Shelburne Selectboard wraps up cemetery investigation
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
An investigation by the Shelburne Selectboard into a complaint alleging that Stuart Morrow, chair of the cemetery commission, verbally accosted a grieving family during a burial service continues to simmer but with no immediate plans to take disciplinary action.
Matt Wormser, vice chair of the selectboard, investigated the incident and has been working with the commission on cleaning up internal processes to ensure that a similar incident does not take place again.
Wormser, with the help of fellow board member Luce Hillman, conducted interviews with parties involved, including Matthew Gervia, who filed the initial complaint, other volunteers and Father Dwight Baker of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, who oversaw the family’s funeral. The goal, Wormser said, was to determine whether this was a repeated pattern of behavior or an isolated incident while also defining a “de-escalation path” should another problem happen in the future. (See related guest perspective, page 6)
“What we’re trying to do is get a sense,
See CEMETERY on page 7
Shelburne Town Manager Matt Lawless reviews preliminary plans for a pipe connecting the town’s wastewater treatment facilities. It would run beneath the Ti-Haul recreation trail and along Bay Road toward Lake Champlain. The pipe would be phase one of a $38 million project to consolidate and renovate Shelburne’s wastewater system, a bond for which voters will decide during this year’s election.
Wastewater treatment redo in voters’ hands
PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
Shelburne voters will weigh in on a proposed project to consolidate and renovate the city’s aging wastewater treatment facilities during the General Election.
The issue, which will appear on the back side of the 2024 ballot, will ask voters to approve or deny a $38 million bond to fund the project. Ballots are expected to appear in mailboxes starting this week.
Shelburne currently operates two wastewater treatment facilities. The Turtle Lane plant off Harbor Road, known as Plant No.
See WASTEWATER on page 12
PHOTO BY PATRICK BILOW
Stowe, Vermont is the place to experience a classic
New England autumn and the Stowe Foliage Arts Festival is the perfect destination - where the beauty of the mountains is rivaled only by the handcrafted works of 150+ Artisans! Will there be food? Indeed! Plus: beer, live music, craft demos and more!
How to vote in Shelburne
Editor’s note: We’re re-running this from last week as we failed to include Deb Mayfield, who is running against incumbent Kate Lalley, in the Chittenden-6 House district. Rohan St. Marthe, a latecomer to the race, is also vying for one of three Chittenden-Southeast Senate district seats as a Republican.
The voting process may seem daunting, especially if it’s your first time, but it is a rewarding experience. Below, we’ve simplified the process based on where you live and how you prefer to vote.
Q: Am I eligible to vote?
A: If you are 18 or older, a U.S. citizen and a Vermont resident, you are eligible to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Q: How do I register to vote in Shelburne?
A: Registering to vote is the first step of the process. You can register to vote on the Vermont Secretary of State’s website. You can register in person at the town clerk’s office at 5420 Shelburne Road. You will need a Vermont driver’s license or personal ID and your date and place of birth.
Q: How can I vote by mail?
A: This fall, ballots will be mailed out by Oct. 1 to all registered voters. You can return your ballot by mail or drop it off at the town clerk’s office or police dispatch. There’s also a drive-through option, the Shelburne Secure Absentee Ballot Drop Box, 5420 Shelburne Road, straight off the north door of the town offices.
Q: Where can I vote in person?
A: You can vote at the town clerk’s office during the early voting period, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on
Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The clerk’s office closes at 2 p.m. the day before all elections.
Green Mountain Transit bus system provides access to polling and ballot drop box locations. (ridegmt.com)
Q: Who is running?
A. There are three seats up for election in the Vermont State Senate in the Chittenden-Southeast district. The following candidates are running (as they appear on the ballot):
Thomas Chittenden, Democrat, incumbent
Virginia Lyons, Democrat, incumbent Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Democrat, incumbent
Bruce Roy, Republican
Taylor Craven, Independent
Rohan St. Marthe, Republican
There is one seat up for election in the Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden-6 District:
Kate Lalley, Democrat, incumbent
Deb Mayfield, Republican
There is one seat up for election in the Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden-7 District:
Shawn Sweeney, Democrat
For more information, visit the Shelburne Town Clerk’s website or call them at 802-2645075.
This report comes via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Shelburne News.
Shelburne Police Blotter: Sept. 23-30
Total reported incidents: 81
Traffic stops: 14
Warnings: 15
Tickets: 1
Arrests: 1
Medical emergencies: 29
Mental health incidents: 1
Suspicious incidents: 9
Directed patrols: 62
of the contractor working in the area. Sept. 24 at 12:06 p.m., items were reported stolen from a motor vehicle on Pinehurst Drive. The case is under investigation. Sept. 24 at 5 p.m., a 911 caller reported a two-car motor vehicle crash with injuries on Executive Drive and Shelburne Road. One person was taken to the hospital.
Citizen assists: 7
Motor vehicle complaints: 3
Sept. 25 at 7:39 a.m., a power line in on Hillside Terrace was removed by Green Mountain Power.
Car crash: 2
Animal problem: 2
Theft: 4
Harassment: 1
Property damage: 1
Alarms: 9
James Stead, 91, of Shelburne, died of natural causes at his residence at Wake Robin on Sept. 8 at 12:20 a.m.
Sept. 23 at 9:53 a.m., someone called to report a stray cat had turned up at their home on Shelburne Road. The kitty was reunited with its owner.
