After remnants of Hurricane Beryl devastated a section of Spear Street in Charlotte, the availability of federal funding has given the town a few options on how to reopen the important thoroughfare.
Charlotte saw nearly 5.3 inches of rain overnight on July 10 and a 10-foot by 60-foot culvert was washed away on
Spear Street, leaving the road completely unpassable.
Since then, the town has been working with the Vermont Agency of Transportation and Civil Engineering Associates to determine the repair costs for two potential options.
Two primary funding sources are available to offset the cost of repairing the town’s infrastruc-
See SPEAR STREET on page 13
Village planning project hits setback
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Charlotte’s village planning project, a two-year comprehensive dive into the future of the town’s East and West villages, hit a snag this summer when consultants unveiled an initial draft of their work, which the chair of the planning commission called “a terrible job.”
The draft highlighted at a July 11 Charlotte Planning Commission meeting showed an initial conceptual plan to funnel development into the town’s east and west villages to minimize sprawl in the town’s rural areas and
create more walkable and vibrant neighborhoods.
“I just want to make sure that folks understand that framing of the project, we’re not trying to add a ton of housing for the sake of housing. We’re really trying to make this a vibrant, walkable place that has these housing types and has these places for people to live and create community, which is something we heard time and again throughout the engagement process,” Darren Schibler, a senior planner with Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission,
See VILLAGE PLANNING on page 16
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
A volunteer waters the flowers and seasonal displays at the historical monument in Charlotte.
Civic minded
Little Boosties packs a nutritional punch for kids
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
For a working mom with kids, sometimes it’s just easier to pick your battles. But for Charlotte resident Niccola Milnes, when it comes to the health of her three children, that’s a battle she will always choose to fight.
That’s the basis of her new entrepreneurial adventure, Little Boosties, a “first of its kind” vitamin and daily supplement super gummy for kids.
The whole endeavor is an extension of the legacy of women who came before her, specifically her mother, who is a naturopathic doctor who focuses on a holistic approach to health and wellness. Growing up in an environment focused on health shaped her entire worldview, she said, especially when she started having kids of her own.
“For my mom, that was her love language,” Milnes said, seated at Le Marché Bakery and Cafe in Shelburne after just hopping off a trans-continental flight for her day job. “For my three boys, I was really lucky when they were little, I could always call my mom anytime I had a question about food or an ingredient or supplements.”
Her work has brought her all over the world. Her children were born in Nairobi, Kenya, which is heavily polluted, and that is where she subconsciously started to dream of a product that could do it all.
“(My mom) was always telling me things to give them to help clear their bodies of pollution, toxic chemicals, which we knew were quite high there,” she said. “So, I could always kind of cobble together this sort of regime for them to take.”
But in an oversaturated adult market, she consistently found herself frustrated by the
lack of options available for children when it came to vitamins and supplements.
Her concern intensified last year when Vermont was walloped by smoke from Canadian wildfires and as news alerts and weather updates encouraged parents to keep their kids indoors as the air quality worsened.
With an itinerary of protective supplements and probiotics, she compiled a list of some accessible ingredients and posted the recipes to her social media page, hoping that it might help at least one parent looking for some options.
But, to her surprise, she checked her page hours later and was inundated with messages from parents desperate for more information.
“The word they kept using was that they felt ‘helpless,’” she said. “It’s recognizing that the world has changed. Raising a kid in 2024 is different than 20 years ago. There’s more toxic exposure, heavy metals, pollution, pesticides, even stress.”
Finally, she said, she stopped assuming that existing companies would solve the problem and instead got to work on a product herself, one that packs a whole punch with omega acids, vitamins, minerals, herbs, fruits and veggies, and pre- and probiotics.
But the road to a finished product was far from over once a formula had been created.
“I went to a manufacturer with my amazing formula, thinking I’ve solved the world’s problems. I’m sure you are kind of getting a sense of where this went,” she laughed.
It took over a dozen attempts to find a manufacturer that would take on the challenge.
“Some just never called me back. Some
said, ‘You’ll go bankrupt.’ Then my favorite, I actually have printed it out and taped it to my wall, a manufacturer who said, ‘You seem really nice. This is what I call Frankenstein projects. This will never work. Walk away now.’”
In the end, and with the right team, Milnes didn’t have to compromise on any of her 60 non-negotiable ingredients for a product that actually tastes good — it’s kid-tested, of course.
Little Boosties is set to be available for purchase online on the website (wottongreens.com) in two weeks. Milnes also said she hopes the product will make it onto Healthy Living shelves shortly after.
“I’m so proud of the integrity of the ingredients, because this is where you will lose most people in the details. But for me, it mattered,” she said. “My bar is really high for my kids, and I’m not willing to sell something that doesn’t meet that.”
COURTESY PHOTO
Niccola Milnes and her three boys who helped come up with the name Little Boosties for her vitamin supplements.
Vermont prepares for new COVID-19 vaccines
CHLOE JAD VTDIGGER
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has approved and authorized administration of a new COVID-19 vaccine formula, and Vermonters will soon be able to access those vaccinations at primary care offices and pharmacies in the state, according to the state Department of Health.
The vaccine is designed to target currently circulating variants more closely and better protect against serious outcomes of the virus, the FDA said in a press release.
As immunity wanes in the general population, prior vaccinations and exposure to the coronavirus are less effective in preventing future infections, according to Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
“Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention,” Marks said. “These updated vaccines meet the agency’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.”
Vermont’s COVID-19 indicators have been on an upswing this summer, with 17 people dying from the virus so far this month — the most this year since January’s total of 29 deaths, according to the Department of Health’s weekly surveillance report.
Wastewater facilities in Montpelier, South Burlington and Essex Junction have seen an increase in COVID-19 levels recently as well.
The updated vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer are approved for use in people 12 and older, and other updated versions from the two companies are authorized for emergency use for individuals between 6 months and 11 years of age, according to the FDA release.
Health care providers in Vermont will begin ordering products within the next two weeks, according to Sharon Muellers,
senior public health communication officer with the health department.
“Supply for this year is on par with what we received last season and should support the need,” Muellers said via email.
Kinney Drugs, a pharmacy chain in New York and Vermont, said it expects to open appointments for the updated vaccine early next week, and, along with other pharmacies, is authorized to administer the vaccines to individuals 3 years and older.
“As a Pharmacist, I am pleased that the FDA has approved this updated COVID19 vaccine,” Kinney Drugs’ president John Marraffa said in a press release on Aug. 22. “Incidents of COVID-19 are already increasing throughout both New York and Vermont, so it is especially good timing with students heading back to school.”
Although the federally funded “Bridge Access Program” — which has provided free Covid vaccines to people without insurance coverage or whose insurance didn’t cover the vaccines — ends this month, Muellers said the health department will offer support for local vaccination efforts this fall.
