Shelburne News - 12-29-22

Year in review 2022 a roller coaster for Shelburne cops

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Calling 2022 a tumultuous year for the Shelburne Police force would be an understatement.

The Shelburne department began the year in shambles, with its police chief on extended leave, more than a dozen officers having fled the department in the wake of the chief’s “failure of leadership,” and one of its only remaining officers on administrative leave over a use-of-force incident that prosecutors were recommending be reviewed for criminal charges.

“We all know the police department has had some challenges in the past year,” town manager Lee Krohn said.

The story of Shelburne’s roller coaster year starts late in 2021, when the relationship between Krohn and police Chief Aaron Noble began to heat up.

After a mass exodus of officers, Krohn eventually notified Noble in December 2021 of the town’s “lack of faith” in his leadership, and Noble leaves the department adrift in January after taking extended medical leave.

The situation was compounded after a report compiled by former Vermont State police director Jim Baker — which was only released by the town after The Shelburne News filed a records request, and

then appealed its denial — painted a damning portrait of Noble’s leadership.

Current and former officers in the Shelburne Police Department said the process to select Noble as chief was “suspect,” that there was no “strategic direction” for the department, and that Noble was uncommunicative and “described as checked out and not approachable,” the report read.

Noble, after months of uncertainty, signed a settlement agreement with the town, retaining his $102,440 annual salary through Oct. 15, 2023, while keeping all his benefits, including health and dental insurance, through October of this year.

He technically remains a consultant with the town but is not doing much consulting work — not entirely surprising since Noble, as part of the settlement agreement, is not allowed on police or town hall premises unless invited by Krohn.

Why the town agreed to such a large payout for Noble is not entirely clear. In a statement, the town said that it entered the settlement “in an effort to achieve a peaceful resolution to what could have been a difficult and resource-intensive process.”

The speculation is that Noble would’ve been able to sue the

Puffed up

HOT DOG DECEMBER

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

A northern red cardinal puffs up to combat the recent bout of below-zero weather.

Community Notes

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.

Gov. Phil Scott appoints 52 to boards, commissions

Gov. Phil Scott appointed 52 individuals to state boards and commissions in November and the first half of December.

Boards and commissions give Vermonters numerous opportunities to serve their state and communities. The governor’s office is currently soliciting applications to fill vacancies and upcoming term expirations.

All those interested in serving on a board or commission should visit bit.ly/3WjUXeQ to apply.

Local appointments made by the governor over the last six weeks include: Passenger Tramway Board, Mike Tarricone, Shelburne; and Community High School of Vermont, Joan Lenes, Shelburne.

Panel discussion explores climate, social justice

The League of Women Voters of Vermont, in partnership with Kellogg-Hubbard Library, presents “The Impact of Climate Change on Vermont” on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m.

The panel discussion, moderated by Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale,

will focus on the social justice aspects of climate change with panelists Kashka Orlow and Judy Dow. The program will be hosted on Zoom and is open to the public. Attendance is free. Register at https://bit.ly/3YOrCuF.

County historical society explores Abenaki erasure

On Sunday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. Ethan Allen Homestead Tavern hosts Vera Longtoe Sheehan, who will speak on “Abenaki Erasure, Eugenics and Ethnocide.”

Longtoe Sheehan is the executive director of the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association and a citizen of the Elnu Abenaki Tribe. The program is co-sponsored by the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum and the Chittenden County Historical Society.

All are welcome.

Age Well Christmas meal

A grab and go Christmas meal in Shelburne will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m. to noon.

Age Well and St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne are teaming up to provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older. The menu includes meatloaf with sauce, vegetable gravy, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, dinner roll with butter, banana Craisin cookie and milk.

To order a meal, contact Sheryl Oberding by Wednesday, Jan. 4, via email at soberding@yahoo. com or by calling 802-825-8546.

Deadline to order is Thursday.

First-time patrons should provide name, address, phone

COMMUNITY NOTES on page 11

CVU student wins Vermont’s Congressional App Challenge

Jaden Parker is this year’s Vermont Congressional App Challenge winner.

Parker, a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School from St. George, is this year’s winner.

He created an app called Hollow Valley using the JavaScript and HTML programming languages.

When asked about how it feels to have won the challenge, he said, “If I had to summarize my feelings about winning to one word, I’d choose empowering. Computer programming is a fiercely competitive sector. While

the coding itself is difficult, creating something of your own design requires a different level of creativity than I’m used to. I put some of my best work forward and a lot of hours. Winning this award makes it all feel worth it.

I’m incredibly thankful to my mentors who pushed me to submit my app to this challenge, without the guidance of people like Charlie MacFadyen I wouldn’t have been able to have this opportunity.”

Parker provided the following information about his app and the development process.

Q: Briefly describe what your app does.

My app is a platforming game consisting of three levels. Each level operates on a canvas with platforms drawn using a series of intervals and functions. Each level is re-playable and is accessed through a level-select screen.