Sept. 23 at 5:48 a.m., Countryside Motel requested that an unwelcome guest be escorted from its property. Gregory Barreda, 45, who police say is homeless, was issued a citation for an outstanding warrant and escorted off the property.
Sept. 24 at 10:28 a.m., a Martindale Road resident reported yelling from a neighbor’s residence. An officer responded and found the person was upset by the noise
Sept. 25 at 9:45 a.m., police assisted the FBI in contacting an individual on Henry Street. The individual has not been found yet.
Sept. 25 at 11:06 p.m., a 911 caller reported that someone had been spraying bugs outside her room at the North Star Motel, making her feel ill. An officer located the individual, who denied calling 911.
Sept. 26 at 9:20 a.m., someone reported that items had been stolen from their motor vehicle on Bay Road. The case is under investigation.
Sept. 26 at 3:40 p.m., a strange-acting raccoon around Davis Avenue failed to turn up when officers checked the area. Sept. 28 at 2:35 p.m., someone said people were riding ATVs at Shelburne Bay Park. They were not located by police.
Sept. 28 at 5:01 p.m., officers mediated a family dispute on LaPlatte Circle.
Get the skinny on apple history
DEBORAH J. BENOIT UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT EXTENSION
They’re the most familiar of fruits, but how much do you really know about apples?
Apples (Malus domestica) are members of the rose family (Rosaceae). So are crabapples, pears, apricots and cherries.
If you’re looking for a native apple tree, you’re going to be disappointed. Apples aren’t native to the Americas. They originated in Kazakhstan, in central Asia and eastern Europe about 6,500 years ago.
Apples came to America with the first colonists, who carried young trees and seeds from home. Unlike today’s apples, they were likely smaller and not so pleasant tasting. Even so, apples became a staple in the American diet with many being pressed to make cider. Hard cider was regularly consumed at meals—a safer alternative at a time when water supplies often carried disease due to poor sanitary practices.
Apples moved westward along with settlers, including the man many know as Johnny Appleseed. He was born Jonathan Chapman in 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts, and apprenticed as an apple orchardist. Chapman collected seeds from cider presses, planting orchards as he traveled.
Correction
In our election guide last week, Rohan St. Marthe, R-Jericho, is also a candidate for the Chittenden-Southeast Senate district. Deb Mayfield, R-Shelburne, is running for the Chittenden-6 House seat.
The quality of apples from those trees was unpredictable and usually poor. Sometimes, though, apple trees grown from seed produced unexpectedly good results that led to the varieties we’re familiar with today.
If you’ve considered trying to grow an apple tree from seed, you’ll be disappointed with the result. Apple trees don’t grow true from seed, so the fruit won’t be the same as the source of the seeds. For this reason, apple trees today are rarely grown from seed.
Ancient Romans used grafting to propagate apples and brought the technique with them as the empire expanded. By grafting a cutting from the parent tree (called the “scion”) to the rootstock of another, an apple tree can be grown that will bear the same fruit as the parent plant. Today, all commercially sold
apple trees are produced by grafting.
Since most apple trees aren’t self-fertile, you’ll need to plant at least two different varieties for the trees to produce fruit. Crabapple trees can also be used as pollenizers. While some varieties such as Golden Delicious are self-pollinating, having another pollenizer can produce a larger crop.
The American crabapple (Malus coronaria) is native to North America, while the European crabapple (Malus sylvestris) is native to Europe and western Asia. Crabapples are smaller than two inches while apples are larger.
There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples grown around the world. In the United States, more
See APPLES on page 7
PHOTO BY DEBORAH J. BENOIT
Depending on the variety and growing conditions, an apple tree can take up to a decade to produce any fruit.
Shelburne News
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It’s that time again. As part of the big soccer tournament this weekend at Shelburne Community School, the Shelburne Firefighters’ Association will hold its annual pancake breakfast in the school cafeteria. The association will be serving up pancakes with all the fixings on Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:30-10:30 a.m. It’s just $5 for kids, $10 for adults, cash or Venmo. Above, Master chefs:
firefighter Dwight Mazur on the griddle and Jerry Ouimet, pancake maker.
COURTESY PHOTOS
OPINION
Burials in Shelburne ‘largely trouble-free’
Guest Perspective
As members of the Selectboard, we were tasked with investigating the Gervia family burial complaint that has been in the news in recent weeks. We take any complaints regarding town employees and volunteers and the public very seriously — especially so when they relate to particularly sensitive interactions, such as internments in town cemeteries.
As a part of our review, we spoke with most of the people with direct involvement in the event in question, as well Shelburne Cemetery Commission members and Shelburne’s cemetery staff, and others with experience on cemetery-related matters within town.
In sum, the process related to burials has been in place for decades, and has been largely trouble-free, but in reviewing the events around the complaint, there is an opportunity for improvements to the process that could have minimized the types of disputes that occurred between the Gervia family and cemetery commission chair Stuart Morrow.
Mistakes were unfortunately made by multiple parties in the existing process, leading to the challenges of the day. Our focus is on implementing enhancements to minimize the possibilities of any similar issues going forward. We are not looking to relitigate the day’s events, as they have been documented, and many discussions have occurred related to the matter with the cemetery commission, its
chair and town personnel.
Some of the process improvements under active consideration include:
• Improved electronic communication around expectations and requirements at the time of burial.
• The ability to accept electronic payments for burial-related expenses.
• More comprehensive information on the town’s website related to cemetery-related processes and procedures.