Mueller also noted that this year’s influenza vaccine is trivalent, meaning it protects against three different strains of the flu, and recommended adults ages 75 and older should get an RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, vaccine.
Just like seasonal flu vaccines, the FDA said it anticipates annual assessment of the composition of COVID-19 vaccines, unless a “markedly more infectious variant” emerges.
Correction
Photos from the recent Diamond Island Regatta were taken by Joe Gannon and Julie Trottier. Last week’s issue omitted the photographers’ names.
Working Together to Address Vermont’s Health Care Challenges
As Vermont’s population ages and in many places declines, we’re seeing the impact in all aspects of our daily lives—whether it’s housing, education or health care.
What’s the core problem in Vermont’s health care system? At its most simple, the number of people paying for care through commercial insurance is going down (and getting older and sicker), while nationally and locally the demand for care and the cost to provide care is going up.
This trend is unsustainable and to address it, care providers, insurers and government will need to avoid the divisive brinkmanship we see on the national stage and embrace Vermont values of community and collaboration to find the solutions that increase access to care and lower costs overall.
At University of Vermont Medical Center, we know controlling costs is a key part of the above equation and a part of our nonprofit mission. Multiple sets of independent data show that when it comes to administrative costs, we’re one of the financially leanest academic medical centers in the Northeast. This isn’t by accident—as part of UVM Health Network, we’ve put a lot of work into reducing costs through efficiency—sharing administrative staff and as we become unified, even sharing providers. This improves care for patients across our region while controlling costs.
To support our vital work, on August 28, we presented to our regulator, the Green Mountain Care Board, our commercial rate increase request of 7.91% for FY25, which begins on October 1. Our proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes a number of significant initiatives supporting our patients and communities, including:
• Strengthening access to care: We’ve significantly reduced the number of patients waiting for necessary surgeries this year by performing a record number of procedures month after month. We’ve expanded capacity for imaging, added mental health services into primary care offices, and increased the availability of virtual consults. In the coming months, primary care will see significant changes and expansion in terms of access.
• Investing to meet patient needs: As our population ages and grows, demand for more complex services will only continue to increase. We’re working hard to be ready for the needs of our communities. One example of this is increasing available imaging equipment to drive down wait times.
• Investing in our employees: We recently ratified a nursing contract, increasing wages by 23% over the next three years, and we are also investing in nationally recognized workforce development programs to recruit and retain the talented people we need to deliver the highestquality care. The minimum wage at UVMMC is now $20/hour. We have also made investments in childcare and housing to attract and retain our workforce.
• Controlling our costs and addressing affordability: We’ve expanded financial assistance programs to ensure no one is denied care due to financial constraints. Last fiscal year, across our health system, these programs covered more than $22 million in the cost of care and nearly $6 million in prescription drugs for patients in Vermont. We are very focused on doing our best to make sure we are responsible stewards of Vermonter’s health care dollars—including tight cost control and finding alternative sources of revenue to ultimately reduce premiums. This work reduced our FY25 rate increase ask by $31 million.
These efforts are crucial, but they are not enough on their own. We need help from every part of our society to make Vermonters healthier. We need to find new ways to fund health care and we need a stronger continuum of care—especially when we discuss caring for the most vulnerable among us.
We look forward to a continued conversation with our partners throughout the system to leverage every opportunity to take pressure off commercial insurance premiums in Vermont. None of it will be easy, but it can be done. It will take collaboration from our state government, regulator, insurers and the hospital system to make progress on affordability while preserving access to trusted local care.
To learn more about the impact of our work across UVM Health Network, please visit UVMHealthImpact.org. We’re in this together, and by working collaboratively, we can overcome the challenges ahead.
Stephen M. Leffler, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer, University of Vermont Medical Center
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Amanda Comolli, right, hands off a dose of COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic at the Crossett Brook Middle School in Duxbury in the fall of 2023.
Seven counties receive FEMA disaster declaration for July storm
EMMA MALINAK VTDIGGER
President Joe Biden has approved Gov. Phil Scott’s request for a major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for seven Vermont counties, according to the governor’s office.
Residents and municipalities in Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Lamoille, Orleans and Washington counties are now eligible for federal funding to help recover from floods that swept through the state between July 9 and July 11. The disaster declaration does not apply to damage caused by storms on July 30, according to a press release.
Residents of the seven declared counties can now apply to FEMA’s individual assistance program, which provides reimbursement for flood recovery expenses that cannot be met
through insurance. Rental assistance, home repairs and home replacement are eligible for reimbursement.
To apply for the program, Vermonters can register on FEMA’s disaster assistance website or call 1-800-621-3362.
Even if you have previously reported damage to Vermont’s 2-1-1 system, you must register with FEMA to apply for reimbursements, according to the press release.
The FEMA declaration also includes funding for a public assistance program, which can provide up to 75 percent reimbursement to cities and towns for emergency repairs made to public infrastructure. The governor’s office plans to announce a schedule of briefings for town applicants soon, according to the administration.
State officials have requested that Orange County be added
to the declaration, according to the press release. Orange County was examined alongside the other seven counties when FEMA officials visited Vermont last month.
The state has also requested a natural disaster designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which would allow the USDA’s Farm Service Agency to extend emergency loans to farmers recovering from flooding. The Scott administration continues to work on a separate FEMA major disaster declaration request for damages related to the July 30 storm, the release said.
“The impact of this storm on communities and individuals has been significant, and while these federal resources won’t alleviate all of those burdens, this financial support is critical to our state’s recovery,” said Scott in the release.
Hinesburg Police Blotter: Aug. 20-26
Total incidents: 73 Traffic Stops: 45 Arrest: 0
Aug. 20 at 11:34 a.m., police investigated vandalism to property on Piette Road.
Aug. 22 at 8:58 a.m., an officer responded to a two-car motor vehicle crash on Pond Brook Road.
Aug. 23 at 8:34 p.m., suspicious activity reported on Buck Hill Road East was investigated.
Aug. 25 at 7 a.m., an officer assisted another agency with an investigation on Hillview
Terrace.
Aug. 25 at 7:30 a.m., police investigated vandalism to property on Charlotte Road.
Aug. 25 at 4:10 p.m., an officer investigated suspicious circumstances reported on Commerce Street.
Aug. 26 at 10 a.m., a two-car motor vehicle crash on Route 116 was reported after the fact.
Aug. 26 at 11:30 a.m., an officer investigated a neighbor dispute on Hillview Terrace.
Aug. 26 at 5:48 p.m., an officer assisted state police with an investigation on North Road.
Vermont State Police Blotter
Aug. 21 at 5 p.m., police arrested Joseph Robar, 37, of Hinesburg for stalking, criminal threatening, violating conditions of release, disturbing the peace by telephone or other electronic means and obstruction of justice, after police say he sent several threatening texts to another person. Police execut-
ed a search warrant on Robar’s residence at Hillview Terrace and he was held without bail at the Northwest Correctional Facility. The Vermont State Police Tactical Services Unit, Crisis Negotiation Unit, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program and Bomb Squad participated in the arrest.
