Shelburne News - 12-22-22

Shelburne takes steps at regulatory reform

Planning staff prepares consultant proposal

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

With the new year just around the corner, Shelburne’s planning and zoning staff are taking their first steps toward reworking the town’s zoning bylaws.

In lieu of this year’s recent changes made to a controversial designation within the town’s zoning district known as the form-based overlay, the staff is working to review the bylaws and

town plan for inconsistencies and needed changes.

In a recent memo sent to the planning commission on Dec. 9, Aaron DeNamur, the town’s newly hired planning coordinator and assistant zoning administrator, outlined a framework for the overhaul that suggests separating the work into two categories: organization and structure of the bylaws and identifying policy decisions

See REFORM on page 10

Most vulnerable students

CV school district faces years-long staff shortage

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Stephanie Dupras began as an intensive care educator at the Shelburne Community School, eventually going to Champlain Valley Union High School in 2020. It’s a job she adores, and one that, despite the day-to-day difficulties, she “gets so much joy out of.”

But in her 7-year career, she’s hard pressed to remember a time when either of the schools she’s worked at had a full staff of intensive special needs para-educators.

In the past three years, with the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on school districts’ workforces, the shortage has only worsened, creating an educational dilemma for kids who need it the most.

“It’s a staffing crisis for our most vulnerable students,” Anna Couperthwait, CVSD’s director of student support services, said at a recent school board meeting. “It’s really been a struggle.”

Para-educator is an umbrel-

See

STAFF SHORTAGE

on page 10

On Monday, Dec. 19, more than 75

of

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

people gathered around a well-lit menorah to celebrate the second night of Chanukah, which celebrates the victory

the Jewish people against the ancient Greeks and the jug of oil that lasted for 8 days. It’s been a tradition in Shelburne for more than five years to display a menorah on the town green and have a celebration sponsored by Chabad of Vermont on one of the nights of Chanukah.

Lighting of the menorah

Santa raises $300 to help remove invasive tree from Shelburne park

DARR STAFF WRITER

Amid the busy holiday season, Santa spared some time to take pictures with the pooches and pups of Shelburne — raising nearly $300 in donations to protect the Shelburne Village Dog Park from an invasive plant species.

Since July, the Shelburne Dog

Park Committee has been working to raise funds to remove an invasive tree, buckthorn, that poses a threat to park fencing.

“The park’s been here for 10years and over that time, there’s a tree called buckthorn that’s been growing inside the fence and if you let that go it’ll tear the fence apart,” said Bob Owens, chair of the dog park committee.

The park fencing that has endured for nearly a decade, came at a hefty cost of $20,000 for its installation — a significant expense the committee hopes to avoid repeating.

The tree’s removal is expected to cost more than $6,000 over two years, with $3,000 already paid this year, and the other half to be spent next year. Aside from this, the dog park requires minimal expenses, but “when something like this comes along we need to raise the money to do it,” Owens said.

Prior to the removal process,

the committee had to get permitting from the state due to the park’s location in a Class II wetland, which limits the amount of maintenance that can be done on the 3-acre park property.

“We are not just a dog park, we are a dog park inside a state wetland and that really limits what we can do. We can’t mow the grass or cut anything down,” explained Owens.

The committee hired Habitat Restoration Solutions, a company in Hinesburg that specializes in invasive plant control, to do the first round of treatment last month.

The process for the plant’s removal involves cutting it down and treating the area with an herbicide. The amount of treatment to be done next year will mostly depend on the effectiveness of the first round, which will be clearer after winter ends.

“A lot of people use it from all around, not just Shelburne,” said Owens, noting that travelers and tourists regularly join residents who frequent the park.

The holiday fundraiser added to the nearly $2,000 the committee has already fundraised. To donate, go to tinyurl.com/3duxvbkd.

PHOTO BY RUTH ANNA WIMER-JONES

Shelburne resident Karen Medsker and Angelita with Santa at the Shelburne Dog Park

LIBERTY

Shelburne seeks fresh grant for Irish Hill Path project

Funding decision not expected until March

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

The town of Shelburne is again seeking funding to complete the Irish Hill Path Project — the long-awaited pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the LaPlatte River at the intersection of Falls and Irish Hill roads.

After costs for the project skyrocketed to $400,000 due to supply chain shortages and other rising costs, the town submitted a grant proposal in September for $294,000 that “may have gotten lost in cyberspace. No one knows, ” according to Shelburne town manager Lee Krohn. “So that one didn’t happen.”

Krohn announced at the Dec. 13 selectboard meeting that another grant proposal has been submitted under the Transportation Alternatives Program that “provides funding for projects defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road

See IRISH HILL PATH on page 13

Walk-in vaccine clinics expand hours through end of December

If you haven’t gotten your annual flu shot or updated COVID19 booster yet, state health officials say now is the time to take advantage of expanded hours at vaccination clinics — where you can walk in, with no appointment necessary.

New hours include more evenings and weekends through the end of December, making it easier for those who work or go to school to get vaccinated quickly and easily. Starting as early as Monday, Dec. 19, many clinics will also offer the updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine newly approved for eligible children 6 months to 5 years old. Visit healthvermont.gov/myvaccine for more details.

“Check getting vaccinated off your to-do list and you’ll have a better chance for a healthier start to the holidays and the new year,”

Shelburne project gets climate award

The Shelburne Climate Action Working Group has been awarded grant funding from the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s Climate Catalyst Innovation Fund.

That fund awarded $35,000 to 18 projects out of 29 applications across the state in amounts ranging from $500 to $4,000 for projects that help Vermont move toward its renewable energy goals.

In Shelburne the funds will go toward weatherizing up to eight low-income Shelburne homes through the Window Dressers weatherization program.

To learn more visit shorturl. at/rtw18 or contact Laura Cavin Bailey at laura@vtrural.org or (802) 223-6091 with questions.

said Vermont Health Department immunization program manager Monica Ogelby.

Getting vaccinated is especially important for those at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 or the flu, including people ages 50 and older and those with certain medical conditions, she said.

Babies and young children under 5 are also at higher risk of getting very sick from the flu.

Starting in January, walk-in clinics will transition to more limited hours and close by Tuesday, Jan. 31. Vaccines will continue to be widely available, at no cost to the patient, by appointment at doctors’ offices, pharmacies or other locations where vaccines are offered.

Vermonters who do not have a health care provider or access to a pharmacy can reach out to their local health office to be vaccinated.

The department will also continue to work with partners to vaccinate homebound Vermonters, English language learners and immigrant or refugee community members.

For people seeking the updated bivalent vaccine for the youngest children, the type of vaccine they received earlier will impact whether they can get a booster. Review eligibility carefully before going to a walk-in clinic.

Children 6 months to 5 years old are eligible for the updated vaccine if they have received both doses of the original Moderna vaccine at least two months ago or if they have only received two of the three original Pfizer doses.

Updated boosters are not recommended at this time for children under 5 who have received all three doses of the original Pfizer vaccine.

