Food for thought
Legislators and school officials talk over issues at breakfast
Page 2
Double down Redhawk alpine teams win back-to-back ski titles for boys and girls
Page 12
Maple syrup makers deal with uncertainty
LIBERTY DARR & BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITERS
Steven Palmer of Shelburne Sugarworks had already been in conversation with CDL, a Canadian company, about purchasing a new $30,000 reverse osmosis machine for his business when President Donald Trump announced his plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian imports.
When Palmer heard about the tariffs, he knew he had to move fast.
“When the tariff discussion started happening, I was on the phone with those guys going, ‘OK, listen, yeah, it’s like 8,000
or 9,000 additional dollars, right? It’s a big deal. So, let’s figure it out. Can you guys make sure you can get it down here before the tariffs go into effect?’” he recalled.
Palmer was able to get his machine quickly, and before the start of sugaring season.
The reverse osmosis machine is an essential part of Palmer’s operation. Through pressure, it removes about 75 percent of the water from raw sap before the boiling and evaporation process, drastically increasing
See MAPLE SYRUP on page 10
Shelburne voters renew a commitment to open space
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Last week, more than 30 years after Shelburne’s Open Space Fund was created, voters once again overwhelmingly agreed to dedicate some of their tax dollars to the fund.
The Town Meeting Day vote was 1347451, almost three quarters of voters saying yes to allocating $100,000.
For land conservation proponents, this validates the town’s continued commitment to conserving open spaces.
“It’s always a ballot item, so the people get to choose whether or not to spend that money. And every year it’s one of the top
one of the top ballot items,” Gail Albert, a long-serving member of the Natural Resources and Conservation Committee, said.
Shelburne’s Open Space Fund was established in in the 1990’s as a way for the town to save up money to buy land for conservation. Since 1994, the fund has been used for 15 different land purchases, the largest of which, $250,000 to help buy and preserve farmland for Bread and Butter Farm, was allocated in 2009.
Although Shelburne residents have shown they’re committed to keeping the
OPEN SPACE on page 3
PHOTO BY BRIANA BRADY
Matt Fisher of Shelburne Sugarworks keeps an eye on the syrup on Saturday, during the season’s first boil.
Champlain Valley talks Scott’s plan with legislators
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Despite the difficulty of waking up the Monday morning after daylight savings begins, Champlain Valley School District’s board and local legislators met in the high school library at 7:30 a.m. for their annual legislative breakfast.
Over the course of about an hour and a half, the discussion focused almost entirely on Gov. Phil Scott’s new education plan, which aims to consolidate the state’s 119 school districts into five large districts and transition Vermont to a foundation formula for school funding. The governor’s stated goal is to cut $180 million in education funding.
As proposed, the foundation formula would assign $13,200 as a base amount per student and then weigh per-pupil funding in relation to other factors such as economic disadvantage or specific services. Among the critiques and questions posed Monday morning in response to the governor’s proposal, one call was repeated by both directors and legislators: they want Scott, who wants to enact his proposal by 2028, to slow down.
“I’m worried that, in the rush to claim some victory in this big quagmire, funding change will actually precede or overshadow what is in many ways more important, which is the quality of education that we are endeavoring to provide to every student in the state,” said Rep. Angela Arsenault, D-Williston, who stepped down from the CVSD board this year. Arsenault said focusing on education quality would take much longer than the governor’s current timeline and involve ongoing conversations with educators, students, and other stakeholders.
While there was some consensus and understanding that fewer school districts might ultimately make sense for the state, represen-
tatives and directors alike puzzled over the immediate focus on drawing maps, citing a need to first assess student and district needs before drawing lines.
Rep. Erin Brady, D-Williston, vice chair the House Committee on Education, claimed hearing the governor and consultants saying they were building a system from scratch, from the ground up, and saying the process was fun.
functioning and has to continue to function.”
Metzler said, at that rate, the funding formula wouldn’t allow for adequate compensation for teachers and education quality standards could not be met with the staffing model it outlines.