• Clear escalation steps if required documentation and payment are not presented prior to the internment ceremony.
We as a board are grateful to all our volunteers within town, who dedicate countless hours toward making our community a better place to live. This appreciation certainly goes out to all members of the cemetery commission, including its chair, who are working to improve processes going forward, while likewise working to address all concerns raised by the public around the services they deliver.
We are also very sympathetic to the Gervia family and are supportive of efforts to minimize the frustration and hurt they feel from the events around their mother’s burial.
In summary, we appreciate and will continue to support the work underway to learn from this experience and move forward to better serve our town and larger community.
Matt Wormser and Luce Hillman serve on the Shelburne Selectboard.
Letters to the Editor
Roy will ensure two-way conversations in Senate
To the Editor:
“Who is Bruce Roy” is a fair question as he’s asking us to elect him as the next senator from the Chittenden Southeast district.
Roy graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in mathematics, making him uniquely qualified to serve us in Montpelier. He understands the complexity of the numbers that are discussed and how they impact property taxes, school budgets, the numerous climate change scenarios and the potential devastating impact on many people as they try to heat their homes or drive their vehicles.
Fortunately, Roy can explain those numbers to us in clear terms so we can understand the financial impact they have. He has had a distinguished 30-year career
10/12, 10am-12pm
Prospective Families are invited to come check out Rice!
•Learn about our academic programs
•Tour our campus, meet our teachers
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Proctor Ave, S. Burlington
with both the Vermont Air Guard and IBM. In both careers, he rose through the ranks by leading others in a team effort to accomplish the mission they were given, realizing it takes a team effort to achieve change and accomplish goals.
He is also the guy who you’ll see in his jeans and work shirt out mowing his lawn, visiting neighbors and enjoying sunset views with his wife and family dog. He is the dad taking his daughter off to college and getting her settled. You’ll see him in local businesses and eating at local restaurants.
Yes, Roy is one of us and he had been enjoying his retirement, but his sense of duty to others has been awakened again. He sees a need to help his fellow Vermonters who are struggling financially due to Montpelier’s heavy-handed control over our
Luce Hillman & Matt Wormser
Let’s Drive Electric, Vermont.
Vermont makes strides toward a renewable energy future
Guest Perspective
Peter Sterling
Though the tragic and costly impacts of changing weather extremes on Vermont continue to make headlines, they shouldn’t totally overshadow recent accomplishments in the fight to reduce global warming before it is too late. This progress is happening because New Englanders have demanded real leadership and action in the face of the climate crisis and elected officials are responding by thinking globally and acting locally.
In Vermont, we have two recent pieces of good news. In June, the Vermont Legislature voted to create a 100 percent renewable energy standard — just the second of its kind in the nation. As a result, by 2035 all Vermont residents and businesses will enjoy the benefits of 100 percent renewable energy while doing their part to reduce climate pollution.
Thanks to the leadership of
Sen. Bernie Sanders, this past spring Vermont received $62 million in Solar for All funding to help thousands of low- and middle-income Vermonters access the benefits of solar power, whether they own their homes, live in affordable housing units or access solar power through community solar programs.
For every $1 in clean energy tax credits offered by the act, $5-6 is spent by the private sector helping bring renewable energy on line, reducing the need for burning fossil fuels that cause the planet to overheat.
Collaborative purchases by
Vermont utilities of affordable, stably priced clean energy from regional offshore wind also holds great promise for the future.
Nationally, the Inflation Reduction Act has injected billions of dollars in private sector investments into wind, solar and energy storage while also making residential solar power an affordable reality for millions of Americans. Since the act passed in 2021, clean energy investments needed to reduce climate pollution have increased substantially.
Importantly, the Inflation Reduction Act has also supercharged the creation of a made-inthe-USA solar panel production industry, bringing thousands of manufacturing jobs across the country and keeping even more of our energy dollars here at home.
Region-
ally, construction of the Champlain Hudson Power Express is now underway. This power line running through the bottom of Lake Champlain will connect Canada’s clean hydroelectric
power to New York City, supplying about 20 percent of that city’s power. The line incorporates technology that would allow for two-way clean power transmission around the region- technology that will further accelerate decarbonizing our electric grid by allowing greater movement of renewable energy generated by wind and solar to meet our real time energy needs.
Earlier this month, Massachusetts and Rhode Island jointly announced the largest offshore wind procurement in the region which, when completed, will provide enough electricity to power over 1.4 million homes. This commitment to purchasing electricity generated by offshore wind is a critical step in meeting the growth in electricity that’s expected in our region
LETTERS
continued from page 5
lives with onerous taxes, fees and regulations. He feels that to have change and to make progress, we need to have two-way conversations in Montpelier, something not possible with the supermajority now in power.
We need a seat at the table in Montpelier to exchange ideas and evaluate problems and solutions for the benefit of all Vermonters. Vermont has become very unaffordable and that can’t change if we only keep raising more revenue, meaning taxes and fees. Continuing to do the same things, electing the same people and expecting different results is not working. Just ask your wallet.
We need new approaches. Where can we save money? Are there old programs that need to be retired or are there programs we just can’t afford? We need someone to ask the questions, help craft alternatives, offer new ideas and keep us informed, and the answer is just down the road at Bruce Roy’s.
Let’s give him a nice indoor job this winter in Montpelier and a return to serving his fellow Vermonters.
