Shelburne News - 6-15-23

Touring

Homelessness has tripled since before start of pandemic

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

A report released this month found a nearly 20 percent increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Vermont compared to last year, and an almost 200 percent increase since a pre-pandemic count in 2020.

Across Vermont, 3,295 people said in January that they were experiencing homelessness, an 18.5 percent increase from the 2,780 people counted last year, and a 197 percent increase from the 1,110 people counted in 2020

Seeking state’s unique antiques

American

before the pandemic hit, according to this year’s Point in Time Count.

The count, a federally-mandated census conducted each year by every state in the country, offers a yearly snapshot of the state of homelessness in Vermont — with breakdowns in varying demographics such as household type. The count is conducted by the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance and the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness.

“I’ll confess that I was

See HOMELESSNESS on page 2

Plans made for Bay Road improvements

Bike, pedestrian committee drafts three-year plan

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Over the past five years, Shelburne has seen 11 bicycle or pedestrian crashes that have resulted in fatalities, injuries, or property damage, according to a recent draft report from the town’s bike and pedestrian path committee.

Among the report’s findings: of the 3,000 working people in Shelburne, only 4 percent used walking or biking as modes of transportation to work, which the committee says could be due to a lack of interconnectedness in town and to neighboring cities.

This year, the committee is focusing on expanding Shel-

burne’s integrated network of sidewalks, paths, bike lanes, and trails to accommodate walkers, cyclists, and other active travel modes that link parks and recreation facilities to residential neighborhoods, other gathering points, and adjacent communities.

The committee’s threeyear plan, still in draft form, features data compiled by Chittenden County Regional Planning and Local Motion showing where Shelburne’s problematic intersections and roads are located. It covers the span between 2018 and now. To read

See BAY ROAD on page 16

PHOTO BY AL FREY

CVU’s Emerson Rice gets by Burr and Burton’s Paige Samuelson during the Redhawks’ D-1 Championship overtime loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at UVM’s Virtue Field.

Fight to the finish

HOMELESSNESS

continued from page 1

surprised by the percentage increase … over the prior year. I would not have anticipated that,” Martin Hahn, executive director of the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness, said. “Just based simply on that increase, it’s fair to say that on a per-capita basis, Vermont is very highly impacted by homelessness.”

Racial disparities were found in this year’s data. Black and Indigenous Vermonters disproportionately experienced homelessness in 2023 compared to the general population in both Chittenden County and statewide, according to the report.

The number of households with children experiencing homelessness, meanwhile, increased by 36 percent compared to the prior year.

“The increase in the number of children experiencing homelessness is heartbreaking,” the report states.

This year’s increase, the report’s authors found, is due in part to the termination last year of rent subsidies provided to lower income Vermonters through the Emergency Rental Assistant program, and the end of the eviction moratorium in July 2022; the “extremely low” vacancy rate for apartments in much of Vermont, ranging from 0.5 percent to 3 percent across the state, which allowed landlords “to increase rents and to be highly selective in choosing tenants;” and the operation of non-congregate emergency and transitional housing opportunities in hotels and motels, “allowing for increased eligibility to emergency housing and creating a more accurate reflection of the community need.”

This year’s count, taken on Jan. 25, comes as Vermont remains behind only California with the second highest per-capita rate of homelessness in the country.

It’s unclear if that is still reflected in this new data. Hahn said the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has not yet aggregated each state’s counts.

Adding clarity to the count’s data is Vermont’s low percentage of unhoused Vermonters who are unsheltered or forced to live outdoors.

Rural homelessness is often hard to track, as organizers face challenges ensuring an accurate count is taken in some of the state’s more remote areas. The report said that 137 people were counted as unsheltered — or living outside or in a car.

“This population is, by definition,

difficult to count and is under-reported. Some people choose to not be included in the Point in Time Count, while others are hidden from sight, and many rural communities do not have the capacity to reach isolated communities,” the report states.

But organizers of this year’s count were able to get a more accurate reading of people experiencing homelessness thanks to the state’s motel-voucher program.

“You’ll see a significant portion of those people who are counted are people who are staying in hotels … being housed there with support through the state of Vermont,” Hahn said. “As a means of finding people, the fact that so many people were in hotels, made the count probably closer to accurate than we might see in years where that’s not true.”

A separate but contingent count specific to Chittenden County, released earlier this month, showed a smaller increase: 758

people were found living on the streets or in a shelter this year, an increase from last year’s count of 668 people, as well as the 700 people counted in 2021.

The relatively smaller increase in people experiencing homelessness in Chittenden County “is likely due to the extremely tight market for hotel rooms in the county which required people to relocate to shelters in other counties,” the report reads.

But as the state’s motel-voucher program comes to an end — with roughly 3,000 people expected to be ineligible for shelter in a motel by the end of the month — experts predict that Chittenden County, and Burlington specifically, will see an influx of individuals in need of services.

“If somebody’s been housed out of the county because there are no more hotel rooms in Chittenden County and in Burlington, they may seek to return to their home community,” Hahn said. “It’s also

fair to say that Burlington has the most robust services available for folks who are experiencing homelessness. So, I would anticipate that Burlington will be disproportionately impacted by folks leaving hotels.”

How the state will respond to the crisis remains to be seen. With federal COVID19 funds drying up, the state has declined to continue the program and has begun winding down its motel program.

Anne Sosin, a policy fellow at the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College who focuses on homelessness, said the Point in Time Count “just adds another data point to what we already know, which is that the crisis of homelessness is outrunning the state’s response.”

“I have yet to see a viable statewide plan emerge. We’re past due for that,” Sosin said. “What we’re seeing is a patchwork response to a statewide problem.”

Twenty-seven people attended a walk in the LaPlatte River Nature Park led by Chittenden County Forester Ethan Tapper, who discussed the diversity of forest habitats for wildlife, the complex relationships that make up these habitats and the importance of wildlife corridors to maintain healthy ecosystems. He also explained the history of Shelburne forests and how they have changed, and continue to change. Tapper reports this week on monocultures in Vermont forests, page 11.

The Champlain Valley Union girls’ lacrosse team has played in the state championship game four times, most recently in 2018. A story last week indicated this year was the first time.