Q: What inspired you to create this app?

I was introduced to HTML files and canvases during a computer programming class I took at CVU in the spring of 2022. For my final project, I chose to create a simple game. The game I submitted for that class was used as a building off point for the app that I submitted for the contest.

Q: What improvements would you make if you were to create a 2.0 version of your app?

I am currently working on the next version of the app. I will be adding more levels, improving the textures of the platforms and adding a life-counting system that will make it possible to lose each level.

Q: Where did you do most of the coding for your app?

I did most of the coding on the program VScode, with most of my time spent at home. However, I did spend some time at school in a CVU computer programming

COURTESY PHOTO

Students and others judge fifth grade apps. Jaden Parker of Champlain Valley Union High School won this year’s Vermont Congressional App Challenge.

50,000 diapers.

League wraps up diaper drive

The Junior League of Champlain Valley has an ambitious goal of raising $10,000 and collecting 50,000 diapers before the close of the year.

The Junior League hosts its final diaper dump on Saturday, Dec. 31, at the University of Vermont men’s hockey game against Lindenwood. Through its diaper bank, the league distributes diapers and wipes to families struggling to meet basic

needs across 13 of Vermont’s 14 counties. In September 2022, it distributed over 90,240 diapers statewide, and another 112,750 in October.

“A steady supply of diapers is critical for every family. We are grateful to the greater Vermont community for its contributions, recognizing it can cost up to $75 per month to diaper a child and no state or federal safety-net program

allocates dollars for the purchase of diapers,” said Amanda Herzberger, diaper bank chair.

Bring donations to the hockey game or they can be dropped at any Dee Physical Therapy location during regular business hours in the month of December, or at one of the league’s year-round diaper donation bins at Healthy Living Market in both South Burlington and Williston, and Hula in Burlington.

A Taste of Abyssinia

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 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 Monday, Jan. 2. Here’s to a healthy, active and joyous holiday season.

Valentine dance

Me & My Special Person Valentine Dance tickets go on sale

Wednesday, Jan. 4. This popular annual event is for kids kindergar ten through fifth grade and their special adult person (dad, mom, grandpa, grandma, etc.).

Everyone will have fun with the photo booth, disco lights and great music by Top Hat entertain ment. Treats, snacks and drinks will be served, and each child will get a memento to take home.

The dance is Friday, Feb. 10, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Through Feb. 9, the cost is $25 per couple, $5 per addi tional person (additional sibling or adult). The cost is $30 for tickets sold day of event and at the door.

Shelburne Parks and Recre ation Holiday Office Hours: Closed Jan. 2nd, 2023. everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

Shelburne Parks & Rec News

COURTESY PHOTO

The Junior League of Champlain Valley has until the end of the month to raise $10,000 and collect

Total reported incidents: 67

Traffic stops: 10

Warnings: 9

Tickets: 3

Arrests: 1

Medical emergencies: 20

Suspicious incidents: 5

Domestic incidents: 2

Agency assists: 6

Citizen assists: 9

Welfare check: 4

Automobile incidents: 5

Car crash: 1

Animal problem: 1

Fire: 1

Theft: 2

Harassment: 2

Alarms: 7

Pending investigations: 1

Dec. 19 at 3:08 p.m., a caller reported her ex-boyfriend followed her to work on Wake Robin Drive. Police were unable to locate him at the time, but Richmond police was asked requested to serve a trespass notice on him.

Dec. 19 at 5:58 p.m., an unwanted guest was refusing to leave Harbor Place. Police escorted the man off the property.

Dec. 20 at 8:43 p.m., police reunited a stray dog with its owner.

Dec. 20 at 10:57 p.m., a verbal domestic dispute was reported at a home on Harbor Road. Police mediated the dispute.

Dec. 21 at 11:54 p.m., an unwanted quest was reported at the Quality Inn. The person was transported to the hospital for treatment.

Dec. 22 at 1:45 p.m., a retail theft was reported out of Kinney Drugs. The person was issued a trespass notice and was released.

Dec. 22 at 5:08 p.m., Harley Dubuque, 57 was issued a citation for stalking and was released after reportedly violating an active stalking order in the Shelburne Shopping Park.

Dec. 22 at 6:51 p.m., a retail theft was reported out of Tractor Supply. A theft report was taken, and the case is pending further investigation.

Dec. 22 at 11:45 p.m., police responded to a guest at the Quality Inn having a mental health crisis. The patient refused transport to the hospital.

Dec. 23 at 8:33 a.m., a gas line was damaged by a falling tree on Farmstead Drive.

Shelburne News

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The Shelburne News is published weekly and mailed free to residents and businesses in Shelburne and rack distributed at select high traffic locations. The Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC assumes no responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements and reserves the right to refuse advertising and editorial copy.

Shelburne Police Blotter

Dec. 23 at 7:34 p.m., a two-car crash was reported on Spear Street with no injuries.

