Shelburne News - 2-9-23

Town wins in Pierce lawsuit

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Closing the book on a lawsuit against the town of Shelburne and its former zoning and planning director, Vermont Superior Court’s Chittenden unit has ruled in favor of the town — ending a case over access to public records that began more than a year ago.

The issues began when Shelburne zoning and planning director Dean Pierce filed two separate records requests on Dec. 24, 2021, for materials and communications “pertaining to the performance of staff at the planning and zoning department that in any way constitutes a complaint or expression of opinion ... received from any person.” The second request sought any communications or documentation pertaining “to the performance or behavior of Town Manager Lee Krohn that in any way constitutes a complaint.”

Krohn denied those requests “on the basis that any such documents are ‘personal documents relating to an individual, including information in any files maintained to hire, evaluate, promote, or discipline any employee of a public agency.’”

A third request was filed by Pierce on Jan. 3, asking for a variety of communications “occurring outside public hearings or

See LAWSUIT on page 12

Town manager to leave in May; search process accelerates

LIBERTY DARR

STAFF WRITER

Shelburne’s town manager of five years, Lee Krohn, will step down from his role, the the first week of May.

Last July Krohn announced he wouldn’t be continuing in the job beyond the end of his contract, which expires in November 2023.

Krohn agreed to stay on until the town found a suitable replacement, but says

helping the town must be balanced with the needs of his personal life.

“My goal has been to help manage this transition, help the town keep moving things forward, keep doing my job as best as possible for as long as I’m here,” he said.

“Given that the searching process took some time to get started and who knows how long it might take, I thought about trying to balance my goal to help keep the town moving forward, but also what I need as a person.”

Now the town is in a bit of crunch fill Krohn’s position prior to his departure. In December, nearly six months after the announcement, the selectboard commissioned a town manager screening committee composed of five members — two selectboard members, two members from town committees and one resident — and began advertising for the position officially on Dec. 15.

Although the committee originally anticipated that applications would be field-

ed until Jan. 15, Mike Ashooh, chair of the selectboard and member of the screening committee, said that the deadline was extended to Jan. 29 as application numbers were lower than expected.

Ashooh said of nearly 30 applicants, few appear promising. The committee hopes to begin initial interviews this week and give recommendations to the selectboard at its next meeting on Feb. 14. Although the hope

PHOTO BY JENNIFER ERICKSON

A common scene over the weekend for those living near Lake Champlain — choppy conditions and mist and fog coming off the lake cause by subzero temperatures and high winds.

Angry lake

Help Us Celebrate our

Bittner Antiques opens showroom

Bittner Antiques has opened a new showroom at 2997 Shelburne Road.

The 1,000-square-foot space officially opened on Jan. 20.

Visitors will find a mix of local finds and discoveries from around the world. The selection ranges from paintings by noted Vermont artists, fine jewelry, silver, ceramics, esoteric collectibles and examples of Americana and folk art. Also on display are works by Pablo Picasso, Thomas Hart Benton, George Nakashima and other internationally renowned artists.

The building housing the showroom was constructed in the

1980s and was originally home to Applied Graphics. The building lacked insulation and had severely outdated heating and cooling systems.

Brian Bittner, the founder of Bittner Antiques, bought the property in 2021 and undertook a major overhaul of the building, replaced HVAC systems with heat pumps and a new high-efficiency boiler, built an airtight envelope with spray foam insulation and upgraded to LED lighting.

Further renovations to the exterior and site are planned for spring.

Bittner Antiques was founded by Bittner, a third generation Vermont antique dealer with over

20 years of experience. His grandfather, Jack, began buying and selling antiques in the 1960s and opened his shop, Yankee Ingenuity Antiques in Brattleboro. Brian’s father, George, picked up the trade at an early age and continues to buy and sell antiques in southern Vermont.

In addition to its new physical location, the business has operated for many years online and at antique shows throughout New England.

House calls are made daily throughout Vermont for those interested in selling their antiques. For more information go to bittnerantiques.com.

Shelburne man announces bid for seat on the selectboard

Political Notebook

Andrew Everett

My name is Andrew Everett, and I am running for the Shelburne Selectboard.

I am a father of two, my daughter is a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School and my son is in sixth grade at Shelburne Community School. My wife, Elise, is a women’s cancer surgeon at University of Vermont Medical Center.

Since moving to Shelburne in the summer of 2011, I have held a series of volunteer roles and have a track record of success in this amazing community.

As vice chair of the planning commission, I took a large role in the drafting of the 2019 comprehensive plan. We laid out a clear vision for the town of Shelburne. A role on the selectboard would allow me greater say in realizing

the vision the plan laid out, especially related to zoning changes and affordable housing.

While on the commission, I was also proud of common-sense amendments we made to allow local businesses like Kwiniaska and the Lake Champlain Transportation to grow their businesses.

One of the critical roles the selectboard will play is hiring a new town manager. As the current president of the board of Shelburne Craft School, I have played a leading role in hiring its last two directors. Both have helped lead the craft school to unprecedented stability and economic security. I would love to leverage that experience to hire and guide the most visible leadership role in our town.