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OPINION
Decision to ‘study’ inclusivity statement speaks volumes
Guest Perspective
Rachel Daley
I moved to Vermont in 2006 and have lived in Charlotte since 2015. In that time, I have seen the town reject proposals for bike paths for kids around the fields at the town beach, reject discussion of sidewalks and crossings in the town center and dismiss calls for greater safety along roads and around the elementary school.
I’ve seen the town effectively force out the Charlotte Health Center, which had been a longstanding resource and neighbor to this community, and dismiss, out of hand, proposals for potential community centers. Now, the selectboard has declined to affirm a statement of inclusivity because of concerns over “terrible precedent setting,” worries about new mandates and concerns over property taxes.
What happens in town hall is an expression of this town’s values. By declining to affirm the statement of inclusivity, the town has communicated that it is not quite sure if it wants to include people of color. The Clemmons Family Farm is one of the most — maybe the most vibrant —multi-cultural arts centers in the state and has been a pillar of this community for about 70 years, but Charlotte is not sure it wants to include it yet.
If you are gay or trans, if you’re of a non-dominant religion, we’re not quite sure about you yet. We must have a working group look into it. What does this say to the kids in this community who are Black, Asian, Hispanic, queer? How do you think this affects families of color who live here to be told that, on the question of whether they belong here, the town’ll get back to them in about six months.
To those who are worried about what will be mandated by this statement, please read the statement. The text says that as a community we are committed to giving attention to fairness and equity in hiring
practices, town policies, police practices and when applying legislation.
If, as a selectboard member, you are not willing to affirm (or disapprove) this without a blessing from a town vote, I maintain that you are not doing your job. You were sent this proposal prior to the Aug. 12 meeting, you had time to review it and potentially discuss it, and you had time to decide on your position. The selectboard votes on things all the time that do things and express town values. To decline to take this up meaningfully is poor leadership.
To those worried about property taxes, I ask you to show me the data. No one in opposition to this statement provided any findings of any study showing that adopting a statement of inclusivity results in out-of-control taxes. This is absurd. Also, I would ask everyone here to actually think about what this point of opposition implies: We as a town are willing to include people of color in our community as long as it doesn’t cost too much. To this point I would ask, how much would you pay for our town to not be racist?
To those who say that a statement of inclusivity sets a terrible precedent … well, I’ll just let that sit there. How is an expression that as a town we include everyone and that everyone is welcome terrible? The suggestion that being open to all is a terrible thing is truly, I hope, in opposition to all that this community stands for.
Finally, regarding the idea of setting up a working group to study this statement and then putting this on a ballot six months from now, I would ask what it is that this group is looking for? What is the scenario in which the town decides against including people of color in the community? The selectboard makes all kinds of decisions expressing this town’s values. By declining to wholeheartedly affirm that this town wants to be welcoming to everyone and that it values everyone already expressed volumes.
Rachel Daley lives in Charlotte.
Hinesburg man to form citizens group aimed at school spending
Guest Perspective
John Clifford
At some point all Vermonters come to realize the unique hardships associated with life in beautiful Vermont. That our little state is one of the most expensive in the country to live, work and play. For a variety of similar reasons, big employers like the University of Vermont Medical Center are having trouble attracting and keeping new employees. A lot centers around housing and costs of living.
We have a very small population with limited resources, and there are few large industries to help us defray the costs and boost incomes, and as a result everyone knows Vermont loves taxes.
In fact, 95 percent of Vermont’s revenue comes from a wide variety of taxes, perhaps the most expensive and burdensome being the dreaded property taxes which the state relies on to pay local school budgets. We also know that local
Why wood debris is good for Vermont’s waterways
Guest Perspective
Karina Dailey
Concerns from Vermont community members, our own observations as landowners and road crews cleaning up post-flooding damage have raised significant concerns that some activities are causing more harm to Vermont waters and violate Vermont’s laws that protect public waters. As floods become more frequent in Vermont due to climate change, we must respond to these disasters in a way that protects natural resources and does not exacerbate the impacts of flooding.
Drive for a few minutes in any direction in Vermont and you’ll notice the significant changes the rivers have had on the landscape this past year. Guardrails are falling into rivers, streams are flowing over and under roads, sediment deposits of all sizes are providing nutrients to floodplains and woody debris and upstream garbage has left drift piles in unexpected places. The rivers are actively reshaping communities.
As we clean up and move forward from the disastrous flooding, we need to remember that flooding is a natural process and, because of a changing climate, it will happen again. This is how rivers function. At the same time, maintaining the built environment is critical for our own safety and function. We need to be able to travel along roads and feel safe in our homes, schools, businesses and other buildings.
It makes sense to remove woody debris that might compromise the integrity of bridges and culverts. However, it doesn’t make sense to devoid the stream
of all wood, which provides sustenance and helps maintain the integrity of the water cycle. Wood is good for waterways because fallen trees trap sediment and provide anchors around which the river can scour and undercut, shaping deposition, dissipating energy and even regulating water temperature.
Having a mix of habitat types is critical to river health, structure and biodiversity. Fallen trees act as nurse logs for new islands of growth — algae grow on decaying wood and then traps seeds for native plants to establish. Water that pools around the wood traps small sticks and vegetative matter providing a food source for aquatic macroinvertebrates. Complexity is key.
Aside from the habitat implications, when a river is dredged, straightened, armored and “cleaned” its velocity increases downstream. We have been making these mistakes for decades, and while this may appear to provide a short-term fix for our backyard or community, it amplifies the stream’s force, causing downcutting that deepens the channel, consequently eroding streambanks and sending faster, more damaging flood waters downstream.
Ultimately, dredging and removing all woody debris exacerbates flood damage and removes an important food source from the ecosystem, together degrading river system health. Leaving wood in the river and giving the river room to meander helps slow the flow and reduces the force of floodwaters.
In Vermont, we built many communities along rivers, and for our own safety, we all must be stewards of our waterways. We
need to consider how management of rivers worsens both flooding and ecological health. Conversely, a thoughtful and well-informed relationship with our waterways can help us live safely alongside thriving rivers, and support the health of this system, which provides us with the clean, cold water that we depend on.
Karina Dailey is a Vermont Natural Resources Council restoration ecologist. This opinion was written collaboratively by the council, Conservation Law Foundation, Connecticut River Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy and Lake Champlain Committee.
CLIFFORD
continued from page 5
school budgets, even in large, consolidated districts, are expanding every year to satisfy the ever-increasing costs to educate fewer students.
In Vermont, everything goes up except our tax burden. Vermont has the highest school staffing-to-student ratio in the country. Yes, we share this tax responsibility, but we don’t share in the governance and voice, and elected representatives often underperform.
