Town officials approve development agreement, moving project along Page 2
Man
Remembering Al Fortin
The officer other cops turned to for safety training
MIKE DONOGHUE CORRESPONDENT
Veteran Vermont police officer Allen A. Fortin, who became the leading voice and face for highway traffic safety in the state, died at his Hinesburg home Sunday. He was 61.
Fortin, a lieutenant with the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department, won numerous awards for his dedication to highway traffic safety work about drunken driving, proper use of seatbelts, speeding, child safety seat protections, passing stopped school buses, aggressive driving and more. The awards included being honored at a Vermont Statehouse ceremony for his public service in 2017.
He served as the full-time traffic safety coordinator for Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille and Orleans counties.
Fortin hosted numerous press conferences and public events throughout Vermont for over two decades on every kind of safety issue and was the go-to guy for media members looking for comments and statistics for any news story. He helped coordinate a news conference as recently as last month at Jay Peak Resort concerning winter driving and sharing the roads with slow-moving vulnerable road users.
“It is hard to guess how many lives Al
Fortin saved through his safety messages and enforcement work,” Chittenden County Sheriff Dan Gamelin said Sunday. Fortin was well known for his honesty and integrity, Gamelin said. Fortin’s favorite word, “absolutely,” went hand-in-hand with his can-do attitude.
He collapsed at his home Sunday morning and first responders were unable to revive him.
Gamelin said survivors include Fortin’s longtime wife, Anne, and their three adult sons, Patrick, Stephan and Sam.
Gamelin said funeral arrangements were being completed as the newspaper went to press. The tentative plan was to have a police escort for the casket from the Ready’s Funeral Home in Burlington to St. Jude’s Catholic Church on Vermont 116 on Thursday for a public viewing. The funeral is tentatively set for Friday.
Specific details, including times and the full obituary will be posted online this week by this newspaper and on Facebook by the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department.
Fortin began his extra focus on traffic safety work initially part-time when he was not serving as the No. 2 person at
See FORTIN on page 11
School district ahead of curve on statewide phone ban
BRIANA BRADY STAFF
WRITER
Champlain Valley School District has been working towards a new bell-to-bell phone free
policy for months, which, if the recent school phone policy bill proposed in the Vermont house passes, will put the district in a good position to meet new statewide requirements.
Statewide school cell-phone bans have been increasing in popularity in the last year due to concerns over teen mental health and the harms of social media. Eight states have passed bans, and
another 23, including Vermont, have introduced legislation, issued policy recommendations, or launched pilot programs.
Vermont’s state senate introduced a different cellphone bill last
year that didn’t move forward. The future for the house bill proposed in January, H.54, looks better.
See CELL PHONES on page 16
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
Allen Fortin worked for the Shelburne Police Department for nearly three decades. He died Sunday.
O’Brien project moves forward in development process
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
The Shelburne selectboard’s vote to extend the town sewer service area and approve a pre-development agreement with O’Brien Brothers last week may feel to many like the conclusion of nine months of negotiation and impassioned public comment.
In some ways, that’s true, but its decision to accept the agreement is also another beginning.
Now, the proposal can move to the development review board, where many of the issues raised by the community and the selectboard will continue to play a part as the developer seeks permits, finalizes plans, and applies for Act 250 approval.
However, there will be a pause before that happens.
The O’Brien Brothers have agreed not to move forward with the project until the Shelburne planning commission has finished its bylaw update and rezoning — which it does not expect to complete until June.
When the development review board does begin working on the project, the cycle of public comment will start anew. According to a statement by selectboard chair Mike Ashooh at last week’s meeting, a lot of what residents have wanted to discuss isn’t under the purview of the selectboard or pre-development agreement.
“We do not do the development review board work. They don’t have a project that they have presented to us with plans. The land needs to be surveyed, the boundaries and all the areas that are buildable need to be surveyed. There is a lot of work that needs to happen. This will happen at the DRB level,” he said.
Housing
One of the items that will be determined during the review process is just how many units the development will have. While the pre-development agreement sets a cap of 375 units — less than the 500 or so O’Brien could technically build under Act 47 — that number is not final, and some commenters at last week’s meeting repeated a sentiment others have expressed over the last few months: they feel like 375 is too many.
One such commenter, citing the character of the town, was met by a smattering of applause from the audience. Housing advocates and members of the selectboard disagree.
“I think this question really boils down to one issue,” selectboard member Chunka Mui said. “If you think there’s an overriding need for housing, you probably support this. If you don’t think there’s an overriding need for housing, you probably don’t support this.”
Mui reiterated that Vermont is in the midst of a housing crisis. Chittenden County, in particular, has a home vacancy rate of 1 percent — a healthy market maintains about 5 percent vacancy.
Proponents of the agreement also referenced the need for an influx of younger people and families. Shelburne has a high median age, 49, which, according to planning commission documents from last year, “may pose a signifi-
cant challenge for the school and needed infrastructure investments in the years ahead.”
The school has had declining enrollment for almost a decade, and projections by the schoolboard predict a continued decline for the district.
“When I moved to Shelburne 22 years ago, I came with a baby in tow and a wife who was taking care of a kid,” selectboard member Matt Wormser said. “I was making 16 bucks an hour at an entry level job at IDX, and I was able to afford the crappiest little house I could find in Shelburne, and I’ve spent the last 22 years slowly gutting every room in that house and adding to it. And you know, that’s not a story that could happen in Shelburne today.”
Whether or not someone finds that persuasive, arguments about the character of a town or neighborhood are unlikely to hold up under Act 47, which explicitly prohibits appeals on the basis of character if a residential development has affordable housing. O’Brien has committed to making 12 percent of its units affordable for people making between 80 and 120 percent of the median income.
Additionally, while the area is currently zoned as rural, it has as recently as 2008 been zoned as residential, making it unlikely that arguments about spot zoning would stand.
Traffic
Separate from concerns about character, residents worried that the number of units and specific location of the development would cause traffic problems due to an influx of cars from the development. According to town planners and O’Brien, that will also be addressed during the development review process. Evan Langfeldt, O’Brien Brothers CEO, said he plans to implement a traffic study earlier in the process than is usually required.
According to Langfeldt, a traffic study will provide more information about existing conditions like which direction the traffic is going as well as predicting the impact from additional homes.
“I think the traffic is a legitimate concern, and we will, you know, definitely be doing a traffic analysis by a licensed traffic engineer,” he said. “If it has an unreasonable impact on the current situation, then you have to put in place mitigation methods.”
