Shelburne News - 4-18-24

Page 1

Architect and visionary

Marcel Beaudin dies, leaves lasting legacy

“Form follows function.”

Those are the words that renowned Vermont architect Marcel Beaudin lived by during his 70-year career. Although he died in his home at the Residence at Shelburne Bay March 29 at the age of 95 and 11 days, Beaudin and his modernist design legacy live on in the more than 1,000 projects he completed in his lifetime.

When one thinks of the quintessential architectural landscape in Vermont, white church steeples peeking through fall foliage or a perfectly dilapidated barn with a few cows on a grassy knoll come to mind. But what many may not realize is that the booming modernist movement that swept much of the country during the mid-20th century also came to Vermont, and Beaudin was one of many influential architects who brought the design aesthetic to the state.

Devin Coleman, historic preservationist and architectural historian for the state, first came across Beaudin while earning his graduate degree at the University of Vermont. His graduate research, in part, focused on an exploration and analysis of McAuley Hall on the University’s Trinity campus, a large dormitory built in the late 1950s — under Beaudin’s design hand — that follows closely to what he referred to as international style, also known by many as mid-century modern design.

The term, which tends to leave furniture and design zealots foaming at the mouth, was popularized by architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and largely influenced by the early 20th century Bauhaus style, a German artistic movement focused on sleek, abstract, angular and geometric design with little ornamentation.

See BEAUDIN on page 2

Ethics panel: no violation against Sen. Ram Hinsdale

An ethics complaint filed in February against Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale citing her husband’s work in real estate was dismissed by a five-member committee last week.

The committee, the Senate Panel on Ethics, operates in near secrecy, and members of the committee were unable to discuss the complaint. They found there was no conflict between Ram Hinsdale’s work on legislation and her husband’s work. Jacob Hinsdale operates Hinsdale Properties, which has a sizable portfolio of rental properties in Burlington and elsewhere.

Because the committee did not

find probable cause that an ethical violation occurred, the chair of the panel, Sen. Brian Campion, wrote, the “report is closed and shall remain confidential.”

The 14 Vermont residents who signed on to the complaint say that

Ram Hinsdale’s work crafting Act 47, or the HOME Act, directly benefits her and her husband financially. The law passed last year mandates

See HINSDALE on page 12

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COURTESY PHOTO
up the kindness
Team Sangha’s quarterly newspaper at Shelburne Community School is called Keep Up the Kindness. The nonprofit newspaper is written by fourth grade students to spread smiles in the world. The students started the project during third grade and voluntarily kept it going this year during their lunch and recess. This newspaper focuses on sharing good news around the world. Students sell their newspapers for nominal donations and have so far donated over $800 to Vermont Make-A-Wish, Team Trees and Team Seas. The young reporters say they have learned that bad news often travels fast but good news lasts forever.
Keep
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Bottom left: Holiday postcards, some dated as far back as 1978, featuring some of Beaudin’s residential builds. “The house looks beautiful from every angle,” one reads.

Top

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BEAUDIN continued from page 1

“Certainly, he was trained in the international style, the modernist international style, but he wasn’t beholden to it,” Coleman said of Beaudin. “But it’s definitely a through line in all of his work. They’re very clean, very pure forms with no extra decorative flourishes.

The form of the building expresses what its function is. The building itself is the aesthetic appeal, not some applied decorative gingerbread work or fancy shingles.”

Knowing the history of Beaudin’s style, it should be no surprise that his sleek design would make its way to Vermont.

Beaudin’s family, originally from Québec, was involved with the quarrying and fabrication of granite for nearly four centuries. Beaudin was born in Barre and went to Spaulding High School in Montpelier, where his lifelong passion for design and drafting coalesced while working as a junior draftsman and monument fabricator. At the time, he was also honing his craft by taking courses at the Barre Evening School.

At the time, Barre was an inspirational mecca for creative types and craftsmen, and arguably one of the greatest influences for Beaudin’s illustrious career.

“In the early 20th century, Barre must have been an amazing place,” Coleman said. “The granite industry was full tilt, it had scores of artisans from Italy carving granite,

Page 2 • April 18, 2024 • Shelburne News
ABOVE: BURLINGTON CITY ARTS; OTHERS: LIBERTY DARR Top left: Chris Burns, manuscript curator for the University of Vermont’s Jack and Shirley Silver Special Collections Library, sifts through a portion of the collection of Marcel Beaudin’s works.
See BEAUDIN on page 3
right: photo of Marcel Beaudin taken in 2005 featured in a Burlington City Arts catalog from a retrospective show titled, “Decades of Design: Marcel Beaudin.”

From top: An early rendering of a proposed adaptation of the Moran Building designed by Beaudin that showcased the early vision for the Community Sailing Center.

A rendering of the Burlington Boathouse, which Beaudin is most known for.

BEAUDIN

continued from page 2

making these monuments, making sculptures. There was a full art school to train draftsmen on how to design and depict the sculptures and monuments that the carvers would then fabricate. I think it really must have been an exciting place to be. It was probably a pretty good place for someone like Marcel to flex those muscles and realize, ‘Hey, I’m good at this.’”

Without an architecture school in Vermont, Beaudin set his sights on New York City, where he enrolled at the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, a school staffed with teachers who were disciples of the design greats from Harvard School of Design: Edward Barnes, Huson Jackson and Sidney Katz, to list a few.

Before entering college and working as a junior mausoleum designer in the city, Beaudin crossed paths with Le Corbusier, a Swiss-French architect who was a pioneer in the modernist movement and, at the time, in the United States designing the United Nations complex.

“It took less than ten minutes in his studio to decide to become an architect,” Beaudin said in a 2005 interview with Bill Lipke, a professor of art history at the University of Vermont.

Many great architects have come out of Vermont, Coleman said, but what is most interesting about Beaudin is that although he found success in other places, he still came back home, practicing here for more than half a century. In fact, his second love, sailing on Lake Champlain, provides a more complete understanding of his sleek, elegant approach to architecture with some of his buildings mirroring the design of boats.

“I think Marcel had a distinctive feel for the Vermont context,” Coleman said. “He certainly always had a very modernist approach and instead of looking backward for inspiration to previous historic styles of architecture, he looked forward — what are the new technologies, what are the new materials, what are the new ways of living that I can incorporate into my building.”