That being said, one-third of Vermont households are living in unaffordable housing, and over 51 percent are severely cost burdened. Additionally, over 60 percent of Americans don’t have $500 in savings in case of emergencies or rapidly changing life situations. In the U.S., 322,043 employees have been laid off in 2024 thus far.
When big business profits drop it only takes a fraction of a second to address their greatest cost drivers — workers. Yet, our Legislature continues to create new sources of taxes and find new ways to spend money we don’t have. As a Vermont “family” concerned with affordability we are failing. We are in trouble, yet many of our citizens who work on various boards or local committees continue to be blinded by some inherent need to tow
the organizational line to keep increasing budgets well beyond our ability to sustain.
Select legislators and longtime professional educators are in the process of conducting studies for the future of how education funding will change to better serve students and taxpayers. We are now just receiving new property tax bills that we will be wondering how to pay, and many residents will continue to wonder why the voices of ordinary citizens aren’t being heard loudly and often enough.
In Vermont there are many politically powerful education associations that have been shaping how education spending has been historically enacted, what I have referred to as “Big Ed,” that have had in the past very close associations with key legislative committees and chairs. What I haven’t seen is everyday taxpaying citizens having a real voice.
We deserve a stronger voice, and that typically happens when we group together and exchange ideas and create platforms that others can read and appreciate. Toward that end, I’m involved in forming a local citizen group that can gather data, deliver presentations, conduct effective studies and issue findings that directly impact how education funding affects our ability to live
and flourish in small Vermont communities.
Speaking for myself, I know my family has a distinguished and long history in Vermont going back to the days of the Revolutionary War and feel partly responsible for continuing the tradition of citizen involvement. Perhaps others do as well. America is full of excellent examples of citizens rising up to work together to address difficult issues.
I’m envisioning an eight-toten-member group, all volunteers and citizens of the five communities served by our school district — Charlotte, Hinesburg, St. George, Shelburne and Williston — that will meet regularly to deliver viewpoints on the issues affecting taxes, primarily education taxes.
We would meet weekly perhaps at first as we educate and train ourselves on the relevant and pertinent issues, then meet monthly until the heart of the education budget season begins. If you are interested in joining this group, send your name and email address to johnclifford59@gmail.com.
I know I have the demographic of “senior Vermonters living on fixed retirement incomes” covered, but how about you?
John Clifford lives in Hinesburg.
Lydia Clemmons
Lydia Beatrice (Monroe) Clemmons, born on June 22, 1923, in Ringgold, La., was the eldest daughter of Howard and Lucille Monroe. Shortly after Lydia’s birth, Howard and Lucille moved to Smackover, Ark., where the Monroe family lived until Lydia was 14 years old.
Lydia was proud of her southern roots, her loving family and community in which she was raised. She was particularly proud of the quality education she received at a small, segregated schoolhouse where her teachers ensured each student achieved excellence. When Howard and Lucille migrated to Harvey, Ill., outside of Chicago and enrolled their children in the public school, Lydia was so well prepared that she skipped the eighth grade and entered the local Thornton Township High School where she was one of only a few Black students.
Lydia excelled in school and went on to receive her nursing degree at Loyola University in Chicago. After her graduation, she maintained her roots in, and love for, Chicago by working as a public health nurse and then at Provident Hospital where she was trained as a certified registered nurse anesthetist. To this day, those who had Lydia as their nurse anesthetist when she practiced at the Degoesbriand and Mary Fletcher hospitals in Burlington still remember her fondly, remarking on her great skill and compassion.
Lydia’s love of Chicago was often reflected in her stories about legendary jazz musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, whom she saw perform in the local clubs. She shared memories of being able to go out on late curfew nights when in nursing school. The head teacher was not concerned about Lydia and her roommate’s late nights because they were quiet, well mannered, and good students. In the last few years of her life, Lydia continued listening to those legendary jazz singers and gospel music daily.
Lydia eventually moved to Madison, Wis., where she met her husband, Jackson Joshua Walter Clemmons. She and Jack married in Harvey, Ill., at her mother’s house in 1952. They moved to Cleveland, Ohio where Jack attended Case Western Reserve University and their first two children, son, Jackson Joshua and daughter, Lydia Grace, were born.
Jack was offered various positions across the country but chose the University of Vermont in Burlington. Lydia and Jack
bought a house in Charlotte, where the family began to grow; three more daughters were born, Laura Barbara, Jocelyn Melvina and Naomi Lucille. When her parents retired to Los Angeles, Lydia still maintained her remarkably close relationship with them. Lydia relished the summers that her parents would come and stay in Charlotte, and when she would take her children to visit their grandparents in Los Angeles. There, they connected with cousins, her sister, aunts, uncles and other extended family members. She, her sister Odessa, and her parents demonstrated the essence of family commitment and love, supporting each other through life’s difficulties.
Lydia carried the values of family commitment and love to her life in Charlotte, embodying it in everything she did for her children. Like her mother, she was an exceptional seamstress, sewing many of her children’s clothes, including winter jackets, school bags and even luggage from the Frost Line kits.
Lydia maintained a very large garden, rising early in the morning, her favorite time of the day, to weed and harvest vegetables before heading off to work. Lydia canned a tremendous amount of what was grown in the garden, as well as canning pears and apples from the nearby fruit trees. She even made homemade soap from the lard of pigs raised on the property. Being an exceptional cook, Lydia’s homemade donuts, pizza, gumbo, New York-style cheesecake, bread, English muffins and corn fritters leave lasting memories. As the years passed, and she stopped gardening, Lydia continued to get up early to enjoy the quiet morning hours.
Lydia was active in her community, supporting the establishment of the Charlotte Chapter of the Vermont League of Women Voters, and leading 4-H with the mothers of her daughters’ close friends who became her close friends. Lydia’s diverse interests continued to grow, driven by her curious mind.
In 1983, after returning home from a six-week work trip to Tanzania with Jack, Lydia started Authentica African Imports on their property in Charlotte. While constantly researching each piece of art, an activity she loved, her most favorite and cherished pastime was long walks with her dear friend and neighbor, Joan Braun.
As Lydia continued through her life, her commitment to learning was ever present. Not only did she encourage her children to further their education, but she also pursued her own by becoming knowledgeable in alternative approaches to health and well-being and trained to become a master reiki practitioner.
Starting from her early days in Arkansas, Lydia was a deeply religious and spiritual being. She always wanted her children to have a religious foundation, thus each child attended church until they received their Bible. Lydia also enthusiastically encouraged the children to attend summer Bible school. Lydia was very involved in the Charlotte Congregational Church, becoming a deacon, and after a time, became a Jehovah’s Witness for many years.
Lydia extended her love, commitment and involvement to each of her 12 grandchildren. These moments were so cherished that each of them has unique and special memories of their time with her. Lydia will always be remembered for her never-ending kindness. She was always offering unconditional love, always welcoming and always present —to such an extent that her son-in-law, Peter (Young) called her the Dali Mama. This endearing name is the essence of who Lydia was to all who knew her.