Those mitigation efforts could mean replacing a stop sign with a full signal, building speedbumps, or putting in a rotary. A traffic study may also impact the number of units.
As it’s currently sketched on O’Brien’s website, the development will have two exits, one onto Irish Hill Road, and the other on Spear Street north of Thomas Road.
Environment
Several residents also voiced concerns about the environmental impact of the development.
“I am, in fact, in favor of this project with the affordable housing and with the density numbers that are described, but I’m only for it if it would take care of the environment as well. And unfortunately, I don’t think this PDA goes far enough to do to do that,” Persis Worrall said.
For Worrall, a retired attorney
COURTESY DIAGRAM
The two maps above illustrate the proposed expansion of Shelburne’s sewer service area, as it relates to O’Brien Brothers’ project.
SB man walks across the country to ‘fix democracy’
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Rick Hubbard opened the door to his quaint South Burlington home sporting a printed shirt that perfectly encompassed his mission for the last two years: “Walking to fix our democracy.”
Hubbard, 83, was spending the remaining month of January settling back into his nest after doing just that, except his walk wasn’t just a short jaunt around town spreading awareness about America’s shortcomings. This journey stretched 3,081 miles and across 14 different states, from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. just ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as 47th president of the United States — timed intentionally for that purpose, Hubbard said.
But the idea for the adventure started brewing long before the 2024 election and this isn’t Hubbard’s first time putting rubber to pavement for a cause he believes in. He isn’t even the first person to walk across the country for a similar mission.
His idea was originally spurred by an 88-year-old woman, Doris Haddock, better known as “Granny D,” who walked across the country in 1999 and 2000 in support of campaign finance reform. Hubbard joined her for part of the trek through Kentucky for one week in 1999.
“What motivated Rick? Well, a woman from New Hampshire,” he said, sitting comfortably in his home office, surrounded by a sprawling bookshelf that mirrors his well-read mind. “She puts me to shame finishing when she was 90. I’m a mere pup at 83.”
He kicked off his walking advocacy efforts on his own in the early 2000s when he walked some 450 miles around three sides of Vermont to similarly advocate for the same issues.
“That got me in to talk to people, so I suppose you could say it’s been in the back of my mind as I got older,” he said.
While his life’s greatest walking feat began in the fall of 2022 when he drove his large RV to Los Angeles to start the cross-continental trek, Hubbard has been a lifelong mover and shaker, both metaphorically and physically.
An attorney by trade with decades of experience in economic consulting, he said he has watched the writing on the wall spell out America’s problems for quite some time. But also, in retirement, he’s kept up not only learning about the nuanced complexities of politics but advocating for ways he thinks the country could — and should — be better.
Physically speaking, Hubbard
has spent most of his life active. And even though he is held together “with a lot of electronic parts” in his older age, his body has been primed for a walk like this since his youth. He was involved in starting running groups in Stowe, where he lived for more than 30 years, and participated in different physical activities like biking.
But the walk was, nonetheless, difficult. At times, the journey’s physical exertion coalesced with even greater heartbreak. In 2023, Hubbard suspended his endeavor to be home with his partner and “sweetie” Sally Howe, who was suffering from cancer and later died that same year.
He resumed the walk that year as summer in New England was dwindling.
“Finally, although I’m ‘back,’ some days may be more putting one foot in front of the other, rather than a crusade to save our Democracy,” he wrote in a blog post in August announcing his return.
Hubbard trudged 10 miles a day, five days a week, with an American flag strapped to his back. He spent a lot of time organizing with support groups, talking with people and even managed to have some fun in the meantime. That is, when he wasn’t battling a terrible bout of Covid in Dubuque, Iowa, that stopped him in his tracks for a few days.
While in Colorado, he took on even more miles by hiking a portion of 14,000-foot Pike’s Peak, catching a glimpse of a partial eclipse at around 9,000 feet.
“You can find ways to have a little fun on this kind of a trip,” he said, letting out a laugh.
Why?
It’s no surprise that a trek like this would pick up some media attention along the way, and while Hubbard says, “When any old guy is crazy enough to walk across the whole damn country, sometimes the media has a little interest,” that isn’t the real essence of it.
He’s sparked plenty of conversation starting with one notion: the preamble to the United States Constitution. Hubbard argues that, while many of us can cite most of its words by rote, how well has our government done upholding its guiding principles, particularly promoting “the general welfare” of all Americans?
He said he’s talked to people on both sides of the major political parties — a two-party system is also one he views as problematic — and asked a simple question: How well do you think they’ve been doing on our behalf for the last several decades?
PHOTO BY LIBERTY DARR
Rick Hubbard relaxes at his South Burlington home after spending two years walking across the country ‘to fix our democracy.
continued from page 2
with a degree from Vermont Law School in environmental policy, part of the problem she sees is a lack of specificity when it comes to language like “green space,” or “open space.”
In the pre-development agreement, O’Brien is currently required to “perpetually maintain and/or conserve a minimum of 60 percent of the property as green space (including a combination of conservation areas, buffers, pocket parks and common element open space).” However, the proportion of conservation areas to more developed areas like pocket parks is undefined, and common element open space can include a variety of recreation areas.
According to town officials, this should get resolved in the development review process. Town planning and zoning director Aaron DeNamur also said that those terms will be defined in the new zoning regulations the planning commission is set to finish by June — before work can begin on an O’Brien proposal.
“The town’s new zoning bylaw will contain the strongest natural resource protections that the town has ever had, by a wide margin,” DeNamur said.
Worrall’s desire to see more specificity in the PDA stems from doubts she has about the process itself. She isn’t convinced that the current version of the new planning commission bylaws goes far
enough to protect the environment and that we might see good intentions for conservation fall by the wayside as the O’Brien’s plan develop.
“If people haven’t put it down on paper at the beginning, sometimes, later, it doesn’t happen,” she said.
The coming months may see some changes to the planning commission’s bylaws before the development review board receives a sketch proposal. Additionally, different from how the process has worked before, the town’s planning and zoning office will be responsible for designing the initial sketch, not O’Brien. The natural resources committee will also weigh in during the review process.
The O’Brien project will be the largest housing development Shelburne has ever had, but it won’t be the first the company has completed in the town. Developments to the north and east of the property are also O’Brien developments.
“Andrew Gill, my colleague, was born and raised here in Shelburne. I live just down the road in Charlotte. We’re members of this community,” Evan Langfeldt said. He said the project will happen in stages, not overnight.
The zoning updates, development review, and Act 250 process are expected to take at least two years, and the company expects to be building for a decade.