A good example and arguably the most well-known Beaudin design is the Burlington Boathouse, completed in 1988. It’s a design Coleman says bridges the gap of referencing a historic building built decades earlier but using a fresh approach to complete a more contemporary design.

See

on page 16

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BEAUDIN

Champlain Valley residents make second attempt on school budget

The stakes are high as Champlain Valley communities head out to the polls to vote on a second attempt to pass a Champlain Valley School District budget.

Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday throughout the district’s five member communities, but the results were not available before Shelburne News’ press deadline. (Results were posted online Wednesday afternoon at shelburnenews.com.)

On Monday, students at the Champlain Valley Union High

School walked out of classes during the school day to support the school budget and urge the community to vote yes.

Teachers and faculty had been doing the same for weeks, holding rallies outside of the district’s schools before and after school days began.

The district’s originally proposed budget, totaling $105.8 million, was voted down by nearly 2,000 votes on Town Meeting Day.

A new $101.8 million budget up for a vote would reduce spending by $4 million and cut 42 fulltime positions — including seven

central administration positions, 15 student support paraprofessional positions, and three paraprofessional interventionist positions that were previously funded by federal grants.

Nearly 15 teaching positions will be cut throughout the five schools. At the high school, cuts will result in reduced classes and support in music, theater, French, Latin, business, library services and other programs.

If this budget fails, district officials have indicated they would have to cut $500,000 more from the budget, which would likely translate into more cuts to faculty.

Total reported incidents: 71

Traffic stops: 4

Warnings: 4

Medical emergencies: 22

Suspicious incidents: 6

Domestic incidents: 1

Directed patrols: 4

Agency assists: 6

Citizen assists: 8

Welfare check: 3

Automobile incidents: 2

Car crash: 2

Animal problem: 3

Noise disturbance: 4

Unlawful Mischief: 1

Theft: 6

Vandalism: 2

Alarms: 6

Pending investigations: 7

April 8 at 2:28 a.m., a man reported a domestic incident between him and his wife. Police arrived at the Shelburne Road residence and helped mediate but the persons involved refused assistance and denied all services offered.

April 8 at 9:01 a.m., a caller told police that their car and Hawley Road home had been vandalized.

April 8 at 12:05 p.m., police are investigating after a caller said their bike had been taken from behind the Shelburne Market.

April 8 at 3:09 p.m., no injuries were reported after a two-car crash on Dorset Street and Butternut Lane.

April 9 at 8:57 a.m., a 911 caller reported an unresponsive

family member on Ridgefield Road. EMS determined the patient had died and the Medical Examiner’s Office was notified. Investigating officers determined the death was not suspicious. Police have not yet released the name of the deceased.

April 10 at 3:30 p.m., employees from Aubuchon Hardware reported a retail theft to police.

April 10 at 7:32 p.m., police are investigating a retail theft at Tractor Supply.

April 11 at 4:08 a.m., police told the hosts of a Harrington Avenue party to keep the noise down.

April 11 at 6:11 p.m., police responded to a retail theft at Kinney Drugs but could not find the individuals involved.

April 11 at 6:30 p.m., a Locust Hill resident told police their car had been vandalized.

April 11 at 8:04 p.m., a second retail theft was reported at Kinney Drugs.

April 12 at 11:24 p.m., police were called to the post office on Falls Road to disable an errant horn on a postal vehicle.

April 13 at 10:49 p.m., police were called to another party, this one on Irish Hill Road, to tell the owners to tone it down.

April 14 at 1:32 a.m., a one-car crash on Spear Street caused some injuries to the passengers but they refused transport to the hospital.

Page 4 • April 18, 2024 • Shelburne News Shelburne News Serving the community of Shelburne A publication of Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC shelburnenews.com Advertising Wendy Ewing wendy@shelburnenews.com (802) 985-3091 x12 Advertising Director Judy Kearns judy@otherpapersbvt.com (802) 864-6670 x21 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 The Shelburne News is published weekly and mailed free to residents and businesses in Shelburne and rack distributed at select high traffic locations. The Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC assumes no responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements and reserves the right to refuse advertising and editorial copy. Shelburne Police Blotter: April 8-14
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Lyons offers thoughts on controlling education spending

From the Senate

Recent town meeting votes against school budget proposals were not a just a wakeup call about property taxes. It was a reminder that the school funding system needs major repair.

While districts and voters are making changes to next year’s budgets, the Legislature is working to avoid catastrophic increases in property taxes related to school funding. The loss of federal pandemic funds that sustained education funding, increases in health care costs and overall inflation have placed a burden on local school boards.

My work to reduce health care costs includes efforts to lower prescription drug prices and reduce the administrative burden of prior authorization on providers. I am working to improve social supports for kids in schools without adding cost to school budgets.

Societal changes place more and more stress on kids, teachers, administrators and staff. Student mental health concerns increased dramatically during the pandemic.

I wrote a law for schools, community members, teachers, counselors, social service organizations and others to access grant funding. The grants provide funding outside of school budgets to support kids’ mental health. That law was recognized as a national model by the National Afterschool Program.

The social service support grants and Vermont’s Afterschool Program can help reduce stress on teachers and students alike. They offer a way to respond to everyday behavioral and societal challenges that affect school culture. These social service supports in schools do not use education fund dollars and offer an example of providing local property tax relief. Others have suggested that school meals be paid for with sources

Letters to the Editor

Act 127 overdue, and good law

To the Editor: Vermont stands as a beacon of community values. Yet, beneath this facade, the education system has harbored inequities for decades that undermine these very principles. Enter Act 127, a legislative commitment to Vermont’s constitutional guarantee for equity, opportunity and fairness for every child in the state.

For decades, Vermont’s education funding system, while well-intentioned, has inadvertently perpetuated inequities across diverse landscapes. Rural, impoverished and diverse districts have borne the brunt of this outdated model, struggling to provide the same level of education as their more affluent counterparts. This isn’t just a funding issue; it’s a matter of the constitutional guarantee Vermont makes to its children about the value of their education.

Act 127, informed by comprehensive research and community advocacy, introduces a more equitable approach to school funding. By revising the weighting factors that determine financial allocations, it ensures that additional resources are directed where they’re most needed, to the students facing the greatest challenges and to the schools that serve as their lifelines.