PHOTOS BY KIT ANDERSON

A walk in the woods

Shelburne Police Blotter: May 29 - June 11

Total reported incidents: 148

Traffic stops: 42

Warnings: 25

Tickets: 22

Medical emergencies: 36

Mental health incidents: 1

Suspicious incidents: 19

Domestic incidents: 3

Agency assists: 10

Citizen assists: 13

Welfare check: 2

Automobile incidents: 11

Car crash: 4

Animal problem: 6

Fire: 1

Theft: 5

Fraud: 3

Harassment: 1

Vandalism: 1

Burglary: 1

Alarms: 7

Pending investigations: 10

May 30 at 9:40 a.m., a caller reported a theft of items from a job site on Governors Lane. The incident is under investigation.

May 30 at 10:59 a.m., a woman told police she was receiving threatening text messages, and police are now investigating.

May 30 at 1:23 p.m., a walkin told police their daughter was making threats toward family members. Outreach was dispatched.

May 30 at 6:35 p.m., a fraud complaint reported from a Harrington Avenue resident is under investigation.

Feathered friend

May 31 at 10:07 a.m., someone reported a two-car crash with no injuries on Shelburne Road and Cynosure Drive.

May 31 at 2:56 p.m., police responded to a report of an unwanted guest at Harbor Place. Officers escorted the individual off the property.

May 31 at 7:08 p.m., a caller reported a dog left in a vehicle in the parking lot of Archies Grill, but police said the dog seemed safe and perfectly content.

June 1 at 12:59 p.m., someone’s car was vandalized on Spear Street. Police are looking into the matter.

June 1 at 11:22 p.m., Shelburne Police assisted South Burlington Police with a reported assault.

June 2 at 8:45 a.m., a two-car crash was reported on Shelburne Road with no injuries.

June 3 at 11:19 a.m., a guest at Harbor Place was reportedly assaulted by their brother. The case is pending further investigation.

June 6 at 11:20 a.m., a two-car collision was reported on Shelburne and Falls roads.

June 6 at 12:41 p.m., outreach counselors responded to a report of a family member who was threatening self-harm.

June 6 at 3:23 p.m., Shelburne police escorted an unwanted customer off the Shelburne

Shelburne News

Serving

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

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

News Editor Tommy Gardner

Staff Writers

Aaron Calvin Corey McDonald Liberty Darr

Production Manager

Stephanie Manning stephanie@shelburnenews.com

Editor/Publisher Gregory Popa gpopa@stowereporter.com

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

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

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

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

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

Bobolinks and other songbirds are music to people’s ears every summer, but their populations have suffered long-term declines due grassland habitat loss. Landowners can make a difference by changing when they mow their fields. The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife encourages landowners to wait until after Aug. 1 to mow fields used by grassland birds, giving them a chance to raise their young. “It can mean temporarily sacrificing part of the field,” wildlife biologist Rosalind Renfrew said, “But it can better maintain quality habitat for the birds over the long term.”

Country Store property.

June 6 at 5:22 p.m., a vehicle fire was reported to police on Irish Hill Road and Spear Street. Shelburne fire was dispatched, but the fire was out upon arrival and no injuries were reported.

June 8 at 12:41 p.m., a 2-car crash was reported near the Shelburne Shopping Park.

June 8 at 4:18 p.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their residence.

June 8 at 7:03 p.m., a residential burglary was reported on Morse Drive. The case is pending further investigation.

June 8 at 8:41 p.m., police responded to a reported retail theft at Tractor Supply.

June 9 at 4:15 p.m., a Simmons Drive resident told police there was a rattlesnake under the porch of their home. Turned out to be a milk snake.

June 9 at 10:43 p.m., a fraud complaint reported from a

Shelburne Road resident is under investigation.

June 10 at 2:10. p.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their storage unit.

June 10 at 11:32 p.m., Shelburne police assisted the Vermont State police in responding to an underage drinking party at the Charlotte town beach. Police assisted troopers with contacting the owners of several vehicles that were left at the property.

PHOTO BY JOHN HALL

Impeachment investigation closed to protect participants

influences and helps maintain the integrity of the process.

On the last day of this year’s legislative session, the House passed House Resolution 11, which created a Special Committee on Impeachment Inquiry. The resolution recognized credible accusations of separate misconduct by Franklin County State’s Attorney John Lavoie and Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore. The Speaker of the House appointed seven representatives to the Special Committee, and I was named as Chair.

The Special Committee is not a typical legislative committee. Its task is to investigate sensitive matters and decide whether its findings should lead to the impeachment of one or both of these elected officials. We have heard calls for the committee to open its work to the public in full, but I am writing to explain that parts of the committee’s work should not be done in public.

Its work is not the equivalent of a civil trial, a criminal trial, or a pre-trial hearing. It is an investigation. The committee is the equivalent of a prosecutor or a grand jury determining whether to bring an indictment. Such investigations are not done in public. Investigations such as this one are kept confidential for several good reasons. Most fundamentally, confidentiality is necessary to protect the integrity of the investigation. While the committee’s investigation is ongoing, premature disclosure of sensitive information could lead to interference, tampering, or manipulation of evidence. By limiting access to information to those directly involved in the investigation, confidentiality reduces the risk of external

Confidentiality helps to ensure that committee members approach the evidence and facts objectively, without being influenced by external factors or public opinion. When sensitive information remains confidential, the committee can focus on gathering and analyzing evidence impartially. This promotes a fair and thorough investigation, preserving its integrity.

Confidentiality is also essential to safeguard the identities and statements of witnesses who provide crucial information to the Committee. For witnesses, testifying about traumatic events can be emotionally challenging, especially for victims or witnesses who have experienced abuse or other forms of harm. Testifying in a public session with numerous spectators can be intimidating and affect a person’s ability to provide an accurate and honest account of events. It can also have significant psychological impacts on individuals involved in sensitive cases such as the ones the committee is investigating, especially when their personal experiences are recorded and available online, subject to possible copying and rebroadcasting outside of their control.