Shelburne News
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COURTESY DIAGRAM
This diagram from O’Brien Brothers’ website shows the location of its planned development between Thomas Road and Spear Street.
OPINION
It’s important to navigate the challenges with a steady hand
From the Senate
Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale
Like the rest of the country, Vermont faces uncertainty due to the federal funding and hiring freeze. Essential programs — including healthcare, housing, education, and public safety — are at risk. While Washington gridlock dominates headlines, our focus remains on practical, local solutions that serve all Vermonters.
Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale
Federal policy shifts may also impact civil rights protections, immigration laws, and economic well-being. But Vermont has always stood for fairness, inclusion, and protecting individual freedoms. No matter what happens at the national level, we are committed to ensuring that our
state remains a safe and welcoming place for all.
Education finance reform
Governor Scott’s Jan. 28 budget address outlined key funding priorities, including a major proposal to consolidate Vermont’s school system from 119 districts to just five. This raises critical questions: How will it be funded? What will the impact be on small, rural schools? How can we ensure transparency in the process?
We recognize that reform is needed, but it must be done carefully to avoid negative consequences for students, teachers, and families. That’s why we encourage communities to engage in these discussions. Education must remain efficient, effective, and equitable for all Vermont students, and that can only happen with strong public input.
Addressing Vermont’s housing crisis
We can all agree that housing affordability is one of Vermont’s most pressing issues. A lack of affordable homes contributes to broader financial strain on
families and affects workforce retention across industries. We must work together — across party lines — to ensure that Vermonters have access to safe, stable housing.
Our priorities include expanding housing development while maintaining Vermont’s unique character; investing in infrastructure to improve flood resilience and energy efficiency; and supporting workforce development in construction and trades to meet housing demand.
These steps will not only address the housing shortage but also strengthen our economy and communities.
Healthcare and climate action
Vermont has an opportunity to lead the conversation on healthcare and climate action with practical, cost-effective solutions.
We’ve made progress. Treasurer Pieciak’s plan could eliminate $100 million in medical debt.
Medicaid coverage is expand-
See HINSDALE on page 13
Selectboard reflects on O’Brien sewer service petition decision
Guest Perspective
Editor’s note: the authors are members of the Shelburne Selectboard.
After eight months of deliberation, the Shelburne Selectboard voted unanimously to approve the O’Brien sewer service petition. This was a necessary first step in a long process intended to enable a large new housing development in Shelburne. With a maximum of 375 homes over 200 acres, the O’Brien development could be comparable in scale to the Hullcrest/Juniper Ridge neighborhood, which has about 350 homes on approx-
imately 198 acres. Given the significance of this decision, we wanted to offer some reflections, particularly for those less involved in the dialogue to date.
Each selectboard member weighed the trade-offs of this decision individually, but all concluded that the significant benefits to the entire community outweigh the valid concerns. These benefits, captured in the enforceable requirements and limitations of a pre-development agreement contract, are now perpetually attached to the property. They include:
• Up to 45 units of inclusionary housing (perpetually affordable to qualified buyers with between 80-150% of the area median income). This would be the largest inclusionary housing contribution by any unsubsidized Shelburne development.
um-sized homes, providing more smaller, market-rate housing availability than Shelburne has seen in years.
• Some of the remaining homes, whose size will be determined by market demand, will undoubtedly be more expensive. However, studies indicate a housing shortage across all price points, and increasing supply — even of higher-end homes — alleviates local market pressures.
• Approximately 88 acres of newly conserved land, marking the largest addition to Shelburne’s open space in a generation, along with additional protection for other forested areas and riverbanks.
• Miles of new pedestrian and biking paths, representing the most significant path extensions
Chunka Mui, Andrew Everett, Luce Hillman and Matt Wormser See O’BRIEN PETITION on page 6
• Up to 132 small and medi-
Meeting the moment to build more housing
Guest Perspective
Lindsay Kurrle
This is a pivotal moment in the history of Vermont that will determine our future. It’s imperative we all realize that housing is the foundation of how we will meet this moment to create the momentum that will reverse our demographic decline.
Housing will bring more working age people here and help fill our schools with kids.
O’BRIEN PETITION
continued from page 5
in more than a decade.
• Millions in one-time and recurring taxes and fees, which will help repair nearby sidewalks and ease Town budget pressures.
• More efficient use of schools and town infrastructure without undue strain.
• Avoiding potentially costly litigation and the negative consequences of losing an Act 47 test case.
We recognize there are serious concerns, including additional traffic, the loss of scenic hayfields, burdens on neighbors, and the aesthetic impact of a large development so close to the historic Village. While the pre-development agreement helps mitigate potential downsides, these concerns will require ongoing attention and adaptation throughout the multi-year zoning, development review board and Act 250 reviews and appeals before any homes are
More housing will improve public safety outcomes. Housing will give those most vulnerable Vermonters a chance to access and achieve stable rental or homeownership options.
Turning the tide on housing will grow municipal grand lists, increase the tax base, and ease the property tax obligation we all share by spreading it out over more properties. As Gov. Scott repeatedly says, we need more taxpayers, not more taxes.
Housing is the key that can
permitted or built.
And, given that the homes will be phased in over a period of up to a decade, we’re hopeful that additional compromises can be reached once detailed designs and permit applications are developed.
On balance, however, we voted in favor of the petition because it represents a meaningful step in the right direction. It helps to address a crisis-level housing shortage while advancing other town priorities, such as conservation, bike and pedestrian connectivity, and fiscal health. For us, the benefits significantly outweighed the trade-offs.
Our view is shared by many community members who voiced their support publicly and privately. These include the Shelburne Housing Committee, Shelburne Forward Together Housing Task Force, all local
unlock so much of what will make Vermont a vibrant place, not just for us, but for our children and their children. This is the moment we find ourselves in.
And here’s the thing: we can accomplish the goal of adding more housing without losing the Vermont we love.
Gov. Scott recently said “(We) don’t want houses to litter our mountainsides or development that replaces our farmland.” What we do want is to improve the current system to make it easier
and faster to build and rehab houses, condominiums, and apartments where we want them.
Adding more housing requires all of us to be engaged advocates for growth. For too long, we have allowed the voices of opposition to dominate our local discourse on housing. We need Vermonters to loudly and publicly advocate for progress.
fix this problem overnight and we can’t buy our way out of it by asking taxpayers to fund all new housing.
Adding more housing requires all of us to be engaged advocates for growth.
members of Shelburne’s state legislative delegation, the Vermont commissioners of Housing, Human Services, and Economic Development (all of whom are Shelburne residents), and local employers, including Meagan Buckley, the CEO of Wake Robin.