John Marcotte Williston
Bear hunting disrupts their natural behaviors
To the Editor:
If you’re a black bear in Vermont, September means one thing: It’s time to work on your figure by bulking up for winter hibernation. Beechnuts, acorns and berries are in season and ripe for harvesting, providing the critical calories needed to survive
and is necessary to close the dozens of climate-endangering, dirty fossil fuel plants that still provide much of New England’s power in peak times.
Collaborative purchases by Vermont utilities of affordable, stably priced clean energy from regional offshore wind also holds great promise for the future. While our work to avert the worst of the climate crisis is far from done, these recent accomplishments testify to the momentum building behind the clean energy solutions we need to get the job done.
Peter Sterling is executive director of Renewable Energy Vermont, a nonprofit trade association representing Vermont businesses working toward a 100 percent renewable energy future.
a long winter slumber.
Unfortunately, bears themselves have also come into season — hunting season, that is. Vermont’s black bear hunting season begins each year on Sept. 1 and runs through Nov. 24, putting these animals at risk just when they need protection the most. As if that weren’t bad enough, bear hunting also leads to the deaths of mother bears and their cubs. While the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department asks hunters to avoid shooting mother bears with cubs, it still happens every year. A petition to prohibit killing mother bears with cubs was denied by the Fish and Wildlife Board and department last year, with the reasoning that hunters already follow this “etiquette.”
Black bears play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity, mostly by being nature’s very own gardeners. In their quest to bulk up for winter, bears spread more seeds than birds do — talk about multitasking. Unfortunately, bear hunting and hounding disrupt these natural behaviors, leading to some serious side effects. Believe it or not, according to some studies, hunting can increase the chances of bear-human conflicts. Another study concluded that bears being chased during hunting season will sometimes avoid hunters by wandering onto roads, increasing the risk of bear-vehicle collisions. And exhausted bears might turn to easier food sources — like your garbage or bird feeders — further escalating conflicts. It sounds like we should just let them fatten up in peace.
Katie Nolan Richmond
BLOTTER
continued from page 2
Sept. 29 at 12:57 a.m., someone on Hedgerow Drive reported receiving harassing calls. The case is under investigation.
Sept. 29 at 9:42 a.m., a person who has been told to stay off a Bostwick Farm Road property was issued a trespass notice and escorted from the premises.
Sept. 29 at 10:06 a.m., a Cheesefactory Road resident reported some items were stolen from their home.
Sept. 29 at 12:21 p.m., a caller picked up a
CEMETERY
continued from page 1
not just of the event, but the context and the history. Is this a bad day or is this a pattern of activity?” he said. “By and large, our findings were that Stuart has been a very longtime, very dedicated volunteer for our town. Speaking to people who’ve worked with him for a very long time, the events of the day are not representative of the service he has provided our town for many years.”
The complaint filed in June asserts that Morrow rudely interrupted the burial service of Gervia’s mother and inappropriately demanded payment for the burial, which the family said it had paid earlier in the week at the town hall.
Cemetery commissioners and town manager Matt Lawless have already done their own investigation into the situation, but both initially came up with different conclusions.
According to Lawless, after investigating the incident and conducting interviews with Morrow, the family and Baker, he sent an email to commissioners in July deeming the incident “legitimate and serious.”
The investigation by cemetery commission members, which did not include talking with the Gervia family, resulted in unanimous support for Morrow. They also voiced overwhelming concern over the “ethics” of how Lawless handled the situation.
Their biggest concern was a letter of apology signed with Morrow’s signature and a refund for the burial payment, which the town mailed to the family in August. Commissioners claimed Lawless edited Morrow’s letter and sent it out with Morrow’s signature before the commission could approve the changes.
At that same August meeting, Lawless backpedaled on his initial suggestion that Morrow may wish to resign “in the face of conduct unbecoming of an official of the Town of Shelburne,” and instead apologized to the commissioners for an “awkward situation” and “poor investigation.”
Commissioners also claim that the process the family took to make the payment was not the typical procedure for the cemetery commission, which created confusion in the first place. Also, the cremation certificate, which is required to be presented at the time of burial, was not.
But according to Wormser, this may not have been the first time an incident like this has escalated over burial payments.
Through his interview process, Baker revealed to Wormser that a similar incident occurred last summer with a different family, but the issue did not result in an official written complaint.
“It wasn’t a complaint that was received directly by us anyway,” Wormser said.
rubber panel that was loose in the roadway near the Shelburne Shopping Park. The item was located and returned to the highway department.
Sept. 29 at 3:23 p.m., someone reported items were stolen from their motor vehicle on Juniper Ridge.
Sept. 29 at 3:54 p.m., someone reportedly dumped trash near Ferndale Way. The officer located the trash and notified the person to clean up the mess.
“There was no complaint to this cemetery commission, there was no complaint to the selectboard or anyone in the town. The only thing I heard from Father Baker was there had been an earlier incident which we addressed.”
In a records request to Lawless regarding this incident, the town had no documentation of it. Lawless said he remembers, through his investigation, hearing a similar account, but “it didn’t create anything reportable,” he said.
When Wormser attempted to bring up the issue at a cemetery commission meeting last month, the commission quickly shot it down.
“You don’t know anything about the first incident last summer, you see what I’m saying,” Morrow told Wormser. “You don’t know anything about that, and we can talk about that any time, not tonight.”
“We are having this discussion tonight because of the one complaint where something is written. We don’t even know the other names,” Ron Gagnon, secretary for the cemetery commission, said. “I understand Father Baker spoke of it, but we don’t have any background.”