Dec. 24 at 10:21 a.m., a woman

had reportedly been assaulted by her partner at Harbor Place. The case is pending further investigation.

Dec. 25 at 9:44 a.m., a one-car crash was reported on Shelburne and Webster roads with no injuries.

Shelburne Selectboard ‘zoombombed’ with graphic content

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Shelburne received a number of unwanted guests at its Dec. 20 selectboard meeting when accounts flooded the Zoom meeting with pornographic material.

The disruption lasted nearly six minutes and has officials questioning alternative methods to online meetings.

“It was a surreal moment of incredibly juvenile behavior,” said selectboard chair Mike Ashooh as he expressed his disbelief over the incident. “If you have something to say, just come say it. This was just so bizarre.”

Although town manager Lee Krohn was able to remove the “hackers” in a timely manner, he couldn’t admit anybody else into

the meeting and potentially jeopardizing the state’s open meeting law.

“You can’t restrict these meetings to just the people you think you want to let in, and you can’t know who someone is until they, shall we say, display their true colors,” Krohn said.

Navigating the realm of digital meetings is a relatively new field of play for the town since the COVID19 pandemic, and this was an eye opening experience to a problem the town has not yet had to face. The term “Zoom-bombing” originated when unwanted guests began hijacking online meetings with obscene content or disruptions.

Officials have no way to know whether these disruptions were coordinated by someone within the town, or just online trolls that somehow got ahold of the town’s

Zoom meeting number, but Krohn has notified other town committees to be wary as online meetings continue.

“These meetings are all posted publicly as we are required to do by law,” explained Krohn. “I have done some immediate inquiry among my colleagues to find out if there’s potentially a different way to host a meeting that might lessen that risk of a repeat performance.”

Holding online meetings, which is now commonplace, with open meeting law is a balance, one Krohn said he is wasting no time in finding a solution.

“Is there a way to lessen the risk of that happening again?” he said. “Getting guidance from some of my colleagues, we may experiment with a slightly different approach and see if that helps. Stay tuned.”

Compromise on gun control needed, unlikely to happen

Guest Perspective

Walt Amses

Between the time I’m writing this and you’re reading it, there likely have been several mass shootings, bringing the total to well over 600 so far this year, a number that, however astounding, increases annually in a country with more firearms than people, where the Second Amendment has absorbed the First: We let our guns do the talking.

The more they talk, the louder their voices. For the first time in history, gun deaths overtook automobile accidents as the leading cause of “traumatic deaths.”

While the proliferation of guns and their easy availability are major contributing factors in the ever-increasing death toll, semiautomatic weapons of war, high-capacity magazines and a homegrown terrorist alliance between the National Rifle Association and its congressional concubines made this national

disgrace inevitable.

The fabricated NRA/GOP “Good Guy with a Gun” mythology, coupled with a yearslong promotion combined with thinly veiled racism, have turned parts of rural America into havens for heavily armed, delusional soldier boys, bent on protecting the nation from Drag Queen Story Hours, library books they’ve never read, and trans teenagers they’ll never meet.

The Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and the rest of the far-right, white supremacist militia movement have been both directly and indirectly involved in the spate of mass shootings that gouge indelible scars on our country. Their exploitation of open-carry laws — the indecent

exposure of assault weapons — to ostensibly “keep the peace” is an essential gear in the machinery creating the locked-and-loaded culture where the gun is the answer, no matter the question.

Marching into your local school board meeting wearing faux military gear hefting an AR-15 may expose you as a moron but it certainly achieves its purpose: intimidating legitimate speech, limiting debate to incoherent screaming matches and dissemination of conspiracy theories too stupid to list here.

Such nonsense is apparently OK with conservatives all the way to the top. When the former president of the United States,

urged by advisers to disavow the white supremacist anti-Semite he’s just had over for dinner, refuses, unwilling to alienate supporters, we’re a nation in serious trouble.

We make certain assumptions regarding the cause of the carnage, some accurate — more guns equal more gun deaths; some less so — untreated mental illness is the primary cause of mass shooting incidents.

While the political debate over gun violence ranges far and wide, one thing sorely missing is comprehensive scientific research into the problem and there’s a very clear reason for that. Since 1996, gun manufacturers and their mainly Republican apologists in Congress have blocked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for such studies, predictably concerned by what the results might yield. Research since funding was marginally restored justifies those fears, minimally indicating more guns equal more gun deaths.

Although still woefully underfunded, some research has begun to emerge — including a review of a Harvard study conducted 20 years ago that explored the relationship between gun prevalence and homicide — confirming the hypothesis that a proliferation of firearms yields a corresponding uptick in shootings and deaths.

The conclusion was bolstered by researchers employing several different techniques of measuring gun availability and access with findings replicated in other studies.