Allowing witnesses to testify behind closed doors in executive session addresses these concerns. Witnesses can share their experiences with the committee without fear of intimidation or retribution. They can express themselves more freely and provide clearer and more reliable testimony. In addition, if assured confidentiality, addi-

See LALONDE on page 6

Rep. Martin LaLonde

From the House Rep. Martin LaLonde

Legislative session is over, overtime veto session looms

From the Senate

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale

This legislative session came after an election that saw historic margins of victory for both Democrats in the legislature and our Republican governor. Neither branch of government should forget the importance of working together to advance the needs of all Vermonters, especially as a special session looms in late June, largely focused on the state budget that was recently vetoed by Governor Scott.

Here are some highlights from the year and their recent fate or current trajectory.

Budget: Embedded in the budget are critical investments in our children and families — an infusion of much-needed funding of our early education workforce and family supports, as well as school meals as part of the universal benefits of public education.

Overall, the Legislature and the Governor differ by only 3 percent total in our budget proposals, and most of that difference comes from our additional investments in the much-needed mental health and social service workforce. Furthermore, the budget included funds for emergency shelter and further transformation of motels into permanent housing to stem the homelessness crisis. It is anticipated that

the Legislature will have the necessary two-thirds majority to override the Governor’s budget veto.

Child Care: The landmark child care investment is being celebrated nationwide as leading the way and was funded with a payroll tax. While no stakeholder group ever shares universally agreed upon sentiments with the legislature, many businesses came forward and urged passage of this bill funded through payroll because they are having a hard time keeping parents and caregivers employed with virtually no access to affordable child care. This investment is embedded in the budget, which is likely to pass when the legislature returns for its veto session.

Housing: S.100 expands access to affordable housing and homeownership, reducing duplicative and expensive permitting processes at the state and local level. Importantly, it ensures multifamily housing cannot be discriminated against in local zoning. As the main author and chair of the Senate Housing Committee, I am proud this bill received tri-partisan, near-unanimous support and was signed by the Governor.

Gun Safety: As a new mother, creating a future free from gun violence is a personal priority of mine. H.230 requires the safe storage of firearms and institutes a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases. The governor let this bill become law

without his signature, meaning he does not celebrate it, but he also does not oppose its implementation.

Health Care: At a time when women’s rights and LGBTQ+ health care are under attack across the country, Vermont protected abortion access and gender-affirming care by passing S.37. This is a “shield law” that protects Vermont doctors from out-of-state investigation, ensures access to abortion pills, and stops “crisis pregnancy resource centers” from using misleading information about their services. The Governor has signed S.37 and Sen. Ginny Lyons and I are being celebrated for this

LALONDE

continued from page 5

tional victims or witnesses may be more willing to come forward to offer testimony and evidence. This promotes the flow of accurate and reliable information, enhancing the integrity of the investigation.

The rights of the respondents must also be considered. Preserving confidentiality prevents the unnecessary public exposure of potentially unfounded allegations or unverified information. It safeguards the respondents’ privacy and reputation until a thorough investigation is completed and wrongdoing, if any, is established.

The Special Committee has considered multiple precedents that support going into executive session to conduct parts of its investigation. Other legislative committees with investigatory powers, such as the House Ethics Panel, Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel, and Discrimination Prevention Panel, have even more stringent confidentiality rules and procedures than those for the Special Committee on Impeachment Inquiry. These panels conduct investigations and hear testimony in nonpublic settings, and rarely are the witnesses or the information gathered during those investigations made public.

Legislatures in Connecticut, South Dakota, and Illinois have recently conducted impeachment investigations. These states as well as the U.S. Congress have procedures requiring confidentiality and have conducted hearings in executive session during their investigations to determine whether to bring articles of impeachment.

Thank you for a successful Memorial Day this year

work in the White House later this month as the first anniversary of the devastating Dobbs decision is marked.

Thank you for the input and kind messages over the session as I juggled being a new committee chair and a new mom. Your feedback is always appreciated.

Kesha Ram Hinsdale, a Democrat from Shelburne, serves the towns of South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Milton, Burlington, St. George, Westford, Underhill, Jericho, Richmond, Winooski, Williston, Essex and Bolton in the Legislature.

Most on point, however, is Vermont’s own impeachment precedent. In 1976, the Vermont House Judiciary Committee held closed-door sessions to hear testimony from witnesses in the investigation that lead to articles of impeachment against Washington County Sheriff Malcolm Mayo. Chapter 1, Article 6 of the Vermont Constitution provides “that all power being originally inherent in and consequently derived from the people, therefore, all officers of government, whether legislative or executive, are their trustees and servants; and at all times, in a legal way, accountable to them.”

I certainly agree that the committee is accountable to the people of Vermont. The people of Vermont expect us to ensure that elected officials who breach the public trust, who are unfit for office, are held responsible. To determine whether to hold them responsible through impeachment, the committee needs to weigh credible allegations against the investigated officials.

To do so, the committee must conduct a thorough investigation and maintain the integrity of that investigation. And to ensure the integrity of its investigation, the committee will need to, at times, take testimony and deliberate in executive session.

If you have input on this or other issues before the legislature, contact me at 802-863-3086 or mlalonde@leg.state.vt.us.

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor: The success of any endeavor requires the cooperation, assistance and coordination of many individuals and activities over several months. This sense of togetherness was demonstrated by the tremendous success of the Memorial Day ceremony on Monday May 29. In keeping with my policy over the past years, I will not attempt to name all those who made Memorial Day such a great

success for fear of forgetting someone. However, the names cover a wide range from the guest speaker to the boy scouts putting up and removing the speakers’ platform and all in between. I would be remiss if I did not thank all those who were in attendance for taking their time to remember those who have given their lives that we might live in peace with the life we live today.

Thank you all for your support.

Carroll A. “Bud” Ockert, Col., U.S. Army, Ret Shelburne

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale

Martin LaLonde, a Democrat, represents South Burlington in the Chittenden-12 House district.

Houselessness: canary in the coalmine of our morals and economic system

their housing in recent years. Only 37 households lived out of state prior to joining the GA Emergency Housing Program.

Before the pandemic, 1,200 to 1,400 Vermonters experienced houselessness on any given night. As a state, we generally accepted this as “normal.” When the pandemic hit, we used pandemic funding to shelter these individuals and families in motels across the state. We not only sought to protect houseless Vermonters from COVID-19 but also prevent the spread of infection across our communities.