That meeting turned tense when planning and zoning director Aaron DeNamur voiced concern regarding the Gervia incident. And according to other town records compiled through a public records request, DeNamur is not the only town staffer to indicate frustration over Morrow’s alleged behavior.
“I strongly question whether it’s appropriate to approach a family, whether they are in the process or about to bury their family member, I don’t care,” DeNamur said at the meeting. “Is it really appropriate to approach them?”
“How you can’t see how a family would feel about that, I can’t understand,” DeNamur said.
Prior to that meeting, Susan Elliot, an assistant to Lawless, notified the Shelburne Police Department in an email that “there may be some drama” at the meeting and asked if an officer could walk the corridor of the building where the meeting was taking place.
Wormser said moving forward he will work with the commission to update any outdated processes, but any formal disciplinary action against Morrow will not happen now.
“We’ve learned a lot about what happened, as much as one can to some degree. Now the question is how we make sure the family feels heard, and that appropriate actions have been taken,” he said. “We also want to make sure that the commitment on the part of Stuart and our other volunteers is likewise acknowledged and recognized.”
APPLES
continued from page 3
than 2,500 varieties are grown, though less than a dozen make up most apples available on grocery market shelves. Gala, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious are among the most popular apples.
While apples grow throughout the United States, Washington grows the most apples, about 160 million bushels each year. Vermont produces about a million bushels annually.
Depending on the variety and growing conditions, an apple tree can take up to 10 years to produce fruit. That tree can have a life span of 100 years.
It takes about 40 apples to make a gallon
of cider. Hard cider is fermented, unfiltered apple juice.
Have you ever wondered why apples don’t sink? They’re about 25 percent air, so they rise to the surface.
There’s some truth to the old expression “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Apples are a good source of fiber and antioxidants and contain no fat or cholesterol.
Interested in growing your own apples? Check out go.uvm.edu/tree-fruit.
Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension master gardener.
DIRECT CREMATION SERVICES
Outside Chittenden, Lamoille, Franklin, Washington, Grand Isle,and Addison Counties, add $500
COURTESY PHOTO
McIntosh apples, developed in the 19th century, are especially good for eating and applesauce, and still popular in Vermont today.
Open House on Campus
Community Notes
Tibetan Buddhist master gives talk at All Souls
On Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 7-8:30 p.m., Vajrayana Buddhist master Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo will give a talk on finding authentic happiness at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne.
Rinpoche was raised by a family of yak herders in the high-forest mountains of eastern Tibet. Rinpoche served his root lama, Khenchen Tsara Dharmakirti with devotion day and night for 18 years, becoming a master of both practice and study.
He not only gained recognition as a great scholar (khenpo), but also became a heart son of his root lama.
In doing so, he became the fifth in an unbroken lineage of heart sons who received an uncommonly short and unbroken lineage of the Longchen Nyingthig directly from the renowned Dzogchen master Patrul Rinpoche.
Rinpoche and Zangmo spend much of their time in Denver, where they run a Dharma center, Orgyen Khandroling. Their activities bring them around the country where they offer teachings and programs.
Advance tickets can be purchased online at bit.ly/4fl539c. More at orgyenkhandroling.org.
Shelburners gather for Harris phone bank
Help Community for Kamala get out the vote by writing postcards and making phone calls to Democratic voters in vital swing states on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 6-9 p.m. at the Shelburne Town Hall. Bring your laptop or cellphone and headphones. Pizza and drinks will be provided.
Check in here: bit.ly/3XCDikk.
Shelburne school hosts cornhole tourney
The Shelburne Community School’s PTO is hosting a cornhole tournament on Saturday, Oct. 19, 10 a.m., on the school’s soccer field.
The tournament is open to players of all skill levels, with divisions from kindergarten to adult, and promises to be a day of friendly competition, prizes and camaraderie. Whether you’re a seasoned cornhole player or just looking for a fun way to spend time with friends and family, this event has something for everyone.
The registration fee is $20-$30. Contact cornhole@shelburnepto. org or shelburnepto.org/cornhole. The rain date is Oct. 19.
COURTESY PHOTO
Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo
News from Pierson Library
Forester Ethan Tapper shares new book
As part of a new series in partnership with the Shelburne Climate and Energy Committee, forester Ethan Tapper will be in town hall tonight, Oct. 3, at 6:30 p.m. to share his insights about climate impacts, forest ecosystems and conservation, all included in his new book, “How to Love a Forest.” Copies will be for sale.
New art on display
The library’s gallery spaces are all spruced up and decked out with brand new artworks for the fall season. Explore the diverse array of local artistry over snacks and music in an after-hours program this Friday, Oct. 4, 7 to 9 p.m.
Spooky film festival
This October, the library is getting spooky with a series of classic films about ghosts, monsters and witches.
All will reveal their fearsome selves on the big screen as you much fresh popped popcorn. Some films are good for families, and some are more adult. The first movie — a monsteriffic spooky comedy from 1935 starring Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester and Colin Clive — screens Saturday, Oct. 5,
COMMUNITY NOTES
continued from page 8
Storytelling: ‘A Celebration of Showing Up’
Come out for an evening of stories told by Vermont storytellers, celebrating the work of hard-working communities and nonprofits doing great work all around us on Saturday, Oct. 12, 7-8:30 p.m., at Hula, 50 Lakeside Ave., Burlington.
Hear inspiring stories told by Vermont Adaptive’s Misha Pemble-Belkin, Spectrum’s Mark Redmond and others. There will be music by James Stewart.