I also have executive leadership experience as the president of Northern Vermont Youth Lacrosse, co-president of Shelburne Youth Lacrosse and head class agent for Williams College.

All three roles require listening to and working with diverse communities. My leadership has created stability and growth for all three organizations.

I have spent the last two years on the Bikes and Pedestrian Paths Committee. I also played a significant role on a volunteer committee that raised $1 million for Pierson Library, which reduced the town’s financial burden by the same amount. I have also volunteered at Shelburne Community School and coached multiple sports for Shelburne Recreation.

I believe the current selectboard has done a great job of moving Shelburne forward. But we are still facing a future of certain growth and change, and I feel qualified to make sure we handle that in a way that keeps the town’s character intact. I want future families of all means to be as excited to move to Shelburne as we were almost 12 years ago.

COURTESY PHOTO

Brian Bittner, founder of Bittner Antiques has overhauled the site of his business on Shelburne Road.

Shelburne, SoBu residents form Lions Club to service local needs

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

With more than 48,000 clubs around the world, the Lions Club — the largest service organization in the world — is making its way to Shelburne and South Burlington thanks to the efforts of a few neighboring residents.

Specializing in hunger relief, helping the environment, diabetes awareness, pediatric cancer, vision — including screening tens of thousands of Vermont school children for vision impairments — and other local needs, the Lions Club already held a prominent place in the Green Mountains, but hadn’t put down roots in the Shelburne area just yet.

Mark Hanna moved to Shelburne last summer after nearly 29 years in Whitingham where he was an active member of the Deerfield Valley Lions Club, participating as president for a couple of those years.

“I was really disappointed that there’s no Lions Club (in Shelburne) because it’s a big part of my life,” he said.

Coincidentally, Hanna’s neighbor, Andy Gramer, who moved in across the street about the same time, came from Illinois where he was also active in the Lions Club.

“He looked at my license plate that has a Lions logo on it and said, ‘I know what that is. Let’s form a club,’” said Hanna.

“I was like, ‘Hey, I have something in common with one of my neighbors. I may not know anyone but I know what the Lions Club is!’” said Gramer, who had moved to Shelburne about a year and a half ago. “From there, he told me that there wasn’t a Lions Club in the Shelburne area, and we talked about how we could go about forming one.”

Although the fun found in the club adds another level of camaraderie to his life, Gramer said the aspect that makes it all worthwhile is being able to participate in the activities with his daughter. “She still talks about it and when we can do the next food drive, so for me, it’s the community involvement, but it’s also giving,” he said.

South Burlington resident Jackie Dutil overheard Hanna discussing the new Lions Club at a leadership training. “I asked him if he would like help, because I had tried starting the club back in 2018 myself, I didn’t have help at the time, and I had just moved to South Burlington,” she said.

Dutil has been helping the

Lions since 1979, before women were even allowed to be a part of the club.

“They had their business meetings at my house. They had pancake breakfasts and I helped them cook and everybody chipped in — a lot of the wives helped,” she said.

She officially joined the Lions as a member in 1997 and she hasn’t looked back since.

“It allows you to expand and help others in different areas and, bit by bit, you can learn leadership skills,” she said. “Being a stay-at-home mom on a farm doesn’t make you very worldly, but this helped give me a sense of purpose away from the home and in my community, and actually, in the world.”

Dutil now sits as chair of memberships for the newly formed club and is the first point of contact for those considering a membership.

The club has had one informational meeting and one organizational meeting to determine the key issues that residents would like to see addressed, “we’re trying to find out what the local needs are and homelessness has come up. That’s definitely a big fight,” said Hanna.

All three residents expressed excitement about the support that they have experienced thus far, with nearly 15 people committed already and only five more needed to be chartered.

“If you can fit in one activity with the Lions Club a year, we want you,” said Hanna. “Whatever you can give, we’ll take it. It is really more about the love of helping your neighbor.”

Although the club is just getting started, members and volunteers are wasting no time in hitting the ground running with the first service volunteer event that happened in November — just in time for the holiday season.

The community food drive, which was held just outside of the Shelburne Market, collected more than 550 pounds of donated non-perishable food items for the Shelburne food shelf and $262.50 in donations, which Hanna says, shows that residents are eager for an avenue to give back.

Not only does the Lions Club serve those in need, but it also provides a new perspective for those participating.

“Life throws darts, sometimes big ones and I found that the Lions are an extended family — extended friends,” said Dutil.

Meetings typically begin at 6:30 p.m. with a 30-minute social that flows into the formal discussion portion that lasts until 8 p.m. There is also a Zoom option for those unable to meet in person.

“When you turn on the news, you’ll find that what’s going on in the world can be depressing,”

said Hanna. “What you’ll find out when you become a lion it’ll heightened your awareness that there are more solutions than there are problems in this world and that is really powerful.

“It really gives you a positive outlook on life and the positivity that we get from giving back to

the community is really powerful,” he added.

