chicken
sandwich on a roll, potato salad, broccoli salad with Italian dressing, watermelon, pumpkin chip cookie and milk.
You must register by Wednesday, Aug. 14, to Kerry Batres, nutrition coordinator, 802-6625283 or email kbatres@agewellvt. org. Tickets are also available at the Age Well Office, 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210, Colchester.
Check-in time is 11:30 a.m. and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation.
Dwight + Nicole entertain at Free First Friday
Dwight + Nicole play American soul and blues at the summer’s last Free First Friday, Aug. 2, at Shelburne Museum, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
It’s the perfect time to visit galleries, enjoy a picnic on the grounds, stroll through gardens and take in the splendor of a summer’s evening.
For more information, visit shelburnemuseum.org.
Williston and Georgia South I-89 Welcome Centers - $17.15/hr
e Williston and Georgia South I-89 Welcome Centers are looking to hire full-time, part-time and/or per diem employees with great customer service skills and a love for Vermont tourism.
Duties include some custodial tasks and physical tasks including snow removal. Weekend and some holiday availability is required.
To learn more or to apply, email welcomecenters@vermont.org
COURTESY PHOTO
Charlotters share their garden harvest with their neighbors at a veggie share July 23 at the Charlotte Grange Hall. Remaining items were distributed by the Charlotte Food Shelf.
Goat snuggling
New Village Farm in Shelburne connects people with nature
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
A farm in Shelburne is exploring on a deeper level what connection to the natural world can and should look like, and in this case, it means a whole lot of goat snuggles.
From birth and new beginnings to death and grief, the team at New Village Farm envisions a world in which farming is a community activity that restores connections to the land, food and, most importantly, to each other.
And this mission is now taking on a completely new meaning for the staff as they enter their second-year hosting goat snuggle sessions for those who wish to break free from the digital world of screens and texts and tap into a new community.
What began as a creative way for the farm to generate more financial resources in the middle of what New Village Farm calls “whacky weather,” has turned into a fan-favorite among camp kiddos and families who frequent the farm’s other annual programs. The sessions have also grown in popularity as gifts for holidays like Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day.
While Shelburne emerged relatively unscathed from historic flooding last year and the most recent floods this month, the farm team is assessing new and creative ways to generate revenue at a time when growing crops
seems more complicated and unreliable than ever.
As the designated program director at the farm, these creative initiatives are partially the role of Maggie Joseph, a local farmer who has had her hands in the dirt for most of her adult life.
“Animals have been such a core part of our programming,” she said. “They can teach lessons better than we ever, ever could. This was an opportunity that came about, actually, just by helping financially after last year’s weather year that we’re kind of getting creative. Yes, it can make some more income, but it’s so much.”
She explained that during the pandemic, around the same time she hopped on board at New Village Farm, she noticed how people, more than ever, craved time with animals.
She joked, “People were just like, ‘Can I just lean against your cow for 10 minutes?’”
During the cruelest months of the pandemic, she said, the farm was using unique techniques to bring farm animals to people who didn’t feel comfortable being out in public.
The therapeutic benefits of farm work are something that owner Michaela Ryan has sought to tie together as she straddles two roles of farmer and grief recovery specialist, and the goat snuggling sessions are just a new way for
See GOATS on page 11
PHOTOS BY AARON HURWITZ
The crew at New Village Farm is focused on bringing people as close to natural connections as possible and goat snuggle sessions are just one way to make that happen.
GOATS
continued from page 10
the farm to bring humans back to the natural world.
It was her own relationship with life and death on the farm that led her to ultimately purchase in 2011 the 99 acres where the farm sits today. She leased the property three years prior before officially making it her own.
“It actually came out of my becoming a grief recovery specialist, working with people around loss and death, and I think resolving my own relationship to loss and death on the farm as a kid,” she said. “It kind of brought me back to what’s important to me.”
The small raw milk cow and goat dairies, poultry operations, gardens and wilderness areas of the property create an immersive educational experience for people of all ages.
Both Ryan and Joseph reiterated that the educational aspects remain a primary focus of the farm. For example, the farm hosts a farm school, after-school programming, summer camps, family workshops and other yearround programming, including the goat snuggle sessions, which happen all year, but taper off in popularity in the winter months.