Shelburne News

Serving the community of Shelburne A publication of Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC shelburnenews.com

Advertising Wendy Ewing wendy@shelburnenews.com (802) 985-3091 x12

Advertising Director Judy Kearns judy@otherpapersbvt.com (802) 864-6670 x21

Managing Editor

Dylan Kelley dylan@stowereporter.com

News Editor

Tommy Gardner

Staff Writers

Aaron Calvin Corey McDonald Liberty Darr

Production Manager Stephanie Manning stephanie@shelburnenews.com

The Shelburne

Editor/Publisher Gregory Popa gpopa@stowereporter.com

Billing inquiries Leslie Lafountain leslie@stowereporter.com (802) 253-2101

Advertising submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. advertising@shelburnenews.com classifieds@shelburnenews.com

Editorial submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. news@shelburnenews.com

Calendar submission deadline: Friday at 12 p.m. news@shelburnenews.com

Contact: 1340 Williston Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 985-3091

New officers

Shelburne’s newest full-time police officers, Catie Pigeon and Armin Harambasic, shown above, on their first day on the job. The two graduated from the 114th class of the Vermont Police Academy on Dec. 16. A formal ceremony honors those who complete the 16-week training and certification process. It includes a pinning ceremony, where a family member or other close companion holds their hand over each officer’s newly-minted badge, and an outdoor ceremony where the flags are lowered for the last time over the newly-graduated 114th class, bottom left. Ceremonies were attended by a wide array of family members and each officer’s departments, including a contigent of Vermont State Police, top left.

PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN

OPINION

always the words, but heart behind them

Poor Elijah’s Almanack

Peter Berger

It’s been half a century since Poor Elijah first spent Christmas Eve with Ebenezer Scrooge. Even though he’s an English teacher and therefore expected to prefer Dickensian prose, my friend is heart-and-soul partial to the 1951 movie version of “A Christmas Carol.” In the old days, when televisions came with antennas, he could only hope a local station would air it sometime between late Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning.

Here in the age of streaming, he could probably catch it at his convenience on his Apple watch, provided he had one, which he predictably doesn’t. He did, however, pick up a DVD at the local video store, when there were local video stores, so now he can watch it whenever he wants. It even offers a choice between black and white or glorious colorized, but being an old-fashioned kind of guy, Poor Elijah prefers Scrooge in traditional Christmas gray at traditional Christmas time.

Anyway, early in the story before Scrooge sees the light, his nephew drops by to spread a little Christmas cheer. Scrooge replies that if he had his way, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled in his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.”

true spirit of Christmas are going to court, too. They’ve been suing about everything from manger scenes in New Jersey school plays to a Texas student’s right to hand out “religious viewpoint gifts” at his class holiday party. Among the gifts were candy canes with an attached message that explained how the peppermint was shaped like a J for Jesus and the red stripe stood for blood.

Of course, if you’re concerned about Christmas traditions, it’s worth noting that Jesus’s name actually began with the equivalent of our letter Y, which wouldn’t have hung nearly as well on the pagan fir trees that Prince Albert brought from Germany and first made part of England’s Christmas, and ours, when he married Queen Victoria a couple of millennia after the wise men traveled to Bethlehem, which almost undoubtedly didn’t happen in December.

Puritans outlawed Christmas as unChristian, in part because so many of its traditions were borrowed from older celebrations.

For many of us, Christmas is part of the pageant of redemption. But Christians need to recognize that Christmas was never solely, or initially, a religious observance. In fact, the Puritans went so far as to outlaw it as un-Christian, in part because so many of the traditions we’re presently battling over, from Christmas trees and Yule logs to eggnog and red and green holly, and napkins, were borrowed from older celebrations that marked the depth of winter and offered hope against the cold.

When Dickens wrote his story in 1843, you didn’t need a footnote to figure out that Scrooge was the villain in the scene, and that his objection to Merry Christmas was, well, Scrooge-like. Today you can’t jump to that conclusion. In 21st-century America some of our most enlightened arbiters of right and wrong are telling us pretty much the same thing as Uncle Scrooge. Naturally, being socially enlightened, they aren’t threatening Christmas greeters with pudding and holly. They prefer restraining orders and lawsuits.

Public schools have felt the heat. One district recalled 11,000 lunch menus after the nutrition services department went berserk and printed “Merry Christmas” on them. A high school canceled its performance of “A Christmas Carol” because it would have raised unseemly questions about “public school and religion.”

Elsewhere, officials have excised red and green napkins and even instrumental versions of traditional carols.

At the opposite, non-secular extreme of the holiday spectrum, champions of the

Don’t misunderstand. As I write this, I’m listening to Handel’s “Messiah,” and its chords that resonate in me aren’t all secular. But my personal, private sentiments aren’t the point.

Nobody’s are. Because we’re not talking about private devotion and faith. We’re talking about public conduct. Nobody should expect a Christian to leave the Christ out of Christmas. At the same time, Christians can’t expect others who don’t share their Christian faith to insert Jesus of Nazareth into their celebration of winter, charity and good cheer.

Christmas supporters rightly point out that Christmas often and increasingly gets shut out of schools in the name of sensitivity and multiculturalism, while Islam’s Eid and Kwanzaa, which wasn’t even invented until 1966, are deemed perfectly acceptable for classroom holiday consumption.

Even if you endorse multiculturalism, being the majority culture shouldn’t be a disadvantage. On the other hand, the

Journey for full LGBTQ rights isn’t over just yet

Guest Perspective

Walt Amses

President Joe Biden invited multitudes to the White House in celebration of his signing into law the Respect for Marriage Act, landmark bipartisan legislation protecting gay marriage extraordinary on its own.

But even more compelling is considering the distance we’ve traveled since the seismic response to Vermont codifying gay relationships in 2000.

Called “a momentous legal victory” by the American Civil Liberties Union, the civil union bill was based on the state Supreme Court ruling that the benefits and protections of marriage must be extended to same-sex couples.

As I recall, none of that was nearly as simple as it sounds. Laws can be changed with the stroke of a pen. Minds take a little longer — 20-plus years in this case — and despite how far we’ve come on paper, we’re still not done.

Writing in support of civil unions and later gay marriage in the Times Argus and other local media outlets, I vividly

recall the unbridled loathing leveled at the LGBTQ community and anyone advocating equality and acceptance of same-sex unions, some of it aimed in my direction.

One thing I learned that continues to play out two decades later is that demonizing the gay and trans community still pays political dividends in certain circles, so consequently remains a potent wedge issue, especially for evangelicals, who claim essentially that hate crimes and religious liberty go hand in hand.

While sexual orientation is a protected category along with race, color, national origin and religion in federal anti-discrimination laws, gay couples continue to experience bigotry in several ways, especially from conservative-owned businesses. In a case currently before the Supreme Court, a Colorado web designer argues that her websites constitute art and are “one of a kind, unique” as she explained

to National Public Radio: “I cannot create something that violates the core of what I believe,” which is that marriage should be only between a man and a woman.

Citing the state’s public accommodation law as a “violation of her right to free speech and expression,” she is petitioning the court to protect her right to impose her religious beliefs on others — creating wedding websites that are “consistent with my faith” — which she cannot legally do while offering services to the public.

Imagine a business owner similarly discriminating against any other group with protected status.

It’s unthinkable that the court would countenance a business open to the public that refused to serve Jews, or African Americans, or Muslims, so why might it be an open question whether the LGBTQ community is entitled to similar protections? That the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case at all is troubling enough, but indications, according to some legal experts, imply that the conservative justices are sympathetic to the web designer who most likely brought the case at least in part based on the makeup of the court, gerrymandered by Mitch McConnell into an ironclad far-right majority.