As COVID-19 and the funds to respond to the pandemic recede, Vermont still has a shared benefit in protecting unhoused Vermonters. We can save money, create better long-term outcomes, and fulfill our moral obligation as a society, or we can consciously put people back on the streets, costing us more money in the long run.

More than 2,800 Vermonters — roughly 80 percent of all unhoused people in the state — currently are sheltered in motels thanks to the state’s GA Emergency Housing Program. Vermonters staying in motels include families with children, working individuals and neighbors for whom the cost of housing is no longer in reach, and elderly and disabled Vermonters living on fixed incomes.

An assessment of motel guests, conducted by the Agency of Human Services from October to November 2022, found that the majority of people in motels lost

Since the start of the pandemic, homelessness has almost tripled, leaving Vermont to have the second highest rate in the country. Both the budget proposed by the governor and the one passed by the Legislature do not address the scale of this crisis. While many resources have been put into working toward longer term solutions, the budget is short on bridge funding to shelter people while the longer-term solutions are constructed.

As a result, nearly 3,000 people, including 500 to 600 children, Vermonters with very significant medical conditions, and pregnant women will lose their shelter this summer. Exiting these individuals creates a greater cost to taxpayers in the form of emergency room visits, exacerbated mental health needs and much more.

We know that businesses and downtowns suffer when there is a surge of unhoused people in the streets. We know that local government expenses go up when there are more people living on the streets or in encampments.

We know that emergency room costs increase with more people living on the streets.

We know that children suffer increased severe long-term health effects from homelessness. We know that people with substance abuse disorders are more likely to die or face emergency services and less likely to get help when

they live on the streets. We know that women face greater risk of sexual assault and violence when homeless and all experiencing homelessness are three to four times more likely to be victims of a crime.

Is this what we want?

With his veto, the Governor has forced two options to the table.

The Legislature can override his veto, locking in the displacement of well over 2000 individuals and costing us more money in the long run and causing great harm. Or, the Legislature can sustain his veto, leading to a new budget that either A.) further reduces funding to appease the Governor or B.) raises or shifts funding to fulfill our moral obligation while also being fiscally prudent in the short and long term. Do we, as a society, claim there is no more money within an $8.5 billion budget? Do we actively choose to cut off spending money on temporary housing while the Agency of Human Services develops a last-minute and inadequate plan to ease the situation in the future? Will we

knowingly put people out on the streets again, aware that many will not find housing, while magically believing that there will be minimal community or individual consequences?

The pandemic has accelerated the state’s crisis of housing and homelessness. New data shows that more than 3,000 Vermonters are now experiencing homelessness, and that homelessness among families with children grew 36 percent in the last year.

At the same time, the pandemic has helped us to understand that we do not need to accept homelessness as our normal. Working together to keep Vermonters safe as we address this crisis benefits us all.

There is a clear choice before

the governor and the Legislature. We can invest in solutions that shelter our most vulnerable population and benefit all Vermonters, just as we all benefited from the GA Emergency Housing Program during the pandemic. We can also invest in more permanent affordable and transition housing to further reduce the longterm costs. As citizens of this great state, now is the time to chime in and let your legislators and the governor know where your priorities lie. I believe it is both morally right and the most fiscally responsible decision to keep people housed while providing better services for kids and those who need support to get back on their feet.

We can save money, create better longterm outcomes, and fulfill our moral obligation as a society, or we can consciously put people back on the streets, costing us more money in the long run.

Community Notes

Interfaith project awards tri-town organizations

The Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg Interfaith Project (SCHIP) has announced its spring 2023 grant awards. Recent funds in the amount of $14,872 were awarded to seven non-profits in the three towns that met the criteria of serving the people of the communities in a variety of ways. The recipients for this cycle included were Charlotte Children’s Center, Charlotte Congregational Church, Color Our World, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, Shelburne Equity and Diversity Committee, Vermont Garden Network, and Vermont Parks Forever.

These awards are made possible as a result of SCHIP’s mission to raise funds through the sale of donated, gently used clothing, household items, accessories, art, and collectibles at its resale shop in the distinctive yellow building on Route 7, next to the town offices.

Since the first grants given in April 2005, more than $828,500 has been distributed. SCHIP accepts grant applications twice a year. The deadlines are April 15 and October 15 of each year. The maximum grant size is $3,000. Application forms are available on the “Grants” link at: http://TheSCHIP.org/

As a member of our communities, you too are an intimate part of our mission. Come shop, donate, volunteer, and help us continue to meet our objectives for the future. For more information on grant recipients or the organization, please visit our website (http:// TheSCHIP.org/) or our Facebook page (SCHIP’s Treasure Resale Shop) or call the shop for volunteer or donation inquiries at 985-3595.

Our participating faith communities are: All Souls Interfaith Gathering, Shelburne; Charlotte Congregational Church; Hinesburg United Church; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, Charlotte; Shelburne United Methodist Church; St. Catherine of

Siena Catholic Church, Shelburne; St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Hinesburg; Trinity Episcopal Church, Shelburne.

American Pickers TV show looking for the new old

The American Pickers are excited to return to Vermont! They plan to film episodes of The History Channel hit television series throughout your area in August 2023.

“American Pickers” is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique “picking” on The History Channel. The hit show follows skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America’s most valuable antiques.

They are always excited to find historically significant or rare items, in addition to unforgettable characters and their collections.

As they hit the back roads from

coast to coast, the Pickers are on a mission to recycle and rescue forgotten relics. Along the way, they want to meet characters with amazing stories and fun items. They hope to give historically significant objects a new lease on life while learning a thing or two about America’s past along the way. The Pickers have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen before. They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them.

The American Pickers TV Show is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure. If you or someone you know has a unique item, story to tell, and is ready to sell please send us your name, phone number, location, and description of the collection with photos to: americanpickers@cineflix.com or call (646)

493-2184.

Notes, the Pickers do not pick stores, flea markets, malls, auction businesses, museums, or anything open to the public.

Local playwright shares bill with Tony award nominee

“The Mockingbird’s Nest,” a play by Craig Bailey of Shelburne, will appear alongside a new work by Tony Award nominee Neil LaBute at the 9th Annual LaBute New Theater Festival presented by St. Louis Actors’ Studio in July.