“I think that as we move
further and further away from nature and how we live, we lose a little bit of our connection to ourselves in that,” Ryan said. “I think it just helps our nervous systems connect to that part of ourselves that knows how to be fun and alive and vibrant and
meet the day in that way.”
For children, who may find themselves connecting with the kids a bit easier, the snuggle sessions are an instant hit. But for adults, whose layers of stress take longer to peel off, that’s where the real magic happens, Ryan said.
Goat snuggle sessions are available on the farm’s website for most Saturdays throughout the summer. The babies’ names follow a musical theme this year: Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Phil Collins and soon, Billie Goat Eilish.
Ardelia’s is our home for fine dining. Get dressed up and enjoy a special dinner with friends and family.
New Village Farm does not shy away from the natural birth and death cycles on the farm. In fact, it’s common for students and parents to often witness birth and moments after birth as an educational tool. Frances Smith, at right, snuggles up to one of the new baby kids during a snuggle session.
STORM DAMAGE
continued from page 1
“We’ve still got a lot of ditches to clean out and culverts where gravel got washed into them,” Lewis said. “But as far as the washouts, they’re pretty well filled in. We got some minor ones here and there on different roads, but they’re real small.”
Spear Street, on the other hand, is an entirely different animal for the town to wrangle, he said. Torrential rains washed out a 10-foot by 80-foot culvert located on the street between Carpenter and Lime Kiln roads, causing significant — and expensive — damage.
“I’m not sure just what’s going to happen there,” Lewis said. “Whatever we do is going to be very expensive with the combination of the slide and the culvert.”
According to Lewis, this isn’t the first time that same culvert has caused problems for the town. In 1973, the culvert — which at the time was still in good shape — washed out but was able to be put back in and filled back over.
little bit tricky, because the fact is that it’s a waterway, and the waterway has changed a bit.”
In addition to working to assess the damage, Faulkner said he has gathered roughly 123 pictures as documentation as the town works with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Vermont Department of Transportation and other state agencies to see what funding is available, none of which has been secured or promised yet.
Town administrator Nate Bareham said funding sources are only made available once a federal disaster declaration has been made, which hasn’t yet happened. (See related story, page 2)
“Whatever we do is going to be very expensive with the combination of the slide and the culvert.”
“We thought we were going to be able to use it again, but once the water went down, they got down there to look at it and it’s all rusted out,” he said.
As the town expects similar catastrophic weather in coming years, Lewis said that this time he’s ordered two culverts to replace the aging one.
“I do think it makes sense to make sure that whatever we do, there is something that’s going to outlast this new nature of storm events that we are facing,” board member Kelly Devine said.
But Faulkner stressed that even before the culverts can be installed, the work will likely require the town to hire an engineer to prepare a site plan. Not only does that add cost but could also delay the time it will take to complete road repairs.
He estimated Spear Street will be closed for the next two months, at a minimum.
“I wish we could do something different than that, but I’m not sure that’s possible,” Faulkner said. “Just getting that done is a
ZONING
continued from page 1
zoning bylaws to help build more housing.
Hinesburg was one of the first communities to apply for and receive the grant.
In 2023, the state passed the HOME Act, which set new state-mandated requirements that supersede local authority pertaining to building densities and types of housing allowances.
Historically in Vermont, land use decisions and most development review and permitting happen at the local level, the idea of the law was that municipalities are partially to blame for Vermont’s housing crisis, mostly due to outdated zoning and a resistance to plan for and accept significant residential development.
Part of the greater storyline, Weinhagen said, is that over the last two years, municipalities have been listening to and watching the state dictate to local communities that
— Junior Lewis
VTDigger reported just days after the flooding that the state had asked FEMA to conduct a preliminary damage assessment related to the catastrophic storm, which would help determine whether the state is eligible for a major disaster declaration and aid.
Chittenden County is one of the counties that could qualify.
Should that designation happen, Bareham said, the agency could provide 75 percent of the cost for work related to the storm and public infrastructure repairs. The town could also qualify for nearly 17.5 percent in state emergency relief assistance funds.
In the best-case scenario, the town is still anticipating paying nearly $150,000 toward repairs. But in the worst case, Faulkner said, the town may have to consider going out to bond.