The next meeting will be Monday, March 6 although the venue location is still undetermined. Anyone interested is encouraged to email Mark Hanna directly at lionmark2000@ outlook.com.

Charter members Jacqueline Jones, South Burlington, and Jean Hayden, Shelburne, at a Vermont Lions Club event

“It really gives you a positive outlook on life and the positivity that we get from giving back.”

— Mark Hanna

Faith United Church offers weekly ‘Education & Enrichment’ lectures

Education & Enrichment for Everyone, a lifelong learning organization, hosts weekly lectures on diverse topics on Fridays from 2-3 p.m. at Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St., South Burlington, and on Zoom.

For information visit eeevermont.org, email info@eeevermont.org or call 802-343-5177.

Membership grants access to 10 lectures. Non-members can attend by paying $8, check or cash, at the door. To enroll in this speaker series, mail a check for $55 per person payable to Education & Enrichment for Everyone, c/o Cathy Chamberlain, 2504 Brand Farm Rd, South Burlington VT 05403. Memberships will also be accepted at the church.

Friday, Feb. 17

“The United States Supreme Court, the Constitution and Democracy” — Jared Carter, JD, assistant professor, Vermont Law and Graduate School.

Friday, Feb. 24

“Climate Change and Climate Justice in Vermont” —Dr. LesleyAnn Dupigny-Giroux, professor, Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Vermont, and Vermont climatologist.

Friday, March 3

“Vermont Legislative Update” — Calvin Cutler, WCAX political reporter.

Friday, March 10

“U.S. Immigration—A Primer on Border, Visas, Pathways and Politics” — Dr. Pablo Bose, professor, Geography and Geosciences Department, UVM, and director, Global and Regional Studies Program.

Friday, March 17

“The Lost Legacy of Women in Ornithology” — Bridget Butler, The Bird Diva.

Friday, March 24

“Cybersecurity 101: A Pragmatic Overview of the Dark Side of Technology” —Sergion Tenreiro de Magalhaes, associated professor and chair of cybersecurity programs, Champlain College

Friday, March 31

“When the Bicycle Arrived in Vermont” — Luis Vivanco, professor and chair of anthropology department, UVM.

Friday, April 14

“The Ethan Allen Homestead: Preserving Burlington’s History and Community” — Angela Grove, executive director of the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum.

Friday, April 21

“The New Transatlantic Relationship: Impacts of Brexit, Inflation and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine” — Kristina Sargent, professor of economics, Middlebury College.

Friday, April 28

“The Holy Presence of Julius Eastman” — James Stewart, Vermont Public classical host.

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Community Notes

Documentary chronicles plight of wild horses

Katherine Boucher, a Shelburne native and an 8th-generation Vermonter, is part of a team working on a documentary called “Women in the Wilderness: The Great Mustang Divide.”

The filmmakers will be hosting a fundraising event to raise money for post-production expenses at Windswept Farm, 581 Old Stage Road, Williston, on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m. Boucher and two other women — Caroline Heer and Louisa Behnke — went on a 26-day horse packing trip across Wyoming while interviewing various stakeholders in the wild horse issue. Their hope is to provide an unbiased perspective on the wild horse crisis while inspiring women to pursue their dreams.

For more information, go to womeninthewildernessfilm.com.

Acoustic jam, old flick at Pierson this week

On Thursday, Feb. 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the community room, the Pierson Library in Shelburne hosts an acoustic jam. Bring an instrument and a song to share.

Then, on Friday, Feb. 17, in the town hall at both 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. enjoy the classic movie “Duck Soup” with the Marx Brothers.

St. Catherine’s holds free community soup supper

Enjoy a free meatless soup and bread supper on Friday, Feb. 24, at St. Catherine of Siena’s parish hall, 72 Church St., in Shelburne, at 5 p.m.

Join church members for stations of the cross from 6:30-7 p.m. Suppers will also take place on the third and fifth Fridays of Lent (March 10 and March 24).

Shelburne holds candidate forum

Ask questions and share concerns with the 2023 candidates for Shelburne Selectboard and district school board on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 7 to 8:45 p.m. at the Shelburne town offices.

The forum is an opportunity for residents to learn more about candidates’ backgrounds, priorities, reasons for running for office and their point of views about town government process and policy.

Questions for the candidates are generated from town residents and voters. Send questions via email to both the forum moderator, Tom Little, littlet@vsac.org,

and to the forum coordinator, Nancy Baker, nebakervt@gmail. com, and include your name and Shelburne address.

Questions should be submitted by Tuesday, Feb. 14. The forum is sponsored by the Shelburne Democratic and Republican committees.

Candidates on the ballot who have been invited to participate in the forum include Andrew Everett, three-year selectboard term; Luce R. Hillman, two-year selectboard term, and David Connery, three-year term on the Champlain Valley School District board.

Watch online at mediafactory. org/shelburne. A rebroadcast will be available few days later.

Request ballots from the Shelburne town clerk or Vermont Secretary of State’s Office. Ballots will be mailed by Feb. 15.

Katherine Boucher, Caroline Heer and Louisa Behnke pack up for a day on the trail.