The progress of gay rights, particularly marriage, over the past two decades is undeniable. As recently as 2004, according to The Washington Post, “Polls showed the majority of Americans — 60 percent — opposed same-sex marriage while only 31 percent were in favor.” The Pew Research Center reported four years ago that those numbers had reversed to 61 percent across multiple demographic groups now supporting, marking a near unprecedented shift in attitudes unique to this issue.

Despite decades of progress, though, equality is “not within reach and often not even within sight” for those impacted by violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the United States, claims Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the U.N. independent expert on protection against such violence and discrimination.

His conclusion following a 10-day visit was that the LGBTQ community in the U.S. continues to face significant inequality in relation to health, education, employment and housing, as well as being disproportionately impacted by violence.

Even as the president signs protections for gay couples into law, the LBGTQ community is reeling after another targeted mass shooting at the Club Q in Colorado Springs, where five died and 25 others were wounded by a 22-year-old gunman who almost certainly would have killed more if not for the heroism of patrons at the bar, long considered a safe haven.

Gay Americans have become convenient scapegoats and easy targets for bullies of all stripes, from the camouflaged, gun-toting bigots who show up

at Pride Parades to GOP stalwarts like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who would have his constituents believe trans youth and comprehensive sex education are the biggest problems facing the state. Anxious to burnish his conservative bona fides for an expected 2024 presidential campaign, DeSantis caters to the ever-increasing radicalism of the Republican base with atrocities like his Don’t Say Gay bill, which appears designed to keep the state’s students as ignorant as he pretends to be.

With same-sex marriage now codified by federal law, especially considering 12 Senate Republicans having joined the majority with another 47 voting yes in the House, it would seem a celebration is in order.

But while we’re patting ourselves on the back, we should keep in mind that the Respect for Marriage Act is a specific victory, in a specific battle in an ongoing war against the discrimination LGBTQ individuals face in health care, housing and employment, which often threaten physical and mental health along with financial well-being.

This journey isn’t over, and the magnitude change necessary will not come easily or quickly, but we’re on the road and have been for 50 years. Since the Stonewall riots launched the modern gay rights movement in 1969, the community has fearlessly taken giant steps, relentlessly pushing the envelope, demanding the right to be themselves, educating everyone else in the process, always with a life-affirming resilience that will eventually win the war.

Letters to the Editor

A poem for the shortest day

To the Editor:

The shortest day of the year occurs this year on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at about 4:47 p.m. I have resubmitted a poem I wrote to celebrate this, published two years ago in the Shelburne News.

“Winter Solstice and a Promise of Spring”

How dark, how dark; the shortest day Brings hours of light too few, But when it ends and poles do change, It hints that Spring is surely due.

The darkness of that special day Makes feelings dreary and so down, But when next I see a longer day I know that Spring is coming round

So, Winter Solstice celebrate ‘Ere though long nights we must endure, For in mind’s eye we clearly see That Spring is sneaking in for sure.

And within days of wintry snows I see that longer days appear, So, I can say without a doubt That Spring is surely almost here.

Lyndon Carew Shelburne

Walt Amses is a Vermont-based writer.

This journey isn’t over, and the magnitude change necessary will not come easily or quickly, but we’re on the road and have been for 50 years.

Idealistic capitalist, steward of land and people, Will Raap dies

Will Raap, community visionary and iconic entrepreneurial activist, loving husband, father and friend, died unexpectedly Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, at the age of 73. He accomplished so much and set in motion so much still to be done.

How to describe Will? His intelligence, his humor, his practicality, his grace, his ease. His deep love of the natural world. His lack of emphasis on his legacy and his total lack of pretense. The adjectives pile up. But mostly his deep belief in and respect for the worth of every person, a belief in the power of an individual to make a difference, and for the power of the collective to change the world. Will lived this, as comfortable packing boxes and pulling weeds and sweeping up pigeon poop alongside his family and co-workers, as speaking at conferences and petitioning politicians to get on board and make something happen. Will redefined and modeled what it was to be a leader in society or should be. Yes, he was driven, highly charismatic, highly competitive and held high expectations. But this was rooted in collaboration, emotional openness, compassion and empathy. A generous mentor to so many, Will believed in you.

A native Californian, Will lived much of his life as a dedicated Vermonter and always as a global citizen. He completed his education at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley, and what he subsequently experienced working in planning in the Central Valley very much shaped his life’s mission. Seeing the effect of large-scale agriculture and the patent idiocy of compromising the environment to ship a hard tasteless tomato across

the country or around the world, Will envisioned a future rooted in local business and local agriculture.

He did not find fulfillment in a traditional career path, so he headed to Scotland to join the Findhorn intentional community, based in spirituality, ecology and cooperative operation. This was a marked experience in Will’s life, learning to run things seeing the power of collective action.

It was there he also met his wife Lynette, who would be his guide, his co-conspirator and his life and spiritual partner for the next 45 years.

Upon returning to the United States, Will and Lynette landed on the East Coast where Will joined Lyman Wood at Garden Way, a business founded to promote a living-off-the-land ethos.

Lyman had a vision for a different kind of business, one that made a positive difference for society, and of management through collaboration and shared ownership. Unfortunately, an internal coup led to extensive downsizing.

At the time Will was working at a division called Gardens for All, which promoted home gardening and published National Gardening magazine. Forced to figure out a means to better monetize their readership, Will began selling products through the pages of the magazine. Will would subsequently spin this activity off into an independent catalog business, and in 1983 Gardener’s Supply was born.

This was a time when specialty cataloging was young, and despite some early business near-death experiences, that rising tide lifted all boats — including Gardener’s Supply.

Gardener’s Supply was not founded to merely sell stuff through catalogs, it was founded out of Will’s belief that business should be the strongest force for good in our society, and that through Gardener’s Supply the team could improve the world through gardening.

The concept of socially responsible business hardly existed; as would often be repeated, his vision was ahead of his time.

Will sought a new form of business organization, one that not only rewarded the financial capital invested, but also the labor and contributions of all employees who were creating enterprise value. Rooted in his deep respect for the contribution of every employee, only four years after founding Gardener’s Supply Will steered

Obituary

the company toward employee ownership through the early adoption of an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP. Although the business grew in value and Will could have sold it for a premium, he stayed committed to keeping business in the Vermont community. He would eventually sell the entire company to the employees; Gardener’s Supply became 100 percent employee owned in 2009. Gardener’s Supply has grown to more than $100 million in annual sales and 300 year-round employees.

It was one afternoon in the early 1980s when retrieving his stolen and abandoned car that Will became acquainted with the Intervale, which was literally “the wrong side of the tracks.”

It was there that Will saw the unrealized agricultural potential of the fertile soils. The Intervale was home to the last dairy farm in Burlington, acres of cow corn, abandoned tires and petty crime. In the belief that a good use would chase out bad, Will moved Gardener’s Supply there in 1986.

He promptly formed Intervale Farm and Garden, which would become the non-profit Intervale Center, with the mission of incubating new farms and new farmers, reimagining post-dairy Vermont agriculture, and locally growing 10 percent of Burlington’s fresh produce.

Today the Intervale Center is reinventing agriculture across the country.