According to modeling done by the school district’s chief operation officer, Gary Marckres, this change in the funding formula would mean between a 10-20 percent drop for the district’s budget. If the state maintains special education funding and bussing as separate from the formula, he projected the district will face a deficit of 10-14 percent. If those items are rolled in with everything else, the district will be dealing with a 20 percent cut to its current operating budget.
This information resonates in a district that just passed a budget that significantly cut staff to bring down local property taxes and, as the largest school district in the state, is also already operating close to the target scale upon which Scott’s proposal is based.
“That is the most disgusting thing I’ve heard,” she said. “It is not fun, and it is not like we’re creating it from scratch. Schools exist. Kids are walking in the door right now. The whole system is
Brady referenced several steps she thought should be taken before a complete overhaul of the system, starting with data collection. For Brady, that includes looking at where school populations are growing, where they’re shrinking, and where school buildings are falling into disrepair. She said starting with class size minimums and targeting school construction with an eye towards consolidation could help lay the groundwork for the future. She added that state-
wide graduation requirements and a shared calendar could be immediate changes toward transforming the system.
“You don’t have to change everything this year,” she said.
“You don’t have to change everything this year.”
— Rep. Erin Brady
Board directors also shared concerns, not just about the speed at which these changes might be implemented, but the base calculations used to determine per-pupil spending.
“We don’t believe the foundation formula as stated, with $13,200 as the base, is sufficient funding for our district, or just forget about our district, whatever the district is,” Meghan Metzler, board chair said.
In 2024, the Legislature commissioned a study to evaluate Vermont education spending by applying an “evidence-based model.” According to the governor’s proposal, the study recommended that the state organize itself into districts no smaller that 3,900 students with 29 central office staff to optimize spending. Scott’s proposal scales that up, in the case of the proposed consolidated Champlain Valley district, to 34,000 students with more than 200 central office staff.
According to its recent annual report, the Champlain Valley School District currently serves just over 3,700 students. It has 30 employees in the central office.
“Don’t wreck the only evidence-based district that you have, from a scale standpoint, with this new legislation,” Dave Connery, school board member
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Champlain Valley school district officials and state lawmakers talk over the issues of the day in the high school library on Monday.
OPEN SPACE
continued from page 1
fund going, it has been a while since it’s been utilized. The last allocation was $50,000 for the purchase of 65 acres for Shelburne Farms Windmill Hill, in 2022.
However, voters have also passed allocation increases to the fund in the last few years. Until two years ago, the town had been allocating about $50,000 a year. Then, after the natural resources committee assessed increasing land prices, that amount doubled. Now, the fund stands between $400,000 and $500,000.
Land conservation is the only expense Shelburne saves for in this way. According to selectboard chair Mike Ashooh, that’s at least partially because the Natural Resources and Conservation Committee has been consistent about asking for it.
“We don’t have the fundraising capacity,” she said. “We’ve often worked with third party organizations like the Vermont Land Trust or the Lake Champlain Land Trust or the Nature Conservancy, who have a much broader reach and capacity to raise funds.”
While the portion that Shelburne provides to acquisitions through the Open Space Fund shows the town’s commitment to conservation projects, Albert said partner land trusts will sometimes take on overseeing the land, in addition to raising most of the funds.
“We don’t go out and say, ‘We want your land.’”
“The Natural Resources Committee, year after year, puts together a proposal to the board and says, ‘We’d like to put the question to the town of whether they want to put $100,000 into our open space fund.’ And everybody seems to think that’s a good idea,” he said.
According to Ashooh, there has been some discussion on the selectboard around the feasibility a similar fund for bike and pedestrian projects. However, while the fund is popular, Ashooh also wants the town to consider additional avenues for conserving land. For example, he said, he’s been talking to local land trusts to gain insight into how they operate.
Land trusts are usually nonprofit organizations, although some can be public and connected to municipalities, such as the one in South Burlington, that acquire and manage conserved land, often working with landowners to preserve their land in perpetuity.
For Albert, there are some significant challenges to Shelburne establishing a land trust.
EDUCATION
continued from page 2
from Shelburne, said.