House adjusts budget, to hold hearing on housing

From the House Rep. Kate Lalley

Last week the Vermont House of Representatives finalized and passed the House Budget Adjustment bill, H. 145. The annual budget adjustment is the “true up” of the current year’s budget that occurs at midyear. It provides the opportunity to address urgent needs by assessing program allocations, how they are being used and adjusting expenditures as needed.

It passed with broad agreement on most of the base and one-time adjustments proposed by the governor with the House inserting additional one-time investments to

address urgent needs of Vermonters across the state resulting from the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The additional funds will allow us to address areas of critical need for housing, human services, rural infrastructure and agriculture to highlight a few critical areas of investment. The House allocated a portion of the unprecedented federal funding that Vermont received due to the pandemic.

The bill is now before the Vermont Senate. This bill is an important step toward delivering on our promises to Vermonters. Of local interest, $2 million will provide coordinated care teams to continue wrap-around services to clients in the General Temporary Housing

Assistance Program that will continue through the end of the fiscal year in June. Along with additional funding for temporary housing assistance is a requirement for Department of Children and Families to submit a sustainable housing plan for these populations as they transition out of this temporary and emergency housing.

While the budget adjustment reallocated existing monies in the budget, House committees have been very busy working on new ideas and bigger policy discussions. This important work includes a review of the universal school meals program; how to conserve 30 percent of Vermont’s landscape by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050 as called for in Vermont’s Climate Action Plan; addressing gaps in mental health services; substance use disorder treatment; protections for Vermonters and Vermont-based entities like health insurance companies that assists with the provision of legally protected health care; how to modernize the reappraisal process; among many other topics.

I am assigned to House Committee on Transportation. We have been digging into the administration’s proposed fiscal year 2024 $887 million transportation budget, hearing budget presentations from the

various divisions within the Agency of Transportation, which includes aviation, highway, rail, pedestrian and bicycle, and public transportation.

We took a close look at the bill and relevant areas of statute and heard from House members on bills they have introduced that were referred to our committee. In Vermont the transportation sector creates nearly 40 percent of our carbon emissions, so the committee is focused on ensuring policy and investments align with Vermont’s statutory requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as set forth in the Global Warming Solutions Act and outlined in Vermont’s Climate Action Plan.

The plan calls for transportation alternatives to single occupancy vehicle miles and programs to encourage electrification of the transportation network. To that end we reviewed the income-based rebate programs — including for e-bikes — that are helping many Vermonters transition to more fuel efficient and affordable transportation options. You can check the available rebates at driveelectricvt.com/incentives.

Many are increasingly aware that Vermont has a significant housing short-

Rep. Kate Lalley

Shelburne equity group seeks members

To the Editor, We’d like to share an update from the Shelburne Equity & Diversity Committee. We are a collection of people who formed in 2020 as a task force, brought together because of our interest in equity in all its forms for our town.

We became a committee in 2021, are all quite different and come from many backgrounds and identities — queer, straight, multi-racial, white, old, young, working, retired, scraping by and making do. Some of us have faced discrimination and all of us are willing to learn more.

To us, equity is something reachable. It simply means wanting every member of the town to be treated fairly and have equal access to everything necessary to

LALLEY

continued from page 6

age. It’s estimated that 45,000 units of additional housing are needed. Lack of housing, especially affordable types, is at the root of many or our challenges in Vermont and manifests as acute workforce shortages and higher costs for many essential services like medical care, child care, if they are available at all.

Letters to the Editor

help them thrive and belong.

To help the the town become more equitable, we realized we did not know enough nor have the skills to do this ourselves, so we combined our budgeted funds from the town and a grant from the Vermont Community Foundation to hire consultants to guide us.

We have just completed phase 1 of an evolving equity plan for the town, listening first to the experience of town leaders and the heads of departments — the people who take care of our water, roads, wastewater, budget, planning, administrating, library, recreation, law enforcement, buildings, finances, planning, records and elections, passports and dog licenses and so many other duties that keep the town alive and well.

We engaged in many honest conversations and look forward to learning together as we collab-

orate with more members of town offices and the community.

In the next few months, our consultants will head into phase 2, meeting with town employees to hear their experiences and perspectives on equity in Shelburne.

As always, everyone is welcome at our meetings, held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 6 p.m.

We are currently seeking two new members. If you are interested in joining us, email shelburneeandd@gmail.com.

Fabienne Boisvert-De Fazio

Cate Cross

Michele Crowder

Sgt. Josh Flore

Patricia Fontaine

Jennie Hoenigsberg

Erika Lea

Mercedes Ortega

Marcela Pino

The Legislature is committed to addressing the pressing need for housing in Vermont. I am pleased to announce that the House and Senate will hold a joint public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. The committees will hear testimony concerning the state of housing in Vermont in Room 267 of the Pavilion

Building, 109 State St., Montpelier. Participants may attend in person or by video conference on the Senate Committee’s YouTube stream: bit.ly/3RyYJPQ.

Kate Lalley, a Democrat from Shelburne, represents Shelburne and a portion of South Burlington in the Chittenden-6 House district.

