Forest blocks, HOME Act might conflict
PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
The Shelburne Planning Commission is still waist-deep in a years-long project to rewrite the town’s bylaws, including what to do about forest blocks.
During a recent meeting, the commission focused on a forest blocks map created by Arrowwood Environmental, which will ultimately factor into the new bylaws. Arrowwood’s Aaron Worthley presented the map and answered questions from the selectboard.
Vermont defines forest blocks as contiguous forest areas unfragmented by roads, development or agriculture. They are often considered alongside habitat connectors, which describe how different forest blocks are linked.
The Arrowwood map, initially presented in 2023, identifies key blocks and habitat connectors throughout Shelburne. They are available for public review on the town’s website.
Arrowwood was hired by
See FOREST BLOCKS on page 2
Shelburne adds more legal help on O’Brien project
PATRICK
BILOW STAFF WRITER
The Shelburne Selectboard voted to hire additional legal counsel to review a petition from O’Brien Brothers to include the company’s potential development in the town’s utility service district.
O’Brien Brothers submitted the petition earlier this summer. If its project is included in the utility service district, it would benefit from a recent state law allowing higher-density development near public utilities.
The development, which has yet to hit the desk of Shelburne’s development review board, is touted as potentially the largest in the town’s history.
The property owned by O’Brien Brothers is currently zoned as rural. However, after receiving the petition, the selectboard is exploring whether it can amend the utility service district to incorporate the property.
Doing so would allow the company to build a much higher density of units under the HOME
See O’BRIEN BROTHERS on page 10
COURTESY PHOTO
Fifth and sixth graders from Shelburne Community School recently spent the day at Shelburne Farms exploring its pond and forests with the farm’s educators and learning about the many creatures that live in those places.
Museum as classroom
Shelburne’s Natural Resources and Conservation Commission, an advisory group that has touted the importance of considering the environment as bylaws are rewritten to guide future development in the area.
Act 171, a recent state law, gives the natural resources group’s message weight by directing municipalities to consider forest blocks throughout the planning process. The group felt that Act 171 was pertinent to the bylaw rewrite project.
Over the last 20 years, Arrowwood has worked with more than 30 towns in Vermont to identify forest blocks and other environmental assets. Since Act 171 is relatively new, not all those towns have incorporated the forest blocks into their bylaws but some, like South Burlington, have adopted them eagerly.
Arrowwood uses GIS software, aerial imagery and other tools to identify forest blocks. In Shelburne, there are clusters of them. Worthley said that, while the blocks are not individually large enough to serve as a “home range” for wildlife, in total they serve a variety of mammals.
In many cases in Shelburne, the forest blocks and habi-
tat connectors overlap with the town’s utility service district, an area slated for development in the wake of Act 47, another recent state law encouraging higher-density development within service districts.
Act 47 was designed to bolster development within service areas to help with Vermont’s housing shortage. It was passed with towns like Shelburne in mind.
Since the Arrowood maps were initially presented to the public, some landowners within Shelburne’s service area have expressed concern that the forest blocks and subsequent regulations would limit their ability to develop.
Nothing is final, but as the planning commission works to rewrite bylaws, it is considering how to balance Act 47 with Act 171, according to planning commission chair Steve Rendell.
“It’s all about finding a balance,” Rendell said.
Shawn MacFadden from the Natural Resources and Conservation Commission countered Rendell, saying, “Ultimately, a political decision will have to be have to made.”
During last week’s meeting, Worthley presented a slightly
edited version of the map, which focused on forest blocks within the service district and had more specific boundaries that considered property lines and other factors. A final version is expected
after the new year.
Rendell said the Shelburne Planning Commission hopes to present the second draft of the new bylaws to the public by the end of the year or early next year.
The commission presented the first draft last year and hosted several public meetings.
After the commission approves the draft bylaw, it will go to selectboard for a final review process.
COURTESY PHOTO
Shelburne Community School students study the many creatures that live in the ponds and forests with educators with Shelburne Farms.
State drops charges against man accused of driving over woman
MIKE DONOGHUE
CORRESPONDENT
The state has dismissed criminal charges in Vermont Superior Court in Middlebury against a Shelburne man who state police maintained had driven over a family member during an incident in Ferrisburgh on Aug. 6.
Peter Hoehl, 46, had pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of aggravated domestic assault and reckless endangerment following the incident, according to court records.
The victim was rushed to University of Vermont Medical Center, where she was admitted with broken ribs, a collapsed lung and fluid in her abdomen, those records detailed. She also received abrasions with imbedded gravel, police said.
“The injuries correlate to being ran over by a vehicle and the tires spinning on her,” trooper Kelsey Dobson wrote in a court affidavit.
Rutland County deputy state’s attorney L. Raymond Sun said this week the victim did not want to proceed with the case and the state did not have enough to proceed without her.
Defense lawyer Brooks G. McArthur, both in an interview after the arraignment and in recent filings, has maintained the state lacked sufficient evidence to show any intent in the case. He maintained it was an accident.