We’d like to close by thanking the many community members — supporters and opponents alike — who participated in thoughtful discussion throughout the many meetings, Front Porch Forum posts and Shelburne News coverage. While at times understandably heated, it was the kind of respectful dialogue we wish were much more commonplace in the wider political landscape. We welcome your comments and questions and look forward to continuing in this manner in the months and years ahead as this project unfolds.
Preserving Vermont’s beauty does not mean placing our state in a time capsule, freezing potential progress with our nostalgia. We cannot create starter homes, residences designed for aging in place, and homes for our kids and grandkids unless we embrace building in our communities.
We need more places to rent and buy in every corner of Vermont at every price point. To learn more about the scale of the issue, I encourage you to look at the “Statewide and Regional Housing Target” report released earlier this week. Look up what the recommendations mean for your community. Then see the building that has been happening in your community the last few years via the new Housing Development Dashboard. The picture is stark and every region can be doing more.
We recently unveiled our proposal and will begin working with lawmakers on our Omnibus Housing Bill in the coming days which contains policies intended to preserve Vermont’s beauty and natural resources while bringing more housing online. We can’t
The bill calls for, among other things, further appeals reform to expedite cases, shift the cost of permit appeals to the appellant and raise the standard for petition appeals, which are widely viewed as a mechanism for preventing the construction of new homes. We want to add tools to help small communities that don’t have the capacity to manage development projects so that they can expand their grand lists and welcome new people to town. And we want to remove barriers for adding homes to areas that are already served by public water and wastewater.
I am optimistic, despite the immense housing challenge we face. Legislative leaders are now embracing the need for more housing and the integral role housing plays in affordability. I look forward to working with them to increase housing options for all Vermonters.
I am also hopeful that Vermonters will embrace this mission. Affordability cannot be achieved for all of us until we build more homes. The stakes are high, but so is the opportunity to shape Vermont’s future.
Lindsay Kurrle is Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
add $500
OUTDOORS
Don’t miss your garden; do it inside
a variety of leaf shapes, textures, patterns and colors, including green, silver and deep red.
Cold weather has arrived, and you’ve put your garden to bed for the season. That doesn’t mean you can’t garden. Just shift your focus from outdoors to in.
Adding foliage plants to your home can help satisfy your need to be surrounded by green. Easyto-grow choices that are also tolerant of the low-light conditions common in winter include pothos (Epipremnum aureum), philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) and Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum).
Aloe (Aloe vera), a succulent, will do well near a window with bright, indirect light. Begonias (Semperflorens) are available in
With any houseplant you select, check its light requirements. Keep it away from heat sources and cold drafts and be careful not to overwater. Soggy soil can lead to root rot and other problems.
If you’re more interested in flowers than greenery, consider African violets (Saintpaulia), cape primrose (Streptocarpus) or moth orchids (Orchidaceae) for long-lasting blooms to brighten winter days.
Water as needed, and feed with a fertilizer recommended for flowering houseplants according to package directions. Remove faded blossoms.
Flowering plants are likely
Northeastern hawks still soar throughout cold winter months
The Outside Story
Susan Shea
Driving on Vermont’s Interstate highways in winter, I often notice large hawks perched in trees on woodland edges at regular intervals along the road. With the stark landscape providing better visibility and many bird species gone for the winter, this is a great time of year to hawk-watch.
The raptor I see most along the highway has a white breast with a band of dark brown streaks across the belly, a brown back, and a reddish tail. This is a red-tailed hawk, North America’s most common hawk.
Some species of hawks that breed in northern New England migrate south for the winter, but most red-tailed hawks remain and are joined by others of their kind from Canada. I frequently see red-tailed hawks soaring above open areas. They turn slow circles on broad, rounded wings, with their tail feathers fanned out, and occasionally emit a piercing kreer.
surplus kills in shrubs and tree hollows for future meals.
Kestrels favor open areas such as fields, pastures, and parks. They are common in the Champlain Valley in winter. Kestrel populations have decreased 53 percent over the last fifty years, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Declines are likely due to the cutting of dead trees they use for nesting, the loss of insect prey due to pesticides, and farming practices that remove trees and brush, making rodents scarce.
Some hawk species hunt other birds and will visit feeders in winter, hoping to catch a tasty meal. One is the sharp-shinned hawk, our smallest accipiter. Raptors in this genus have short, broad wings and long tails which enable them to fly through the woods at high speeds in pursuit of prey. Adult sharpshinned hawks have a gray back, orange, horizontal bars across the breast, and a banded tail.
to require more light than those grown for their foliage. Be sure to check the needs of specific plants. Required light levels and tolerance for direct sunlight will vary. Consider adding a supplemental light source if you don’t have a suitable window that provides sufficient sunlight.
Indoor gardening during the winter months isn’t limited to houseplants. With a little extra work, you can include edibles in your indoor gardening plans. What could be more visually satisfying than a row of potted herbs basking in the faux sunshine on a grow-lighted shelf?
Herbs such as chives (Allium
Red-tailed hawks belong to the genus Buteo, and are often referred to simply as buteos; all hawks in this group share this distinctive flight silhouette. From the sky, they scan for prey with their keen eyesight until they spot an unsuspecting rodent, then suddenly swoop down to grab it in their talons. They also hunt from high perches, such as trees along highways. These raptors prey on mice, voles, rabbits, squirrels, and some waterfowl and other birds.
They prefer open country interspersed with woods. In winter, the Champlain Valley and parts of the Connecticut River Valley are hotspots for them.
Another hawk that can be spotted in open areas is the American kestrel, North America’s smallest falcon. Males have a rusty back and tail, a slate-blue head and wings, and the pointed wings and long tail of a falcon, while females are just rufous.
Look for a small hawk perched on a utility pole or wire or hovering over a field, flapping its wings. In summer, kestrels consume many grasshoppers and other insects, but in winter they prey solely on small rodents and birds. They will stash
Although they breed in dense forests, in winter they frequent woodland edges, fields, and suburban backyards with feeders where it’s easier to spot songbirds and mice.
The Cooper’s hawk, a medium-sized accipiter, also visits bird feeders in winter. Very similar in appearance to the sharp-shinned hawk, it can take on larger prey such as pigeons, doves and squirrels.
While snowshoeing or skiing in the forest, if you’re lucky you may glimpse an American goshawk, our largest accipiter. This uncommon and secretive bird of prey has a gray back, streaked breast, and a white stripe over its orange eyes.