Citing other countries quickly responding to incidents of gun violence with legislation, including increased restrictions, the Rockefeller Institute of Government, while recommending several policies such as banning high-capacity magazines and so-called assault weapons, at the same time admits: “Present political realities make this approach feel all but impossible in the

See AMSES on page 6

Choice

Peace of Mind...

If difficulty climbing the socioeconomic ladder equates with more gun violence, it would follow that more opportunity for social mobility might do the opposite.

Vermont business leaders voiced their economic concerns and urged action on workforce and housing initiatives at a recent roundtable discussion with Chittenden County Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale. The meeting, hosted by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, centered on the top issues facing the business community in advance of the legislative session. “Vermont industries are the backbone of many communities and I hope to make the essential investments in workforce infrastructure to ensure a sustainable economic future for our state,” said Ram Hinsdale. “Workforce housing, continued pandemic recovery and strategic investments in initiatives to recruit and retain a diverse workforce will all be areas of focus for me this upcoming session.”

from page 5

United States.”

But there’s even more to consider than the complexities of the left-right divide on guns in America that hints at why we shoot each other more frequently and in higher numbers than any other industrialized country in the world.

A 2019 Northeastern University study outlined in Scientific American found an inverse association between social mobility and gun homicide rates. In other words, in counties where social mobility is higher, firearm murder rates are substantially lower than areas where movement up the ladder remains stagnant. Designed to provide policy makers with “additional tools to address the epidemic of gun violence in America,” the author — epidemiologist David Noonan — finds an increase in social mobility would lead to a 25 percent reduction in homicide rates.

It doesn’t take a genius to integrate these findings into the larger picture, including America’s high rates of depression and anxiety, certainly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving our collective emotional state in shambles.

At this juncture 30 to 40 percent — tens of millions of us — report being angry, sad, afraid or tired. Fatalities related to drug overdoses, alcoholism and suicide — “deaths of despair” — claim hundreds of thousands annually, lowering life expectancy three years running for the first time since 1918.

Life in working-class America is hard and getting harder. Jobs are exported, wages are inadequate and the price of everything

skyrockets even as the same political class responsible for the epidemic of firearms consistently balks at initiatives to make life better for their struggling constituents.

While it’s unlikely any compromise on gun ownership and the Second Amendment will happen anytime soon, the wealthiest country in the world has other options at its disposal to change the equation. If reducing the number of guns is impossible, perhaps we can begin by reducing the other factors that may contribute to shooting each other being just another part of life in America.

A government more responsive to the needs of its citizens understands that money is not the only route to a better quality of life. If difficulty climbing the socioeconomic ladder equates with more gun violence, it would follow that more opportunity for social mobility might do the opposite.

Countries with exponentially lower gun violence than the U.S. frequently have the well-being of their citizens as the No. 1 priority — providing universal health care, free or affordable college education, subsidized parental leave, affordable child care,; labor protections, including strong unions, better health outcomes, and a longer life expectancy.

Consequently, Europeans not having to contend with the crippling worries that consistently plague Americans are far more likely to report being content or happy and far less likely to pick up a gun.

Walt Amses is a Vermontbased writer.

COURTESY PHOTO

Around the table with Ram Hinsdale

OBITUARIES

Peter Jeffrey Sutherland

Peter Jeffrey Sutherland, 71, lifelong Vermonter and world citizen, died on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.

Born May 13, 1951, in Burlington to Mary Lou and Bob Sutherland, he grew up in Shelburne, attending Champlain Valley Union High School, Castleton State College and the University of Vermont.

A descendent of minstrels, he had a knack for music and art from as far back as anyone can remember. He lived his creativity and crafted a life and career sharing his music, poetry, art and storytelling.

One of his earliest outlets was writing and starring in home movies. While Pete went on to work with numerous performance groups here and abroad, his original endeavors involved recruiting family and neighbors to participate in his various project ideas.

His mom was the initial musical inspiration, playing and writing musicals at the piano, the instrument that Pete first learned. He was quick to develop the ability to play by ear, picking out melodies and composing his own. In high school he played trombone in the marching band alongside his brother Chris.

At Castleton he began his lifelong love affair with folk and traditional music. It was during that time he learned fiddle, banjo and guitar, forming his first gigging bands. While he was indeed adept at many instruments, he always washed dishes like a man just learning to play drums.

Pete was a student of Vermont history and some of those stories found their way into his impressive body of songs

and poetry.

Always curious and well read, Pete was an early adopter of health trends that would later become popular. His favorite foods were the ones he picked himself. He was a lifelong forager of mushrooms and other wild edibles that he would find on his frequent and beloved hikes.

Deeply committed to preserving traditions and discovering new musical pathways, he taught, mentored and inspired people of all ages. Pete leaves behind a rich legacy that can be found on the many albums he recorded, produced and played on, in his many projects including those with the Vermont Folklife Center and in the hearts and memories of those he touched.