“Examining the evidence in the light most favorable to the State and excluding modifying evidence, the State has failed to produce substantial, admissible evidence as to the essential elements and therefore the matter must be dismissed,” McArthur and co-counsel Amanda Hemley said in a written motion filed Aug. 16.
Sun responded Aug. 30 asking the court to set a hearing to allow him to show the
“I
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state had “substantial admissible evidence as the elements of the offenses charged.”
Sun was asked to prosecute the case because one of the investigating state troopers is a witness in a pending driving while intoxicated case filed against Addison County state’s attorney Eva Vekos.
“While at the hospital, (the victim) provided a brief statement to Trooper (Nicole) Twamley in which she stated she believed Peter’s actions to be intentional and had heard Peter put the vehicle in gear just before getting ran over,” Dobson wrote in his affidavit.
McArthur, a former state prosecutor, said the defense follow-up investigation disputed that claim.
Sun filed a one-sentence notice of dismissal on Monday without any explanation.
Hoehl had an alcohol level of 0.142 percent after the incident, Vermont State Police said in court papers.
McArthur also said there was no driving while under the influence charge filed because the incident did not happen on a public highway. Police said in court papers that DUI was among the charges when Hoehl was taken into custody.
The Vermont State Police emergency dispatch center got a call from Hoehl about 10:18 p.m. and a woman could be heard in the background saying that he had purposely run her over, Dobson said in a court affidavit.
Police initially responded to Grosse Point Road, but nobody was found there, and troopers later located the caller near Driftwood Lane, police said. A police press release listed the incident as near Sand Road.
Police said Hoehl indicated he did not realize that he hit the woman after the first of the two bumps. Police said he estimated his speed at 2 miles per hour.
GERALD MALLOY
CRIME & COURTS
Olga Moriarty’s 18-month-old wire-haired griffon, Russell, was brought to the Shelburne Police Department last week. “I’m not sure if he will make the police blotter, but I thought an image might be helpful. He was innocent,” Moriarty said. “We think.”
Shelburne News
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Total reported incidents: 75
Traffic stops: 15
Warnings: 10
Tickets: 5
Arrests: 2
Medical emergencies: 26
Mental health incidents: 4
Suspicious incidents: 6
Directed patrols: 24
Citizen assists: 3
Motor vehicle complaints: 1
Car crash: 5
Animal problem: 3
Noise disturbance: 0
Unlawful Mischief: 0
Theft: 2
Harassment: 0
Vandalism: 0
Property damage: 0
Fraud: 3
Alarms: 9
Pending investigations: 4
911 Hang-up calls: 1
Re-elect
Oct. 14 at 7:49 a.m., a caller reported items were stolen from their motor vehicle on Bayfield Drive. The case is under investigation.
Oct. 15 at 8:32 p.m., a caller reported a stray dog running loose on Thompson Road and Irish Hill Road. The animal was located and reunited with the owner.
Oct. 17 at 8:35 a.m., a caller reported that the neighbor’s dog on Hullcrest Road was barking constantly. The animal control officer was notified.
Oct. 18 at 3:56 a.m., officers mediated a domestic dispute at the T-Bird Motel on Shelburne Road.
Oct. 18 at 8:18 a.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their residence on Hedgerow
Drive. The case is under investigation.
Oct. 18 at 10:54 p.m., during a traffic stop on Church Street and Shelburne Road, Reynolds Garnett, 42, of Shelburne, was arrested for driving under the influence.
Oct. 19 at 10:29 a.m., a caller reported an erratic motorist near the Shelburne Shopping Park. Police later stopped the vehicle, and Karen Schumacher, 58, of Shelburne, was arrested for driving under the influence.
Oct. 20 at 11:00 a.m., a caller sought assistance with getting the cat off the roof of a home on Butternut Lane. Shelburne firefighters were dispatched, and the cat was rescued from the rooftop.
Contact: 1340 Williston Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 985-3091
OPINION
Wastewater bond: Educate yourself before you vote
Guest Perspective
The November ballot calls for a bond vote for $38 million for the consolidation of Shelburne’s two wastewater treatment plants into one. The town of Shelburne estimates the actual costs at $45 million. They expect to offset approximately $14.5 million with grants.
This is likely the biggest project Shelburne has ever undertaken on a planning, financial and environmental level. Before you vote, ask yourself, have all the questions been answered sufficiently to indebt Shelburne with $38 million?
How much is the consolidation really going to cost? In its March 2023 engineering report, Aldrich + Elliott presented costs between $66 million and $68 million for consolidation at the site chosen by the selectboard in March 2023. Is it reasonable to believe that in the current inflationary environment estimated costs for this project have decreased by more than $21 million?
In the Shelburne News from Oct. 3, 2024, town manager Matt 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.”
What if costs run over the town’s estimated $45 million? If we look at recent projects like the Pierson Library or the Shelburne beach house, this is not a farfetched possibility.