Lydia Beatrice Monroe Clemmons, aka Dali Mama or Big Lydia, leaves behind her husband, Jackson Clemmons of 72 years of marriage; their five children; and 12 grandchildren. She also leaves two first cousins in Tampa, one of whom is her namesake and goddaughter, Little Lydia Gail; a cousin in Oakland, Calif.; and several other cousins across the country, who cherish her memories.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 2 Cherry St., Burlington. The burial will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, at 11 a.m. in Lakeview Cemetery, 455 North Avenue, Burlington. In
Lydia Clemmons
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
All Saints Episcopal invites all to a community labyrinth
All Saints Episcopal Church, 1250 Spear St., South Burlington, has a bit of peaceful space to share — its community labyrinth.
Located on the corner of Spear and Swift streets, the labyrinth is a path for walking meditation or contemplation. It is a single winding path from its outer edge in a circuitous path to its center. Labyrinths have been used worldwide for centuries by many traditions to quiet the mind, calm anxieties, and enhance creativity and life balance.
Open to the community and accessible from the church parking lot, just follow the sidewalk to the left, across the footbridge and onto the grass path that leads to the crushed stone.
Benches surround this natural area. Wheelchair users would need assistance from a friend.
SCHIP’S
autumn grant deadline approaches
The Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg Interfaith Project is a nonprofit upscale resale shop in the heart of Shelburne Village. It was founded in 2003 by a group of local women who shared a common goal: to support various projects and causes that positively impact their neighbors’ lives.
Over the years, the project has raised over $950,000 through resale of locally donated gently used clothing, housewares and jewelry.
The profits are returned to the community in the form of grants awarded twice a year to eligible organizations, individual entrepreneurs and associations to fund
projects that serve the residents of Shelburne, Hinesburg and Charlotte.
SCHIP offers two types of grants: smaller grants for up to $3,000 and major grants for up to $15,000. The major grant is designed to provide seed money for future self-sustaining projects.
To be eligible, the applicant must have 501(c)(3) status or must submit the application through such an organization, and the funded project must serve residents of Shelburne, Hinesburg and Charlotte. The funds cannot be used for annual operating budgets or to cover permanent staffing costs.
In the past, grants have supported various organizations within the communities, including rescue squads, farmers’ coalitions, police departments, day care centers, refugee support services, food shelves, senior support organizations, schools, nonprofit resale shops and disability services networks.
To learn more, visit theschip.org. If you have any questions, email the group at grants@theschip.org.
Grab a meal and go at Shelburne church
Age Well and St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne will provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
The meal will be available for pick up in the parking lot at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m. until noon. A $5 donation is suggested.
The menu is stuffed chicken breast with gravy, mashed potatoes, glazed beets, wheat roll, vanilla pudding parfait.
Be someone who matters; become a CVSD mentor
Learn how to change a child’s life in less than one hour a week.
The Shelburne Community School has numerous opportunities for volunteers in two different mentoring programs.
Everybody Wins! is literacy-based and matches elementary students with adult mentors for a power hour of lunch and reading together. Pairs meet on Tuesdays or Wednesdays during the student lunch hour. The goal is to share a love of books and create a warm relationship.
The Connecting Youth Mentoring Program is relationship-based and matches mentors with fifth through eighth grade students who would benefit from the friendship of an additional adult in their life.
Pairs meet for about 45 minutes, at a time that works
COMMUNITY NOTES continued from page 8
To order a meal, contact Kathleen by Wednesday, Sept. 4, at agewellstcath@gmail.com or 802-503-1107.
First timers must fill out a meal registration. Forms will be on hand at meal pick up. Learn more at agewellvt.org
Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center
The Age Well meal pickup for Wednesday, Sept. 4, is from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center. The meal features spaghetti and meatballs in marinara sauce, mixed vegetables, wheat bread, grapes and milk.
You must pre-register by the prior Monday at 802-425-6345 or
around the mentor’s schedule. The goal is for each adolescent to grow a strong relationship with a caring adult.
In both programs, each mentor meets weekly with their mentee at the school during the school day. Adult mentors are provided with training and continual support. The commitment is for one school year.
This volunteer opportunity is a great way to be engaged with the school community and to truly make a difference in the life of a child, school officials say.
Interested in learning more?
Contact Sarah Wannop, EW! Mentor Coordinator, at shelburne@everybodywinsvermont. org or Alice Brown, CY Mentor Coordinator, at abrown@cvsdvt. org.
meals@charlotteseniorcentervt. org. The suggested donation is $5. Check the website for last-minute cancellations at bit.ly/3FfyLMb.
The meal on Wednesday, Sept. 11, features stuffed chicken breast with gravy mashed potatoes, glazed beets, wheat roll, vanilla pudding parfait with blueberries and strawberries and milk.
The meal on Wednesday, Sept. 18, features chicken and wheat biscuit with mashed cauliflower, peas and carrots, apple berry crisp and milk.
The meal on Wednesday, Sept. 25, features roast pork with gravy, boiled potatoes with parsley, butternut squash, wheat bread, cookie bar with dates and Craisins and milk.
Hikers take a walk on Mt. Philo recently, where early signs of fall have begun to emerge.
PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN
Hints of autumn
‘Virtual pipeline’ of gas tankers in Champlain Valley Truck fires spark concerns
GRAHAM KREWINGHAUS
VTDIGGER
On July 15, all that Jeanne Kelly and John Eisenhardt could do was watch from a safe distance as a tanker truck fire, burning more than 50 feet high, spread to a building on their property and consumed it. The first thought on their minds, Kelly said, was anguish for all the antiques inside, family heirlooms.
The second was a question: ‘again?’
Twice in just over a year, a truck hauling compressed natural gas south on Route 7 stopped in front of Kelly’s and Eisenhardt’s Ferrisburgh property with a small fire starting in the brakes. In each case, the brake fire spread to the truck’s container and its cargo, triggering an emergency release of gas, which started an inferno that blazed for several hours and caused significant property damage.
Both trucks were part of Colchester-based NG Advantage’s “virtual pipeline,” a stream of container trucks that carry large tanks of compressed methane every day from a filling station in Milton to a paper mill in Ticonderoga, New York, traveling along Interstate 89 and several state roadways on their way to the Lake Champlain Bridge at Chimney Point.
The concept — pioneered by NG Advantage — is a handy solution for manufacturers without access to natural gas pipelines. But after two large fires, the practice is sounding alarms in some of the communities that trucks pass through.
“There’s a safety issue along the whole route,” Rep. Matt Birong, D-Vergennes, said in a recent interview. He said that he and several other local officials have been working together to find out more about the trucks, but that it has been difficult to determine who regulates them.
Annie Keller, Kelly and Eisenhardt’s neighbor across the road, recently recalled running for her life from the first fire as it spread onto her property in June 2023. An ongoing insurance battle over the damage from last year’s fire made this year’s fire all the more infuriating, she said.