Will’s passion for starting things would never relent. He went on to form many other businesses, ranging from commercial greenhouse sales to wood products manufacturing (Serac Corporation in Georgia, Vt.) to ecological wastewater treatment and many more; some successful, others not. When he left the day-today management of Gardener’s Supply, he collaborated with his kids to start the highly successful Green State Gardener and Upstate Elevator Supply Company, and just recently to assemble a team to launch Steep Hill Labs, a leading Vermont cannabis testing facility.

At the age of 72, he undertook his greatest challenge, acquiring the former Nordic Farm in Charlotte, and embracing a dynamic ecosystem of agricultural start-ups, a living demonstration project for a re-envisioned future for specialty agriculture in Vermont. Renamed Earthkeep Farmcommon, that vision lives on.

Will’s impact reached far beyond Vermont and the U.S. He

and Lynette had deep ties to Costa Rica, where Will replicated similar for-profit and non-profit initiatives to support ecological entrepreneurship. He brought the same ethos to business partnerships around the world, building ties and socially responsible sourcing throughout Europe, India and Asia.

In Costa Rica Will was also at his most relaxed, he and Lynette generously hosting and sharing with others the beauty and wonder of that country.

Yes, Will grew ideas and businesses, but he also grew people. Foremost are his creative and caring children Dylan, Kelsy and Addison, independent souls all, the true expression of the practicality, persistence and spirit of Will and Lynette.

Will would also be a true and lifelong mentor to many others. A charismatic leader, he believed in the potential embodied in everyone. Will was generous with his time, unsparing with his opinions, and modeled confidence without pretense, wrapped in modesty. He was a model of “servant leadership,” never asking of anyone something he would not do himself. He related to his staff as he would his friends, one to one, with compassion and empathy.

Will’s confidence was coupled with his selflessness; he would see an issue and develop a working model that others could follow — enabling the good work to spread. And it has, with courage and persistence.

Will had a “why not?” attitude to taking risks. The more you told Will “you can’t” the more determined he was to prove that “you can.” This did not always serve him best, he sometimes held onto ideas, businesses and even relationships too long. But out of every setback came learning, and a new path to a better outcome.

His family feels immeasurable gratitude for the profound love he showed them — and the love he taught them to cultivate as concern for the welfare of others; that every problem has a win-win solution and how to dedicate themselves to improving conditions for our shared home, Planet Earth. While his absence feels unbearable, they are grateful for the outpouring of support and know that his impact is enduring.

He will live in spirit in all who were lucky enough to have been touched by his presence.

In addition to his wife and children, Will is survived by two adoring sisters, Linda Kramer of Lafayette, Calif., and Sherrie Crumpler of Malibu, Calif.

A celebration of life will be planned for Earth Day, Will’s favorite holiday, with details to follow.

In lieu of flowers or gifts and to further Will’s work, please contribute to the Raap Family Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation online at vermontcf.org/raapfamilyfund. Checks can be mailed to 3 Court Street, Middlebury VT 05456.

CVSD Early Education Programs News

Preschool Lottery is now open for 2023-2024!

The CVSD Early Education Program is now accepting applications for a random preschool lottery drawing for the 2023-24 school year. This lottery is for an opportunity to enroll in one of our school-based classrooms which run 10 hours per week. Our schoolbased preschool classrooms are 5 STARs, licensed early education programs that provide play-based, developmentally appropriate environments for all children in an inclusive setting. Our curriculum is based on the Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS).

Our programs follow the CVSD school calendar. Children who will be age 3 or older bySeptember 1, 2023, who have not enrolled in kindergarten, and live in the communities of Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George, and Williston are eligible to enter the lottery. Families who are selected for the lottery and choose to enroll their child in a CVSD program access their Act 166 publicly funded pre kindergarten funds for the school-based program.

All applications must be received by February 3, 2023, and are located on the CVSD EarlyEducation website under 2023-2024 Preschool Lottery . Paper applications are available upon request.

For additional information, questions about our program, or any concerns about your child’s development, please visit our website or contact Director of Early Education, Erin Gagne at egagne@cvsdvt. org. Our Early Education team is also available for developmental screenings in the areas of communication, social-emotional development, motor skills, adaptive development, and cognition.

Will Raap

COMMUNITY

Community Notes

Rotary offers high   school speech contest

The Charlotte Shelburne Hinesburg Rotary Club will hold the club round of the Rotary District 7850 High School Speech Contest on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 am at the Shelburne United Methodist Church.

This year’s topic is “Why is Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Important?”

Students must prepare and deliver a five-minute speech, either in person or on Zoom, that relates this topic to their life, school and Rotary values.

The winner of the local round will receive $200 and can win up to $1,750 at the district level. winner. Here’s the schecule for 2023:

• Club round 1, $200 prize, Feb. 8 at 7:30 a.m., Shelburne United Methodist Church.

• Area round 2, $300 prize, Feb. 28 at 7:45 a.m. Strong House Inn, Vergennes.

• District round 3, two $500 prizes, April 1, Northern Vermont University, Lyndonville.

• District round 4, $750 prize, winner, and $500 prize, runnerup, April 29, Jay Peak Resort.

Participants for the first round must be high school-aged students who live in Charlotte, Shelburne or Hinesburg.

Email youth coordinator Amanda Vincent, at amandarosevincent1@gmail.com to register or with any questions.

Lyric kickoff, auditions   for ‘Shrek The Musical’

Calling all actors, dancers, singers, artists, builders, craftspeople, musicians and more — Lyric Theatre Company needs you for its upcoming production of “Shrek The Musical.”

Whether you’re a seasoned theater pro or have never stepped foot on or behind a stage, Vermont’s premier volunteer nonprofit theater company welcomes all to an informational meeting and auditions.

“Shrek the Musical” is a one-of-a-kind fairy tale in which curses are reversed, monsters get the girls, donkeys and fire-breathing dragons find love and princesses are beautiful in all shapes and sizes. Based on the 2001 Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, “Shrek The Musical” is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure, featuring songs from Jeanine Tesori and

book by David Lindsay-Abaire.

The kickoff meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Lyric Creative Space, 7 Green Tree Drive in South Burlington. This will include an introduction of the production team, a presentation of the show vision by the artistic team, and information about auditions and backstage opportunities for volunteers. Attendance of this meeting is recommended but not required to audition or volunteer.

Auditions are in-person only and will be held at the Lyric Creative Space Sunday through Thursday, Jan. 8-12. Auditions will consist of movement/dance, singing and reading/acting. Vocal and reading selections are available at lyrictheatrevt.org/shrek. Dance and vocal workshops will occur during the audition process. Only one day of auditioning is required per person; callbacks may be held and will take place Friday, Jan. 13.

To enter the creative space, proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is required.

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and can be completed at the kickoff meeting Jan. 4, or online at lyrictheatrevt.org/shrek beginning on Jan. 5.

The show will be performed April 13-16.

For audition and kickoff-specific questions, email stage manager Becky Millard at beckystagemanager@gmail.com.

Shelburne church hosts  January blood drive

St. Catherine of Siena Parish is partnering with the American Red Cross to host a Shelburne Community blood drive on Tuesday, Jan. 17, noon to 5 p.m., 92 Church St.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 800-733-2767 or sign up online at redcrossblood.org with sponsor code Shelburne.

Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, Dec. 22, is from 10-11 a.m., Charlotte Senior Center, 212 Ferry Road, and features macaroni and cheese, carrots, peas and mushrooms, wheat dinner roll with butter, pumpkin cookie with Craisins and white chips and milk.