Are you ready to commit to paying for it?
According to the town, the project cost will be borne by the sewer customers. However, sewage costs are already high: The newly approved wastewater rate is $17.85 per 1,000 gallons, which is a 9.7 percent increase over the previous year. This already makes Shelburne’s wastewater almost twice as expensive as Burlington’s at $9.73 per 1,000 gallons, and almost three times more expensive than South Burlington — $6.44 per 1,000 gallons.
The Town’s Wastewater Rate Stabilization Fund, in part funded
by recent rate increases, will not suffice to pay for this project. At a November 2023 selectboard meeting, staff noted the sewer rate per 1,000 gallons will increase to $25 over several years. That means sewer bills will increase more than a third from today’s rates and will be at three to four times the level of neighboring towns.
And this is the best case in which everything goes according to plan. What if the project runs over or the grants cannot be realized as planned? Will there be another bond vote? Will the extra cost be paid by sewage customers? Or will all taxpayers foot the bill after all?
2,600 households in Shelburne (sewered and unsewered), 1.5 percent translates to about 40 additional households or fewer if all of them are on the sewage system. Is this realistic relative to the building activity that is noticeable everywhere?
While the town is aware of a potential need for further capacity expansion, none of it is included in the current project budget.
After paying $45 million for the consolidation, the town will have a wastewater treatment capacity of just over one million gallons per day, 50,000 gallons per day less than the current capacity of both plants. Today, the combined average daily flow of both facilities is 769,000 gallons per day.
Over the 20-year lifespan of the new site, this will accommodate a growth in usage of 1.5 percent per year. With roughly
The O’Brien Brothers project alone proposes to build 300-325 units. Selectboard chair Mike Ashooh stated that the proposed O’Brien project would use an estimated 20 percent of the sewer capacity. This would bring sewage demand close to capacity around the time the town plans to finish the consolidation.
While the town is aware of a potential need for further capacity expansion, none of it is included in the current project budget. If this expansion is needed, it will require an additional project and potentially an additional bond. Are you comfortable committing to paying for this project out of your own pocket?
Julie and Achim Schwetlick live in Shelburne.
Julie and Achim Schwetlick
Lalley brings collaboration, connects neighbors
To the Editor:
Please join me in voting for Kate Lalley for Vermont House, Chittenden-6.
Having worked with her on the Shelburne Selectboard, I can vouch for her true commitment to the environment, out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to transportation and her passion for working toward getting our community to be walkable and more affordable.
Lalley has deep familiarity with the issues we face as a community around regulatory reform since she served for 15 years on the planning commission. Her experience translates well to benefit us, especially as the state revises its land use regulations. She references her experience serving on the selectboard often when it comes to working through budget issues in Montpelier. She is fiercely smart and a self-proclaimed wonk who digs deep into issues to ensure that they will serve Shelburne in the long term. Her time spent in town government serves us well as she is practiced at connecting with neighbors and constituents to keep a pulse on developing needs and to share back updates and opportunities from the capital, and she is collaborative and open to new ideas.
Cate Cross Shelburne
Readers hopes neighbors find solutions to wastewater issue
To the Editor:
Regarding the upcoming bond vote to expand and upgrade the Crown Road Wastewater Treatment Plant, I don’t want to tell voters how to vote on the proposed bond, but my hope is that my thoughts will increase voter participation regarding this very important matter.
I firmly believe that growth and subsequent change is inherent and beneficial to society and will always be accompanied
by positive and negative aspects. I view the proposed upgrade to the Crown Road plant as having certain negative aspects, while at the same time being necessary to support growth in Shelburne. I fully understand the financial implications, if the proposed project proceeds, on my already stressed budget.
Except for the two years spent serving in the Peace Corps in Tanzania, I’ve lived in Shelburne since 1990, and currently live at the house and property that my wife and I built in 1995 on Mariners Way. We share a common property line of approximately 400 feet with the town of Shelburne where the Crown Road Treatment plant is sited. Whatever changes the proposed project entails will have significant, long-term aesthetic and visual consequences for our property, as it will for others, and some negative short-term consequences too.
I started a dialogue with town officials and the engineering firm Aldrich & Elliot with the intent to mitigate, to whatever extent possible, the negative aspects of the upgrade. If the bond is passed by the electorate, I’m hoping to continue that dialogue.
Once again, I do understand that there will be a financial burden resulting from the project, though for practical reasons the exact burden cannot be defined at this point. I don’t consider this point lightly, as my budget, as well as the budgets of many others, are already stressed. I also understand that the bond’s passage will be decided by all voters, not only by those who use the wastewater system. I personally applaud that.
It is only fair to mention that the proposed upgrade and expansion does not come as a surprise. Before buying our property in 1994, Dave Rathburn, then supervisor of the Shelburne Sewer Department, advised us that an expansion of the plant bordering our property could be expected in the future. Though it certainly doesn’t make the project more palatable, it certainly does temper any notion of surprise.