Tickets are $17.50. Learn more at solavida.org.
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, Oct. 8.
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 cacciatore, peas and carrots, wheat roll, pump-
11 a.m. It’s appropriate for ages 7 and up.
Bike and ped committee update
Come learn about Shelburne’s walking and biking priorities with members of the Shelburne Bike and Pedestrian Path Committee on Monday, Oct. 7, at 6:30 p.m. There will be time at the end for questions and input.
‘Poor Things’ book discussion
The Pierson Library and the Shelburne Museum are gathering in the library’s large community room to discuss Alasdair Gray’s cult classic novel “Poor Things.”
Members of the Exhibitionist’s Book Club (you too can join) will also get free admittance to the New England Now gallery display. This discussion may touch upon the interrelatedness of the text and the exhibit as well as the recent film — also screening at the library.
Comic book club for kids
Are you a teen, tween or kiddo who loves to make comics and read graphic novels? Well, has the library got a club for you.
The new club meets on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 3:30 p.m. and again on Oct. 24.
Beach House architect receives merit award
At the recent 2024 Vermont Conference on Recreation & Trails Symposium in Killington, the Shelburne Beach House received the 2024 Facility of Merit Award.
Shelburne Parks and Recreation Director Betsy Cieplicki presented the award to Jeff McBride, the architect for the project. McBride, who is the principal of Sidehill Designs in Shelburne, has been working with the town on the project since 2017.
kin cookie and milk.
To order a meal contact Kathleen at agewellstcath@gmail.com or 802-503-1107. Deadline to order is Wednesday, Oct. 2. If this is a first-time order, provide your name, address, phone number and date of birth.
Shelburne church, Age well host July luncheon
Age Well is offering a luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 15, in the St Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St. in Shelburne.
Entertainment will be provided by Gerry Ortego on guitar.
The menu is lasagna roll ups with sweet Italian sausage and marinara sauce, parmesan cheese, spinach salad with Italian dressing, dinner roll, applesauce, pumpkin cake and milk.
You must register by Wednesday, Oct. 9, to Kerry Batres, nutrition coordinator, 802-662-5283 or email kbatres@agewellvt.org.
Tickets are also available at the Age Well Office, 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210, Colchester.
Check-in time is 11:30 a.m. and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation.
Recreation Committee members, including Peggy Coutu, Ann Clark and Susan McLellan
were on hand at the ceremony.
The Shelburne Beach House was designed to blend in with the land and history of Shelburne Beach, while addressing the needs for modern and accessible restroom facilities. McBride’s vision brought an old Vermont barn vibe to the building, with wood siding locally sourced and donated from Shelburne Farms.
Rolling barn doors on two sides open to make a walk-through hallway to the four individual bathrooms and create a tunnel view from the park entrance to the lake and mountains beyond.
Another highlight of the design is the covered patio that can be used for a variety of small gatherings and community events and faces a grass picnic area.
A working space with custom storage for beach staff is also included in the building, and outdoor showers were added on the south side for washing off after a swim in the lake.
The new beach house opened in late June, but final construction details are currently being finished this fall by Farrington Construction, general contractor on the project.
Email phoenix@me2music.org to register or for
PHOTO BY TAYLOR ROSSI
Come sing with us Me2 (“me, too”), the world’s only classical music organization created for individuals living with mental illness and the people who support them, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 7:20-9 p.m. at Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St. South Burlington. The chorus will meet monthly on Wednesdays and be led by conductor Stefanie Weigand. There are no auditions or fees to participate.
questions. This is an inclusive, stigma-free community. Learn more at me2music.org.
Above, Members of Me2 Chorus sing in Boston.
Join the inclusive Me2 Chorus
COURTESY PHOTO
From left, Ann Clark, Susan McLellan, Jeff McBride, Peggy Coutu and Betsy Cieplicki.
Footballers move to 5-0 with win
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Field hockey
Champlain Valley 10, Middlebury 1: A four-point effort from Emery Thompson helped lead Champlain Valley to a win over Middlebury in field hockey on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Thompson had two goals and two assists for the Redhawks, who moved to 6-2-1.
Penny Webster tallied twice, while Carly Strobeck, Elizabeth Norstrand, Cordelia Thomas, Mackenzie Love, Alex Wemple and Gracie Sanchez each added one.
Sophie Comeau got the win in goal for CVU.
The Redhawks also beat Mount Abraham 7-0 on Thursday, Sept. 26.
Girls’ soccer
Champlain Valley 3, Burlington 0: Champlain Valley won its ninth game in a row on Saturday, beating Burlington in high school girls’ soccer.
Rieanna Murray had a hat trick for the Redhawks (9-0), while Elsa Klein dished out two assists and Lilyanna Mittelstadt added one.
Anya Johnson earned the shutout with four saves.
Football
Champlain Valley 55, St. Johnsbury 6: Champlain Valley rushed out to a 42-6 halftime lead and did not look back in a win over St. Johnsbury on Saturday.
Orion Yates threw for five touchdowns and rushed for one more, whole Jacob Armstrong caught three passing TDs and added an interception. Dylan Frere added a 65-yard TD catch and a kickoff return for a score, while Billy Bates and Nolan Walpole each had for a touchdown.
With the win, CVU moved to 5-0.
Girls’ volleyball
Mount Mansfield 3, Champlain Valley 1: The Champlain Valley girls’ volleyball team fell to Mount Mansfield on Saturday. With the loss, the Redhawks dropped to 5-3.