He lived with cancer for over a decade, continuing to follow his heart and creative muse. And when his body finally gave out, he chose Vermont’s medical aid in dying act to go on his terms. Pete spent his time on Earth doing what he loved, and his was a life well lived.

Pete is survived by his son, Calum; his brothers, Michael, and Davis and partner, Marie, and all their families.

He was predeceased by his brother, Chris.

A full circle hoedown is being planned for his birthday in the spring.

Thomas Anthony Farrell

Thomas Anthony Farrell, 35, succumbed to his battle with addiction at home in Asheville, N.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.

He was born to Mary (Furlani) Turn-

baugh and Tom Farrell, Sr on April 5, 1987, in Burlington. He graduated from Champlain Valley Union High School in 2005 and attended the University of Vermont School of Engineering.

Thomas was an avid sports fan, specifically a devoted lifelong Yankees fan, something he shared with his brother Alex. Thomas was a gifted athlete, excelling at sports from a young age, especially baseball. Thomas had an incredible knack for games of skill, and loved to challenge friends and family, letting his competitive spirit show.

His wit, charm and charisma were his strongest qualities, apparent to everyone he met. His heart was bigger than most and the love he had for his family and friends was felt deeply. Thomas worked tirelessly for years to overcome his depression and addiction. This is not a battle he wanted, but one he was deeply committed to trying to get a hold on. The love he had for his family was his driving force toward recovery. His loss is more devastating given how hard he tried.

He is survived by his mother and stepfather Mary and Jeff Turnbaugh; father, Tom Farrell and partner, Carol Manning; grandmother, Laurie Farrell; sister and brotherin-law, Meaghan and Joe Wonderly; nieces, Eloise and Hazel Wonderly; nephew, Freddie Wonderly; brothers, Alex Farrell and Connor Turnbaugh; stepsister, Hannah Turnbaugh; stepbrother-in-law, Dan Compton; many aunts, uncles and cousins who he loved dearly; as well as his lifelong childhood friends and his very special friend, John Haley, who was like a brother to him.

He was predeceased by his beloved grandparents, Al and AlyceMarie Furlani of Burlington; and grandfather, Ronald Thomas Farrell Sr. Thomas’ family will receive friends and family on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, from 4-7 at the Ready Funeral Home, 261 Shelburne Rd, Burlington.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, at 11 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Shelburne.

Peter Jeffrey Sutherland

Thomas Anthony Farrell

Shelburne starts to retool zoning, staffing office faces changes

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

For Shelburne, 2022 was a year of contentious zoning battles, employee turnover and acronyms. Who knew that just four letters, MRCD, could turn the town upside down in a fight for regulatory reform.

The Mixed Residential Character District, or MRCD, is a designation within a zoning district known as form-based overlay that took center stage for some residents after a 110-unit residential development was proposed along Route 7.

Several resident groups like Shelburne Neighbors United for Responsible Growth (SNURG) and Shelburne Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) questioned whether this type of development was what was intended when form-based code was established in 2016 and urged the selectboard and planning commission to take a closer look at the town’s current zoning.

Nearly $30,000 later, a hired consultant confirmed what many of the residents feared. The mixed residential character district was deemed “overly complex for such a small region,” and contained “unclear, vague, or contradictory language” leaving it open to a wide range of development options that may not align with the town plan, the firm, Blue Zones, wrote.

On Nov. 15, the selectboard nixed the mixed residential character district, sparking a massive overhaul of the town’s zoning regulations, which is likely to take

nearly two years to complete.

In a 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 and inconsistencies between the bylaws and town plan. DeNamur wrote in the memo that the estimated cost with

the help of another consultant will be upwards of $70,000.

Heading into the new year, planning and zoning staff are at work crafting a three-part request for the zoning consultation. With just one zoning change decided, staff are anticipating a long year of zoning changes ahead.

Staffing changes

Amid the zoning controversy, the planning and zoning office was facing massive staffing shortages after Adele Gravitz resigned as the town’s planning and zoning director in October.

In November, the town hired two full-time employees and one interim employee to assist in the planning and zoning office. The new interim position is now held by Ken Belliveau who has more than 30 years of planning experience and had previously been the town of Williston’s planning director before his retirement in 2018.

Recent University of Vermont graduate Kit Luster was hired as the role of development review board coordinator and master’s student Aaron DeNamur was hired to take on the role of assistant zoning administrator and planning coordinator.

In the absence of a planning director, the planning and zoning

office is running a bit differently, with the two new hires reporting directly to town manager Lee Krohn, who stepped into the role of zoning administrator.

Although some residents were concerned at the overturn, tenured staff viewed the newcomers as a beneficial aspect to the coming year’s regulatory reform.

“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.”

PHOTO BY COREY MCDONALD

The Champlain Valley Trust plans to turn Harbor Place into an affordable housing complex.

Adele Gravitz

SHELBURNE POLICE

continued from page 1

town for termination without cause, sources said previously.