According to Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Shelburne, Scott plans to buy the property tax rates down for the next two years, but not once the foundation formula goes into effect, potentially causing the district to have to then make up the difference with local property taxes.
Near the end of the meeting, board directors also brought up the elephant in the room: healthcare. According to Marckres, the district’s healthcare costs have gone up in recent years from $17,000 for a family plan to almost $40,000. This past year alone, healthcare costs rose by more than 10 percent. Other districts and municipalities across the state have seen similar increases.
“I haven’t done the numbers, but we’re
— Gail Albert
Ashooh also suggested the town could consider working with landowners to deed their land toward conservation, another activity often done by land trusts.
“You’re usually actually putting paying people to put deed restrictions on their property so that they won’t be developed, or that they’ll always remain a farm, or stuff like that,” he said.
Although Albert sees some challenges with reaching out to landowners about their deeds — the process can be long and complicated — she agrees that cultivating positive relationships with landowners is key to conserving land alongside the town’s drive to develop housing and encourage business growth.
“For many farmers, this has been generations of investment, and so their land is very important for them,” she said. “We don’t go out and say, ‘We want your land.’”
Whether the town ever establishes a land trust or not, Ashooh said that conserving land should be top of mind.
“I don’t really know what the right means to achieve the end is, but we’ve got to figure out how to be more proactive about land conservation, because these development pressures are just going to continue,” he said.
looking for like, $183 million in savings in the first year of foundation formula. I would say that it would be much easier to get that from healthcare than it would be to get that from the school finance system in the state,”
Marckres said
Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Williston, the chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, said she was planning to introduce a bill this week that would help bring down premium costs through reducing hospital-based costs.
To close out the meeting, Metzler made a request of the legislators.
“Our ask is that we not rush this, and it’s really important that you get this right,” she said. “When we rush, we have significant unintended consequences.”
Shelburne Police Blotter: March 2-8
Total reported incidents: 60
Traffic stops: 1
Warnings: 1
Medical emergencies: 28
Mental health incidents: 3
Suspicious incidents: 9
Directed patrols: 33
Citizen assists: 9
Motor vehicle complaints: 1
Car crash: 2
Theft: 6
Property damage: 1
Alarms: 7
Pending investigations: 6
911 Hang-up calls: 2
March 2 at 4 p.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their motor vehicle on Marsett Road.
March 2 at 4:40 p.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their residence on Wake Robin Drive.
March 2 at 5:02 p.m., a caller
reported a theft of items from their residence on Henry Street.
March 3 at 8:24 p.m., a 911 Caller reported a verbal dispute with her boyfriend on Shelburne Road. The officers located the individual involved and assisted in mediating the dispute.
March 5 at 11:19 a.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their residence on Henry Street.
March 7 at 5:24 p.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their residence again on Henry Street.
March 7 at 5:52 p.m., a caller reported a theft of items from their residence at the Terraces.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney office and can be amended or dropped.
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Using a plant stand for indoor gardening
DEBORAH J. BENOIT UVM EXTENSION
Each winter, gardeners bid farewell to their outdoor growing spaces and turn their attention to other ways to occupy their days.
Do you have photos you would like to share with the community?
Send them to us: news@ shelburnenews.com
Magazines and seed catalogs provide inspiration, but there’s nothing like gardening indoors to satisfy your inner gardener.
Plant stands with grow lights are a convenient way to bring your garden inside. They provide a place to gather plants together when you lack space, available windows or sufficient light. With your plants in one place, it’s easy
COURTESY PHOTO
A wire shelf is a good idea for a plant stand because it allows air to circulate around the plants.
OPINION
Transforming education through equity, quality, sustainability
Guest Perspective
Gov. Phil Scott
Over the past few months, my administration has rolled out a plan to transform and strengthen our public education system. After last year’s double digit increase in property taxes, Vermonters made it clear that we need to make major changes to a system that no longer meets the needs of our students, educators or taxpayers. Our plan is focused on three critical areas.
The first is quality.
Vermonters spend more money per student on education than nearly every other state. But because of the way our system is designed, we’re not leading the pack in terms of outcomes. In fact, we’re moving in the wrong direction. A report released just last month shows that our test
scores in key areas are continuing to decline, which means we’re not getting the best return on our substantial investment.