Some may question the timing or specifics of Act 127, especially in a period marked by financial uncertainty and social challenges. However, it is precisely during such times that our commitment to equity and justice must be strongest. Act 127 isn’t just a piece of legislation; it’s a declaration of our collective values, a testament to a belief in the transformative power of education.

As we navigate the implementation of Act 127, the Coalition for Vermont Student Equity calls upon educators, policymakers and community members to engage with this process actively. This isn’t a time for complacency but for vigorous advocacy and thoughtful dialogue. We must work together to ensure that the promise of Act 127 becomes a reality for every student in Vermont. Addressing these issues is integral to the overall goal of educational equity.

Wildlife bill gives politicians too much power

To the Editor:

Under political pressure from animal rights groups, in coordination with a national organization, Senate bill S.258 was passed and is now in the Vermont House. This bill would remove the authority for rulemaking from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board and transfer it to the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.

This moves rulemaking authority from a democratic forum to technocrats. Worse yet, the Agency of Natural Resources, being part of the administration, is subject to powerful influence by whomever the sitting governor may be at the time — either personal or partisan influence.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board

on page 6

other than the education fund as another way to provide such relief.

School funding is a complex byzantine labyrinth that perplexes many school board members, legislators and community members alike. How can a school board connect local spending with statewide or local property tax determinations when the funding formula is so dense? How can equitable outcomes result when students in some districts have access to more resources than others?

Some ask if money equates with improved student outcomes. There is at least one proposal before the Legislature that begins to untangle the web and improve transparency. A simple description of that proposal is that schools receive base level funding or payment per pupil. If schools decide to spend more, local property taxes could be added.

Other states rely on different school funding formulas. It can help to review those programs. As that evaluation goes ahead, we should not lose sight of including income levels when determining school funding taxes.

People on lower or fixed incomes could become harmed or leave Vermont without that consideration. One example to accommodate those on fixed incomes is

New York’s STAR Program, which offers property tax relief to senior residents. Could a similar program simplify the education funding formula?

Vermont’s population is small compared to many city school districts across the country. We could develop regional districts based on cost of living. Regional administrative districts might increase purchasing power or provide teacher contracts consistent with each region’s economy, while maintaining local decision making.

The Legislature is considering how to improve transparency, cost and equitable access to public education. Vermont schools are the heart of our communities. Preserving local engagement and family participation in local school districts is critical to preserve Vermont values in public education. It could be time for a structured statewide public engagement about the future of schools, best practices, funding, student outcomes, local control, state oversight, responsibility and accountability. Your voice is important to this process. Please stay connected.

Ginny Lyons, a Democrat from Williston, represents South Burlington, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne and several other towns in the Chittenden-Southeast Senate district.

Beth Holden, MS, LCMHC, LADC, and panelists John Brooklyn, MD; Dan Hall, LADC; Heidi Melbostad, PhD, and others. Followed by Q&A.

Shelburne News • April 18, 2024 • Page 5 OPINION
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LETTERS
See

Senate ethics committee misses mark on conflict complaint

Guest Perspective

On Feb. 13, 14 Vermonters filed a conflict-of-interest complaint with the Vermont Senate Ethics Committee accusing Sen. Ram Hinsdale, chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs, of advancing and promoting the financial interest of her family’s vast real estate holdings by helping craft and approve language in a bill she sponsored that will benefit her family’s fortune.

The complaints alleged that Hinsdale violated Vermont Senate Rule 71, Permanent Rules of the Senate, which states that “no Senator shall be permitted to vote upon any question in which he or she is directly or immediately interested.”

I was the lead contact representing the Vermonters who signed the complaint.

Surprisingly, the Senate Committee on Ethics, chaired by Sen. Brian Campion, conducted a preliminary review and did not find probable cause that an ethical violation occurred. There was no investigation.

The committee’s short letter was written in careful lawyerly prose, which comes across, as short and precise, but for a proud Vermonter like me, as cold and terse, with no acknowledgement

of citizen involvement or concern for the reputation of the Vermont Senate.

Interestingly, the language in the Vermont State Ethics Commission is much broader and more expansive in defining a conflict of Interest when compared to the language used by the Senate committee. The complainants chose both the form and language from the State Ethics Commission because it uses the statement “the appearance of” a conflict of interest, and not just a direct conflict or interest.

We applied their standard, using the ethics commission document that asks: “Would a reasonable, average person with knowledge of all relevant facts think you have a conflict of interest?” The answer is an obvious yes. Perception and appearance are critical, so we filed the complaint.

That meant little to the Senate committee. They used their own conflict of interest document to excuse Hinsdale from any violation. When you read through the rules of the Senate committee document, it is easy to see where the “excuses” and escape hatches are for Hinsdale and others to continue to advance personal interests through legislative actions.

I can imagine there are some legislators who are landlords and may make additional, secondary income. However, there are few in Chittenden County, and

probably the entire state, who make their living as the Hinsdales do. Hinsdale’s husband Jacob manages their dozens and dozens of properties for his mother, Irene Hinsdale. With the passage of Act 47, the skids are well greased for more profitmaking as defined in the conflict-of-interest document.

The bigger picture here is that developers, real estate agents and lending institutions will build anywhere, build anything and charge anything to reap the financial benefits from the housing crisis. Additionally, the Hinsdales will continue to subdivide older single-family homes and traditional duplexes built decades ago for families and where families could live today. Those could be more affordable homes and duplexes and they are now mostly smaller student rental units benefiting the Hinsdale empire.

Chopping them up into expensive apartments and smaller rooms will continue to deny a family looking to buy a place to live.

Hinsdale and her family are a part of a select group of landlords, developers, real estate agents, bankers and lending institutions that are making millions using the housing crisis as their cover. More specifically, the senator and her family are misusing the important goals of more affordable apartments, more core density and less suburban sprawl, as their cover to grow their family fortune.

As the conflict-of-interest

Anyone can say they are a “ nancial planner.”

complaint requested, Vermont Senate Pro Tempore Philip Baruth should never have allowed Hinsdale to serve as the chair of the economic development, housing and general affairs committee. Hinsdale should have been reassigned to another committee.

Further, if Sen. Hinsdale understood what this major conflict of interest would eventually do to her reputation and the reputations of her colleagues, along with the public’s perception of the full Senate, she would have wisely requested another assignment, recuse herself from the committee during these discussions, or follow the guidance given by the Vermont State Ethics Commission to clear her name.