Candis Perrault

Candis Ann Perrault, 65, of South Burlington, and formerly of Charlotte, lived a remarkable life through her positive attitude, enthusiasm, faith, fearlessness and courage.

Candis died with her heart full of joy and peace on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2023.

Candis was born prematurely on Dec. 17, 1957, and placed in an incubator until adopted a month later as the daughter of Frank and Jan Perrault. She grew up in South Burlington and graduated from South Burlington High School with the Class of 1975.

After high school, she pursued a double major in social work and psychology at the University of Vermont where she graduated on the dean’s list and Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities in 1979. She received service

and spirit awards in high school and college. Her passion for her community and pride in her schools never faltered. She could often be found attending UVM soccer and basketball games whenever they played at home.

Candis decided at the age of 16 after a summer exchange program to Hamelin, Germany that she wanted to create an international life for herself. Upon the successful completion of her undergraduate studies, Candis immersed herself in Up With People, a six-month performing arts and community service program where she lived, worked and became friends with people of diverse backgrounds from many countries while traveling throughout Mexico. This experience fueled her confidence in her abilities to be self-reliant, create meaningful relationships and empower others.

Candis trail-blazed her way from Vermont to Fairfield County, Conn., in 1981. In 1982 she founded an executive search business. Through her force of will and illimitable intuition, she developed clients in management consulting, financial services and consumer packaged goods.

Candis moved back to Shelburne in 1992 with a desire to spend more time with her family and to give back to her community. She made several contributions to local organizations, joined a long-standing book group of friends, and served as a co-found-

er of the Relay for Life in Chittenden County. She continued to carry this volunteer effort forward for four years while serving as a board member of the American Cancer Society. The society created the Candis Perrault Research Grant in 1995 in honor of her leadership and spirit.

In 1997, she married Don Kjelleren with whom she shared many outdoor interests and travel adventures to national parks in the United States and Latin America. They skied the Canadian, Craftsbury and Stowe Nordic ski marathons. Both participated in cycling tours to Europe and Candis joined the Vermont Iowa Medalists for RAGBRAI before the birth of their beloved son Hayden in 1998. Candis actively supported Hayden throughout his upbringing and he was her proudest accomplishment.

Music was the passion of a lifetime for Candis. She sang and performed with the Mystic Chorale of Boston, the Middlebury College Community Chorus, the Hinesburg Artist Series, the Lake Champlain Waldorf School Community Chorus, All Souls Interfaith Gathering Choir, St. Catherine’s Folk Group, the Emerging Universe Oratorio premier concert and the Main Line Orchestra and Choir in Philadelphia.

Candis believed that being diagnosed with an end-of-life illness in an area where one can find love and support with an extended community on a regular basis was a privilege. Gratitude was a best practice to her doctors, the nursing teams and the administrative staff whom she praised over and over for their enormous

dedication to serving humanity and saving lives. Doctors Carlos Marroquin, Joe Shields, Anat Bhave, Chris Anker, Debra Rubin, Patti Whitney, Stephen Ades, Farrah Khan, Jennifer Lisle, David Lundardini, James Slauterbeck, Matthew Perchlimedes, Mitch Moreau and David Krag, physical therapist Jean Sturm and many others always supported her in the University of Vermont Medical Center hallways.

In remembrance of Candis, a small stone memorial has been placed in the Shelburne Cemetery on which the words “SPIRIT LIVES” are inscribed. Her spirit continues to inspire all who knew her.

She is survived by her mother, Jan Perrault; brother, Kyle Perrault; son, Hayden Kjelleren; husband, Don Kjelleren; extended family members; and many loving friends.

Candis’ memorial service will take place at St Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Shelburne on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at 11 a.m. Lunch and remembrances to follow.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society’s Chittenden County Relay for Life.

John Flickinger

John “Jay” Tressler Flickinger, 72, of Shelburne, died lovingly and peacefully at home on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, after a long illness, surrounded by loving family and friends.

Jay was born to John and Jacqueline Flickinger on March 4, 1950, in Decatur, Ind. He graduated from Middlebury Union High

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School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society. After graduation in 1972 with an economics major, Jay received a Master of Business Administration from the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University. He had a successful career as a vice president at Citibank in New York City and Rochester, N.Y., before finishing his banking career at the National Bank of Middlebury.

Jay and his wife, Cally, raised their family in Shelburne. He was married to Cally for more than 40 years, and they were blessed to have each other. He was very close with his daughters and grandchildren. Jay’s family meant everything to him.

Jay was a talented athlete who loved the outdoors, being active and competing in sports. He played on undefeated football teams in both high school and college, and he also played high school basketball and college lacrosse. Jay was an avid skier who also enjoyed running and hunting with his brother and father. Later in life, he embraced adaptive skiing and biking and spent as much time outdoors as he could with his family and friends.

Jay had a passion for giving back to others and to the community. The Shelburne United Methodist Church was a vital and integral part of his everyday life. He spent many hours volunteering for church, Habit for Humanity, the Emergency Medical Service in Middlebury, Salvation Army and Shelburne Rescue.