Bailey’s one-act play is one of four finalists appearing during the festival, which takes place July 7-23 at The Gaslight Theater in St. Louis’s Central West End. This will be the fourth full production of “The Mockingbird’s Nest,” following runs in England, Florida and Pennsylvania.

LaBute is a playwright and

filmmaker with more than two dozen plays to his credit. He’s turned many of them into films, including “In the Company of Men,” “Your Friends & Neighbors” and “The Shape of Things.”

The Mockingbird’s Nest is a two-person thriller that features elderly shut-in Daisy, who suspects her daughter and live-in caregiver, Robyn, isn’t what she seems to be. “It’s subtle and open for interpretation,” Bailey says. “And it usually prompts quite a bit of discussion.”

A reader at the New Play Exchange recommended the script by writing, “A play that seems to go down the caregiver road — and doesn’t. A play that may explore dementia and does and doesn’t. A play about the human condition that ties a knot in your expectations.”

Another comment at NPX

See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 9

COURTESY PHOTO

Mike Wolfe from the hit TV show American Pickers will be returning to Vermont this summer, along with his fellow antique hunters.

reads, “Bailey uses a light touch to give us clues throughout the text as to what’s really going on, and audiences will love making the discoveries he wants us to make. A truly original piece!”

The script has earned Bailey several awards since he completed it at the end of 2020, including: Best Playwright, Pittsburgh New Works Festival; Verna Safran Prize (Best Play), One Act Play Festival, Theatre Odyssey, Sarasota, Fla.; and first place, Center for Literary Arts One-Act Play Competition, Frostburg (Maryland) State University.

It was short-listed for Windsor (U.K.) Fringe’s Kenneth Branagh Award for New Drama Writing in 2022.

Bailey wrote, produced and published his first one-act while a high school student in the ‘80s. In the decades since, he’s played roles in many community theater productions in his native Vermont, and has appeared in regional television commercials and independent films. In 2019, he launched Read My Play a free script exchange service

to facilitate the sharing of critical feedback on works-in-progress among playwrights.

He is co-owner of web development company Root802, and the producer/host of syndicated radio show “Floydian Slip.” He lives in Shelburne with his wife, Noelle MacKay.

“The Mockingbird’s Nest” is available for download at the Playwrights’ Center: pwcenter.org/ play-profile/mockingbirds-nest.

Flowers for Yemen

Note: This was written by Elle McAvey, 15, of Shelburne.

Every 10 minutes, a child in Yemen dies due to severe malnutrition.

Currently, 2.2 million Yemeni children under the age of 5 are requiring acute treatment for this ongoing crisis.

YOU can be the change.

Please look for a small table at upcoming Shelburne Farmers Markets, outside Shelburne Market, and after certain Masses at St. Catherine of Siena to select a bouquet as thanks for your

donation of any size with all proceeds benefiting Save The Children, one of the largest aid organizations in Yemen. For more information or to help right now, please visit: https:// www.savethechildren.org/us/ where-we-work/yemen

Parks news: soccer signups and Back to the Beach

Shelburne Parks and Recreation’s fall youth soccer registration deadline is Friday, June 16.

The Shelburne Recreation Soccer League is for students entering grades 1-6 next fall. All teams will be assigned one practice night during the week and will compete in games on Saturdays.

Teams in grades 1-4 will stay “in-house” and play all games at Shelburne Community School on Saturday mornings. Teams in grades 5 and 6 will play other town’s recreation teams home and away.

Travel in the area is required.

Performed

‘Hawks handed loss in OT heartbreaker

After Saturday’s Division I state championship game was over, the Champlain Valley girls’ lacrosse team joined the ranks of top programs in the state.

But they did not finish the game with the trophy.

Burr and Burton scored in the second overtime period to beat CVU 15-14 in the D-I title game, played Saturday at the University of Vermont’s Virtue Field, capping off one of the best lacrosse games of the season.

“It still kind of stings,” CVU coach Tucker Pierson said. “Overall, I know it’s a great sports moment and it’s good for girls’ lacrosse and it’s very exciting and I’m very proud of my team. But yeah, it’s a little tough.”

No. 2 CVU nearly shocked top-seeded Burr and Burton, scoring with 2.5 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime.

“I just had them do some breathing exercises, you know. It was a frantic moment. We did some breathing and then we had a game plan,” Pierson said. “Then

SPORTS

Marley Cartwright just earned that eight-meter free position, which was phenomenal. And then she buried it. It was just perfect.”

CVU then barely missed on two scoring opportunities in the extra period, as BBA goalie Maizie Rukat stopped the first chance and the Redhawks shot just wide on the second.

“At that point, I think we were probably a little disappointed or we were sort of off our game because we had had two opportunities to score and didn’t,” Pierson said.

The Bulldogs capitalized on their chance with just over a minute remaining in the second overtime period, as Paige Samuelson scored on a great individual effort to lift her team to the program’s first Division I state title.

“We knew when we played them the first time that (Paige) was really hard to stop,” Pierson said. “But she is a really good player, we just weren’t able to stop her.”

Samuelson had five goals and one assist to lead all scorers, while Rukat stopped 10 shots to get the win in goal for BBA.

Cartwright and Stella Dooley

each had three goals to pace the Redhawks, while Dicey Manning chipped in with two goals and two assists. Bibi Frechette and Tess Everett each tallied twice, while Amelie Scharf and Emerson Rice scored one for CVU.

CVU goalie Clare Stackpole-McGrath made 13 saves.

“It was inspiring lacrosse, to be honest,” Pierson said. “I like to see just the collective group progressing and playing with more confidence and with the will to win, that’s what I saw on Saturday.”

The Redhawks performance in the final was the next step for a program that has been climbing the ranks of Division I since Pierson took over the program eight years ago.

“I give so much credit to all of my players because they wanted it, they worked for it. They’ve been working in the off season to improve,” Pierson said. “It has been building.”

CVU, which last won a title in 2005, has been working to return to those state champion ranks. With only five seniors graduating from this year’s squad, the Redhawks will look to take the final step next season with an experienced group.

“I know that this junior class is fired up and they’re already planning how to get back to this same game, the title game,” Pierson said. “They’re driven.”