The goshawk hunts larger prey than our two other accipiters, such as rabbits and grouse.
In summer, goshawks are known to fiercely defend their nests. With the mate making a racket nearby, I was once dive-bombed by a goshawk when I unwittingly got too close to a nest while hiking.
In some winters, it’s possible to see an arctic hawk called the roughlegged hawk in northern New England. Another species of buteo, these hawks move south seeking open habitat similar to the north-
ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL
DEBORAH J. BENOIT UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT EXTENSION
Shelburne paths committee to discuss local concerns
The Shelburne Bike & Pedestrian Paths Committee holds local concerns meeting Feb. 18 at 4:30 p.m. at the town hall, 5420 Shelburne Road,
It is the first public meeting dedicated to improving bicyclist and pedestrian connections along Route 7 between Lower Webster Road and Shelburne Village.
The “Shared Use Path Scoping Study” will explore alternatives for improved multimodal connections between the existing Lower Webster Road shared use path and the amenities that the Village Center has to offer, while fostering connections among Shelburne’s residential areas in between.
For comments or questions, contact Jason Charest at jcharest@ccrpcvt.org.
All Souls hosts art walk mixing sight and sound
“Winterdeep,” a sound and light art installation, is on Saturdays in February at All Souls Interfaith Gathering, 291 Old Bostwick Farm Rd., Shelburne. It is a wild celebration of winter-themed poetry illustrated by Vermont fine artists with ambient
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
music by Vermont musicians.
Along a walking trail, projections play on grapevine screens sharing a single poem, and a work of art is slowly revealed as the poem is read. Giant paper lantern sculptures illuminate the trail that ends at the luminary lit labyrinth.
Ticket holders can enter on their own any time during their time slot and take as much time as they would like to appreciate the exhibit. Shows are Feb 8, 15 and 22 between 6-8:30 p.m. Tickets are available at treewild.org. Proceeds fund the Treewild scholarship program.
Shelburne political parties host meet-the-candidate night
The Shelburne Democratic and Republican committees, in conjunction with the Shelburne Progressive Committee, are hosting a forum to meet candidates for local elected offices, Monday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m.
The forum is an opportunity for residents to learn more about the candidates’ backgrounds, priorities, reasons for running for office and their points of view about town government process and policy.
The forum will also be livestreamed at mediafactory.org/shelburne, with a rebroad-
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cast available few days later.
Questions for the candidates are generated from town residents and voters and should be concise and indicate whether the question should be addressed to all candidates or one candidate in particular.
Send questions by Saturday night, Feb. 9, via email to both the forum moderator, Tom Little, littlet@vsac.org, the forum coordinator, Nancy Baker, nebakervt@gmail.com. Include your name and Shelburne address.
Candidates for Town Meeting Day, March 4, are:
• Selectboard member, 3-year term: Michael X. Ashooh
• Selectboard Member, 2-year term: Luce R. Hillman
• Champlain Valley School District School director, 3-Year Term, Erika Lea
• Town Moderator: Thomas A. Little Voters can request a Town Meeting Day ballot from the Shelburne Town Clerk or The Vermont Secretary of State’s. Absentee
News from Pierson Library
Here are some of the upcoming events offered at the Pierson Library, 5376 Shelburne Road.
•Writer’s group: Next session, Saturday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m.
Generate new writing while finding support, encouragement and readership for creative writing works-in-progress at this new monthly support group. Each session will begin with a writing exercise lead by a local professional and then we will dive into the kind consideration of a peer’s pre-read pages. The next session is a creative nonfiction exercise led by local humorist, fly-fisherman and memoirist Peter Cammann. Call ahead to register or just drop-in 802-9855124.
• Author talk with Ned McMahon, Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m. Shelburne resident and University of Vermont professor Ned McMahon, who is also an international development consultant and former diplomat, is sharing his first work of fiction.
“Wisdom Under the Baobab Tree” is about the life, love and challenges of a somewhat
intelligent, somewhat handsome, and slightly naïve young American who is drawn into the politics of a fictitious but realistic African country, drawing on McMahon’s own years of work and life across the continent. This relevant book tackles themes of both personal and national development, and the challenges of nurturing a democratic political system in an authoritarian context.
• Reprisal of our Valentine’s Day Pheromone Party, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. The playful, chemically-enthusiastic and temporarily loveless alike are invited to join in on a different sort of Valentine’s event. Call ahead to register and specify if you’re seeking same-sex, opposite-sex, trans, cis or all-of-the-above connection, and arrive with a t-shirt you’ve slept in for three days, sealed in an airtight baggy. The library will match patrons based on preferences and smell-connections, providing opportunities to meet. The library will also provide cupcakes and screen a 1989 Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal rom-com. Questions? Call 802-985-5124.
A unique primitive camp for boys, ages 10-14 located in Vermont’s Green Mountains
Geoffrey Paul Penar
Geoffrey Paul Penar of Shelburne, unexpectedly died at his home on Jan. 28, 2025, at the age of 36, due to a seizure disorder, a complication of a previous head injury. Geoffrey was born in Burlington, the son of Paul Penar and Dorothea Fraver Penar, and the only true Vermonter in the family.
Geoffrey was a naturally talented musician who could play many instruments but specialized in classic voice. He intuitively understood music from an early age. He performed in Lyric and Stowe shows as a youth and even appeared on the radio show “From the Top.” After attending St. Johnsbury Academy, where he memorably performed in several musicals and in the jazz band, he was awarded a scholarship to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, graduating with high distinction in 2011. He then earned a master’s degree and an artist’s diploma in vocal performance from McGill University.
Geoffrey worked in performances across the United States and in Canada. He described himself as “a seasoned musical theater/classical and opera/rock singer and pianist ... who has traveled North America performing such roles as Lescaut in Manon,’ Leporello in ‘Don Giovanni,’ Papageno in ‘The Magic Flute,’ Tarquinius in ‘The Rape of Lucretia,’ Count Almaviva in ‘The Marriage of Figaro,’ Lancelot in ‘Camelot,’ and Puck and Bottom in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ He has worked for Saratoga Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Green Mountain Opera, Middlebury Opera, Hubbard Hall, Ohio Light Opera and Pacific Music Works. He has also played piano, saxophone, clarinet and sang in various jazz
combos and rock groups over the last 20 years.”
He recently started a new life, returning to Vermont, teaching voice and piano in Shelburne and serving as the cantor at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, his childhood parish. In January he was a judge in the Allstate Music Competition and last performed on stage in Brahm’s ‘Requiem’ in German as a featured soloist with the Vermont Mahler Festival Orchestra on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Geoffrey was a football afficionado, ran fantasy leagues, and loved the New England Patriots and the Michigan Wolverines. His hockey team was the Detroit Red Wings, as his parents grew up in Michigan.