Jay’s endless optimism, gentle kindness and infectious smile lit up every room and brought joy to everyone he met. He embraced life’s simple moments and delighted in time with his family and dear friends, taking so much pride in everything they accomplished. Jay’s life was impacted by multiple sclerosis, diagnosed in his 30s, and later by cancer. Jay’s love, grace, dignity and humility will be missed and forever remembered.

Candis Perrault

John Flickinger

continued from page 8

Jay taught all of us how to live life fully filled with love.

Jay is survived by his beloved wife, Cally and his two daughters, Kristina (Daryl Dudey) and Sarah; his three grandchildren, Isaac, Zara and Eden; sisters, Barbara Flickinger (Kim Christiansen) and Nancy Flickinger (Jim Witkin); sisterin-law, Caryl Flickinger; and many loving nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

He was predeceased by his older brother, Robert “Bob” Flickinger, and his parents.

Jay’s family will host a memorial service at the Shelburne United Methodist Church on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023. Informal calling will begin at 1 p.m., with the service at 2 p.m. A reception will follow the service.

His family is forever grateful for the loving care Jay received from his entire medical team. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports or the Shelburne United Methodist Church in Jay’ name.

Robert Ayer Hall

Robert (Bob) Ayer Hall, 99, died peacefully in his home in Shelburne surrounded by his loving family on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.

Bob was born in Saint Johnsbury on Oct. 2, 1923, and had lived in Shelburne for 56 years before his death. Bob was happily married to his beloved wife, Fran, for 68 years until she was taken by cancer in September 2014.

He is survived by his four children, Steve Hall, Deb Hall, Stu Hall and wife, Holly Hall, and Rob Hall and wife, Susan Hall; eight grandchildren, Jeffrey Robert Hall and wife, Katharine Braun-Levine, Meredith Hall Ritter and husband, Matthew Wilson Ritter, Jenna Ross and partner, Joe Leo, Dan Ross, Carrie Hersey and husband, Lucas Hersey, Heather Hall, Kelsey Hall, and William Hall; five great grandchildren, Joziah Robert Hall, Joelianny Sky LevineHall, Emily Cecila Ritter, David Hersey and Melissa Hersey.

Bob grew up in Waterbury and graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He was a U.S. Army veteran who served in the European theater during World War II as part of Battery B, 46th Field Artillery Battalion. He was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, along with a Victory Medal, American Theater Ribbon and a Good Conduct Medal.

He went on to work at General Electric in Schenectady, N.Y., and then in Burlington for 31 years before retiring.

Bob was a family man and an avid hobbyist who had many interests and talents. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating and playing cribbage, and for many years was a ham radio enthusiast and an active member of several regional and international ham radio communities and networks, including during his time serving as president of the Burlington Amateur Radio Club in the late 1960s.

Bob also enjoyed listening to big band music, and in earlier days, dancing to it with Fran on Friday night outings with friends. As a young couple, they even danced on the deck of the Ticonderoga steamboat while it was active on Lake Champlain. Frank Sinatra and Doris Day were two of their favorite singers.

In their later years, Bob and Fran purchased an electric organ, and enjoyed taking lessons and playing for family and friends at home. Bob and Fran were frequent travelers who made two cross-country trips, covering 48 states, traversing a southern route on their first cross-country trek, and a few years later,

of Maine. In between these trips, there was a lovely flow of visiting or receiving family to celebrate special life events.

Bob was a talented and enthusiastic photographer, starting at the age of 10 when he got his first camera. He set up a darkroom at his family home in Saint Johnsbury and developed black and white prints. During high school, he became the photographer for the yearbook and sports teams. While serving in the U.S. Army overseas during World War II, Bob used any free time he had to take photographs.

As an employee at GE, he continued his skills as a photographer, and ventured into video production, helping to create some of the company’s earliest instructional videos for its employees. It goes without saying that his family has been well-documented over the years with his photographs, and he has inspired many family members to follow his love for this great hobby. Before Bob’s

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vision became compromised, he enjoyed painting from photographs that he had taken of important places in his life.

Family meant the world to Bob, and this included the family pets: cats, dogs and even parakeets were all considered special members. He was a devoted son, brother, husband, father, uncle, grandfather and great grandfather, always generous with his time, energy and love.

Bob was truly a gentle man and his attitude in life was always “the glass half full,” which is probably one of the reasons he lived to 99. His wisdom helped him to live in the moment and have a grateful heart — a beautiful model for us all.

A celebration of life service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, at All Saints Episcopal Church in South Burlington. It will be followed by a reception at the church.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to contribute to UVM Home Health and Hospice,1110 Prim Road, Colchester VT.

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CVU tops all for weekend with wins in three sports

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Boys’ hockey

Champlain Valley 3, Colchester 0: The Champlain Valley boys hockey grabbed a win over the Colchester team Monday night.

Travis Stroh, Trevin Keefe and Brady Jones each had a goal for the Redhawks.

With the win, CVU moves to 7-6-3.