During the early stages of the project, I attended related selectboard meetings to question decisions regarding the project, particularly why viable alternatives to upgrading the Crown Road plant hadn’t been considered. It was explained to my satisfaction that they had.
One such alternative would have routed the discharge pipe near the Ti Haul trail where it would discharge into Shelburne Bay beyond the fishing access. Since that alternative was rejected, I have not heard of a reasonable, grounded, affordable, viable and practical alternative plan that I would support.
I’d like to make it very clear that I wish my neighbors on Bay Road, Crown Road and Mariners Cove the very best in finding solutions to mitigating any negative aspects, temporary or lasting, that the proposed project, if implemented, has on their property.
Finally, and most important, though many of our opinions and solutions regarding the project certainly differ, I wish to offer my respect to all those opinions, especially those of my cherished, appreciated and wonderful neighbors, as well as those opinions held by the selectboard and town officials.
Bob Furrer Shelburne
Lalley brings right experience as rep
To the Editor:
Please join me in voting to re-elect Kate Lalley. As Vermont grapples with the challenging issues that we all care about, including a serious housing shortage, the need to build resilience to increasing floods and other climate events, finding new ways to fairly fund education, just to name a few, we must have people in the Legislature who are experienced and who understand the ways that issues and their solutions are connected.
Lalley is knowledgeable about trans-
portation (40 percent of our energy use), transitioning to electric vehicles and the need to integrate transportation and land use reform. She will work with the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Education to consider regional sharing of resources and costs to lower the education budget.
She has served Shelburne for 20 years, including as a planning commissioner and selectboard member. She has a deep appreciation of both the concerns and the potential of our community.
Judy Raven Shelburne
John Rodgers best suited to take Vermont’s second top job
To the Editor:
I am writing to express my strong support for John Rodgers as Vermont’s next lieutenant governor of Vermont.
Having previously served as commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation for 12 years, appointed by two different governors with a significant legislative portfolio over six legislative biennia, I worked over an extended period with both Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and Rodgers. The differences between them are real and important and Rodgers emerges clearly as the best choice for Vermont. It’s not close.
During his time in the Senate, he served on two committees with important roles relative to Forests, Parks and Recreation: The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy — with jurisdiction over the department’s responsibilities, programs and budget — and the Senate Committee on Institutions, which had jurisdiction over capital appropriations and land transactions.
While Rodgers and I certainly differed on some topics over the years, he was a
breath of fresh air and a welcome voice of practicality and reality. He listened actively, asked informed and sometimes tough questions (always appropriately and respectfully), and he consistently offered ideas and solutions or at worst, a willingness to work together to find them.
My experience with Zuckerman was very different, characterized and summarized best as Zuckerman doing a lot of talking at me — whether in the Senate Committee on Agriculture or in the hallways in advance of important floor debates in the Senate after he became lieutenant governor. That may seem tough, but it’s fair.
I’ve also come to know Rodgers more personally as a friend, affording an expanded view of him as a person and his values and ethics. He is smart, fun, talented, honest, hardworking and reliable. He is committed to his family, friends, land and community. Indeed, watching him delight in engaging with our young daughter says it all — whether when fishing with her or touring her around his farm.
I am grateful for Rodgers’ significant and selfless service to
the state and for his willingness to run and serve us as lieutenant governor. When he speaks of unsettling changes in Vermont’s legislative process over the last decade or so — becoming more political and less inclusive — he is spot on. It is real and damaging. Given his experience, personality and commitment to Vermont and all her people, he is best equipped and best suited to bring a different, more realistic and truly effective approach to Montpelier.
Michael Snyder Stowe
Lalley is the right pick for Shelburne
To the Editor:
I am writing to voice my wholehearted support to send Kate Lalley back to the Statehouse as Shelburne’s representative. I have worked closely with her on the selectboard and can attest to her thoughtfulness, her focus on making good, financially responsible policy decisions and her broad knowledge of so many of the challenges our state faces — from housing affordabil-
ity to community development and from transportation to environmental protection — skills honed from her decades of work in public service for our town and her professional experience as a town planner.
Equally important, she keeps a close eye on how we can achieve policy goals while battling the trend of “have Chittenden County pay for it” that sometimes feels like the default financing plan in Montpelier. We are fortunate to have someone with her experience and acumen to help navigate the troubled waters that the state faces, and I highly encourage Shelburne voters to return her to Montpelier in November.
Matt Wormser Shelburne
Will we face another 20 percent tax hike?
To the Editor:
Here’s an update regarding education spending for this next fiscal year. First, as far as the legislative commission tasked with studying changes to education law in Vermont is concerned,
it’s a mixed bag.
There has been a total of 13 meetings, several reports and data presentations by the Agency of Education, some public input and several jam board ideas. I have attended every session. There’s not enough space nor a strong enough pill to prevent brain fade about everything that has been discussed.