Many have described his humility despite an impressive natural talent in voice and many forms of music, but above all, they appreciated his kindness as a teacher and friend. His sense of humor and wonderful voice will be missed by all who knew him.
He is survived by his parents and by his brother Peter Penar, sister-inlaw Eva, and niece Angélique. Also surviving him are his godparents Mary Ann and Anthony Marinel-
lo, Aunt Elizabeth Crucitt, Uncles Fredrick and Lawrence Penar, and Uncles Charles and Terry Fraver — and many cousins.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, Feb. 14 at the Ready Funeral Home, South Chapel, 261 Shelburne Road, Burlington, from 5-7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial
will be celebrated on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Church Street, Shelburne.
In keeping with Geoffrey’s passions for music and for American civics fostered at St. Johnsbury Academy, in lieu of flowers, he would want you to contribute to
Student Milestones
the Julian Music Fund at St. Johnsbury Academy, 1000 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, or to the ACLU. Arrangements are in the care of Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To share online condolences, please visit www.readyfuneral.com.
Several Shelburne students received academic honors for the fall semester. Their colleges sent the news along to the newspaper.
Kaitlin Boehmcke, a freshman majoring in nursing and playing lacrosse, was named to the president’s list (GPA of 3.8 or higher) at Husson University.
The following Shelburne students were named to the dean’s
list at Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Benjamin McAuliffe, class of 2027, majoring in bioinformatics and computational biology; and Freja Nilsson, class of 2028, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. River Mitchell was named to Springfield College’s dean’s list. Mitchell has a primary major of communications/sports journalism.
Laura Wolfsen was named to the Vermont State University president’s list, for a semester grade point average of 4.0.
The following Shelburne students were named to the University of Rhode Island’s dean’s list: Beverly Amblo, Sam Haydock Travis Stroh was named to the honors list at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Geoffrey Paul Penar
COURTESY PHOTO
Six first-graders from Shelburne Community School raised $250 for the Food Shelf by hosting a “Draw A Pet” club — like a lemonade stand, but for customized drawings of people’s pets. The community’s generosity was overwhelming.
continued from page 8
ballots will be mailed soon.
Residents can also register to vote at the forum.
NOFA-VT to host annual winter conference at UVM
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont hosts its 43rd annual winter conference Feb. 15-16 at the University of Vermont.
Saturday is a day of learning and gathering with keynote speakers Dãnia Davy and Tim Gibbons, 40-plus workshops, a children’s conference, and many more activities. Sunday features a day of in-person, immersive, workshops with a choice of four topics.
This year’s theme is “Growing Together.”
Registration is open on a sliding scale from $0-320. For the most up-to-date infor-
OUTSIDE STORY
continued from page 7
ern tundra such as farm fields and airports. This raptor has narrow wings, a long tail, and a large head. The dense feathering on its legs, an adaptation to cold, gives the roughlegged its name.
The plumage of this species varies in pattern and color.
While driving, gazing at your backyard feeder, or walking outdoors this winter, keep
mation and to register, nofavt.org/conference.
Author, forester to talk about “How to Love a Forest”
The Burlington Garden Club hosts Ethan Tapper for a talk about how forests work, the many threats and stressors that Vermont’s forests face, and what it means to care for forests in a changed and changing world.
The talk is Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. at Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset Street, South Burlington.
Tapper, the author of the 2024 book “How to Love a Forest,” served as the Chittenden County Forester from 2016-2024, a role for which he earned numerous awards and distinctions. Now he runs his own forestry company —Bear Island Forestry — and writes and works on his homestead.
beautiful, long-lasting blooms
GARDEN
your eyes peeled for these skilled hunters and masters of flight.
Susan Shea is a naturalist, writer, and conservationist based in Vermont. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: nhcf.org.
Invest in COMFORT
continued from page 7
schoenoprasum), basil (Ocimum basilicum) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) can be grown in pots on a bright windowsill. Plants may be available at a local greenhouse or can be started from seed. Keep plants away from cold drafts and contact with window glass, which can damage leaves and slow growth.
If a plant needs full sun outdoors, it will require plenty of light indoors. Leggy growth can indicate insufficient light. A window with full sun and a southern exposure will work best for many plants, but a grow light may make your plant happier and more productive.
A home-grown salad in January harvested from a container of lettuce (Lactuca sativa), spinach (Spinacia oleracea) or other greens can be immensely satisfying. You’ll need a good light source, potting mix, water and, of course, seeds. For more detailed information on growing salad greens, see go.uvm.edu/indoor-greens.
Growing vegetables like tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) or peppers (Capsicum) can provide an extra challenge and personal satisfaction. Varieties such as Tiny
Tim and Micro Tom have a compact form and grow well in pots. In general, choose smaller-fruited tomatoes for best results.
Use quality potting soil. Provide plenty of room for good air circulation. Temperatures should be warm (around 70 degrees Fahrenheit). Water consistently and fertilize according to package directions. Stake as needed. Once flowers appear, a gentle shake of the stem can aid pollination in the absence of pollinators.
Growing potted vegetables indoors will require supplemental light to produce fruit. For information on selecting and using grow lights, see go.uvm.edu/grow-lights.
If you have pets, check whether plants in your indoor garden are pet friendly. Keep any that may be toxic out of reach or select alternatives.
No matter what plants or methods you choose, moving your garden indoors can keep your inner gardener content until spring arrives.
Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension master gardener.
Spring programs and summer camp registration will open on Feb.11.
• Valentine Dance, Friday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Shelburne Town Gym. Open to kids grades K-5, who must be accompanied by an adult. Light snacks, treats and drinks will be served, and each child gets a take home memento. Advanced purchase of tickets is recommended to avoid a long line at the dance entrance. Prices: $10 per child, $15 per adult. Purchase Tickets in person at the Recreation Office.
• Free toddler open gym, Sundays, Feb. 9 and 23, March 2 and 30, and April 13 and 27, from 9:30-11 a.m. at the Shelburne Town Gymnasium. Come play and connect with others. No pre-registration necessary, just sign in at the door. A parent or care-
giver must be present. Scooters, bikes, and ride-on toys are not permitted. There will be balls, hoops, and tumbling mats to play with. Indoor shoes, or socks are needed inside the gym, and no food in the gym. In case of inclement weather, call 802-9859551 to check for cancellations.