You must have pre-registered by Monday, Dec. 19, with Kerrie Pughe, 802-425-6345 or

Beethoven’s Ninth

Crossfit for kids

Kids can join right after school to improve general conditioning, including a focus on core, strength, agility, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. Based on the principle of movement mechanics, consistency, form and then intensity, Crossfit for kids pushes for quality movement throughout childhood.

Consistent mechanics translates to higher sports performance and fewer sports injuries

Shelburne Parks & Rec News

for kids. Research also indicates that exercise is beneficial to cognitive function, which means a consistent training program will have a positive impact on a child’s academic achievement. Participants of any fitness ability are welcome to join as workouts are adjusted to the individual fitness level in a non-competitive environment.

New session dates are as follows: session 23A, Thursdays, Jan. 5 to 26; session 23B, Mondays, Feb. 2-23. The time for both sessions is 3:15-4:15

p.m. For grades five to eight. Cost is $70 per session ($80 for non-residents). With instructor Nick Mead and Shelburne Field House staff.

Holiday closures

The Shelburne Parks and Recreation office will be closed Friday, Dec. 23, Monday, Dec. 26, and Monday, Jan. 2. The office will close at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 27. Here’s to a healthy, active and joyous holiday season.

kpughe@charlotteseniorcentervt. org

The meal on Dec. 29 features beef stroganoff with onions and

mushrooms, rotini noodles, brussels sprouts, dinner roll with butter, seasoned apples with cinnamon and milk.

The suggested donation is $5. Check the website for last-minute cancellations at charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

COURTESY PHOTO

The Green Mountain Mahler Festival presents a New Year’s concert featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Sunday, Jan. 1, at 3 p.m. at the Elley-Long Music Center, Colchester. Daniel Bruce conducts the Green Mountain Mahler Festival Orchestra and Chorus, along with vocal soloists Stefanie Weigand, Nessa Rabin, Kevin Ginter and Erik Kroncke. Proceeds benefit the Vermont Foodbank. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit vtmahler.org.

Health Network to build second housing complex

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

The University of Vermont Health Network last week announced their investment in a second employee housing project, along with a new child care center, on South Burlington’s Market Street to attract full-time employees and “reduce the reliance on costly temporary workers” amid a workforce shortage.

Officials broke ground on the new project on Dec. 15. The building will have 120 apartment units ranging from studios to two bedrooms, as well as a child care facility with up to 75 spots focused on infants to preK-aged kids. Those will be made available to network employees first, officials said.

“It is vital for our network to have enough providers and staff to meet the record level demand for health care services in our region,” said Sunny Eappen, president and chief executive officer of the health network. “These projects represent a strategic investment to support our people and build a sustainable workforce as we reduce our reliance on temporary workers.”

The venture is the second the medical center has undertaken this year with Shelburne-based developer Snyder-Braverman to address a shortage of full-time employ-

ees. The health network in March announced a partnership with the developer to build a $2.8 million, 61-unit apartment building, also on Market Street in South Burlington.

That building is expected to be open for occupancy in March 2023. The second building will be located next to the first, at 303 Market St., and should be ready to open in early 2024.

The UVM Health Network has had difficulty through the pandemic keeping full-time staff and has relied primarily on temporary workers to fill in the gap. Housing and child care, officials said, are a major obstacle to correcting that.

Chittenden County has for the past year held a rental vacancy rate of around 1 percent and has some of the highest costs for homeownership in the state.

“It is frustrating when people we’ve recruited decline our offer of employment because they are not able to secure either housing or child care for their families, facing waitlists that can be pages long,” said Rebecca Kapsalis, the associate vice president of talent acquisition for the health hetwork. “I am

confident that helping employees and their families secure housing and childcare will in turn help us relocate and hire more employees — and keep more of our colleagues working with us as well.”

The network says it has established a committee to oversee the selection process for the building and the child care facility and expects to release more details in the future on who would qualify and what subsidies could be available.

Similar to the first project, the UVM Health Network will help finance the project without being a property manager, while Snyder-Braverman will own and operate the building. The network will take a 10-year master lease on the 120-unit building.

Snyder-Braverman is also involved in the joint venture with the University of Vermont, which, in September, announced a plan to build nearly 300 housing units in South Burlington’s City Center for university graduate students, as well a staff and faculty, to relieve some of the housing pressure in Burlington, where students regularly compete with residents in a tight housing market.

BERGER continued from page 5

Virginia mother who decided to make a point by sending her first grader to school with a “Happy Birthday, Jesus” cake didn’t help matters. All she did was encourage extremists at the other pole.

Tolerance doesn’t enforce religion. It also doesn’t exclude it. Ardent secularists are quick to quote Jefferson and his wall of separation between church and state. Except they conveniently forget that the unalienable rights he cited when he wrote the Declaration of Independence were, in his words, gifts from his Creator, that the legitimacy of the new nation he was writing about rested on the laws of God, and that he appealed to Divine Providence and pleaded his case before the Supreme Judge of the World.

Surely Tom wouldn’t object to a chorus of “White Christmas” at school.

On the retail front Lowe’s, turning diversity backflips, once rechristened its Christmas trees holiday trees until pro-Christmas consumers threatened a boycott.

Somehow, I don’t think that’s what Jesus or Jefferson had in mind.

Sensitivity is good. That’s why if I bumped into Benjamin Netanyahu, King Abdullah or the Dalai Lama, I probably wouldn’t wish them a Merry Christmas. And if some neighbors and passersby prefer wishing me a happy holiday, I don’t mind at all.

What I do mind is living in a world where anyone presumes to tell me how I prefer to be greeted, where Christian nationalism

is mistaken for the faith Jesus preached, where sensitivity has boiled over into hypersensitivity, where we’re more offended by the wrong pair of words than we’re honored and comforted by the generosity and goodwill they express.

So, whether or not he’s in fashion today, I’ll accept Tiny Tim’s blessing. I won’t turn down a blessing from any sincere soul. Because what matters aren’t the words, but the heart that’s behind them.

In hope and with best wishes from Poor Elijah and me.

Peter Berger has taught English and history for 30 years. Poor Elijah would be pleased to answer letters addressed to him in care of the editor.

future home at The Pines.

Housing will help recruit and retain staff, officials say

“It is frustrating when people we’ve recruited decline our offer of employment because of housing or child care.”

STAFF SHORTAGE

la term for all the educational support professionals within the district, including bus drivers and food service employees, as well as behavior specialists, non-intensive support staff and intensive needs educators.

These intensive need para-educators work specifically with students who have disabilities, be it medical, emotional, developmental or educational. A child with Down Syndrome, or one who has medical seizure disorders, for example, would be assigned a one-to-one para-educator like Dupras.

At CVU, these positions have been depleted — the school last year started off with 20 vacant positions.

“Of all of those categories, we are seeing the biggest challenge filling the special education support staff positions and that was the case last year as well,” Couperthwait said.

The school “is in dire straits, I’m just going to be blunt,” she said. “They are pulling everywhere they can.”

In October, the district sent a letter home to parents of students

with these individualized education plans, or IEPs, “to acknowledge the situation.”

“Vermont schools continue to experience severe staffing shortages and our district is no exception,” the letter, signed by CVU principal Adam Bunting and the school district’s director of special education Jessica Hoskins, read. “Despite our best efforts to advertise and attract candidates, we are unable to fully staff every position within CVU.”