Confidence in the town and the department quickly fell, with residents having found themselves, for the second time in five years, paying out their police chief’s salary through a settlement agreement following an abrupt suspension.

Longtime police chief James Warden was placed under suspension in July 2017 and later pushed out. Warden and the town then reached a separation agreement, agreeing to pay out his salary through the end of that year but denying him sick, vacation, compensatory and other accrued leave.

“We suffered through a horrible and hurtful termination of employment with our former chief Warden, and now to see the disparity between the agreement the town made with him and the exorbitant one just offered to Aaron Noble — well it is just shameful,” Shelburne resident Linda Riell said at the time.

Enter Michael Thomas, tasked with bringing some stability to the beleaguered department and bolstering its ranks in a highly competitive labor market.

Eventually, Thomas managed to bring department staff, which at one point this year was down to Thomas and two other officers, back up to six. Discussions were at one point underway about sharing police services with the Hinesburg department, but those eventually faded.

Shelburne police and dispatch workers eventually agreed to a contract agreement with the town, cementing pay increases

through 2026 and ending a two-year stalemate without a contract.

While all of this was happening, Shelburne Corp. Jon Marcoux was placed on administrative leave as law enforcement agencies debated whether he should be criminally prosecuted.

Marcoux in January was involved in the pursuit of a stolen vehicle and allegedly used some form of physical restraint against the driver.

Thomas in February originally referred video of the incident to Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George to “review for potential criminal charges.”

George requested state police investigate the matter, and said she believed Marcoux used “excessive force” that rose to the level of simple assault, according to email exchanges with state police investigators, and asked the state police to investigate.

But state police ultimately concluded that Marcoux’s use of force did not rise to the level of simple assault and said they “did not believe there was probable cause and therefore would not swear to an affidavit nor issue a citation.”

After a months-long standoff, state police completed their investigation, followed by a completed internal investigation by the Shelburne department — both of which found that no wrongdoing on Marcoux’ part.

Marcoux is now back to work with the department, and the town continues to bolster its ranks.

For all your special holiday occasions

PHOTO BY LEE KROHN

Cheryl Thomas pins the badge onto her husband, Mike, at a pinning ceremony last fall when he was made Shelburne’s permanent police chief.

Enter Michael Thomas, tasked with bringing some stability to the beleaguered department and bolstering its ranks in a highly competitive labor market.

FILE PHOTO

Former Shelburne police chief Aaron Noble

Balsam woolly adelgid poses threat to fir trees

Jen Weimer

’Tis the season for balsam fir, the fragrant evergreen that adorns our homes through the winter holidays. Its scent and long lasting needle retention make this the most popular Christmas tree and wreath species. Balsam fir is also an important timber species used for lumber.

Native to North America, balsam fir (Abies balsamea) grows throughout the more northern latitudes and highest elevations of the country, including in the North-

east. However, researchers predict a northward shift of balsam fir in an increasingly warming climate. Warmer temperatures are also contributing to a rise in populations of an exotic invasive pest — balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) — which feeds on fir trees, affecting their health and viability as lumber and Christmas trees.

Introduced to North America on nursery stock from Europe around 1900, this tiny, sucking aphid-like insect attacks true firs. This includes balsam fir and Fraser fir, another popular Christmas tree species

ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL

The Outside Story

native to the southern United States and often cultivated on Christmas tree farms in the Northeast. Balsam woolly adelgid currently exists throughout New England and New York, as well as in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the Pacific Northwest and central coastal California.

Populations have historically remained low at elevations above 2,000 feet. In recent years, however, this pest has expanded in both population and range, likely due to warming temperatures. From 2017 through 2021, Vermont and New Hampshire reported more than 13,500 acres of balsam fir mortality from balsam woolly adelgid.

Feeding by balsam woolly adelgid can cause significant damage and mortality in both cultivated firs and forested trees. On tree farms, balsam woolly adelgid can be effectively controlled with insecticides. There are no known effective controls, however, for forested settings. Several natural enemies, including predatory beetles and parasitic flies from Europe, were released in North America in the 1950s for use as a biocontrol, but none of these have been effective at controlling

COMMUNITY NOTES continued from page 2

number and date of birth. Bring a completed registration form or send one to: Age Well; 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210; Colchester VT 05446.

Download the registration form ahead of time at bit.ly/3PUwdHN.

Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, Dec. 29, is from 10-11 a.m., Charlotte Senior Center, 212 Ferry Road, and features beef stroganoff with onions and mushrooms, rotini noodles, brussels sprouts, dinner roll with butter, seasoned apples with cinnamon and milk.

You must have pre-registered by the prior Monday with Kerrie Pughe, 802-4256345 or kpughe@charlotteseniorcentervt.

org

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, Jan. 5, features roast pork, apple Craisin gravy, diced potatoes, Harvard beets, wheat roll with butter, pumpkin cookie and milk.

balsam woolly adelgid.