“Everybody said, after the first time, ‘Well, it’s never going to happen again,’ you know? And I was in full agreement. Of course, it was a total fluke,” Keller said. “And then when it happens again, instead of, ‘Well, it’s never going to happen a third time,’ it makes you almost wonder more, ‘Why did it happen a second time?’”
any state in the continental U.S., according to a VTDigger review of pipeline data from the Energy Information Administration. Currently, pipelines extend only as far as Middlebury coming south from St. Albans and the Canadian border.
Planned expansions to the pipeline network in the state have been met with protests, including the latest extension to Middlebury from the Burlington area. Vermont’s pipeline network is managed by Vermont Gas Systems.
Founded in Colchester in 2011, NG Advantage has offered its “virtual pipeline solution,” according to its website, “driven by the desire to equal the competitive playing field for Vermont manufacturers without access to pipeline natural gas.” It was the first U.S. company to bring a virtual pipeline to market, it said in an announcement at the time, but since then, several competitors have started offering the same services.
“And now, is it going to happen a third time?”
‘Like getting struck with lightning twice’
On June 1, 2023, around 11:15 p.m., Keller and her teenage son John had just finished watching Game 1 of the NBA Finals when she heard a burst of rapid-fire car horns followed by a loud pop.
“I thought it was like a gunfight, like somebody had cut somebody off,” Keller recalled from her porch last Monday, pointing to where she’d heard the noises coming from on Route 7. “Never in your imagination would you think it’s a truck exploding.”
sion was so big,” Keller said, “our house looked like a little dollhouse in front of it.”
The fire burned for several hours before first responders could confirm it would not spread to Keller’s house. It ultimately scorched several trees, damaged the asphalt and both her and her
antiques at the time.
Kelly said she watched the fire reach the front of the building, then the roof, then completely engulf it. Eventually first responders had to bring an excavator and collapse the structure to help the fire die out more quickly.
“They knocked down the walls one at a time.
Two eerily similar fires started by trucks hauling compressed natural gas occurred in the same part of Ferrisburgh. Residents and officials are worried it could happen again.
neighbors’ yards and totaled both the tractor and the trailer, but thankfully, nobody was injured.
When she called 911, she found out that a truck with a brake fire starting in its rear axle had been waved down by passing cars. The pop had been a tire. Just as she and John went out to look, the fire suddenly got much worse.
To prevent a catastrophic explosion, the tanker’s emergency release valve had activated — letting out all the gas in the trailer, which caught fire as it vented several stories into the air.
Keller said she and John ran, she in her gardening slippers and he barefoot, to the neighbors’ yard and then even further. “The explo-
Just over a year later, on July 15, Keller got a call from her neighbor Kelly, with whom she’d gotten close since the first fire. It was happening again, Kelly said, 75 feet from where the first one caught fire.
Keller didn’t believe it. She said she still almost can’t believe it.
“If you think about it, it’s like getting struck with lightning twice,” John said. “It’s the craziest thing.”
Luckily for them, the wind was blowing west this time, away from their house. Not so lucky for Kelly and Eisenhardt, it was blowing the fire directly toward a building at the front of their property, which they were using as storage for
They were really careful about it,” Eisenhardt said.
“Before they even started, they asked where the most valuable stuff was. And at that point, it really didn’t matter.”
This time, the driver was taken to the hospital with injuries, the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles reported in a press release. The fire again damaged both yards as well and tore through power lines.
Like Keller, Kelly and Eisenhardt said they hadn’t been aware of the gas tankers driving past their home every day until the first fire tore up their yard. At that time, they did research on NG Advantage and the virtual pipeline model. When the second fire hit it only confirmed to them that it wasn’t something they wanted passing by their home.
‘Beyond the pipeline’
As of 2020, Vermont had the least gas pipeline mileage of
Since its founding, the company has expanded throughout the Northeast, with filling stations in Milton, Pembroke, New Hampshire and Springville, Pennsylvania. At a filling station, natural gas is extracted from a pipeline and compressed into cylinders that are loaded onto trucks for delivery to “manufacturers and institutions beyond the pipeline,” according to the company’s website.
NG Advantage and its parent company, Clean Energy Fuels, did not respond to multiple requests for comment and did not answer emailed questions about how many truckloads of compressed gas leave their Milton plant daily and what routes they take.
In 2015, VTDigger reported that NG Advantage sent gas to 24 sites across the region, with 18 truckloads alone being delivered daily to a paper plant in Ticonderoga. The company said then that it was making routine shipments of gas to three locations in Rutland, with the intention of phasing out that virtual pipeline when the Vermont Gas extension was completed. The extension to Rutland was the third phase of Vermont Gas’ plans and has been in limbo since the second phase, Middlebury to Ticonderoga, was scrapped in February 2015.
That extension, which would have gone under Lake Champlain to Ticonderoga, would have delivered natural gas to the Sylvamo paper mill, which initially offered to finance most of the project but
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
The remains of Jeanne Kelly and John Eisenhardt’s Ferrisburgh building as seen on Aug. 14. Twice in just over a year, a truck hauling compressed natural gas south on Route 7 stopped in front of their property while on fire, triggering a larger conflagration.
from page 10
backed out when costs rose significantly. In April of that year, Sylvamo (then International Paper) signed a contract with NG Advantage to receive 18 truckloads of compressed natural gas daily, with the potential to increase that number. Both trucks that caught fire in Ferrisburgh were headed for Sylvamo, according to authorities.
NG Advantage contracts with shipping companies whose tractors carry its trailers — the company only owns two vehicles and employs one driver of its own, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
KAG Merchant Gas, an Ohiobased shipping company, was the shipper in both Ferrisburgh fire incidents and numerous KAG trucks were observed leaving and returning to NG Advantage’s Milton facility by VTDigger in the last week.
As a safety measure, NG Advantage trailers have special emergency release valves on the top that allow each cylinder to rapidly dispel the compressed gas into the atmosphere if it heats up to a certain temperature. The gas is released in order to prevent a rupture in one of the cylinders which would cause a much larger explosion, potentially catastrophic to the truck and its immediate surroundings.
The emergency release valve worked as planned in both Ferrisburgh incidents, in response to fires spreading from an axle, according to Gene Cote, captain of the Vermont DMV’s safety and enforcement division, which investigated and wrote reports on both fires.
“The emergency relief valve operated properly and vented natural gas from the cargo tank. The commercial vehicle and trailer sustained extensive damage,” Cote wrote in a statement to VTDigger.
Fires spark concern
Both fires burned several stories high for more than two hours, according to the neighbors, and the Vermont DMV reported that six different fire departments responded to the scene last month. Eisenhardt praised first responders but also noted that it was lucky it happened in such a sparsely populated area.