“We will maintain records of those school days that are unable to fully staff your child’s IEP and the nature of the shortfall,” the letter reads, adding they would take “reasonable steps to mitigate the impact of that shortfall.”

The result, officials and educators say, is a “trickle-up effect” on staff to ensure the roughly 30 CVU students who need one-on-one assistance are not left alone without an adult.

Para-educators are stretched thin, burnt out and likely sick due to their daily proximity around kids. As a result, call outs are a regular occurrence. As those

para-educators call out, magnifying the already vacant positions, case managers and general support staff are pulled from their regular responsibilities to support those students. Regular classroom teachers then must work in extra time to prep for the inconsistencies.

“The lack of consistency just really affects the total care of our students and their education,” Dupras said. “It creates a juggling act of trying to fill those holes throughout the day and these kids are not getting the consistency of the knowledge of their program and thus affecting their overall education.”

“We’d be lying if we said it wasn’t having an impact,” Hoskins said in an interview. “Multiple years in a row of this level of stress creates a level of burnout that we are trying to figure out how to address in a way that keeps our staff healthy and able to show up and do their jobs.”

“We’re mitigating it the best that we can. I stand by that we’re doing a really good job of mitigating it as best we can,” she said. “But I’d rather not be mitigating.”

Admittedly, things have improved since the beginning of the pandemic, Hoskins and Couperthwait said. There are roughly 83 para positions in Champlain Valley School District with 13 unfilled one-to-one positions throughout the district, “which is a huge improvement over even a few weeks ago, so it feels like the workforce is coming back,” Couperthwait said.

Champlain Valley School

REFORM

continued from page 1

District, it should be noted, is not in as bad shape as other districts throughout the state — where even full-time special education positions are vacant.

“We’re fortunate at CVU, in that we are fully staffed for our professional level positions,” Hoskins said. “We are in a better position than other schools in the state for sure.

“But we definitely have had fewer applicants in the last two to three years for special educator positions,” Couperthwait added. “We’ve still been able to fill positions, we just have a lot fewer applicants.”

The district is still one of the higher paying districts in the state for para-educators. Non-intensive paras currently make anywhere $17 to $19 an hour, while intensive paras make $20 to $22 an hour. The district is set to raise those wages by $2 an hour in January.

But for some, the compensation for the high-stress work leaves much to be desired.

“It borders on an actual living wage, and a lot of para-educators that I see in this field — it’s a lot of moms that are back to work after having kids, or single moms like myself that need those kid friendly hours in order to raise the kids,” she said. “We’re paid hourly so if there’s a snow day, we lose a day of pay. The holiday weeks we’re not compensated for. It’s not necessarily treated as a professional, salary-based position.”

Despite the stress, educators say the work is incredibly rewarding.

“That is pretty consistent with most of the para-educators that I know: despite the challenges, despite all of the hardships, despite the salary even — that’s a whole ‘nother challenge — we get to work with these amazing students, and also amazing special educators and supervisors and case managers,” Dupras said. “I feel like I’m constantly learning and continuing my education with every single year and with every single student, and then ultimately, the family that we support.”

Hoskins, who began her career as an intensive needs para-educator in the district, said “the job description sometimes scares or makes people nervous.”

“The skills that you need in order to do this job well are empathy — it grows your ability to be empathetic — flexibility and care and compassion. When you work with kids who have communication challenges and these significant needs, you are required to develop those things,” she said. “As we’re talking about how hard this is, and talking about call outs all of that, I don’t want to lose the fact that the people who are doing this work are so committed to our kids and are so, so good at what they do.”

Dupras, a Hinesburg resident with two kids of her own in the district, says she and others have stayed with the job “because we do love it.”

“We know we’re making a difference in so many of these kids’ lives. “That’s the most rewarding factor.”

Local businesses and restaurants need your support more than ever. Whether you visit stores, get delivery or shop online, keep your spending local and keep your community healthy.

Newspapers are LOCAL. We are dedicated to keeping you informed, safe and connected and care about the issues that are important to our neighbors, our schools and our businesses.

Local

When you support your local newspaper, you support your community.

Newspapers

important to our neighbors, our schools and our businesses.

and inconsistencies between the bylaws and town plan.

The work will ultimately be divided into three phases and take more than 19 months to complete. The planning commission has recommended hiring a consultant to address the initial framework and provide additional support to the town’s newly hired planning and zoning staff.

assist municipalities in this kind of work to get a really rough idea of possible cost, timeframe and process,” he said.

involved in zoning decisions this year, specifically one that involved a 110-unit apartment development that was proposed in a zoning designation known as the Mixed Residential Character District, or MRCD.

When you support your local newspaper, you support your community.

SUPPORT LOCAL SUPPORT YOUR NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIBE TODAY

Contact Wendy Ewing at wendy@shelburnenews.com or 985-3091

“This is a really good opportunity for the staff who are relatively new to the town to become very familiar with the bylaw and all its problems and have a hand in developing something that will be new,” said development review board coordinator assistant Ken Belliveau. “They will be all that much more effective in being able to utilize it down the road.”

Denamur wrote in the memo that the estimated cost of executing all three phases with the help of a consultant will be upwards of $70,000.

“We have also reached out to people in Vermont who regularly

In addition to considering American Rescue Plan Act funds to assist with the costs, Shelburne town manager Lee Krohn said at the Dec. 14 planning commission meeting, “What I have suggested to the selectboard is that we use the money presently allocated, and what I think will likely be again, for economic development purposes for this work. The selectboard to date has been OK with that idea, recognizing that a regulatory overhaul is fundamental to economic and community development.”

As a next step, the planning commission motioned for department staff to begin crafting a three-part request for proposal for the zoning consultation to keep the “foot on the gas.”

Hiring a consultant is the favorable next step for many residents who have been actively

Many questioned whether this type of development was what was intended when the current form-based code was established, and after a year-long battle, the selectboard approved the removal of the district and a reshuffling of the town’s zoning.

A residential group known as the Shelburne Alliance for the Environment, or S.A.F.E, urged the planning commission to “stay the course with their original idea of using an experienced and independent consultant to help them chart the path forward for their very important project.”

“Let’s have one set of rules that are clear and constructive for whatever part of town we are talking about and hope good things happen,” said Krohn.

After years of debate about what to do with a contentious Shelburne Road property, the Connecticut-based Splash Car Wash company has begun construction on a new location at the former Champlain Lanes bowling alley site.

Splash initially came before the town’s development review board in April 2022 to seek recommendations on how to move forward with its property at 2630 Shelburne Road. According to Ken Belliveau, the development review board coordinator who worked with the project, “when you go with a sketch plan, it’s not a permit. It doesn’t really constitute any sort of approval. It requires only a very simple site plan, and it’s essentially an informal discussion with the DRB.”

After a public hearing, the car wash project was approved.

“I don’t recall when they went to the public hearing for conditional use approval that there was anybody from the public that showed up,” said Belliveau, “just a couple of people to basically say they were in support of it.”

Splash Car Wash was started in 1981 by Mark Curtis and Chris Fisher with a single location in Greenwich, Conn. Since that time, Curtis and Fisher, along with their team and partners, have developed over 80 locations into car washes.

Splash will become the fifth car wash along Shelburne Road.