In Europe, where it is native, balsam woolly adelgid reproduces both sexually and asexually. In North America, only females exist and reproduction is parthenogenetic — without fertilization from males — with two generations per year occurring in the Northeast. Additional generations (up to four) may be present in areas with warmer temperatures, which could increase the severity of damage in a warming climate.

These insects lay masses of up to 200 eggs within a protective white wool, known as flocculence, on tree trunks or branches in summer.

Tiny “crawlers,” about 1 mm in length, emerge and develop into adults while feeding on phloem — living tissue just under the bark — using their piercing, sucking mouthparts. Crawlers are mobile and can spread to other trees by wind, or hitch a ride from birds or other animals. Once a crawler begins feeding, it stays anchored to its feeding spot, where it morphs into a nymph and then an adult.

Second generation crawlers will remain in place through the winter as nymphs

and complete development the following spring. Planning a fir harvest during the winter months, when eggs are absent and crawlers are immobile, can reduce the spread of balsam woolly adelgid throughout the stand.

Balsam woolly adelgid feeds either in the phloem on the face of the trunk or on the branches, which causes them to swell. Balsam woolly adelgid infestation depletes trees of nutrients and kills new growth, leading to tree mortality. Trees weakened by balsam woolly adelgid are also more susceptible to drought and other secondary damage-causing agents such as bark beetles and armillaria root rot.

Christmas trees left untreated will become distorted and unmarketable. Feeding on the main stem also produces irregular growth rings similar to compression wood, known as rotholz, which disrupts water conduction and degrades lumber.

Proper disposal of decorative fir green-

ery and Christmas trees at the end of the season can help prevent the spread of balsam woolly adelgid. Many municipalities offer Christmas tree recycling programs where trees are composted or turned into mulch. Post-holiday community tree bonfires are also becoming popular.

While it may seem easiest to dump trees and greenery in your backyard brush pile or toss them into the woods, they could be harboring pests that can find their way to nearby trees and cause new infestations. You can find more tips and resources for proper disposal of your holiday greenery at dontmovefirewood.org/holidaygreenery.

Jen Weimer is a forest health expert, photographer, and writer living in the forests of New Hampshire. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, Jan. 12, features meatloaf with sauce, vegetable gravy, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, dinner roll with butter, banana Craisin oat cookie and milk.

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, Jan. 19, features oven fried chicken breast, diced potatoes with parsley, peas and onions, wheat roll with butter, date Craisin bar and milk.

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

Champlain Valley Christmas tree pick up is next Saturday

The CVU music program will be picking up Christmas trees in Shelburne for a $10 donation on Saturday, Jan. 7, from 9 a.m. 3 p.m.

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.

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/

Community Services, Inc.

Proper disposal of decorative fir greenery and Christmas trees at the end of the season can help prevent the spread of balsam woolly adelgid.

Champlain

Why not have a job you love?

Pines, cedars thrive in abandoned pastures

“Look there,” the retired sheep farmer said as he slowed down and pointed to a ledgy, overgrown hillside. “That’s what I was talking about, see the white pines and junipers?” We were driving along a back road as he was telling me the story of his dairy farming neighbor’s struggles, and how I could read some of the chapters of that story in the plants.

In years past, he told me, the scrubby hillside had once been an open pasture where the dairy farmer had run all his cows and heifers. The animals had kept the grass and other greenery well grazed, except for the prickly-leaved plants they avoided, like white pine tree saplings and juniper shrubs. What the cows didn’t eat, the farmer clipped out so they wouldn’t shade out any of the valuable grass.

But the dairy industry’s latest market pressures were pushing his neighbor to either size up or shut down his milking operation, and he finally decided to sell his cows. The pasture was empty. A second neighbor down the road asked the farmer if he could lease the empty pasture for his heifers. The pasture was too far away from the other neighbor’s barn to walk the milking cows back and forth

twice a day for milking, but the heifers that were too young to be milked could graze there without much trouble. The second neighbor would then be able to increase the number of milking cows on his own pasture once his heifers were moved.

The first neighbor agreed, and the heifers were brought down the road and happily grazed in the pasture that summer. Over the following years, the heifers continued to grace, though there were fewer of them than before. With no more pressure to maximize the grazing area, the regular clipping of the prickly-needled saplings ended.

Now that the pasture was undergrazed, the prickly tree and shrub seedlings had established themselves. Eventually, the second neighbor decided to shut down, too, and the pasture no longer had any grazing farm animals. But the white pine trees the heifers hadn’t eaten had a head start on the other plants that started coming in as the pasture transitioned toward forest.

After the sheep farmer clued me into this landscape history story, I started to look for this pattern in my other research projects. Where I could, I watched for pastures that were still being used, those being undergrazed, and those recently abandoned, and looked at the kinds of trees that were first coming in and their relative ages. At sites further along in their forest regrowth, I looked at aerial photos I could find from decades past to reconstruct the stages of their landscape histories.