Boys’ Ultimate No. 5 Montpelier 12, No.

3 Champlain Valley 10: The Champlain Valley boys’ Ultimate team fell to No. 5 Montpelier in the Division I state championship on Saturday at South Burlington High School.

DJ Steinman and Victor Colon each had three goals for the Redhawks, who lost only one game during the regular season.

Brendan Fellows and Thomas Garavelli each tallied twice

for CVU.

It was the first appearance for CVU in the D-I title game, after bowing out in the semifinals the last two seasons.

Girls’ tennis

No. 3 Stowe 4, No. 4 Champlain Valley 3: The Champlain Valley girls’ tennis dropped three early matches in the Division I state championship on Thursday and could not recover in a loss to Stowe.

The Raiders won the first four singles matches to beat the Redhawks and clinch the program’s third D-I title in a row.

Erin Fina got a 6-0, 6-1 win in No. 5 singles after Stowe had clinched the title, while CVU got wins in both doubles matches.

Addie Maurer and Ariel Toohey got a 6-3, 6-1 win in the No. 1 doubles match, while Eliza Willoughby and Victoria Chyra won 6-3, 7-5 in No. 2 doubles.

Redhawks near-perfect in title bout

Talk about peaking at the right moment.

The Champlain Valley baseball team put together a near-perfect game at the perfect moment to capture the Division I state championship on Saturday, beating Mount Anthony 6-0 at Centennial Field.

First, the team’s offense went to work, scoring six runs in the first two innings to grab control of the early momentum.

Then, the Redhawks turned the ball over to pitcher Stephen Rickert, who turned the six-run lead into a stranglehold with a complete game, one-hit performance.

“Our game plan going in and when we were most successful all year was when we kinda got out

in front early,” CVU coach Nicky Elderton said. “Our hitting came together the last handful of games, we finally put a complete game together where we got great pitching, great hitting. Base running was awesome and our fielding was great as well.”

The victory helped CVU grab

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

PHOTO BY AL FREY

CVU’s Tess Everett gets a ground ball during the Redhawks’ D-1 Championship overtime loss to the Burr and Burton Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at UVM’s Virtue Field.

Red pine monocultures illustrate old-fashioned forestry

Into the Woods

Ethan Tapper

While some people call all evergreen trees pines, pines are actually a distinct group of closely related trees in the pinus genus. While Vermont is home to four species of native pines, the two most common are Eastern white pine (Pinus sylvestris), and red pine (Pinus resinosa). Of these two species, white pine is by far the most common, the most charismatic, the most valuable, the most celebrated.

Red pine is a more idiosyncratic tree, the under-appreciated younger sibling of the pine world.

To me, the foliage of white pines looks soft and cloud-like, comprised of thin, delicate needles in clusters (fascicles) of five. While healthy white pines usually have straight, columnar trunks, many have multiple stems because of damage from the white pine weevil — a native insect that attacks white pine trees growing in the open.

By comparison, red pines look like bottlebrushes, with a single, arrow-straight trunk topped with a tuft of coarse-looking foliage — relatively thick, brittle needles in fascicles of two. Red pine bark is distinctive: an extremely flaky mosaic of pink, red and grey that looks a bit like broken slate.

Like white pines, most of Vermont’s red pines are legacies of historic land use. Whereas most white pines trees are volunteers growing on abandoned agricultural land, nearly all our red pines

are planted stands (plantations). Along with white pine, non-native Scotch pine and Norway spruce, red pine was widely planted in the early-1900s, with many plantations established by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and 1940s.

More red pine was planted in the mid-1900s as white pine blister rust swept across North America and red pine was lauded as a resistant alternative to white pine. As late as the 1960s and 1970s, farmers in Vermont were reportedly incentivized to convert old fields into red pine plantations.

In the early-1900s, plantations were considered the height of responsible forestry, a way to grow timber quickly and efficiently while stabilizing soils and protecting water supplies. Today, for a variety of reasons, healthy red pine plantations are the exception, not the rule, and plantation forestry is largely seen as an antiquated and ineffective method of growing trees and forests in Vermont.

At a time when the future of forests depends on bolstering resilience and reducing vulnerability, plantations are nearly the opposite of the forests that we need: monocultures that are extremely vulnerable to pests, pathogens, catastrophic natural disturbances and the many effects of climate change and global change. In many cases, the most responsible action with respect to wildlife habitat, biodiversity protection, carbon and

4.25% 10 month term share

PHOTO BY ETHAN TAPPER

A diverse forest is a healthy forest, because monocultures are vulnerable to pests and pathogens, like the one on this tree shown here. See INTO THE WOODS on page 12

COMMUNITY NOTES

continued from page 9

Games may be any time on Saturdays, morning or afternoon. Register by June 16 and pay $40; register and pay $55.

Uniform Fee: $25.00 — a uniform shirt is required, and the same reversible jersey as past years will be used.

Please order your uniform shirt when registering if your child does not already have one. Uniform orders must be placed by June 16th in order to guarantee preferred size.

No registrations will be accepted after Aug. 4. Kids will be placed on a wait list and put on a team only if space allows after this date.

REDHAWKS

continued from page 10

the program’s third title in four years and Elderton a championship in his first season as head coach of the team.

“At the end of the day, we knew what we had to do and we executed the game plan,” Elderton said. “We put a full game together and it was pretty amazing to watch them play.”

The Redhawks got things going in the first inning, hitting back-to-back-to-back singles to score two runs and jump out to the quick lead. Robbie Fragola, Travis Stroh and Zach Santos all had hits to get CVU on the board.

Stroh then helped the Redhawks take full control in the second, hitting a three-run run home run over the left field wall to extend the score to 6-0.

“You wanna be in control when you’re playing baseball and that’s when we’re at our best,” Elderton said. “That second inning really showed kind of who we were as a team, where there’s nobody on and

The 24th annual Back to the Beach Night is Thursday, June 22, from 6-8 p.m. New this year, parks and recreation staff is looking for a few youth musicians who would like to perform in the gazebo during the event (unplugged). The department will schedule half hour increments. Show off your talent and share your music with the Shelburne Community at this fun event! Students in grades 6-12 are welcome.

Contact the recreation department if interested at 802-985-9551.