The Champlain Lanes property was formerly owned by the Pecor family, which also owns Lake Champlain Transportation that operates the Lake Champlain ferry services. The broker representing Splash Car Wash, Matt Hurlburt,

was able to confirm that the Pecor family sold the property to Splash, although refused to disclose price or other information for “confidentiality purposes.”

According to Shelburne property transfer records, Splash closed on the property June 2 for a purchase price of $1.25 million.

Neither Dale Arango, chief financial officer at Lake Champlain Transportation, nor Splash Car Wash partner Aaron Vincelette could be reached for comment by press time.

The controversial property

The owners of Champlain Lanes announced its closing in January 2019, which preceded a contentious battle over a proposed affordable housing development at the site in 2020 in partnership with Champlain Housing Trust and the Pecor family.

The planning commission was working to revise a zoning designation in three locations in Shelburne — including the Martindale area where Champlain Lanes sat — which required ground-floor retail space for all residential development proposals.

The affordable housing development proposed by the trust met the total number of units that would be allowed by the town’s form-based zoning, but did not meet the commercial use requirement on its ground floor.

Dean Pierce, the planning and zoning director at the time explained, “The planning commission said, ‘You know what, this ground-floor requirement, we’re not sure it’s such a good thing,’ and so they were in favor of removing it in that location.”

At a planning commission meeting in January 2020, member Kate Lalley explained

to concerned residents that the requirement for ground-floor retail in the Martindale area was scaled back due to changing commercial market demand.

Residents fought vehemently to keep zoning the same and argued that amendments are not supposed to be made to the code for specific projects. Multiple residents at that meeting expressed their dislike of the affordable housing proposition and existing issues with the Champlain Housing Trust’s motel, Harbor Place on Route 7.

“I drove by (Harbor Place) on the way here and there was a Shelburne (police) cruiser parked right out front,” said one Shelburne resident. “My car gets broken into since they moved in and never

before. Now they are buying another property in my neighborhood, and I’m having a hard time with this.”

“Who controls what comes into this town?” questioned another resident.

“The opinion of a lot of people really comes down to not wanting low-income housing near them,” said another resident.

The amendment proposal that would have allowed for Champlain Housing Trust to move forward with the development was rejected by the selectboard after several public hearings and vocal, sometimes vehement opposition from dozens of residents.

The property remained untouched until Splash Car Wash

began demolition of the bowling alley just months ago. According to a press release sent out by Splash, the car wash is “set to open in the Spring of 2023 and will operate as express tunnels outfitted with automatic pay gates and free self-service vacuums.”

Glen Sheeley, head of development and construction for Splash, said in the release, “We continue to evaluate and include the latest car wash innovations in our sites to enhance the customer experience and provide the highest quality service at Splash. Each new location has a unique feature, whether it’s more exciting signage and lighting or new equipment to clean cars more effectively and eco-friendly and/or safer.”

PHOTO BY SCOOTER MACMILLAN

Crews tear down the old Champlain Lanes on Shelburne Road. A car wash is planned for the site.

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Girls’ basketball

Champlain Valley 62, Mount Anthony 12: Champlain Valley beat Mount Anthony Saturday in the North-South Tournament.

Addi Hunter led all scorers with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Redhawks, who move to 2-0. Shelby Companion added 10 points and Lauren Vaughan chipped in eight.

Boys’ basketball

Champlain Valley 81, Mount Anthony 46: Champlain Valley scored 33 points in the third quarter to beat Mount Anthony in the North-South tournament Saturday.

Sam Sweeney netted 18 points to pace the Redhawks (2-0), while Alex Provost added 13. Russell Willoughby (12 points) and Kyle Eaton (10 points) also hit double-digits for CVU.

Girls’ hockey

Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield 8, Rutland 0: The Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield girls’ hockey team moved to 4-0 with a win over Rutland Monday, Dec. 19.

KB Aldrich and Karina Bushweller each tallied twice for the CougarHawks, while Tess Everett, Riley Erdman, Livia Brochu and Mackenzie Rivard each added a goal. Grace Ferguson earned the shutout.

CVU-MMU also beat South Burlington on Saturday, Dec. 17, beating the Wolves 3-1.

Megan Rexfod (one assist),

Clark Clark and Sophie Brien each had a goal for the CougarHawks (3-0). Miles Brien added a helper and Ferguson stopped 17 shots.

The CougarHawks also won Wednesday, Dec. 14, beating Harwood 4-0. Everett, Megan Rivard, Bushweller and Eva Lewis

each had a goal for CVU-MMU, while Ferguson made 13 saves in the shutout.

Boys’ hockey

Champlain Valley 2, Burr and Burton 1: The boys’ hockey

team rebounded from two losses with a win over Burr and Burton on Saturday.

Brady Jones and Shamus Phelan both scored for the Redhawks, who move to 2-2.

Trevin Keefe and Nick Menard each added an assist, while Jason

Douglas stopped 32 shots. The Redhawks took a loss to South Burlington in the Beech Classic at Leddy Park on Wednesday, falling 3-2.

Travis Stroh and Nic Menard each had a goal for CVU, while Jason Douglas stopped 26 shots.

PHOTO BY AL FREY

The Champlain Valley boys’ basketball team boys get in some warm-up exercises at this year’s recent basketball try-outs.

pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhancing mobility, community improvement activities and environmental mitigation,” according to the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

Voters at Town Meeting Day this year approved allocating $168,000 as the town’s local share in building the pedestrian bridge, but without grant approval, funding for the remaining costs remains uncertain.

“Nobody wants this to get done more than me,” said Krohn. “I’ve been struggling with this.”

In 2019, the town received a state grant for more than $100,000 for engineering, municipal project management and other work to get bid documents ready for the project.

With hopes that this new grant will fund $235,000 of the remaining projected cost, Krohn explained the town could also look at allocating American Rescue Plan Act funds to the project.

“Best case scenario is we get the state grant, and we bundle that with the amount of money we are authorized to borrow by the voters,” said Krohn. “If hypothetically, we still get the grant, and it still falls a bit short then certainly

the request could be made to the ARPA committee to fill the gap.”

The town will not go out to bid for the project until the funds are securely in place, which won’t be clear until sometime in March when they are notified about the decision regarding the current grant proposal.

“We’re kind of in this holding pattern, catch-22 where the project’s literally ready to go out to bid, but under the terms of these

grant programs, they don’t look kindly upon going out to bid if you don’t know you’re committed to actually building it,” explained Krohn. “But at this point, we can’t guarantee we’re going to build it unless we know how much it costs and if we have enough money.”

In September, selectboard members questioned if it would be more cost efficient to just pay the state back the $100,000

grant if the town is unsuccessful in garnering additional funding sources, but that remains a last-resort option.

Unlike the previous grant proposal that was lost in space, Krohn said that the Agency of Transportation has sent a confirmation of receipt that confirms the proposal was received and is under review.

Until then, the town is holding out.

“As the great Wayne Gretzky is often said to have said, ‘you miss every shot you don’t take,’ which is exactly why we keep looking and we hope that maybe this time will be the charm,” said Krohn.

Why not have a job you love?

Positions include a sign on bonus, strong benefits package and the opportunity to work at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont”.