I noticed that not all abandoned pastures went through an undergrazing stage, but those that did showed this pattern repeatedly: in the undergrazed pasture situations, the prickly white pines, especially, stood out above the goldenrod and other early meadow plants. The head start the white pines had over the poplars, birches and other early species that came in after grazing stopped is visible even many decades later. In the areas of the Champlain Valley with limy soils, red cedar trees were the ones getting the head start. The large white pines and the red cedar trees

then became good clues for me to watch for.

With this new focus, I also noticed that other farmland uses, such as old corn fields and hayfields, often had different reforesting patterns than the old pastures. When I tuned into the subtler differences, I found I could also use those forest patterns as clues to reconstruct a more detailed history of the past land use on research sites.

With 80 percent of the Vermont landscape having been cleared of forest the late 1800s, and a significant percentage of that open land in pasture, there are lots of places where the pasture abandonment stories have played out. In Vermont, we are currently losing pastureland at a higher rate than other land uses. As dairy farming

is transitioning to feeding cows inside year-round now rather than pasturing them, the next chapter in pasture abandonment is being written.

During stick season, I find myself looking for the green foliage of the white pine trees and red cedars standing out against the mostly brown forests — looking for other signs of abandoned pasturing. When I find them, I also think about the generations of dairy farmers’ decisions about their land that can be read in patterns decades later.

Jane Dorney is a consulting geographer who does research and education projects to help people understand why the Vermont landscape looks like it does. See more at janedorney.com.

Jane Dorney

PHOTO BY JANE DORNEY

GetSetUp offers interactive learning for older Vermonters

The Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging, through their partnership with GetSetUp, is offering Vermont residents 60 years old and older interactive online programming specifically designed to increase activity and wellness for older adults.

Classes cover topics from how to effectively use digital technology to health and wellness through fitness and cooking to a full range of enrichment classes. Vermonters can access thousands of interactive classes taught by older adults to their peers that are accessible at the click of a button 24 hours a day.

The GetSetUp program also helps active agers become more

fit, learn to manage their finances, develop new skills and even supplement their income. Special “New Year, New Me” programming is running into the new year to help people accomplish their new year’s goals in one or all three learning tracks on health and wellness, money and business and growth and development.

Classes are available in multiple languages including English, Mandarin, Hindi and a growing number of weekly classes in Spanish.

The custom-built video learning interface has been tailored to older adults of all tech levels. The platform offers support via phone

and in all classes to help learners with technology and includes a booking system complete with regular reminders and after-class notes. Vermont’s older adults can easily connect with a safe community of over 4.6 million peers globally.

“We know that the holidays and winter season can be a festive time for many people but also a time where others feel particularly alone,” said Lawrence Kosick, president and co-founder of GetSetUp. “We want to remind people that there are empowering learning and socialization opportunities on GetSetUp,” More at bit.ly/3WhEDuS.

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class where I am a teacher’s assistant, debugging with assistance from some of my students.

Q: Did you create this app as part of a project for school, a coding club or a similar organization?

The app began as a project for school and is now a personal project that I hope to improve as I become a better programmer. One day I may even be able to publish the game as a playable app.

The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer

science. Each participating member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and each winning team is invited to showcase their winning app to Congress during an annual festival.

PARKER

Jaden Parker

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Cleaning and organizing can wait for another week, Aries. This week you should focus on having fun with your family and friends Enjoy the respite from work.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, work is on your brain, but it could be because you’re wired to focus on getting things done. Work is important, but remember to make time for other things as well.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Your bank account may not be as healthy as it could be, Gemini. Tuck those credit cards away and cut back on purchases for the time being to set things straight.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

You have been feeling less motivated of late, Cancer. That is likely due to the breakneck speed that you have been going for some time. Slow down and enjoy the break.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Leo, practicality is your middle name. The next few days you may be focused on whimsy and imagination. It could be all the feelings the holidays are bringing up.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Planetary energies could be affecting those around you and their reception to your ideas, Virgo. Remain patient that things will tip in your favor after some time has passed.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

Your thoughts this week are about setting goals for the future, Libra. Not that you haven’t already been doing your share of planning, but now you’re rming up those plans.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, issues with your professional life may be on your mind. It could be time to make a major change in the days to come. Are you ready to move in a new direction?

SUDOKU

Here’s How It Works:

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

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

New responsibilities have left little time to spend with your signi cant other, Sagittarius. Carve out moments to snuggle if you cannot get out to a romantic meal or movie.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Have you been plotting a move, Capricorn? Make sure your real estate research is up-to-date and you’re ready to take the plunge. This move may be a big one.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

Aquarius, perhaps you have made a few big purchases lately and feel like your budget has taken a hit? Add up receipts and you may nd it’s not as bad as you had thought.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

This is a good time for a change of perspective, Pisces. Maybe you have been looking at things all the wrong way. Switch things up.