Of particular interest and concern are the finance subcommittee meetings because they are tasked to present any short-term cost containment ideas to the Legislature in the fall. School boards will need this information in their budget making as soon as possible. I’m hoping there will be more conservative voices on these committees in the spring following the elections.
The last meeting of the finance subcommittee on Oct. 14 was a four-hour migraine on cost drivers, health care and special education law and costs. Do not attempt to listen to these videos unless your health insurance is paid up.
My takeaway is that the way health insurance policies are written and offered to teachers in Vermont is chaotic. Health care
costs are a major cost driver for Vermont school districts and will continue to be so. According to plan directors, they process $6.4 million per week in claims for the 34,200 employees. There are an incredible number of causes for the increases in annual costs but hospital inpatient and outpatient services, specialty prescription medications and certain highrisk pools seem to be at the top of the list. The average cost of a specialty medication is $37,000. Why are special education costs going up? Many reasons but listening to the complexity of current law and regulations makes for more migraines.
Both Gov. Phil Scott, the superintendent of Champlain Valley School District, school leaders and business officials have all raised the red warning flag about potential increases in school spending next year. Also, the town of Hinesburg has also jumped into issue with its own warning. We may be lucky to see another 20 percent increase in our property taxes next year, if not more.
John Clifford Hinesburg
Shelburne Halloween
Shelburne celebrates the holiday on Sunday, Oct. 27, presented by Shelburne Parks & Recreation. Here’s the schedule:
• Noon to 1:30 p.m.: Costume contest at Shelburne Town Center: Dress to impress the judges. Prizes are awarded to winners in each category. Get your spooky picture taken by Studio 2N Photography with a free digital download.
• 2 p.m.: Shelburne Halloween Parade presented by Charlotte-Shelburne-Hinesburg Rotary. For questions about the parade or to register a float in the parade, contact Richard J. Fox at 802-448-0118 or rfox@foxlawvt.com.
• 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Trick or Treat carnival games and haunted stage in the town gym with the Shelburne Recreation Committee; free treats at the fire station; and a fun Halloween activity at Pierson Library.
Shelburne holds blood drive on Nov. 19
St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Shelburne is hosting a Red Cross blood drive on Tuesday, Nov. 19, noon-5 p.m., 72
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
Church St.
To give, call 800-733-2767 or visit redcrossblood.org and enter Shelburne to schedule an appointment. Appointments are strongly recommended as walk-ins cannot always be accommodated.
If you are an eligible type O, B- or A- donor, consider making a Power Red donation. If you meet certain criteria, Power Red allows you to safely donate two units of red cells during one appointment as an automated donation process. It is as safe as whole blood donation.
Streamline your donation experience by completing a pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online.
Questions? Contact Laureen Mathon at lmathon104@gmail.com.
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, Nov. 12.
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 includes roast turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sliced carrots, cranberry sauce, wheat roll, pumpkin pie with cream and milk.
To order a meal contact Kathleen at agewellstcath@gmail.com or 802-5031107. Deadline to order is Wednesday, Nov. 6. If this is a first-time order, provide your name, address, phone number and date of birth.
Shelburne church, Age well host July luncheon
St. Catherine of Siena and Age Well are teaming up to offer a Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday, Nov. 20, for anyone 60 or older in the St Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St. in Shelburne. Check-in time is 11:30 and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation.
Entertainment will be provided by Gerry Ortego on guitar.
The menu is roast turkey and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sliced carrots, wheat roll, pumpkin
pie with cream and milk.
You must register by Wednesday, Nov. 13, with 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.
‘Earth to Earth’ doc screens in South Burlington
Join the Vermont Forest Cemetery in the South Burlington High School auditorium for a screening of the documentary, “Earth to Earth: The Lost Art of Dying in America,” on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 5:307:30 p.m.
Following the film, there will be a Q&A with Vermont Forest Cemetery founder, head cemeterian and natural burial advocate and expert Michelle Hogle Acciavatti.
Vermont Forest Cemetery is the state’s first forest cemetery and is in Roxbury. This cemetery offers a place for people to gather, honor their dead and the forest, and participate in outdoor art and learning. For information, call 802-234-1262 or email info@cemetery.eco.
• 75% off project costs, up to $9,500 •Free services for income-eligible Vermonters •0% financing options
News from Pierson Library
Book, pie sale this weekend
It’s a book lover’s paradise at the Friends of the Library Book sale Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26-27, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Friends, members and their guests can get a jump on the fun on Friday, Oct. 25, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. With thousands of titles to choose from you’re sure to find your next favorite read.
Fright-filled haunted house
Get your tricks and treats on early this year with a scary haunted house devised and executed entirely by the library’s teen and tween patrons.
Yes, the new generation has been working feverishly to devise the perfect set-ups and scares, transforming town hall into a truly Eldritch site of malevolence.
Come see what it’s all about on Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 5-7 p.m.
Climate change series continues
The Pierson’s ongoing series focusing on the unique challenges of the climate crisis continues tonight, Oct. 24, with a
presentation on gardening with native plants from landscape designer and gardener Charlotte Albers.