The money the town has spent so far has come out of the town’s highway department budget.
“We’ve been able to cover everything out of that budget, but the larger project that we’re still waiting to get done, obviously we are exploring other funding considerations,” Bareham said, noting that in addition to state and federal funds, the town is considering all avenues, including grant opportunities.
“we have been applying the brake too hard when it comes to creating new housing.”
From a local planner’s perspective and as a community official, he said, that that sometimes can be frustrating, because “I want my community to be making the decisions for itself. I don’t want the state of Vermont to dictate how we design our community.”
On the other hand, as somebody who has been watching this happen over the last 20 years, he understands why the Legislature took action.
Recently, he’s seen the new state law work well as it relates to a new development taking shape on Mechanicsville Road. Habitat for Humanity is planning to redevelop a
PHOTO BY LEWIS MUDGE
A massive culvert washed out on Spear Street due to flooding July 10, and has Charlotte officials hoping that federal and state dollars make their way into town coffers.
1-acre property on Mechanicsville Road that, under the town’s own regulations, is currently zoned to only allow one home per acre. But under the new state guidelines, the plan — not yet submitted to the town’s review board — allows the nonprofit to redevelop the property with six perpetually affordable homes in two, three-unit buildings.
“Our town manager looked at the property and said, ‘I think this could be more,’” he said. “He came to talk to me first, and said, ‘Well, can it be more?’ And I said, ‘Well, not per our zoning, but because of the HOME Act.”
Weinhagen noted that the new law stipulates that wherever a municipality allows sewer and water services, the town must allow for up to five dwelling units per acre.
“That was a major change that the Legislature did and that preempted lots of communities who had water and sewer service
areas but did not have that level of density allowance,” he said. “Here in Hinesburg, we were not in compliance with that and so this zoning modernization change helps rectify that and brings our regulations into compliance with that minimum state regulation.”
Additional changes in the amendments outlined by the state treat duplexes the same as singleunit dwellings, remove barriers and simplify required review for three-plex and four-plex buildings.
While 80 percent of the zoning changes directly affect the town’s village growth area, some of the changes will have a townwide effect.
The town also worked to tweak its inclusionary zoning requirements, which require larger resi dential projects to have a certain percentage of perpetually afford able units. Hinesburg is one of the very few municipalities in the state that had adopted inclusionary
zoning into its bylaws roughly 15 years ago.
But the town’s planning team has recognized that those percentages may now be too small. The amendments now propose that projects with 10 or more units will be required to have at least 15 percent of those units be perpetu-
ally affordable, up 5 percent from the current regulations.
A few other amendments related to accessory-dwelling units, parking requirements and density allowances now head to the selectboard, which will hold a public hearing and hopefully approve them by this fall, Weinhagen said.
Want to Learn More About Applying to Live at Kelley’s Field II?
Please join Cathedral Square in the Parish Hall at the United Church of Hinesburg 10580 Route 116, Hinesburg Thursday, August 15th, 10:00 to 11:30am
for an informational meeting to learn more about applying to live at Kelley’s Field II on Kelleys Field Road in Hinesburg. Kelley’s Field II will offer 24 new affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments for households 55 years of age and older, available for occupancy January 2025. If you have any questions please contact Cathedral Cathedral Square is an equalopportunity employer and provider of affordable housing. Our communities are welcoming and inclusive, embracing diversity in all
PUBLIC HEARING Hinesburg Development Review Board Tuesday, August 20, 2024 7:00 pm
the
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.
Patricia O’Donnell & Jim Donovan - Final Plat for a three-lot subdivision of a 23.55-acre property located on the south side of CVU Road in the Rural Residential 1 Zoning District.
The meeting will be both in person and remote. See meeting agenda on town website with details on how to participate.
continued from page 2 saliva. ways fatal treatment 100 percent a person So far have tested those have According animals mal behavior, an animal it. People animals
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Last year, Vermonters threw away 71,113 tons of food scraps which ended up in our only landfill. Equal to 242 pounds of food scraps per person per year.
CSWD’s Organic Recycling Facility (ORF) and our six Drop-Off Centers accept food scraps from residents and businesses to keep them out of Vermont’s only landfill. For information scan or visit cswd.net/a-to-z/food-scraps
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