Boys’ soccer
Burlington 4, Champlain Valley 2: Champlain Valley struggled to contain the Burlington offense in a loss in high school boys’ soccer on Friday, Sept. 27. Ethan Revoir and Ajak Dau each had a goal for the Redhawks, but it was too little, too late for a team that trailed 3-0.
Ziggy Babbot stopped three shots in goal as CVU falls to 5-2.
PHOTO BY AL FREY
Orion Yates gets ready to throw a pass in an early season matchup.
Shelburne Museum unveils design for new Native American art center
CATHERINE HURLEY VTDIGGER
Shelburne Museum has unveiled the design of a planned building for its Native American art collection. It also announced a new architectural team that replaces a firm it severed ties with last year.
The Perry Center for Native American Art is being designed by Annum Architects of Boston and Two Row Architect of Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Ontario, Canada. The collaboration joins together “noted firms with depth of experience in both major museum and Indigenous projects,” the museum said in a press release. Landscape design will be completed by Reed Hilderbrand of Cambridge, Mass.
“Embedded in the design are careful listening, research and creative iteration of ideas, all reflective of how the museum has operated since its founding,” Annum principal Steven Gerrand said in a written statement.
The 11,200 square-foot space is expected to be the 40th building on the Shelburne Museum campus. Construction of the $12.5 million project is set to begin in spring 2025, according to the press release.
The announcement comes more than a year after the museum cut ties with Sir David Adjaye, the world-renowned architect originally hired to design the new building, after he was publicly accused of sexual assault and misconduct. He denied the allegations at the time.
“The many steps that led us to this
moment are the result of a collaborative approach focused on communication and relationship building with Tribal Nations to create a national resource for the study and care of Indigenous art,” Thomas Denenberg, CEO and director of Shelburne Museum said in a written statement.
The collection is expected to include more than 500 items from 389 tribal nations in North America, including Indigenous art already stewarded by the museum and items
gathered and donated by the center’s namesake, Indigenous art enthusiast Anthony Perry, and his wife Teressa Perry.
The museum said in the press release that it had collaborated with more than 50 Indigenous partners, who advised the center’s design, conservation of the collection and cultural protocols. Part of that collaboration included a series of listening sessions led by Two Row with leaders of tribal groups represented in the collection.
“The Talking Circles guided us in considering this project in different ways,” Matthew Hickey, from the Mohawk Nation and a partner at Two Row, said in the statement. “The building needed to honor the host nation, the Abenaki. The internal space, where the items from many Tribal Nations will be housed, will need to accommodate unique moments with items in the collection and allow for those items to be to be looked at and taken care of in unique ways.”
A rendering of the north facade of the Perry Center for Native American Art at Shelburne Museum.
Bolton after-school program
This popular after-school program offers kids in grades five to eight a fun evening of night skiing with friends at Bolton Valley Resort.
Two sessions will be offered: session A includes: Jan. 8, 15, 22 and 29; session B includes Feb. 12, and March 5, 12 and 19.
Registration for seventh and eighth graders will open on Nov. 1 at 8 a.m. Registration for fifth and sixth graders will open on Nov. 20 for any remaining spots.
Complete program details and pricing can be found at shelburnevt.org/183/Youth-Programs
Youth
basketball registration is open
This popular recreational program emphasizes the basics of the sport, along with good teamwork and sportsmanship. The program is open to youth in grades one to six.
Practices start in early December and is open to Shelburne residents only.
Grades one and two are co-ed and will practice and scrimmage on Saturday mornings only. The goal of this age group is to introduce and practice basic skills and team play concepts. The registration fee is $52.
Grades three to six have separate girls’ and boys’ teams. Organized practices will begin in
December, and regular practices and games will start the first week of January and continue until the February break.
Practice will be held one night a week with games on Saturday against other town recreational teams from the Champlain Valley Recreation Association. Games will be played both in Shelburne and out of town. Travel is required. The fee is $63.
Volunteer coaches are needed. If interested, call the office at 802-985-9551 or indicate at the time of registration.
The registration deadline for both groups is Friday, Nov. 8.
Yoga flow for strength, flexibility
Find some calm in your body and your mind and join Jane Taylor for an accessible, fun and energizing yoga flow that builds bone strength and brings students out of their daily grind and into their true nature of goodness.
Get the heart rate up with vigor, and then wind down and relax in a balanced class designed to make you feel better than when you came in the door. All levels welcome. Participants should be comfortable sitting on and getting up from the floor. Bring your own yoga mat and whatever props you need.
Taylor has been practicing for more than 20 years and has been assisting the University of Vermont yoga teacher training for 12 years.
There are two sessions — Tuesdays, Nov. 5 to Dec. 10 and Tuesdays Jan. 14 to Feb. 18 — held in the Shelburne town gym. The fee is $90.
Crossfit kids
Kids can join us right after school to improve general conditioning, including a focus on core, strength, agility, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. Based on the principle of movement mechanics, consistency, form and then intensity, this program pushes for quality movement throughout childhood.
Sign up for one or both sessions. Session dates are Oct. 17 to Nov. 14; registration deadline is Friday, Oct. 11. The other session is Jan. 16 to Feb. 13; registration deadline is Friday, Jan. 10. Sessions are held on Thursdays, 3:15-4:15 p.m. Fee is $95 per session, for grades five to eight, led by Nick Mead and Shelburne Field House staff.