LETTERS continued from page 5

was created when the Legislature, after some disastrous decisions concerning the deer herd, decided it did not have the expertise, experience or firsthand knowledge for setting hunting and fishing rules and regulations, so it created a separate citizen-populated board to handle the task. This was a very important step for bringing decision-making closer to rule by citizens, the essence of democratic government. The board has done an outstanding job with what they were tasked to do.

Years ago, the Water Resources Board underwent this same transformation, to the detriment of Vermonters, in the decisions made since then. Recently there was a demonstration of the role of the governor in proposed rules on wake boats against the wishes of almost all feedback from Vermonters.

All this has come about due to the political pressure from animal rights groups whose goals, for the most part, would be to end all hunting and trapping, notwithstanding their claims to the contrary. Those goals are what keeps those organizations alive.

Their strategy is to do anything that would weaken the influence of hunters and trappers on rulemaking. This would be like putting right-to-lifers on the board of Planned Parenthood.

Please oppose it.

Office demolition derby

To the Editor:

A woman I was close to for most of my life gave up her license to drive because she didn’t want to be responsible for injuring some-

It’s now understood why she did not, and that dark shadow will follow her political career. That same shadow will continue to darken and stain the reputation of Senate’s ethics committee, as well as the many honest, hard-working legislators who continue to serve all Vermonters.

The foxes cannot be guarding the henhouse. Senators will be very reluctant to turn on one of their own colleagues. An independent group of citizens and professionals like the panel serving on the Vermont State Ethics Commission needs to oversee the actions of all elected representatives.

John Bossange lives in South Burlington.

one else, inadvertently or otherwise. She was about 68 years old.

With all that has been written on the two incidents of cars driving through the Shelburne Post Office, there has not been one word or thought published about one’s ability — or inability — to continue to safely operate a motor vehicle. We have two cases where drivers bounced up over a 7-inch reveal concrete walkway, drove through a 12-inch diameter wood support column, continued for another 15 feet, and crashed through the front wall of the building. In one case, the driver crossed the 4-foot-wide hallway on the inside of the building before crashing into an interior wall where postal employees were working before they found the break.

Picture a postal customer coming out of the office with her baby in her hands during either one of those incidents. Then picture having to be retested for your ability to continue driving at a specified age. Shall we continually kick the can down the road on issues that demand common-sense answers, rather than more tax and spend efforts that address nothing related to the issue at hand.

I recently submitted a fivepage letter to the Vermont public safety commissioner addressing numerous and documented unsafe driving behaviors we all witness many times a day and I’ve written others to the Shelburne News, all to no avail. Sure, let’s place interstate-rated Jersey crash barriers around public facilities and build them with 24-inch-thick, concrete-reinforced walls to ensure our safety. But is that the most cost-effective, common-sense or safest solution?

Page 6 • April 18, 2024 • Shelburne News
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Diversity, equity retreat

On April 6, Shelburne’s Equity and Diversity Committee held a retreat to create a charter and prioritize work in the coming fiscal year. The group was created in 2021 by the selectboard “To recommend to the Selectboard actions to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in all activities of town government and assist in mobilizing community and external resources for the same.” The meeting was held at the Inn at Shelburne Farms Inn, which also donated coffee and tea. The committee is looking for new members. From left, Faith Yacubian, Jennie Hoenigsberg, Sarah McIlvennie, Cate Cross, Shelburne police Sgt. Josh Flore, selectboard liaison Chunka Mui, Michele Crowder and Patricia Fontaine, on screen. Not in attendance were Mercedes Ortega and student member Alexis Hall.

News from Pierson Library

Poetry erupts all over

It’s National Poetry Month and the Pierson Library hasn’t forgotten. On Saturday, April 20, the library is hosting an open mic for teens and tweens at 3 p.m. and every day from noon-12:30 p.m., the Noontime Poetry Reading Society will gather.

This society is always welcoming new members. Its sole function is to read whole books of poetry aloud, allowing the words and images to transform the mouth, one half an hour at a time.

Also, there’s a poet-tree set-up, as envisioned by Shelburne’s junior poet laureate, Roman Strayer-Benton. Come to the circulation desk to gather a leaf and add a poem to the tree display.

Hands-on with nature

Want to learn how to breakup with your lawn? How about composting 101? Beginning beekeeping? Saving seeds for textile arts? It’s all happening at the Pierson Library. Check out the calendar for a full listing of upcoming events.

Historical talks

On Tuesday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m., join Brian Knight and the Shelburne Historical Society for a tale of the Shelburne Shipyard. Then, hurry back Thursday, April 25, at 6 p.m. for a presentation on the contributions made by Vermont soldiers in the famous civil war battle of Cedar Creek, presented by Michael Soules.

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COMMUNITY

Community Notes

Sign up now for Shelburne grab and go meal

Age Well and St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne are teaming up to provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older on Tuesday, May 14.

Meals will be available for pick up in the parking lot at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m. until noon and are available for anyone 60 or older. Suggested donation is $5.

The menu is chicken breast with sweet and sour sauce, brown rice pilaf with veggies and cannellini beans, brussels sprouts, wheat roll, cookie and milk.

To order a meal contact Kathleen at agewellstcath@gmail.com or 802-503-1107. Deadline to order is Wednesday, May 8. If this is a first-time order, provide your name, address, phone number and date of birth.

If you haven’t yet filled out a congregate meal registration form, bring a completed registration form with you or send one to:

Age Well; 875 Roosevelt Highway, Ste. 210, Colchester VT 05446. Forms will be available at meal pick up.

Learn about restaurant tickets to dine at participating restaurants at agewellvt.org.

Austen Society speaker at Temple Sinai

What can we learn about Jane Austen if, instead of asking whether she liked the theater, we ask what kind of theater she preferred?

Does Aunt Norris speak for Jane Austen when she opines in Mansfield Park that “there is very little sense in a play without a curtain?” Or did Austen prefer to perform and write plays designed for the curtainless stage that Shakespeare wrote for? How did her encounters with the intense process of planning, rehearsing and performing a family theatri-

See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 9

On Saturday, March 30, nine students in grades six to eight represented Mater Christi School in Burlington at the 2024 Vermont Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fair at Norwich University. Six students were recognized with awards, including Ryan Schreiber of Shelburne, who won the Vermont STEM Fair Engineering Award and Vermont STEM Fair Silver Medal Award. Pictured is Mater Christi School science teacher, Mark Pendergrass, and the students who represented the school in the 2024 Vermont STEM Fair, from left Emery Nichols (Burlington), Wesley Price (Burlington), Asa Jorgenson (Burlington), Beatrice Robinson (South Burlington), and Campbell Clarke (Colchester). Back row, from left, Pendergrass, Thomas Moore (Essex Junction), Ella Botten (Williston), Adele Carta (Burlington) and Ryan Schreiber (Shelburne).