Girls’ hockey

Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield 6, Rutland 1: Six different goalscorers found the back of the net as Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield beat

Rutland on Saturday, Feb. 4. Megan Rivard, Tess Everett, Georgia Bruneau, Evie-Mai Buford, Samara Tucker and Miles Brien each had a goal for the Redhawks, while Karina Bushweller and Mackenzie Rivard each chipped in two assists.

Ella Gilbert got the win in goal for CVU, who move to 11-4-1.

Gymnastics

The Champlain Valley gymnastics team faced Randolph on Saturday and swept the top positions in each event.

Warner Barbic took the top spot on the vault while Jasmine Dye and Jilli Diehl tied for first in the bars. Cadence Haggerty was top on the beam and Ruby Opton came in

first in floor exercise.

Diehl earned the win in the all-around competition with teammate Gabriella Serafini finishing as second.

Boys’ basketball

Champlain Valley 66, BFA-St. Albans 45: Champlain Valley opened the second half with a 23-8 run to pull away from BFA-St. Albans for a win on Monday, Feb. 6.

Kyle Eaton led the Redhawks with 14 points, including 3 three-pointers in the first quarter. Alex Provost added 12 points, while Tucker Tharpe added seven points and 12 rebounds. With the win, CVU moves to 14-1 this season.

CVU alum earns college academic honors

Caleb Nye of Hinesburg was named to the Endicott College All-Academic Athlete list for the fall season.

Nye is a member of the college men’s cross-country team, which also earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team honors for the 2022 season.

Endicott, in Beverly, Mass., received accolades for all its

student-athletes attaining at least a 3.10 GPA through the most recent semester. The Gulls ranked 11th overall in the East Region with a 3.39 GPA.

Meanwhile, Nye garnered his honors for registering a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 and finishing in the top-25 percent of the field at the NCAA Division III regional championship meet.

Nye, a criminal justice major,

is the first student-athlete in program history to earn All-Academic Athlete honors.

At the NCAA Division III East Regional Championship in November, Nye placed 52nd on the 8K course with a time of 27:31.1.

Nye started running in eighth grade at Hinesburg Community

See NYE on page 13

TOWN MANAGER

continued from page 1

is to have a new town manager by April, “the idea that somebody could be offered a job in April and start in May, I think is pretty unlikely,” said Ashooh.

Most of the applicants are based in Vermont, but some are from out of state or far from Shelburne, adding another wrinkle to the process.

Rick McGuire, the town’s consultant from Vermont League of Cities and Towns and former Williston town manager of 22 years, said, “I’m part of the baby boomer cohort and generally speaking, as we retire, there aren’t as many new people that have been coming into the field. So, there was a concern about getting younger people into the field and it appears that there are more people retiring and then there’s fewer people who have the qualifications to take these kinds of positions.”

He said that people coming

from out of state look at the generally lower wages in Vermont for town manager positions. “Which is fine if the cost of living matches that, but the cost of housing in particular doesn’t reflect that at all. In fact, it’s very expensive,” McGuire said.

Town managers play an important role in municipal government and, in Shelburne’s case, there is a caveat in the town’s charter that says the town manager can also serve as zoning administrator.

Following the resignation of Adele Gravitz in November, the town’s former planning and zoning director, Krohn stepped into the role of zoning administrator as the department underwent a slew of staffing changes.

“In part, because of my experience, I was able to launch back into that (planning and zoning) realm and help keep those things moving,” said Krohn, “and then there’s this legal piece under the

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town charter.”

Prior to his time in Shelburne, Krohn spent 24 years running the planning office in Manchester.

LAWSUIT

continued from page 1

public meetings” between Krohn and former selectboard chair Jerry Storey and former Shelburne Development Review Board chair David Hillman, among others. These requests related to several development projects in town and communications with the applicants of those projects.

The issue erupted at a contentious February 2022 selectboard meeting when the requests for the records were appealed and denied, and where Krohn publicly criticisms the former planning director.

Krohn, at the subsequent selectboard meeting, apologized.

Following that squabble, Pierce filed a fourth request on May 10 for “a letter placed in the file of a Town of Shelburne employee as a result of Selectboard action taken on Feb. 17,” which Pierce had reason to believe was regarding Krohn.

The request was denied again on the same basis of “personal documents.”

Court decisions

A state court on Nov. 17 issued a split court decision denying many of Pierce’s requests

He was first hired as Shelburne’s town manager in December 2018 after a seven-month stint as the interim manager. That position

opened up after the town’s former manager, Joe Colangelo, vacated the position for a job in Hanover, Mass.

for being outside the “scope of complaint,” but did allow a judge’s review of other indexed documents that included “copies of written complaints against the performance of the staff of the Planning and Zoning Department and documents relating to such complaints,” “materials pertaining to the reorganization of the Planning and Zoning Department,” and the letter placed in a town employee’s file as a result of selectboard action taken on Feb. 17, 2022.

According to a court document issued on Dec. 15, after review of the supplemental index and the letter filed under seal, the court found that the indexed materials were, in fact, protected by attorney-client privilege. The court also found that the sealed document was properly withheld as a personal document that “might subject the person to embarrassment.”