• Free senior walking program, Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays through April 2, at 9 a.m. Stay active and healthy during the icy and cold winter months by walking in a safe and warm environment. Bring a pair of clean, dry soft-soled shoes with you and change before entering the gym. No registration is required. Shelburne Residents only.
More information shelburnevt.org/160/ Parks-Recreation.
Shelburne Parks & Rec News
PHOTO BY DEBORAH J. BENOIT
The
of the cape primrose will help brighten winter days.
FORTIN
continued from page 1
Shelburne Police. It was a passion he held for two dozen years.
Former Shelburne Police Chief James Warden hired Fortin as a patrol officer in 1989. Fortin worked his way up to sergeant and later lieutenant at the police department. He eventually retired in August 2018.
Fortin jumped at the chance to become the first fulltime safety office in Chittenden County through the sheriff’s office in October 2018. It soon expanded to other nearby counties.
During his career, Fortin also found time to serve the state of Vermont as a deputy game warden for 24 years.
Fortin was a master chef and known for his incredible apple pies.
He also served his hometown of Hinesburg as its first part-time police chief (1989-95) while still working for Shelburne. He stayed on in Hinesburg as a part-time lieutenant to help the town’s first fulltime chief, Chris Morrell, until 1999.
In 2019, Fortin was one of six leading candidates to become police chief again in Hinesburg, but the town eventually picked an applicant with less experience as a police officer and no administrative background.
HUBBARD
continued from page 3
“I didn’t meet a single person who thought they were doing their job,” he said. “When you’ve got problems with the structure and the financing of our country, the way we run our political system, that has resulted in the division we have in the country, and that’s flowed through to Congress.”
He argues that if both parties are focusing on just that, promoting the general welfare of all Americans, it may be possible for people to cross political party lines and find some agreement.
“You may have to compromise, but you’re both working in the same direction,” he said.
What America has come to, in his eyes, is a different situation, one where the rich get richer, the middle-class collapses, and the working class faces low wages, debt, lack of healthcare and too little educational opportunity.
“A majority of those who are representing are more interested in getting re-elected and pleasing the wealthy financial people whose money they need to get re-elected and pleasing their political party than they are in governing to pass legislation that addresses the biggest issues,” he said.
Fortin, who was assigned at Shelburne Police to a 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift, laughed when he was told he would be working at the sheriff’s office a Monday through Friday day shift with no scheduled nights, weekends or holidays. He still managed to show up for safety roadblocks on some weekend nights to support area departments.
A Hinesburg native, Fortin moved to Monkton and graduated from Mount Abraham Union High School in 1982.
He served in the U.S. Army for a couple of years before returning to Vermont, where his family opened a restaurant in Hinesburg in the mid-1980s. Fortin became the Hinesburg town constable in October 1987.
Fortin was a master chef and known for his incredible apple pies.
OPEN HOUSE
Friday APRIL 4 8:30-11:30am
Tour our campus, meet teachers, and get information for the 2025-26 school year at Trinity Baptist School, a K-12 Christian school, and Little Lambs Preschool for 3 years to Pre-K.
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But the problems span political parties and didn’t develop just under one party and not the other, he said. Ironically, his crusade for democracy ended just days before the next presidential inauguration, a transition in power that he said has never been like any he’s seen in his life.
“We’ve never had such a black-and-white contrast setting up,” he said. “But they all take the same oath, and I really think that that’s a good way that people can go on the offensive in terms of addressing this issue because they all take the same oath to do what’s in that preamble.”
While he didn’t get to witness the inauguration in person due to inclement weather and other factors, the fateful ending did cap off, in more ways than one, a courageous fight for democracy. While he has no plans for a future crusade of this same level, he plans to keep up his fight both locally and statewide.
“If there’s a takeaway from my walk, it’s that all Americans, of all ideologies, Trumpers right through to ardent Democrats, we all know it isn’t working,” he said. “We divide like hell as to how to fix it and who we turn to to fix it. But the point is, we all want it fixed.”
Guiding you home
CVU girls race to second straight track title
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Indoor track and field
Buoyed by their strength in the distance running events, the Champlain Valley girls’ indoor track and field team captured the Division I state championship for the second year in a row.
CVU finished ahead of second-place St. Johnsbury during Sunday’s D-I final the University of Vermont.
Alice Kredell paced the Redhawks with first place finishes in the 1,000-meter and 1,600-meter races. Lydia Donahue was first in the 3,200-meter race and second in the 1,600. Isabella Gravina-Budis came in first in the 600-meter race and second in the 1,000.
Champlain Valley also captured first in the 4x400 meter relay to set the tone for the day.
On the boys’ side, Champlain Valley came in third place overall.
Quintin Fortier was first in the 300-meter race and Benjamin Holoch came in first in the 3,200meter event.
Boys’ hockey
Champlain Valley 2, Middlebury 1: The Champlain Valley boys’ ice hockey team beat Middlebury on Saturday to capture its third win in a row.
Ronan Evans and Brady Jones each had a goal for the Redhawks, who also got an assist from Sawyer Wellman.
Tommy Barnes stopped 10 shots on goal for CVU.
The Redhawks also got a win last Wednesday, beating BFA-St. Albans 5-4.
Teigen Holmes, Jameson
Yandow, Eric Weinberg, Brady Jones and Jack Bryan each had a goal for the Redhawks, while Tommy Barnes had 17 saves.
Girls’ hockey
Champlain Valley/Mount Mansfield 6, U-32 4: In a goalfilled game, the Champlain ValleyMount Mansfield girls hockey team beat U-32 on Saturday afternoon.
Mackenzie Rivard tallied twice for the CougarHawks, while Maeve Gilbert, Livia Brochu, Devin Taylor and Mae Arnoldy each had a goal.
Eva Mazur dished out three assists for the CVU-MMU and Ella Gilbert stopped 20 shots to get the win in goal.
The win helped the CougarHawks rebound from an early week loss to Burlington-Colchester. CVU-MMU fell to Burlington-Colchester 5-1.
Sophie Brien had the lone goal.
Girls’ basketball
Champlain Valley 40, BFA-St. Albans 30: Champlain Valley beat BFA-St. Albans on Friday night to add another notch to the win column in high school girls’ basketball.
Zoey McNabb had 18 points to pace the Redhawks, while Rose Bunting added 11 points.
Boys’ basketball
Mount Mansfield 42, Champlain Valley 31: Champlain Valley was outscored 14-3 in the final quarter in a loss to Mount Mansfield on Thursday.
Luke Allen had 10 points and five rebounds to pace the Redhawks in a losing effort.