This annual community picnic is provided to Shelburne residents.

The town will provide burgers, hotdogs, chips, lemonade and water. Attendees, bring a side dish or dessert to share.

There will be a bounce house for kids to enjoy, along with swimming and visiting with friends and neighbors! If able, attendees are asked to bring their own reusable plates and silverware to cut down on waste.

More details and to register, go to shelburnevt.org/160/Parks-Recreation. Hard copy registrations are also accepted at the recreation office with a payment of check or cash.

Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center

strawberry shortcake with cream and milk.

two outs, and we put up four runs because we get a couple timely two-out hits, and then Travis Stroh got into one and hit a home run.

“But the two-out rallies, we did that a lot this year and it just shows the how much each kid competes.”

When Rickert took over on the mound, he made a six-run lead feel insurmountable. The junior pitcher had a no-hitter through five innings and allowed just one hit in the complete game performance.

“We know Steven is going to battle and he is such a competitor,” Elderton said. “That focus he has on the mound, it really shows the rest of the team. Our defense on Saturday was making all the plays for him because he didn’t strike out many guys, but the defense had his back.”

Stroh was 2-for-3 with four RBIs for the Redhawks. Robbie Fragola added a hit and two runs. Zach Santos, Calvin Steele, Kyle Tivnan and Lewis Kerest all had hits for CVU.

Information Technology Director

JOB SUMMARY

The City of South Burlington is looking for an innovative, strategic and dynamic proven leader to be our next IT Director: oversee and lead all aspects of Information Technology for the City; design and develop IT strategies and infrastructure, hardware and software, network operations and security, server maintenance and connectivity, help desk and customer service operations and project management. Administrative functions include budget and resource management. As a Department Head, this position is a member of the City Manager’s Leadership Team.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, or a related field, plus a minimum of five years’ experience in information technology leadership and administration, equivalency considered. Learn more about the position and see a detailed job description by visiting: southburlingtonvt.gov/jobopportunities

APPLY NOW

Review of applications will begin July 5, 2023. To apply, please email an South Burlington City employment application form, cover letter, resume and three references to sbcityjobs@southburlingtonvt.gov with “IT Director” in the subject line.

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, June 15, is from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center and features meatloaf with brown sauce, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, wheat bread, apple crisp with topping and milk.

You must pre-register by the prior Monday with Carol Pepin, 802-425-6345 or meals@charlotteseniorcentervt.org.

The meal on Thursday, June 22, features Italian chicken breast, duck sauce, rice and vegetables, broccoli florets, wheat bread,

INTO THE WOODS

continued from page 11

climate resilience is to use forest management to transition red pine plantations into diverse, multiaged forests.

In Vermont, unplanted red pine is somewhat uncommon. It can be found scattered across south-facing slopes and dry sites, often growing with red oak, red maple, red spruce, white pine and beech. Red pine is

The suggested donation is $5. Check the website for last-minute cancellations at bit.ly/3FfyLMb.

VSO concerts bring swing, jazz, spirituals, marches

The VSO TD Bank Summer Festival Tour is back with a lineup of American favorites to get you dancing and celebrating the most anticipated time of year in Vermont with five stops across the state. Guest trumpeter and jazz legend Ray Vega joins the Vermont

Symphony Orchestra and Argentinian/Italian conductor Michelle Di Russo in a concert of swing, jazz, spirituals, and marches.

Vega is known as a prolific, state-wide performer and as host of Vermont Public’s Friday Night Jazz program.

Relax under balmy summer skies with feisty, soothing, and unforgettable music by Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, George Gershwin, John Philip Sousa, Johnny Mandel and more. Bring your picnic baskets and summer spirit! For concert dates, visit vso.org

a component of several uncommon natural communities, such as red pine forest, usually found on thinsoiled ridgetops, like at the top of the Preston Pond Conservation Area’s Libby’s Look Trail and at the Andrews Community Forest; dry oak forest; and pine-oak-heath sandplain forest such as at Sunny Hollow Natural Area in Colchester.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the Champlain Valley School District (formerly Chittenden South Supervisory Union) including the towns of Charlotte, Hinesburg, St. George, Shelburne, and Williston intends to destroy the special education records of all students who exited from any special education program during the 2017-2018 school year.

A permanent record of the student’s name, address, phone number, grades, attendance record, and year completed is maintained without time limitation.

Any former student, who has reached 18 years of age, may review and/or receive these records upon request. Also, any parent of a student who is 18 years of age or older, who has retained parental rights, may obtain these records.

Please contact the Champlain Valley Union High School Special Services Office at (802) 482-7115 by July 31, 2023. If no student, parent, or guardian responds to this public notice prior to or by July 31, 2023, the school district will assume consent to destroy the entire record specific to the student.

While red pine provides habitat for a variety of wildlife, my favorite example is the way that it is used by black bears, which rub on red pines, claw them and bite them, using them as territorial markers. The next time you see an individual red pine tree in the woods, look for bitemarks and clawmarks. In my experience, you will nearly always find them.

Red pine, like most pine species, is fire-adapted — considered an indicator of forests that may have historically burned. Fire creates two conditions that benefit red pine: soil scarification (the removal of the leaf litter, exposing the mineral soil beneath) and large canopy openings (red pine is intolerant of shade).

While fire is uncommon on our landscape today, we can create these conditions by managing some forests in the summertime, when dragging trees and the tires of logging equipment can create scarification, and by making some larger openings of greater than one acre. Doing these things will encourage red pine as well as a whole suite of trees, shrubs and plants that are adapted to these same conditions.

Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Find out more at linktr. ee/chittendencountyforester.

COURTESY PHOTO

Ray Vega

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Aries, despite your best efforts, you cannot seem to get much work done this week. Your head is in the clouds with matters of the heart. Soon enough your focus will return.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

This week you may tire from charging into battle and prefer others to do the ghting for you, mighty Taurus. You can use a rest from always putting yourself out there.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Adopt a more serious tone this week, Gemini. Your actions may be judged without your knowledge, so lay low. Put the most professional foot forward.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

People may respond much better to comforting words and gestures this week, Cancer. Carefully construct your approach to communicating to reach the widest audience.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

You may soon discover that a person who you consider a friend really is your perfect match, Leo. When you look at this person, the realization may suddenly dawn on you.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Virgo, others around you are especially sensitive this week, so even the slightest criticism could be mistaken for an insult. Rather than ruf e feathers, hold your tongue.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

These next few days you could present an opportunity to break free from everyday life and the mundane, Libra. If you don’t know how to proceed, follow your gut.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

You don’t always need to be in pursuit of some sort of intellectual betterment, Scorpio. Get outside and take a walk or swim in a lake. Engage in trivial things that bring you joy.