“The first thing everybody that has a brain says is, good thing it didn’t happen in Vergennes, right? They would spend two days fighting that fire,” Eisenhardt said, adding that a lot more people could have been hurt.
On the way to Ticonderoga from Milton, NG Advantage gas tankers pass through Colchester on I-89, South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Ferrisburgh and now New Haven on Route 7, and Addison on Route 17.
Before July, the NG Advantage route to Ticonderoga turned onto Route 22A and passed through the center of Vergennes, before turning onto Route 17 and crossing Lake Champlain at Chimney Point. When Vergennes mayor Chris Bearor saw the second fire, he said it sounded the alarm in his head.
“I picture having that truck in a populated area, doing the same thing it’s been doing on Route 7,” Bearor said. “It puts an alert in your eyes.”
Bearor and several other local officials began looking into the company and its virtual pipeline through the area shortly after the second fire. According to Bearor, NG Advantage decided to alter its route before the officials reached out with their concerns.
“They took it upon themselves to take Route 17,” he said, avoiding Vergennes and turning instead at New Haven Junction. Bearor said he appreciated the company’s recognition of the concerns.
At the same time, he said, he doesn’t see that as the end of the road for his safety inquiry.
“We’re not going to let this live down. We’re going to figure out a solution for everybody,” Bearor said, “including all these towns that they’re going through, not just Vergennes.”
Birong, the state representative for the area, said that he has been working regularly with
Bearor as well as the city manager and fire chief of Vergennes since the second fire. He said that they have met several times to discuss the dangers of the trucks driving through Vermont communities, as well as the many unknowns that remain.
“I’m encouraged that the company took a proactive step,” Birong said of the rerouting. “At the same time, I want to learn more about their safety and inspection protocols before they get on the road.”
Agency failure?
When Eisenhardt made calls to several state agencies after the first fire, he said, the responses he got were concerning: Not much seemed to be known about the safety issues with compressed natural gas tankers, or about the practice at all.
“Nobody had an answer for who was doing a major investigation,” he said.
Similarly, Birong said he has found in his research that avenues for regulation in Montpelier are constrained.
“We really haven’t identified anything we can do at the state level,” Birong said.
In New York and Pennsylvania, where NG Advantage and other gas trucking companies have in the last five years operated major virtual pipelines, the apparent lack of regulation has also been a big
issue, according to Ron Barton, a former hazardous material truck inspector and activist in New York.
“These things are not regulated, the agencies aren’t on top of it,” Barton said. “‘We’re aware of it’ is all you hear from them.”
According to the Vermont DMV’s Cote, investigations into both incidents have been a cooperative effort between the Vermont department and two federal agencies: the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
The FMCSA has primary oversight over commercial trucking companies that transport compressed natural gas, while PHMSA prescribes rules and regulations for the transportation of hazardous material, PHMSA spokesperson Bruce Nilson told VTDigger in an email. The latter agency authorizes the transport of compressed natural gas via truck trailer through a special permit process. The permit requires that companies follow specific rules regarding container materials, the design of the trailer and its fire protection system and the regular inspections of both, Nilson said.
When an incident occurs, PHMSA requires the company or companies involved to submit an incident data report. Following that, the agency may participate in an investigation and issue findings
that would require specific changes to a company’s practices, Nilson said. However, the agency cannot comment on ongoing investigations, he said.
“This investigation (into the recent fire) is being led by local Vermont authorities and information about the cause of the incident and subsequent enforcement actions will be released once the investigation is complete,” Nilson wrote.
FMCSA did not respond to repeated requests for information.
In a public database of the required incident reports, NG Advantage has filed seven such incident reports since 2013, not including the second Ferrisburgh fire, for which reports had not yet been filed as of Friday.
In its report about the June 2023 fire, NG Advantage detailed actions it was taking to prevent recurrence.
“Investigation is ongoing. Our carrier, KAG, has done refresher training with all drivers on pre-trip inspections and we have performed a safety ‘blitz’ inspection of all trailers in the fleet to ensure everything is in order,” wrote Paul Sweitzer, director of transportation for NG Advantage. Sweitzer did not reply to questions by phone or email.
KAG Merchant Gas Group, in
PHOTO BY GLENN RUSSELL/VTDIGGER
Jeanne Kelly at the remains of her Ferrisburgh building on Aug. 14. Twice in just over a year, a truck hauling compressed natural gas south on Route 7 stopped in front of Kelly and her husband’s property while on fire, triggering a larger conflagration.
South Burlington School District
IMMEDIATE OPENINGS
Interventionist: Provides educational and personal support to PK-12 students. Associate’s degree or 60 college credits preferred. Training provided.
Bus Drivers: Transports students over established routes and special trips. Commercial Drivers license (CDL) class B, Senior Vermont Operator’s license with Vermont School Bus Endorsement required. CDL training provided to otherwise qualifying candidates.
Substitutes: Bus Drivers, Van Drivers (no CDL required), Teacher and support positions also available.
Please apply through SchoolSpring.com (Keyword: South Burlington School District) or contact Elissa Galvez, HR Employment Specialist, (802) 652-7247 or egalvez@sbschools.net.
GAS TANKERS
continued from page 11
its filing on the same incident, did not list any actions it was taking to prevent a recurrence.
‘No determination of liability’
KAG reported to the PHMSA in the incident report that the first fire had started in the rear axle of the trailer, which is owned by NG Advantage. As such, when Keller made her insurance claim for the many trees she lost, KAG denied liability.
In a letter reviewed by VTDigger, KAG’s insurance company, Illinois-based Gallagher Bassett, wrote to Keller in November that “the correct entity responsible for
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this loss and damage to your property is NG Advantage and their carrier is Nationwide.”
But in a letter dated several weeks earlier, Nationwide had told Keller that NG Advantage was not liable, either, because there was “insufficient information” and that “the cause of the fire could not be determined.”
Although the Vermont DMV’s investigation into the incident concluded that a mechanical failure in the trailer’s rear axle had started the fire, Keller said the two companies have still not resolved which of them is liable. She recently hired a lawyer, 14 months out from the incident, to reach a
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, September 25, 2024.
7:05 PM DRB 24-114-SP Charlotte Village Partners – Final Site Plan review for proposed 3,500 SF office space in existing building at 251 Ferry Rd
7:35 PM DRB 24-122-CU Milillo & Stein – Conditional Use review for 45 SF addition at 117 Lane’s Ln
For more information, contact the Planning & Zoning Office at 802.425.3533 ext. 208, or by email at: pza@townofcharlotte.com.
resolution.
“A nightmare is what it was,” Keller said. “Weeks of my time wasted.”
Kelly and Eisenhardt said their insurance claims related to the first incident were never resolved either, with both companies pointing fingers at the other and neither paying for any of the necessary restorations.
“We can’t figure out who’s responsible, so nobody’s going to pay,” Kelly said derisively, pulling the two letters she received from the companies out of a folder of truck fire-related papers.