Page 8 • April 18, 2024 • Shelburne News
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cal influence her writing?

Austen Society speaker Lesley Peterson will be on hand to answer those and many other questions, at Temple Sinai, 500 Swift St. on Monday, May 5, from 1-3 p.m.

The presentation will include opportunities for audience participation. The talk is free and light refreshments will be served.

Learn more at janeausteninvermont.blog.

Ethan Allen Homestead explores Masonry

Masonry has always been a presence in the Green Mountain State. From the first settlers to the present, Vermont Masons have made a difference in their communities.

Ira Allen, Thomas Chittenden and other Vermont founders were members of this fraternity. Join Robert Grandchamp, historian and past Master of Mt. Mansfield Lodge #26 for a talk on how Masonry helped shape the early history of the Green Mountain State.

“Masonry in Early Vermont” will be held Sunday, April 21, 2 p.m. at the Homestead’s museum. Admission is free but donations are accepted. Reach out to John A. Devino at jdevino1791@ gmail.com or 802-863-5403 for more information.

Howard Center series address substance use

Howard Center’s Spring Community Education Series presents a free panel discussion, “Substance Use and Our Community,” with moderator Beth Holden, the center’s chief client services officer in the auditorium of dealer.com, 1 Howard St., Burlington, on Monday, May 2, 6:30-8 p.m.

Panelists include Howard Center clinical staff member John Brooklyn, medical director of the Chittenden Clinic; Dan Hall, licensed alcohol and drug counselor and director of outpatient services; Heidi Melbostad, director of the Chittenden Clinic; and others.

A question-and-answer period will follow the discussion. Attend in-person or livestream the discussion. For information and to register, visit howardcenter.org or call 802-488-6912.

Champlain Valley Quilters hold quilt show

Champlain Valley Quilters holds its annual quilt show, “Seams like Spring,” with featured artist Karen Abrahamovich, Friday to Sunday, April 26-28. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon-4 p.m. on Sunday. This judged competition, held at Holy Family Parish Hall, 30 Lincoln St., Essex Junction, features vendors, raffles a craft table and more. Admission is $8. Learn more at cvqgvt.org.

Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center

The Age Well meal pickup for Thursday, April 18, is from 10 to

Graduations and milestones

Student Milestones

Gerrit Pottmeyer of Shelburne was named to the Champlain College dean’s list for the fall 2023 semester. Pottmeyer is currently majoring in game design.

Miles Bosma of Shelburne

11 a.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center features beef with barbecue sauce, baked beans, broccoli florets, wheat bun with butter, pumpkin craisin cookie and milk. You must pre-register by the prior Monday at 802-425-6345 or meals@charlotteseniorcentervt. org.

was named to the Champlain College president’s list for the fall 2023 semester. Bosma is majoring in criminal justice.

Kelcie Kruk of Shelburne was named to the Champlain College president’s list for the fall 2023 semester. Kruk is majoring in computer networking and cybersecurity.

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

The meal for Thursday, April 25, features meatloaf with brown sauce, garlic home fries, green beans, pumpkin custard with cream and milk.

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SPORTS

Champlain Valley spring sports’ teams get seasons underway

look to return to the top. CVU also welcomes new coach Brian Loughlin to steer the program back to the final.

Boys’ lacrosse

Coach: Brian Loughlin

Last season: 12-3, lost in the D-I semifinals

This season: 1-0

Key returnees: Peter Gilliam, attack, senior; Peyton Anderson, defense, senior; Trevor Stumpff, long stick midfielder, junior; Jacob Bose, midfielder, senior; Ray Hagios, face-offs, junior.

Key newcomers: Matias Williams, attack, junior; Luke Buehler, midfielder, sophomore; George Taylor, defense, junior; William Kearney, goalie, senior

Outlook: Last season, the boys saw their nine-year D-I title run come to an end in the semifinals but the Redhawks return 15 seniors from that squad as they

“We are well-conditioned, and the guys have been working hard to make sure their stick skills are dialed in,” Loughlin said. “While winning is important, the most important thing is becoming the best version of ourselves over the course of the season.”

CVU has experienced players at most positions.

Up next: Thursday, April 18, against Middlebury Baseball

Coach: Nicky Elderton

Last season: Division I state champions

Key returnees: Aaron LaRose, pitcher, senior; Calvin Steele, catcher, senior; Cole Cudney, first base, senior; Declan Cummings,

third base, senior; Elise Berger, pitcher, senior; Mitchell Niarchos, second base, senior; Russell Willoughby, shortstop, senior; Stephen Rickert, pitcher, senior; Travis Stroh, outfield, senior.

Key newcomers: Andrew Nunziata, outfield, first year; Daniel Tuiqere, catcher, junior; Henry Bushey, outfield, junior; John Deyo, outfield, junior; Lander Magoon, first base, junior; Michael Dunbar, outfield, senior; Noah Musgrave, outfield, junior; Orion Yates, first base, first year; Riley McDade, shortstop, sophomore; Riley O’Brien, outfield, junior.

Outlook: After capturing the championship last season, Champlain Valley has a retooled roster ready for another go at the title. The Redhawks return a lot of impact players from last year’s team but will need to replace some of the top pitching they got from Stephen

Rickert and Chris Robinson.

“This is a special group with a lot of great leaders,” second-year coach Nicky Elderton said. “Pitching and defense will hopefully be big strengths for us throughout the year. We are continuing to improve on the offensive and defensive sides of the game every day.”

CVU will also add a bevy of newcomers to an already stacked squad, making them a strong contender this season.

Opener: Tuesday, April 23, against Mount Abraham, 4:30 p.m.