Learn about tough, resilient native plants that can help solve problems at your home and enhance local biodiversity. This program is in partnership with the Shelburne Climate and Energy Committee and the University of Vermont Master Gardener Extension Program.
Poetry salon, oracle cards
Next Thursday, Oct. 31 — Halloween if you’re hearty and fright-full — the library is presenting two awesome programs. First, at noon, those interested in the spiritual side of seasonal change are invited to come draw oracle cards and have an ancestor luncheon from noon-1 p.m.
That evening, the library’s monthly poetry salon and open mic kicks off. Come share your favorite spooky poem or your own writing in the open mic portion and bask in the words and images of the two featured poets, Curtis Johnson and Karen Morris.
Obituary
Irving Rose
Irving Niles Rose of Hinesburg and Micco, Fla., died peacefully on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. Irv was born on April 10, 1944, son of the late Harry H. Rose and Eleanor (Ballard) Rose. Irv married Karen (Zinke) Rose, on Aug. 8, 1992.
Irv served his country in U. S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, stationed in Alaska and Georgia. Upon returning, he went to Champlain College and received a degree in business administration.
He was a carpenter and fisherman, but in 1970, he began working for Companion Hardware in Shelburne. In 1973 he purchased the store, retiring in 2006.
He will be remembered for his love of dancing at parties and different events. During his years in Vermont, he enjoyed working outside. He always loved family and community gatherings.
Irv was a member of the Shelburne-Charlotte-Hinesburg Rotary Club, becoming president for many years. He will be remembered for organizing the Shelburne Halloween parades.
He loved fishing and surfcasting on the beaches of Florida. In Vermont, he had various favorite spots on Lake Champlain in his boat. Irv also spent many hours playing golf.
He is survived by his loving wife, Karen of Micco, Fla., daughters, Stacie Rose and her wife, Christina and their son, Cameron Irving Rose of St. Albans, and Erica Rose and her two sons, Carter and Logan Emilio of Middlebury; and sister, Janice Mulchahy and her husband, Timothy, and brother, Marshall Rose and his wife Patricia, all of Micco.
Irv was predeceased by his parents, and his aunt and uncle, Mimi Rose and Harold B. Rose.
A celebration of life in Vermont will be held in the summer of 2025.
Irv’s family asks that in lieu of flowers to consider a donation to the Charlotte, Shelburne and Hinesburg Rotary Club, PO Box 156, Shelburne VT 05482.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with his family and friends at bradyandlevesque.com.
Last year, Vermonters threw away 71,113 tons of food scraps which ended up in our only landfill. Equal to 242 pounds of food scraps per person per year.
CSWD’s Organic Recycling Facility (ORF) and our six Drop-Off Centers accept food scraps from residents and businesses to keep them out of Vermont’s only landfill.
Irving Rose
DIRECT CREMATION SERVICES
‘Earth
This cemetery offers a place for people to gather, honor their dead and the forest, and participate in outdoor art and learning. For information, call 802-234-1262 or email info@cemetery.eco.
O’BRIEN BROTHERS
continued from page 1
Act, passed in 2023.
O’Brien Brothers argued that while its property is not in the district, its proximity to infrastructure should justify its inclusion.
Since the development company submitted the petition, it has been met with some public opposition and rigorous legal review. Earlier this month, the selectboard voted to expand that legal review by hiring McNeil, Leddy and Sheahan of Burlington.
The firm’s scope of work mainly deals with questions surrounding the board’s authority to amend the service district and add a pre-development agreement.
According to Shelburne town manager Matt Lawless, the town has already paid its own lawyer, Kristin Shamis, about $20,000 to review the petition since O’Brien Brothers submitted it five months ago.
“Act 47 (HOME Act) is also a factor, and that’s new, so we’re in uncharted waters until we figure out what it means.”
— Matt Lawless
According to the contract between the selectboard and McNeil, Leddy and Sheahan, the firm’s fees will not exceed $25,000, and it “endeavors” to keep its fees at or less than $10,000,
Shamis has worked on the project for several hours each month, with more frequent meetings recently, according to Lawless, who said the second legal opinion is important at this time.
“It’s a pretty important legal position because there’s the potential for major litigation here,” Lawless said. “Act 47 (HOME Act) is also a factor, and that’s new, so we’re in uncharted waters until we figure out what it means. It’s not uncommon for a modest attorney and modest town manager to get a second opinion on these topics.”
As election nears, what mail-in voting will look like
ACEY SHEEHAN AND GWEN MATTHEWS COMMUNITY NEWS SERVICE
Earlier this fall, most registered voters in Vermont opened their mailboxes to find an election ballot — but how many have been returned so far and from where?
University of Vermont’s Center for Community News, home of Community News Service, has built an interactive map to find out.
Center data visualization engineer Ben Cooley pulled together figures from the Office of the Vermont Secretary of State to track the number and percent of registered voters in each town whose ballots have been received and tallied.