This July, when the fire started in the tractor’s axle, she said that KAG agreed to compensate them for the damage to their storage building, which was a complete loss. Of course, it has been impossible to estimate the value of the many family heirlooms lost in the fire, she said. But it has still been less of a headache than the fallout from the first fire, for which Eisenhardt said they’re still pressing for accountability.
“It’s not the amount of money that’s the point,” he said. “The point is, they’re driving these things down the road, denying their liability when there is an accident. And that is not acceptable.”
The Town of Hinesburg, Vermont seeks qualified applicants for the following positions:
Highway Foreperson
This is a supervisory position that is responsible for overseeing and participating in the maintenance of the town’s highway infrastructure. A valid VT issued CDL Class B license is required. Required skills include proficient operation of a road grader, excavator, front-end loader, backhoe, and tandem plow truck. Starting pay is $34.00 - $40.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.
Highway Maintainer
This is a semi-skilled position of moderate complexity in highway maintenance and equipment operation. A Highway Maintainer performs a wide variety of manual and automotive equipment operation tasks involved in municipal road maintenance. Work extends to responsibility for maintenance and servicing of assigned automotive equipment, requiring strong mechanical and trouble shooting skills. A valid Vermont issued Class B CDL is required. Starting pay is $25.00 - $28.00 an hour depending upon qualifications.
Both positions provide health, dental, vision and disability insurance; paid time off; pension plan; and 13 paid holidays. Detailed information and an application form can be found at www.hinesburg.org under the employment tab. Applications can be mailed or delivered to Todd Odit, Town Manager, 10632 Route 116 or emailed to todit@hinesburg.org.
The Town of Hinesburg offers a comprehensive benefits package and very competitive pay. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Applications will be reviewed as received and accepted until the position is filled.
ture: Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance funding and the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program.
According to town administrator Nate Bareham, since Spear Street qualifies for highway assistance. The town may be eligible to receive 100 percent reimbursement for any work done that occurs within 270 days from the date the disaster occurred — between July 11 and April.
“But you would need to have it done by the end of this construction season,” Chris Hunt, project manager with VTrans, said at a meeting Monday night. “So realistically, we’re talking about November, maybe a little longer. My warning to you will be that we need to proceed as quickly as possible in terms of getting a contractor on board. Everyone’s busy with the regular work and then with additional storm-related work, it’s going to be hard to get a contractor on board.”
Any work on a more permanent project conducted after April would have a cost share of 80 percent federal, 10 percent state, and 10 percent local.
According to engineer Dave Marshall and Hunt, the town can
either repair that road with two culverts or pursue a more permanent solution, a 25-foot, clearspan bridge. But a bridge would likely take nearly three years to complete with the option for a temporary bridge to be installed during that time.
To fix the road as quickly as possible, the town in July pre-purchased two replacement culverts that would double the hydraulic capacity of the now destroyed culvert.
that would be placed upstream. That report would still need to be approved by the state.
“I’m leaning toward a culvert right now.”
— Lewis Mudge
But a representative with the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation found that additional supplemental protections would need to be installed for the state to allow the replacement of the existing failed culvert with the twin culvert solution.
“When it comes to the twin culvert option, because of the obligations to provide protections as far as debris and making sure that debris does not cause the same issue all over again, there is an additional structure and maintenance,” Marshall said, adding that initial engineering reports have added a debris trap
Engineers also said that although the culvert may be a slightly cheaper option for the town, it also has a life expectancy of half of what a clear-span bridge would provide, and with extreme weather events likely to continue, some members of the board had concerns about opting for the culvert option.
But most board members showed support for the culvert option mostly due to the amount of time it would take for the bridge to be constructed and the potential added costs associated with its construction.
“I love the idea of a bridge, but I’m leaning toward a culvert right now,” board member Lewis Mudge said. “To me, that’s making more sense.”
The board ultimately voted to move the culvert solution forward to the Agency of Natural Resources for review, which will need to approve it before the town can move forward.
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said. “That’s what folks really care about in Charlotte.”
The team noted that the goal of the current town plan to focus growth in the east and west villages contradicts some of the town’s current land use regulations, like the 5-acre lot size minimum in both village centers.
This village planning project is set to influence new regulations focused on smart growth in those areas to preserve the town’s
rural character, which according to town planner Larry Lewack is where 96 percent of all development in town has taken place since 2000.
The draft proposal showed what new housing could look like in the villages in a mix of accessory housing units, single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes and multifamily units. As outlined by consultants, the West Village could see 337 more units
and the East Village roughly 90 additional units.
“I know that 337 feels like a lot to put in the village. But just for context, you had about 400 plus units added to the town of Charlotte outside of the village in the last 30 years,” Schibler said. “So, we’re proposing less housing in this area in the next 30 years than you have seen in the town as a whole.”
But according to Charlie
Pughe, chair of the planning commission, at last week’s selectboard meeting, “That report was published long before it was ready for prime time. They did a terrible job, in my opinion, with what they produced. They show buildings in wetlands. They show buildings on conserved lands. They show buildings on steep slopes. I mean, it’s sort of missing the basic thing of what we’re trying to do, which is figure out what we can do in the village.”
HONORING OUR VETERANS
Since then, the “frustrated” planning commission has been doing damage control on a situation that Pughe said has devolved into a mess.
“The plan that is out there now is clearly not one that’s supported by the planning commission,” he said. “So, we’re a long way off from getting to a place where we’re ready to have a final plan.”
To date, the town has paid just over $3,000 for this work, but the total cost of the project is about $85,000, which has been offset by grants and other money leveraged by the regional commission. The commission also hired consultants DuBois & King last year to help with the hefty overhaul.
This is by far the most intensive planning project the town has engaged in, Lewack said, with the initial parts of the project focused solely on public outreach and hearing resident feedback.
“The public engagement process that we did last winter and spring is certainly the most diverse and inclusive public engagement that has ever been done in any of my past planning work,” Lewack said in July.
Results of the surveys and workshops found that 90 percent or more of Charlotte residents were open to the idea of allowing limited higher density in the villages with a small number of people sticking to a no-growth attitude.
“What we heard in the outreach was that people do really value the historic character of both the East Village and the West Village, and they also value access to community spaces like the little town green in front of the library and behind town hall, and they also appreciate the few municipal services that Charlotte offers, but they also feel like a lot is lacking,” he said.
Although the Charlotte Planning Commission originally hoped that new land use regulations influenced by the new village plan would be ready for a Town Meeting Day vote next year, it is more likely that vote won’t take place until June 2025.
Other aspects of the study are focused on traffic patterns and infrastructure, like municipal sewer and water systems.
The consultants are working to compile a revised draft that will be vetted by the planning commission and released to the public for feedback, likely by mid-September, Lewack said.
“We hear what people are saying, we understand the frustration,” Pughe said. “We’re going to do hard work to get it back and make sure that people are comfortable with where we end up on it.”