Softball

Coach: Rahn Fleming

Last season: 4-12, lost in the D-I playdowns

Key returnees: Mackenzie Yandow, pitcher, junior; Morgan Gallup, pitcher, junior; Autumn Francis, infield, senior; Amber Reagan, infield, junior; Baylee Yandow, infield/outfield, junior; Hannah Blanchard, infield, junior; Kiera Kavanagh, infield, junior; Hannah Shepardson, pitcher/ infield/outfield, junior; Alex Wemple, infield/outfield, junior; Nina Zimakas, infield, senior; Morgan Gallup, infield, junior; Lilly Caputo, outfield, senior.

Key newcomers: Hannah Blanchard, pitcher, sophomore; Drew Farmer, catcher, junior; Abby Usher, catcher, junior; Addie Niebur, center, junior; Tegan Scruggs, infield, first year; Cordelia Thomas, outfield, sophomore.

Outlook: CVU will look to turn the corner this season with a new coach and a deep roster. The Redhawks will have a few options

on the mound this season, as well as depth in the infield to bolster the defense.

“I’ve been very impressed with our speed and lateral mobility,” first-year coach Rahn Fleming said. “We’re also fortunate to have strong, stable leadership from our seniors.”

That leadership will come in handy as the team is very young, with only three seniors. CVU hopes to see this young group improve as the season progresses and the team gets more varsity experience.

Opener: Tuesday, April 23, against Mount Abraham, 4:30 p.m. Girls’ lacrosse

Coach: Tucker Pierson

Last season: 13-2, lost in the D-I state championship

This season: 0-1

Key returnees: Stella Dooley, midfield, senior; Clare Stackpole-McGrath, goalie, senior; Kate Boehmcke, defense, senior; Emerson Rice, midfield, senior; Bibi Frechette, midfield, junior; Rose Bunting, defense, junior

Key newcomers: Too soon to tell

Outlook: Girls’ lacrosse came close to capturing the first D-I title in program history but fell just short. The team returns a solid core of last year’s roster but will have to integrate a slate of new players to build off last year’s success.

“Even though we are returning a lot of players, this feels like a very new team and that is excit-

See

Page 10 • April 18, 2024 • Shelburne News
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
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ing,” coach Tucker Pierson said. “We are a team filled with good players, so it will be fun to see how they play together and how they come together as a team.”

CVU will build from the back, with returning goalie Clare Stackpole-McGrath anchoring the defense and a strong returning midfield looking to set the tone.

Up next: Wednesday, April 17, at Middlebury

Boys’ tennis

Coach: Frank Babbott

Last season: 7-6-1, lost in the D-I quarterfinals

This season: 0-1

Key returnees: Oscar Anderson, junior; Ziggy Babbott, junior; Jacob Graham, junior; Silas Cohen, junior; Nolan Sandage, junior; Kyle Krieger, junior; Ben Fina, sophomore; Dash Tota, sophomore.

Key newcomers: Nik Blasius, senior; Henry Frost, senior; Charlie Jennings, senior; Luke Sampson, senior; River Enser, first-year; Sawyer Lake, first-year.

Outlook: The Champlain Valley boys tennis team has a mix of returning and new players as it gets ready for a league that coach Frank Babbott expects to be competitive across the board. The Redhawks have a strong core of junior players who will provide the team’s starters at the beginning of the season.

“I expect CVU will improve as the season moves forward, and as usual we hope for decent weather,” Babbott said.

Up next: Monday, April 15, at Essex Girls’ tennis

Coach: David Lisle

Last season: 11-3, lost in the D-I finals

Key returnees: Cassie Bastress, singles, senior; Tabitha Bastress, singles, senior; Anna Dauerman, singles, sophomore; Addie Maurer, singles/doubles, senior; Ariel Toohey, doubles, junior

Key newcomers: Too soon to tell

Outlook: After advancing all the way the D-I semifinals last season, the girls return eight seniors from that runner-up squad.

The Redhawks do have a new coach — David Lisle — but invite back longtime coach Amy deGroot as an assistant to help with the transition.

“What I love about this team is how quickly they have come together to embrace each other,” Lisle said. “This is the camaraderie that makes for an excellent season.”

Anna Dauerman went all the way to the semifinals in the individual tournament last year and will look to lead the way in singles again.

Up next: Monday, April 15, versus St. Johnsbury Track and field

Coaches: Dave Kogut and Jess LaPlante

Key returnees: Girls: Alice Kredell, junior; Estella Laird, junior; Audrey Neilson, sophomore; Lydia Donahue, sophomore; Charlotte Crum, sophomore; Annalise Wood, junior; Noe Jenni, junior; Harper Danforth, senior; Zora Ngu, senior; Kate Kogut, senior; Amelia Novak, senior; Mahoune Felix, senior; Zoe Mui, junior; Annaliesa Fry, junior; Izzy Gravina-Budis, sophomore; Lilyanna Mittelstadt, sophomore; Addison James, first year; Emmeline Brewer, first year.

Boys: Dan Knight, senior; Kody Guiterman, senior; Simon Hunt, senior; Anders Johnson, senior; Avery Rogers, junior; Dylan Elder, junior; Quintin Fortier, sophomore; AJ Sicard, sophomore.

Key newcomer: Girls: Elsa Klein, first year. Boys: Treson McEnaney, first year; Ben Holoch, first year; Cole Hart, first year.

Outlook: The track and field team returns a lot of strong runners this season and on the girls’ side brings in a team that just captured the program’s indoor track and field state title. The Redhawks will look to bring that success outside this season, including state championship relay teams in the 4x400 and 4x800 races.

For the boys, the team will look to improve as the season progresses and build off some strong individual performances.

Opener: Monday, April 15 at CVU

CVU lacrosse teams win one, lose one

LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

Girls’ lacrosse

South Burlington 9, Champlain Valley 5: Champlain Valley took an early lead but could not hold off South Burlington in a loss Saturday, April 13, to open the season.

Rachel Kelley scored four for the Wolves, including her 100th career goal.

Boys’ lacrosse

Champlain Valley 18, South Burlington 9: Champlain Valley doubled up the South Burlington offensive output to open the season with a win Friday, April 12.

Peter Gilliam had five goals and

Stella Dooley posted a hat trick for the Redhawks (0-1), while Bibi Frechette and Carly Strobeck each added a goal. Clare Stackpole-McGrath and Margan Keach combined for four saves in goal.

one assist, while Matias Williams added a hat trick. Jacob Bose chipped in two goals and an assist.

CVU opens the season at 1-0.