As of Oct. 14, just under 13 percent of those ballots had already been returned and tallied statewide, officials said.
Take a look yourself — hovering over a town allows you to see the data. Link to the map at bit. ly/3Ub5utL.
Over the next several weeks,
were mailed a ballot — though some states have been doing it for many years.
Casting ballots via mail is not a new concept. Dating back to the Civil War, U.S. citizens have been able to request an absentee ballot if they’re unable to attend their usual polling location — due to
Vermont votes cast in 2020 came from those ballots, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Only about one in four votes came from people showing up in person. Whether a vote came by mail or in person that year followed partisan trends. The more people
Casting ballots via mail is not a new concept. Dating back to the Civil War, U.S. citizens have been able to request an absentee ballot if they’re unable to attend their usual polling location — due to being away for college or military service, for example.
the center will be updating the map as new numbers come in. Student journalists with CNS plan to delve into the town-by-town data to tease out trends and provide Vermonters with a deeper understanding of the state’s relatively nascent vote-by-mail system.
In 2021, the Legislature made universal mail-in ballots a permanent part of voting in Vermont. This coming Election Day marks only the second presidential election in which most registered voters in Vermont automatically
Some towns have more people voting early than others. South Hero and Westford had the highest proportion of returned ballots as of Oct. 14 at 20 percent, according to the data. Towns like Manchester, Middlebury, North Hero, Norwich, St. Albans and Rutland followed close with 19 percent, the data shows.
being away for college or military service, for example.
Universal mail-in ballots differ from absentee ballots. They don’t require requests or reasons and are sent automatically to all residents.
In Vermont, the use of universal mail-in ballots spiked during the 2020 election. Officials sent them to voters as an emergency measure to maintain social distancing during the height of the pandemic.
Almost three-quarters of
in a town voted for former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden, the fewer people from that town chose to vote by mail, according to a VTDigger
breakdown of state election data. Will that trend persist this time around? What about the popularity of mail-in voting overall, a few years removed from the pandemic emergency?
Community News Service reporters will be paying attention to those trends, along with the rate of ballot return in general. We’ll also be looking for patterns involving income, rurality and age.
Acey Sheehan and Gwen Matthews are reporters with the Community News Service, a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
SPORTS
Undefeated CVU footballers head to postseason
LAUREN READ
CORRESPONDENT
The Champlain Valley football team had about as good a regular season as you could imagine, undefeated at 8-0, three shutouts and an average of over 40 points on offense.
But starting Friday when the Division I postseason kicks off, they are starting from scratch.
“You’re one and done in the postseason, everybody’s all out,” CVU coach Rahn Fleming said. “We’re going to prepare for each week as if it’s the most important game we played all year.”
Champlain Valley wrapped up the regular season on Friday with a 33-0 win over the SeaWolves, the Burlington-South Burlington co-op football team, to finish undefeated and earn the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
“That shift to the playoffs set in before we left the end zone at South Burlington,” Fleming said. “It was great job, 8-0, not a bad day at the office. Now it’s a new season and let’s get after it.”
The Redhawks will take on No. 8 Mount Anthony (4-4) in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 1 p.m.
“We have just got to keep on working and keep the culture, the mentality that we have,” CVU senior Nolan Walpole said. “Hopefully, we can get all the way and have a whole season undefeated.”
The Champlain Valley offense got things started in the first quarter with a drive that chewed up nearly seven minutes on the clock and was capped off with an 8-yard touchdown from Walpole.
Quarterback Orion Yates doubled the lead in the second quarter when he hit Jacob Armstrong with a 38-yard touchdown pass. CVU then added another six on its first play from the line of scrimmage in the second half as Walpole ran for a 44-yard touchdown.
Yates added a 2-yard TD rush for the Redhawks, who also had a safety and a field goal.
“We knew we weren’t going to have big points coming out of the first quarter, but the points that we had were points that happened with calculation and with the effect of trying to wear down our opponent,” Fleming said. “We were able to become more confident.”
The effort on both sides of the ball was indicative of CVU’s strength this season. The Redhawks had their third shutout of the season defensively and the offense scored more than 30 points for the seventh time this season.
“I’m beyond proud of these guys. They have worked hard,” Fleming said. “This class, by virtue of its size and by virtue of the variety of their talents, is particularly gifted.”
Champlain Valley celebrated the 8-0 regular season after the game, but quickly turned the page to focus on the next part of the season.
With 19 seniors on the roster, the
CVU’s Sean Kennedy watches as South Burlington’s Ahmed Diawara goes down in last week’s in the Redhawks’ 33-0 win. Both teams are headling to the playoffs.
Redhawks have set their sights on winning the program’s second title in three years.
“Our team motto all year long from our
opening meeting last August, has been play 11 and win the last one,” Fleming said. “We want to make our senior year the best it can
possibly be and in competitive terms, the best it can possibly be is to still be playing on Nov. 9.”