CVU and Mount Mansfield were tied at 28 heading into the final frame.
Summer Camps
March 6 April 3
Summer Camp Sign-Up Time!
Promote your program in our Summer Camps issues for focused reach to a local audience of kids and parents as they make plans for the upcoming summer season. This advertising section captures the attention of summer camp and recreation seekers, making it the ideal place to outline your offerings and secure more early enrollments. To learn more or reserve your space, call us today! Shelburne News/The Citizen at 802-238-4980, The Other Paper at 802-734-2928 or Stowe Reporter/News & Citizen at 802-253-2101 for information or to advertise your camp (ask about multi-paper and color deals). Deadlines: Thursdays before each issue.
PHOTO BY AL FREY
Redhawk senior Jackson DuBois goes up for an easy layup versus Mount Mansfield last Thursday.
HINSDALE
continued from page 5
ing, improving access for rural communities. We are advocating for healthcare workers’ wages and workforce protections.
The next challenge is ensuring affordability while maintaining t he financial sustainability of our healthcare system. We welcome community input as we shape policies that balance these priorities.
Vermont’s economy and way of life depend on a clean, healthy environment. But climate action must also consid-
er economic impacts on families and businesses. Our approach focuses on strengthening flood resilience and infrastructure to protect communities; investing in clean water and waste management solutions for public health; and encouraging energy efficiency and innovation while keeping costs reasonable for consumers.
We believe Vermont can balance environmental responsibility with economic stability, ensuring a sustainable future
without placing undue financial pressure on residents.
A Common-Sense Path Forward
We are at a pivotal moment. Vermont’s challenges — whether in education, housing, healthcare, or climate — demand practical, results-driven solutions that rise above partisan politics. Vermonters expect us to work together, and that’s exactly what we intend to do.
We will continue seeking
Town of Shelburne Notice of Ordinance Adoption
Vermont law requires certain public notice when a local law changes. On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, the Shelburne Selectboard held a public hearing and approved an amendment to the sewer Ordinance. The action was,
The Selectboard of the Town of Shelburne hereby ordains that the service area map appendix of the Sewer Ordinance be amended to include the portion of Parcel 582-18310912 north of Thomas Road, approximately 110 acres.
A complete copy of all new ordinances and documents can be viewed on the Town of Shelburne’s website at shelburnevt.org or at the Town Office during business hours. Call the Town Office at 802264-5075 with any questions, or email Diana Vachon at dvachon@shelburnevt.org, or mail to PO Box 88, Shelburne VT 05482.
Vermont law (24 VSA §1977) and the Town Charter allow for overrule or disapproval of ordinances by a petition and special town meeting process.
-Ordered printed by Matt Lawless, town manager
common ground, prioritizing affordability, and strengthening Vermont’s future. Your voices matter, and we encourage you to participate—whether by attending town halls, reaching out to local legislators, or sharing your thoughts with us directly.
Let’s work together to ensure Vermont remains a place where
everyone can thrive.
Kesha Ram Hinsdale, a Democrat from Shelburne, serves the towns of South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Burlington, St. George, Underhill, Jericho, Richmond, Williston and Bolton in the Legislature.
Shelburne Bike & Pedestrian Paths Committee US Route 7 – Lower Webster to the Village Scoping Study
Local Concerns Meeting to be held February 18, 2025 4:30-7:30 PM; Presentation: 6:00 PM
Town Hall – 5420 Shelburne Road - Meeting Rooms 1 and 2
Join us for the first public meeting on improving bicyclist and pedestrian connections along US Route 7 between Lower Webster Road and Shelburne Village.
Learn about proposed enhancements and share your input!
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continued from page 1
Rep. Angela Arsenault, D-Chittenden-2, a Williston resident who has sponsored the bill in the Legislature is also a member and former chair of CVSD’s school board and a member of its policy committee — her term ends this spring.
The Senate bill falling to the wayside spurred her to act in the house and in her own district.
“I knew from last spring that I was going to introduce this legislation in January, as soon as the session started, but I still don’t know exactly what’s going to happen with it,” she said. “So, I wanted to also really push for a policy in our district, because I believe it’s the best thing for kids.”
Arsenault said she brought up the possibility of developing a phone-free school policy to the school board’s policy committee last year. The district then started moving carefully as it considered what a policy like that might look like in CVSD.
This past fall, superintendent Adam Bunting spearheaded an administrative committee, which is separate from the school board, that studied cell-phone use in the district’s schools and how a bellto-bell phone ban might impact student well-being. They conducted a survey of Champlain Valley
Union High School faculty and staff, and met with principals, teachers, and students at Harwood Union High School in Duxbury, which instituted a phone-free policy this past year.
Nearly 90 percent of CVU staff was in support, and the committee’s findings from Harwood were that students and teachers alike felt that their bell-to-bell policy had increased student participation. Studies have also shown that phone bans can result in rising test scores among low-performing students and a decline in cyberbullying incidents.
The administrative committee recommended to the school board in December that it adopt a policy. The board’s policy committee expects to send the draft it began working on to the board for approval in March.
In their meeting this week, the policy committee reflected that they’re thankful they’ve had time to approach this slowly.
“We still have another bite at this in our March meeting of this committee, if we need it. It’s really nice to feel like we’re not rushing and that we have time to do this with care,” Erika Lea, school board director from Shelburne, said.
The Vermont House bill
would require that districts adopt a policy, but it doesn’t entirely shape what the policies or procedures should be, leaving those up to school boards and communities like CVSD’s to draft locally. It would also require that, within their policies, school boards make exceptions for medical uses or 504 plans and individualized education programs.
The proposed bill also includes a clause that prohibits using social media as part of education or communication with students.
In its current draft, the CVSD policy would meet all the state requirements apart from the social media clause. It institutes a ban on cell phone use from the beginning of the school day until dismissal, including time between classes, homeroom, recess, or lunch.
The committee is still considering how to approach buses and field trips, and whether those issues are better addressed in school procedures, rather than at the policy level. They plan to get feedback from district leadership, teachers, students, parents, and community members before the policy goes to the board for approval.
For Angela Arsenault, it’s been rewarding to be able to work on policies at both the state and local
“I am very grateful that they took this up in the district and they chose a really thoughtful approach and came to the decision through their own observations and conversations, that a bell-to-bell policy is what’s best,” she said. If the bill passes as introduced in the Legislature, the state will expect school districts and supervisory unions to have phone policies adopted by December of this year.
level at the same time.
FILE PHOTO
Boxes like this at schools provide students a place to lock away their phones for the day.