Boys’ tennis

Middlebury 6, Champlain Valley 1: Nolan Sandage got the lone win as Champlain Valley fell to Middlebury in boys’ tennis on Friday.

Sandage won his singles match 6-7, 7-6, 1-0 (10-4) in the third-set tiebreaker.

Applications are being accepted for lifeguards at Shelburne Beach. Visit the recreation department’s website for an application.

Applications will be accepted until positions are filled. Questions? Call Betsy Cieplicki at 802-985-9551.

Davis Park gardens

Located next to the Natural Playground at Davis Park on School Street, these raised bed gardens are designed to provide better accessibility for those that may need it. A few of the small plots are available.

Water is on site. Gardening is organic only, no pesticide or chemical use. Plots will be assigned in April with planting starting in

Shop all the new spring styles. Enter to win a pair and free gift with Dansko purchase!

Special Event

April 19-20

Shelburne News • April 18, 2024 • Page 11
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The CVU girls’ lacrosse team lost to the Wolves Saturday 9-5.
Shelburne Parks & Rec News

Highway Foreperson Needed

This is a supervisory position that is responsible for overseeing and participating in the maintenance of the town’s highway infrastructure. A valid VT issued CDL Class A license is required. Required skills include proficient operation of a road grader, excavator, front-end loader, backhoe, and tandem plow truck. The starting pay rage is $33.00-$36.00/hr and is dependent on qualifications and experience. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: snowplowing, heavy equipment operation, scheduling and oversight of contractors, heavy equipment maintenance.

This position provides health, dental, vision and disability insurance; paid time off; pension plan; and 13 paid holidays. For more information visit https://www.hinesburg.org/home/townmanager/pages/employment-opportunities or contact Todd Odit, Town Manager at todit@hinesburg.org or 482-4206

HINSDALE

continued from page 1

that duplexes be permitted in lots with water and sewer service that are zoned as single-family.

Through this legislation, Ram Hinsdale “was advocating for what was really in the best interest of her family,” said John Bossange, one of the complainants who has pushed back against efforts to develop housing.

Her role on the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs should be scrutinized, he said.

“They have a vast array of holdings, and this is what they do. They break up homes, divide them like all those single-family homes on Loomis and Pearl streets in Burlington, and they’re making a ton of money,” he said. “For us, that’s a clear violation of a code of ethics and that’s why we filed a complaint.”

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Ram Hinsdale, in an interview, pushed back against their assertions, and said the Senate ethics panel declined to investigate further “because we all have ties to our communities — our civic organizations, schools, pensions, churches.”

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“You could find a conflict of interest and try to exploit that with every single member of the Legislature,” she said.

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But questions about the committee’s practice of confidentiality have run into concerns over whether there is enough transparency in the process of reviewing complaints and determining whether they merit investigation.

to “address her conflicts of interest by removing herself from the Economic Development, Housing, and General Affairs Committee immediately.”

complaint. Bossange shared the release, as well as correspondence with Ram Hinsdale and other documents, to several media outlets.

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“We need to take this process seriously and give it its due time,” Ram Hinsdale said. “But if we made it a spectacle, if it was some kind of process where anyone could drag someone’s name through the mud in an open hearing, it would be used against us all the time.”

Meeting in secret

The 14 complainants — Bossange and Rosanne Greco in South Burlington, Bill Stuono and Wolfer Schneider in Charlotte, and several others in towns like Plainfield, South Hero and Winooski, for example — believe Ram Hinsdale has “a legal requirement and professional responsibility”

REC NEWS

continued from page 11

early May.

Plot size and cost: 8-foot by 3-foot, 30 inches high, $20; 8-foot by 4-foot, 24 inches high, $25.

Toddler open gym

In an email exchange with Bossange prior to the complaints filing, Ram Hinsdale wrote that “someone would have to be both mean spirited and quite poorly read to conclude a major conflict in my work” and said that “what you do for work, who you are married to, what kind of pension you receive, etc. would preclude everyone who serves.”

The group first submitted its complaint to the State Ethics Commission on Feb. 13, alleging Ram Hinsdale violated Vermont Senator Rule 71 that states “no Senator shall be permitted to vote upon any question in which he or she is directly or immediately interested.”

But after several weeks, the group on March 27 issued a press release calling attention to the

The complaint was forwarded to the Senate Ethics Committee on March 15 — both chambers of the Statehouse have their own panels for their members — and prior to the panel’s decision, senators said they could not discuss the complaint or even confirm its existence.

“Ethics committee meetings are confidential so there is not a whole lot that I can share,” Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky said.

Sen. Randy Brockman, meanwhile, said that “members of the Senate Ethics Committee are constrained by Senate Rules from commenting on the committee’s activities.”

The panel’s chair, Brian Campion, did not respond to a message

See HINSDALE on page 13

present. Scooters, bikes and ride-on toys are not permitted. There will be balls, hoops and tumbling mats. Wear indoor shoes or socks inside the gym. No food is allowed.

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Come play and connect with others. No pre-registration necessary, just sign in at the door. A parent or caregiver must always be

In case of inclement weather, call 802-985-9551 to check for cancellations. The open gym for toddlers and

preschoolers is held the second and last Sunday of the month through May, 9:30-11 a.m. The dates are April 14 and 28 and May 12 and 26. A $5 suggested donation per family would be appreciated. Volunteer coordinator is Aisha Mueller at Shelburne town gym. For more information, visit shelburnevt.org.

Page 12 • April 18, 2024 • Shelburne News
Opportunity Employer / Member FDIC
FILE PHOTO BY GORDON MILLER Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale

HINSDALE

continued from page 12

Vermont’s framework over governmental ethics concerns is relatively new and is “actually quite behind,” Christina Sivret, executive director of the Vermont State Ethics Commission, said.

That commission, which functions independent of the Statehouse, was created after a report by the Center for Public Integrity ranked Vermont very low in its accountability processes. The state later created a code of ethics for Senate and House members in 2022.

The Senate Government Operations Committee is currently looking into legislation that would create a code of ethics for municipalities and expand the commission’s jurisdiction over municipalities.

The private nature of the process for reviewing complaints, officials say, is to protect the people submitting complaints — people who may have been sexually harassed, for example. But concerns have been raised over whether the existence of a complaint can be confirmed at all.