Hullcrest Park notice
The Hullcrest Park playground project is ongoing into October. Please stay out of playground and immediate area during renovation and construction.
The park will remain open for use of the field and basketball court.
The project should be finished by early October. Direct questions about the project to Shelburne Parks & Recreation 802-985-9551.
continued from page 1
2, discharges into McCabe Brook and eventually Lake Champlain. The second one, Plant No. 1, is on Crown Road and discharges directly into Champlain.
The plants were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s by separate fire districts, which at the time operated wastewater facilities in Shelburne. The town took them over in mid-1990s. Today, having two smaller plants presents several inefficiencies and equipment redundancies, particularly as the wastewater department prepares to upgrade equipment at the end of its life expectancy.
“We’ve been band-aiding, patching and duct-taping equipment for five years now,” Chris Robinson, wastewater superintendent and chief treatment plant operator, said.
Both plants saw equipment upgrades in 2000, according to Robinson, but the life expectancy of most of that equipment is 20 to 25 years. Most of the new machinery is also dated, meaning instead of dealing with manufacturers for replacement parts, Robinson and his team are scouring eBay for used parts to keep the equipment running.
Even if they find new parts, most of the equipment will no longer accommodate renovations. For instance, the septage receiving pit at Plant No. 2 is so worn and thin that there’s nowhere to weld patches. The dewatering centrifuge at the facility, which has already “catastrophically failed” once, is also approaching its end-of-life, according to Robinson.
In addition to equipment failures, the wastewater depart-
ment is concerned about meeting discharge requirements at Plant No. 2. McCabe Brook, which Plant No. 2 discharges into, is so small that a person could almost step over it.
During periods of low flow, Robinson said the brook is almost entirely made up of discharge from Plant No. 2. As Shelburne grows, he said it will become harder and harder for the department to meet discharge requirements in such a small stream.
“The whole ordeal has been a bit of a struggle for us,” Robinson said, “but there’s light at the end of the tunnel with this bond vote. I should say that even if it doesn’t pass, we still need to come up with a couple million to fix the existing equipment because I’m telling you some of this stuff is going to completely fail soon.”
The proposed plan for the project would consolidate wastewater treatment in Shelburne at Plant No. 1, the Crown Road facility, creating one point of discharge directly into Lake Champlain and bypassing the McCabe Brook discharge.
Should the plan be approved by voters, Plant No. 1 would see a complete rehaul, although the filtration process would remain the same with sequencing batch reactors, cloth filtration and ultraviolet light disinfection before the water is discharged into the lake.
Renovations to Plant No. 1 would include a new larger outfall pipe into Lake Champlain, a new headworks and filtration building, three new batch reactors with the
WASTEWATER
PHOTO BY PATRICK BILOW
Batch reactor tanks at Plant No. 2 on Turtle Lane shine in the afternoon sun. Should the wastewater system project pass with voters, the tanks will remain, and Plant No. 2 will become a pump station to Plant No. 1.
continued from page 12
two existing tanks repurposed for equalization during heavy flows, a
UV light building, a new digestor tank and a new dewatering centrifuge to replace the decrepit one at Plant No. 2.
The centrifuge is used to process leftover sludge from the filtration process so it can be sent to New York to be spread on farm fields. The department currently has only one centrifuge and two filtration facilities, meaning workers truck the sludge from Plant No. 1 to Plant No. 2 once a week. This is one example of the efficiencies gained from consolidating to one filtration facility, Robinson said.
“The whole ordeal has been a bit of a struggle for us, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel with this bond vote.”
overall project, burying the pipe would be phase one. Robinson said the town would seek bids for the project as early as this winter. Bids for facility upgrades at Plant No. 1 would go out next winter. Lawless cautioned that current construction plans are preliminary and were developed to estimate overall cost. If the project passes, there will be a more formal planning and design process that will need state and local approval before construction begins.
— Chris Robinson
Plant No. 2 would exist only as a pump station. The major renovation proposed for the facility is a new structure for a wet well pump. The existing batch reactor basins on the property will remain as backup for heavy flows.
To connect the pump station at Plant No. 2 to filtration at Plant No. 1, the town is also proposing a pipeline as an essential part of the project. The pipe would run beneath the Ti-Haul recreation trail, which begins near Plant No. 2, then along Bay Road to Plant No. 1.
Burying the pipe beneath the Ti-Haul Trail would be the cheapest option since the town already owns the property.
Town manager Matt Lawless said the trail would be closed during construction but reopen afterward.
Should voters approve the
Every resident of Shelburne will vote on the project, but only sewer customers will pay the debt for the project. Customers can expect a slight increase in their rates, but nothing more than 4 percent in the short term, according to Lawless. The average rate increase for small households is estimated at $10 a year, with larger households at $32 per year.
Lawless said he has fielded concerns from the public about the project, which mostly deal with sound and smell pollution near Lake Champlain, home to prime real estate for million-dollar homes and wastewater filtration. He said the town is investing heavily in sound and smell dampening to help ease those concerns.
The town will host two public meetings about the project in October. The first is on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m., and the second is Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m., both at the town hall.
PHOTOS BY PATRICK BILOW
Above: The dewatering centrifuge at Plant No. 2 is at risk of a complete failure and has already been rebuilt once. The installation of a new centrifuge at Plant No. 1 is part of the proposed wastewater system project.
Below: A filtration tank is in full operation at Plant No. 1 near Lake Champlain.