Service Coordinator: Continue your career in human services in a supportive environment by providing case management for individuals either for our Adult Family Care program or our Developmental Services program. The ideal candidate will have strong clinical, organizational & leadership skills and enjoy working in a team-oriented position. $47,000 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

Residential Program Manager: Coordinate staffed residential and community supports for an individual in their home. The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a team-oriented position, have strong clinical skills, and demonstrated leadership. $45,900 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

SHELBURNE

QUARTERLY WATER &

D ue Friday, December 30, 2022

Payments must be RECEIVED or POSTMARKED by MIDNIGHT, December 30, 2022. Late payments are subject to penalty and interest.

Payments can be left in lock box at Police Department Dispatch until Midnight, December 30, 2022.

Direct Support Professional: Provide 1:1 supports to help individuals reach their goals in a variety of settings. This is a great position to start or continue your career in human services. Full and part time positions available starting at $19/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Residential Direct Support Professional: Provide supports to an individual in their home and in the community in 24h shifts including asleep overnights in a private, furnished bedroom. You can work two days, receive full benefits and have five days off each week! Other flexible schedules available, starting wage is $20/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Shared Living Provider: Move into someone’s home or have someone live with you to provide residential supports. There are a variety of opportunities available that could be the perfect match for you and your household. Salary varies dependent on individual care requirements. $1,000 sign on bonus.

Join our dedicated team and together we’ll build a community where everyone participates and belongs https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/

Make a career making a difference and join our team today!

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

Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Police Department is open 24/7

Champlain Community Services, Inc.

“Noboby wants this to get done more than me. I’ve been struggling with this.”

— Lee Krohn

Antiques A N T I Q U E S WA N T E D Decluttering ? Dow nsizing ? Settling an Estate? We can help you discover, learn about and sell: WATCHES • JEWELRY • CO I NS • SILVER • ARTWO RK We can field questions, review photos and coordinate estate work . Contact Brian Bittner • 802-272-7527 • bittnerantiques@gmail.com www.bittne rantiques. com

Collectibles Construction

Bob Trautwine Hyper Relic Sports Cards Cell/Txt: 802-233-1451 • Office: 802-497-1681 Hyperreliccards@gmail.com www.hyperrelic.com

Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey, Etc. Buying Sports Cards Acupuncture & Massage Champlainwellness.com 802-989-9031 527 Ferry Road - Charlotte, VT Felipe Toro, LAc Empowering people to achieve their best health and wellbeing

advertise your service here! call 985-3091 for rates Serving all your metal needs for over two generations

Huge inventory of steel, aluminum and stainless in many shapes and sizes from sheets to tubing to angle iron Cutting, Punching, Drilling and Bending Services We’ll even recycle your ferrous and non-ferrous metal

Land Maintenance Let us give your home a beautiful, fresh look. Visit us online or call for more information. 863-5397 LafayettePaintingInc.com Paul & Dan Lafayette • Burlington

• Debrushing for private & commercial projects • Slope Mowing • Small Land Clearing Projects • Invasive Vegetation • Orchards • Airports •Forestry Mulching • Solar Fields • Farms • Logging Cleanup • Natural Disaster Cleanup Visit our website for more information

VLM VERMONT LAND MAINT ENANCE (802) 434-4533 Phone (802) 373-1755 Cell vtlandmaintenance@gmail.com PO Box 899, Richmond, VT www.vtlandmaintenance.com

Vermont Land Maintenance Brian Washburn Owner (802) 434-4533 • (802) 373-1755 cell vtlandmaintenance@gmail.com PO Box 899 • Richmond, VT www.vtlandmaintenance.com

Painting Painting

4/29/2019 3.5 x 2 AD for Shelburne News & The Citizen 24 Consecutive Weeks $18.00/week for both papers $432.00 BEAGLE BUILDERS, LLC Monkton, VT beaglebuilders@gmavt.net 802-453-4340 CALLUS! 802-355-0807

Siding/Remodeling

Remodeling & Additions ALL TYPES OF SIDING Vinyl/Wood/Composite Windows & Doors • Decks & Porches Kitchens & Bathrooms Sunrooms & Garages

Vermont Land Maintenance Recycling WE PICK UP JUNK VEHICLES 802-793-1222

Acupuncture Shelburne News Service Directory. It does a BIG job for your business for a little price. Call 985-3091 for details.

Does your home need a fresh coat of paint or maybe a new color? • Stress-Free Painting for over 25 years

Lupine Painting

• Interior/Exterior Painting • For your free estimate call 802-598-9940

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Don’t fret, Aries. No news is good news while you’re waiting around to hear about something important. Give it a few more days and your waiting time will be over.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

If you are thinking about changing careers, you probably should wait until the holidays are over. No one’s mind is on the job these days, so waiting is the wiser move.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Consider all sides of a situation before you offer your opinion, Gemini. This way you have the facts and will not inadvertently alienate someone.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

When someone turns to you for help, you do not hesitate to do all that you can, Cancer. Just be sure you do not to overwork yourself. Take on only what you can manage.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

You’ve bitten off quite a lot lately, Leo. Fortunately, you have a good support system that can help you out when you need a helping hand. Rely on them as much as necessary.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Take a few days to sit back and rest and recharge. It will afford you an opportunity to plan for the future, as this may be a period of unrest for you.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

You’ve been placed in a new role and you’re loving every minute of it, Libra. Enjoy the moments while they last. This may be what you’re meant to do.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, you might want to take it easy and stick close to home for the time being. You need to regroup and focus anew. You can do that more easily without distractions.

SUDOKU

Here’s How It Works:

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

CROSSWORD

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Sagittarius, your to-do list might be growing longer, but tackle one thing at a time rather than getting overwhelmed. Reach out to a loved one for assistance.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Success is within reach, Capricorn. Do not be surprised if others are a bit jealous of your accomplishments and want to pull you down. Ignore the naysayers.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

You have a plan but others are not falling in line right now, Aquarius. It may take time before others come around to your way of thinking. Be a little more patient.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

It’s a ne balance between work and play right now for you, Pisces. You’re tempted to forego all responsibilities, but that wouldn’t be smart.

y in fashion

Company offers new model for home waste generation

Curb Resource Collection, a recently launched residential waste hauling company, says it can offer a better option for homeowners looking to cut down on their waste generation.

Curb offers a selection of full-service and compost-only plans, all of which are currently available to residents in South Burlington and some neighborhoods in Shelburne, and other areas in Chittenden County.

Curb charges full-service customers for landfill-bound waste by the bag. Curb customers prepay for yellow “Curb landfill” stickers that go on each bag of landfill-bound waste. The fewer stickers a customer uses, the less they pay.

By including compost service, Curb hopes to reduce landfill waste and comply

with the state’s ban on throwing food scraps in the trash. Backyard composters also benefit from curbside composting service, which allows them to also compost meat, bones, fish and oils.

“Curb is a local collection service with a big purpose: reduce landfill-bound waste,” said co-founder Brian Somers. “We built this business to encourage our neighbors and community members to repurpose, recycle and reimagine their household discards not as waste, but as the resources that they are.”

Curb’s founders are four close friends — Brian Somers, Anna Stuart, Tommy Lyga and Kristen Lyga — who are all longtime Vermont residents. All four came to Vermont for college and decided to make it their permanent home.

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

Shelburne’s historic town hall decked out for the holidays.

COURTESY PHOTO

Curb Resource Collection co-founder Tommy Lyga waves from the truck.