“The procedure says it’s all confidential so probably most of the senators would tell you they can’t speak about it because of the procedure,” John Bloomer, secretary of the Senate, said. “I don’t know whether that’s good, bad or indifferent. I mean, I’m just being honest with you on that.”

Currently, a complaint is only made public if the investigating committee opens

an investigation after a preliminary review, or if the complainant goes public.

Bloomer says there is nothing barring complainants from going public or going to the press, and the state’s ethics commission puts out a yearly summary of how many complaints they’ve received, as well as how many inquiries to file a complaint they’ve received. None of those are tagged to individual senators, however.

“The idea is not to keep the public from knowing,” Bloomer said, “it’s to make sure that if those who are complaining don’t want it to be made public, it’s not made public by the panel or by the senators who are accused — as a weaponization if nothing else.”

That the existence of the complaints themselves are not made publicly available is of concern, Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition, said.

Behind the legislation

In crafting Act 47, Ram Hinsdale said her goal was to facilitate infill development, and turn underutilized housing into more efficient spaces that are more affordable for people.

Vacancy rates are stubbornly low and housing prices remain high. Part of the reason for this, experts have said, is the lack of supply in housing units.

“(The complainants) complain about cutting a single-family home into a duplex, or a quadruplex, but 70 percent of Vermonters live in a household of two people or less,” Ram Hinsdale said. “So, the best way to limit development and green space is actually to start looking at underutilized homes.”

“If Sen. Ram Hinsdale understood what this major conflict of interest would eventually do to her reputation and the reputations of her colleagues along with the public’s perception of the full senate, she would have wisely requested another assignment, recuse herself from the committee during these discussions, or follow the guidance given by the Vermont State Ethics Commission to clear her name,” Bossange wrote in a perspective for this week’s newspaper. “It’s now understood why she did not, and that dark shadow will follow her political career.” (See related, page 6)

Hinsdale says she has kept “a very open discussion with my community about the housing work I do. I try to keep that separate from my husband’s line of work, but we share a last name. People have still elected me knowing that.”

RABIES BAIT

“A more reasonable way forward would be for the commission to make public the existence of the complaint so, at the very least, we all know that a complaint has been filed against a particular legislator,” he said.

But, he noted, that keeping details of a complaint hidden until an investigation is determined necessary might be warranted “in that you don’t want members of the public to be filing meritless complaints against their legislators and abusing the process, which would certainly occur if all the details were revealed.”

continued from page 2

The push to relax zoning regulations has been met with stiff resistance from those — like the complainants — concerned with the environmental impact of unchecked development.

The complainants, in their press release, cite the recent conversion of a single-family home in Charlotte in fall 2023 into a quadraplex as “a specific and relevant example of the Hinsdale family making a profit from what Act 47 now allows the family to do.”

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.

Bossange said the ethics committee’s decision “missed the mark.” Perception and appearance of a conflict of interest, or the optics of it all, should be critical to the process.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often

State legislators and officials have faced these sorts of criticisms previously, she said. Gov. Phil Scott in 2017 owned a construction company that regularly bid on state transportation contract but sold a part of his stake in the company, while other legislators have recused themselves from certain votes to avoid appearances of a conflict when their partners’ work intersects with legislation.

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.

But, in a citizen legislature, “if everyone did that, there would be no one left to vote,” Hinsdale said. “If everything was investigated because there’s the appearance of a conflict, we wouldn’t be able to function.”

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 display lead a dors round from coffee creemees. from Shelburne SHELBURNE continued

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Shelburne News • April 18, 2024 • Page 15
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BEAUDIN

continued from page 3

In addition to hundreds of private homes, other prominent architectural projects of Beaudin’s include the design of the new Community Sailing Center, originally housed in Burlington’s old Moran plant on the waterfront that came to life in 2018, All Saints Episcopal Church in South Burlington, and the Creamery Building in Shelburne.

Coleman spoke with Beaudin quite a few times throughout his career, the last time about eight months ago while he was recording a podcast about architects in the state and where he was able, for the last time, to hear the enthralling stories of Beaudin’s life.

“He was sharp to the end, in good spirits, telling stories,” he said.

Family ties

While her father’s design legacy is something she sees almost everywhere, his storytelling is something his daughter Becky Beaudin will miss the most. She recalled growing up in a home on Shelburne Point designed by her father that housed the family of seven until 1970, when the family moved to Main Street in Burlington.

“To grow up in such a magical setting was really wonderful for us,” she said.

Being the only the girl in the family, she said she used to follow her dad around “like a puppy,” and distinctly remembers his routine summertime swims in the lake after work, a place he loved almost as much as his drafting office.

Beaudin, she said, spent a lot of time with his work, but when he was there, he was a very “loving person in his own way.” When the family came into hardship as her brother Marc battled mental illness, her father always kept track of him, she said.

“One of the interesting things about my dad, even though he didn’t seem to always be there, he knew so much about each of his kids and what they did, he was really paying attention,” she said. “He’s my greatest inspiration, you know. I loved my father.”

His stepdaughter, Sheryl Shaker, also lived in a home in Connecticut that was redesigned by Beaudin.

“I mean, every conversation was a lecture in design and architecture,” she laughed, reminiscing on her memories of him. “I learned so much from him. His other passion was sailing, and we always felt like those two passions really aligned, because things were very functional. He

was not into embellishments.”

During his time as a Vermonter, Beaudin found residency in Burlington, Shelburne and South Burlington, where he served on planning commissions and became a sort of community figure.

As Coleman puts it, his design drafts, which are currently being archived by the special collections library at the University of Vermont, are a reminder of Vermont’s built environment and stand as a testament to the miracle of architecture.

“Really, it’s incredible that anything gets built,” said Coleman, speaking about the process of design.

But more than anything, they are a retrospective look into the mind of a man who helped launch Vermont’s great landscape into the modern world.

“I always remind people that the 20th century happened here also,” he said. “We don’t live in the 19th century. There’s a whole segment of the built environment that reflects the 20th century, which was probably the most pivotal century of progress and growth in the United States ever. We really can’t overlook it. We can’t pretend it didn’t happen. I think Marcel’s buildings really fit nicely into that context.”

Page 16 • April 18, 2024 • Shelburne News
BURLINGTON CITY ARTS The Creamery Building in Shelburne, designed by Beaudin, showcased in a retrospective show titled, “Decades of Design: Marcel Beaudin,” at Burlington City Arts in 2005.
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