SUDOKU

Here’s How It Works:

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

CROSSWORD

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Sagittarius, you are capable of producing impressive results if you set your mind on a plan. This is the week to dabble in a new hobby that will bring forth your creativity.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20 Some debates may not come to a swift resolution, Capricorn. You may need to accept that you simply disagree with someone on a particular topic and let things lie.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18 Aquarius, you may have been a little worried about your work or studies lately. This week things will lighten up and you’ll feel much more in control of your situation.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

This is likely to be a busy week lled with the potential for travel. Bring along a close friend or a loved one for the adventure.

CLUES ACROSS

1. In a place to sleep

5. Chemical compound (abbr.)

8. A way to sh

11. Classic Linklater lm “__ and Confused”

13. Legume

14. Indonesian island

15. Smooth, creamy substance

16. Arctic

17. Wood sorrels

18. De ed

20. Cattle

21. Tableland

22. Honorably retired and retaining one’s title

25. Repossession

30. Danced

31. Adult males

32. A type of section

33. Type of Japanese animation

38. Satisfaction 41. Fit 43. “Ain’t No Sunshine” singer 45. Failure 47. Israeli city 49. French river

50. Cavalry-sword 55. Nocturnal S. American rodent

56. Lique ed natural gas

57. Af icted

59. Electronic countercountermeasures

60. Popular HBO fantasy series (abbr.)

61. Spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation

62. Large body of water

63. __kosh, near Lake Winnebago

64. Impudence

CLUES DOWN

1. Payroll rm

2. Unit of transmission

3. Rockers Better Than __

4. Bambi is one

5. Highest parts of something

6. Correct behavior

7. Batty

8. Cyprinid shes

9. Expression of sorrow or pity

10. Site of the famous Leaning Tower

12. American rocker Snider

14. W. African language

19. Symbol to mark for removal

23. __ Squad

24. Resident

25. Federal savings bank

ANSWERS

26. Paddle

27. Returned material authorization (abbr.)

28. One point south of due east

29. Winter melon

34. Last or greatest in an inde nitely large series 35. Anger

36. Central European river

37. First responders

39. Spanish noble 40. Persons with absence of skin pigment 41. Defunct airline 42. Small island (British) 44. The extent of something from beginning to end 45. Capital of Bangladesh 46. Dutch cheese 47. Imitates 48. A contest of speed 51. Swiss river

RABIES BAIT

continued from page 2

The week-long bait drop is a cooperative effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the potentially fatal disease.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its

saliva. If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after a person is bitten by a rabid animal.

So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.

SHELBURNE DAY

continued from page 4

All in the Details

Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food vendors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and

face burne-Hinesburg head the Golf depending land.

the draft plan, go to shelburnevt.org/ DocumentCenter/View/5905/ Strategic-Plan-May-23-2023.

“The data is low in volume,” committee member Charlie Jones said. “It doesn’t tell us that there’s technically a major problem, but it does point out that there are problematic intersections right in our community which we need to be thoughtful about, whether it’s improving crossways or improving sightlines or improving signage. We need to be using that data to inform decision-making.”

One major problematic section, not just for walkers and bikers, is the four-way stop at Falls Road crossing Mount Philo Road, according to the report.

“Oftentimes there are fender benders, and people crossing the road have been hit because drivers are not totally attentive.”

The Shelburne selectboard last week approved matching up to $75,000 of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funds to widen the Bay Road shoulder from the Ti Haul Trail to Harbor Road, a project that is anticipated to cost in at least $130,000. The project has also been submitted to the VTrans Bike and Pedestrian grant program, which encourages safe and convenient facilities for Vermonters who desire alternative transportation opportunities. Should it be accepted, the project will begin as soon as October and extend until fall of next year.

Jones said Bay Road is a key corridor between the Ti-Haul Trail to Shelburne Farms.

“Our committee last year developed a map of treasured places within the town of Shelburne, and this project helps link the village via the Ti-Haul trail to Shelburne farms for both pedestrians, cyclists and other sorts of non-motorized vehicles,” he explained.

The work would widen the existing roadway, with a six-foot asphalt shoulder on the south side of the segment that stretches to the intersection of Harbor Road

at the main entrance to the farms.

“Shelburne Farms has been gracious to open up their trail network for free,” Jones said. “People drive and walk there on a regular basis, particularly since the pandemic and the increase in the use of trail systems, just for improving their health and also peace of mind because it’s such a beautiful place. We think that by giving some additional space for cyclists and walkers to walk from town, it’ll open up more increased opportunities to reduce the volume of cars that go to the farm.”

In addition, this builds out a segment that could, in the longer-term, create a triangle of interconnected pathways along the east side of Harbor Road that could be used for events like 5k races.

“I think from the past committee’s standpoint, this (project) has been one of the highest priority items on the list for years,” selectboard member Andrew Everett said.

Jones said the goals and objectives currently being drafted should be supported by sound data in addition to community input. As the committee finalizes changes to the draft plan, residents are encouraged to attend a series of listening sessions — July 12 from 10 a.m. noon at the Pierson Library Community Room and Aug. 13 from 10 a.m-noon at the Shelburne Farmers Market.

“We’re continuing and have received some additional data points that I’ll be adding to an updated version of that draft over the summer to reinforce our message around safety and interconnectedness of neighborhoods,” said Jones. “We’ve got more population-specific data that we’ve been provided. It talks a little bit about growth and where our denser housing stock is. So we’re trying to just marry data with our goals and objectives to ultimately come up with a focus plan for the next three years.”

BAY ROAD continued from page 1

“We need to be using that data to inform decision-making.”

— Charlie Jones

COURTESY ILLUSTRATION

This map shows the locations of all bike- and pedestrian-related crashes in Shelburne in the past five years.