CVU soccer teams both clinch No. 1 seeds
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Girls’ soccer
Champlain Valley 3, Essex 0: Champlain Valley beat Essex on Friday, Oct. 18, to wrap up the regular season and clinch the top seed in the playoffs.
Rieanna Murray tallied twice for the Redhawks (13-0-1), while Kate Roberts added a goal. Anya Johnson stopped two shots on goal.
With an unbeaten record, CVU earned the No. 1 seed for the eighth season in a row. It earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of No. 8 Burr and Burton and No. 9 Burlington on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m. in the D-I quarterfinals.
In three meetings with potential opponents — two with Burr and Burton and one with Burlington — the Redhawks won all three.
Field hockey
South Burlington 1, Champlain Valley 0: Champlain Valley surrendered a goal in the fourth quarter to fall to South Burlington on Friday.
Sophie Comeau stopped five shots in goal for the Redhawks, who finished the regular season with a 9-4-1 record.
Champlain Valley now moves to the postseason, where it earned the No. 5 seed and a spot in the quarterfinal round.
The Redhawks will take on No. 4 Colchester on Saturday at noon. The Lakers beat CVU 1-0 in their only meeting so far this season.
Boys’ soccer
Champlain Valley 2, Essex 0: Champlain Valley won its sixth game in a row on Saturday, Oct 19, beating Essex 2-0 in high school boys’ soccer.
Ethan Revoir had a goal and an assist for the Redhawks, who finished the regular season at 12-2. Gavin Prada also scored for CVU, while George Charlson added an assist.
Ziggy Babbott made four saves in the shutout.
On Oct. 17, CVU beat Colchester 2-0. Miles Bergerson and Sebastian Bronk each had a goal for the Redhawks.
The late season wins helped CVU clinch the top seed in the Division I postseason and earn a bye into the quarterfinals. The
Redhawks now await their opponent — the winner of No. 8 St. Johnsbury and No. 9 Rutland — on Friday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m. at home.
CVU beat the Hilltoppers in both regular season meetings this season but have yet to take on Rutland.
Boys’ volleyball
The boys’ team wrapped up the regular season with an 11-3 record and clinched the No. 2 spot in the D-I playoffs.
The Redhawks will take on No. 7 BFA-St. Albans on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. in the quarterfinals.
CVU beat the Bobwhites in its first meeting of the season, 3-0 but needed a fifth set to beat them a second time, 3-2.
Girls’ volleyball
The Champlain Valley girls’ volleyball team finished the season with a 10-4 record, good enough for the No. 5 seed in the D-I tournament.
CVU took on No. 12 Mount Anthony on Wednesday after press time in the quarterfinals at home at 3 p.m.
The Redhawks beat Mount Anthony 3-1 in both regular season meetings.
PHOTO BY AL FREY
TOWN OF SHELBURNE, VERMONT
CLASSIFIEDS
NOTICE
& WARNING OF VOTE TO INCUR A BONDED DEBT
The legal voters of the Town of Shelburne, Vermont are hereby notified and warned to come and vote at a Special Town Meeting on
Tuesday, the 5th day of November, 2024
between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., at the voting place hereinafter named, for the following purpose:
To vote upon one bonding article placed on the ballot by request of the Selectboard by a resolution duly adopted and approved, said special article being as follows:
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT CONSOLIDATION
“Shall general obligation notes or bonds of the Town of Shelburne in an amount not to exceed Thirty-Eight Million Dollars ($38,000,000), subject to reduction by available grants-in-aid or other funding sources, be issued to finance the cost of consolidating two aging wastewater treatment plants with one renovated treatment plant, and installing a connecting force main, a Lake Champlain outfall, and other system improvements (the “Project”)?
The following is designated as the polling place:
Town Center Gym, 5420 Shelburne Road
The polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.
Publication Dates: October 17, October 24, October 31 Shelburne, Vermont.
Orderedprinted: Diana Vachon, Town Clerk
PUBLIC MEETINGS
PATRICK LEAHY BURLINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2024, 6:30-8:00 P.M. CHAMBERLIN SCHOOL, SOUTH BURLINGTON
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2024, 6:30-8:30 P.M. WINOOSKI HIGH SCHOOL
Notice is hereby given that Public Meetings will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, at 6:30-8:00 p.m. (South Burlington Public Meeting) at Chamberlin School, and Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Winooski Public Meeting) at the Winooski High School.
These meetings will provide an overview of the DRAFT NOISE EXPOSURE MAP REPORT that has been prepared on behalf of Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport. The meetings will be workshop style with various stations for individuals to review the information and ask questions. There will be no formal presentation. Comment sheets will be available for the public to leave their comments.
The draft report can be found on the Airport’s noise program website: btvsound.com. Physical copies of the draft report are also available for review at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport administrative offices located at 1200 Airport Rd, South Burlington, VT, Suite 1.
Public comments can be submitted at the meetings or via email to btvsound@jonespayne.com
The public comment period will close Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Additional comments and questions regarding the noise program can be submitted at any time.