In addition, the court ruled that no public interest was present that would outweigh that invasion of privacy.

In an attempt to address the records that were denied for being beyond the scope of complaint, Pierce amended his complaint, which was also denied by the court

on Dec. 16.

According to the court document, “amendment at this late stage when the merits of the case are already decided comes too late; the court cannot even follow from the proposed pleading what is being requested; and the requests and denials are not clearly identified or attached. The motion is denied and this case is closed.”

On Jan. 31, in response to the judgment order, Pierce and his attorney have filed a motion to procure attorney fees — which are available only to prevailing parties in Public Records Act cases — in the amount of $11,953, claiming Pierce as “the prevailing party because his appeal achieved the comparative victory on the issues litigated,” reads the document. Although the court’s order said there are “no remaining issues to adjudicate,” this is not the end of Pierce’s quest for the records. He added that claiming that the town had prevailed would be premature because he plans to “appeal the court’s refusal to turn over the letter of reprimand of the town manager and to order the town to look for other documents that may exist.”

NYE continued from page 10

School and helped the Champlain Valley Union team that won two state titles.

Nye was also one of 123 student-athletes, and one of eight men on the cross-country team, to earn Commonwealth Coast Confer-

ence Academic All-Conference honors last fall.

The Gulls ranked second overall among conference competitors after Salve Regina with 126.

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COURTESY PHOTO

CVU alumnus Caleb Nye was named to the Endicott College All-Academic Athlete list.

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Excessive spending in recent days may have you feeling nervous about your nances, Aries. In addition to bills, you could be waiting to be reimbursed. Be patient.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, you may have been working so hard you haven’t had time to spend with family and friends lately. Clear your calendar and make some time for recreation.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

This week you may lock yourself behind closed doors and enjoy some alone time for a change, Gemini. Relax with a good book or binge watch some television.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

A friendship could be tested when you get into a quarrel over money, Cancer. You each have different philosophies on spending. Try to see both sides.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Philosophy and religious principles are of interest to you lately, Leo. Explore the metaphysical and dive into these subjects with all of your energy.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Virgo, you could be longing for a vacation, so why not make it happen? If you’ve socked away some cash, put it towards a trip to recharge and relax.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

Make an effort to reconnect with someone you have known a long time who has become absent from your life. Resolve to maintain this connection in the years ahead.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Honest communication can take you through a rough patch you might be having with your romantic partner, Scorpio. Speak openly and honestly to resolve the issue.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Keep your eyes focused on the future, Sagittarius. It’s easy to dwell on what happened in the past, but that won’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

A miscommunication could nd you spending money you just don’t have right now, Capricorn. This may be an instance when you need to seek a professional to sort it all out.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

Aquarius, a project that has been on the calendar for some time nally gets completed. It has been a long time coming, but the results are better than you expected.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

Go through some old photos and reminisce, Pisces. It can be a quiet way to spend a day or two and enjoy the memories.

CLUES ACROSS

1. Functions

5. Records electric currents associated with contractions of the heart

8. Trigonometric function (abbr.)

11. Secret political clique

13. Type of gibbon

14. Nocturnal S. American rodent

15. Famed American playwright

16. Mesopotamian goddess

17. Abba __, Israeli politician

18. Long ridge of gravel and sediment

20. A place to stay

21. Actor Idris

22. One who behaves in a rebellious way

25. A way to measure movement

30. Distinguish oneself

31. Type of drug (abbr.)

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

32. Basketball great Baylor

33. Masses of salivary matter

38. Calls balls and strikes

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!

41. Plant that grows along the ground

43. A recreational activity in the air

45. Consumes too much

47. Island nation

49. Pistol

50. Mixtures of soul and calypso

55. Ancient Greek City

56. Similar

57. Roughly trimmed tree trunk used in a Scottish game

59. Semitic fertility god

60. Born of

61. Frogs, toads, tree toads

62. School in the northeast (abbr.)

63. Soviet Socialist Republic

64. “__ the Man” Musical, baseball player

CLUES DOWN

1. Fiddler crabs

2. Discount

3. Partner to “ ows”

4. Ethnic group of Laos

5. Beloved “Seinfeld” character

6 .Book of tickets

7. The last name of “Hermione”

8. Type of TV package

9. Helps to heal a cut

ANSWERS

10. Town in Galilee

12. Actor Horsley

14. “Hocus Pocus 2” actor Ed

19. Bird-loving group (abbr.)

23. They respond when someone is sick

24. Emerged

25. Midway between south and southeast

26. Monetary unit of Afghanistan

27. Unit of work or energy

28. Indicates near

29. Famed river

34. For each

35. News organization

36. CNN’s founder

37. They __

39. Areas off to the side

40. Satis es

41. A spare bed

Legendary singer Diana

Frothy mass of bubbles

A kind of sorcery

River in South Africa

Philippine Island

County in China

S. American plant

Beverage containers

Edge

Protein-rich liquids

Moved quickly on foot