With that in mind, transformation must be looked at through the lens of increasing education quality for every kid, in every county across the state. That also means giving our educators, who are working incredibly hard, more support and better pay to do what they love to do.
Second is equity.
Vermont students are guaranteed by our constitution equal access to education. Every kid, whether you live in Brighton or Burlington, deserves access to art, music, languages, Advanced Placement courses, career and technical education and trades training, after school and summer programing and sports. But we know we’re not meeting that standard. The gap between programs
from school to school, district to district and region to region is staggering, and getting wider.
Which brings us to the third area, sustainability.
One reason our quality isn’t where it should be, and why opportunity varies from community to community, is due to the way we fund our schools. Right now, every school district sets their own budget, and if the voters pass it, the state must fund it. That goes for high spending towns that pass budgets year after year, and more frugal communities — which probably need resources the most — that try to keep budgets lean in hopes of a lower tax increase.
The problem is it all gets paid out of the same pot. So, higher spending in more affluent towns can increase the costs for those trying to live within their means.
And because budgeting
happens every year, lower spending towns have less to cut, often eliminating programs and services to balance books. Add in declining student populations across the state and increased costs of operating larger buildings originally built for more kids, and it’s not hard to see why the current funding model causes inequity.
These problems aren’t new and have worsened over the years as our demographics have shifted. Act 68 and Act 46 were designed to solve the same problems we’re facing today. But they weren’t as successful as they needed to be because we weren’t addressing the underlying structural issues.
Let’s be honest: just putting a new coat of paint on this crumbling foundation won’t raise scores or reduce costs. It’s time to do what we should have done a while ago and build a system that prioritizes our kids over our nostalgia.
expected that.
Which is why it’s been important to have the Speaker of the House and the Senate Pro Tem, along with their teams, at the table as we’ve laid out our plan. We haven’t agreed on everything, but we do agree on the urgency, the scope and the need to find a path forward together, and for that I’m very grateful.
The role of a school is to educate our children and prepare them for the future as best it can, to open doors to the world around them and fascinate them with the wonders of science, nature, literature, art, music, math, and the lessons of history.
Schools are there for our kids to learn, in a safe and welcoming environment, how to be good citizens and help them navigate a path to a bright and successful future. Schools are about our kids, and that’s why we’ve all been willing to take this on.
School budget tax hike is just smoke and mirrors
To the Editor: Did Shelburne really just vote for higher taxes? Really? Were Shelburne citizens all fully aware of what that meant? Have things actually improved every time property taxes increase? It stinks that the information we receive from our elected representatives — both on the
school board, select board, and in the Legislature — doesn’t always tell the full story.
The story they do tell is convoluted and they are very good at making another tax hike sound beautiful. It is a beautiful tax hike. Smoke and mirror tax hike.
Many of them are closely tied to the school system, often as teachers themselves, rather than as business-minded individuals
who understand budgeting.
Even our select board chair, Mike Ashooh, has stated many times, “budgets never go down.” That’s a concerning stance for someone responsible for financial oversight. That said, I do appreciate those who step up to serve, including Mike, and I’m not claiming I could do better, but I
We are well aware that our plan is bold. It creates much larger and more efficient districts, which is a big change for us. It completely overhauls how we fund schools, sets higher educational standards and creates savings for taxpayers.
As expected, we’ve received criticism from some who are genuinely fearful of any change from the status quo. We’ve also heard from special interest groups, using talking points from national political playbooks, claiming we don’t have a spending problem. But as I said, we
It’s time to make sure the $2.5 billion dollars Vermonters spend creates one of the best systems in the country, to pay our teachers what they deserve no matter where they choose to teach, lift our rural communities, revitalize our cities, raise our standards and lower the crushing and unending burden on those who foot the bill.
I know we can do all of that, and more, if we have the courage do the tough work and be brave together.
Phil Scott, a Republican from Berlin, is Vermont’s governor.
know there are capable people out there who can. If you have the skills and experience, please consider getting involved.
At the very least, we need more voices in the conversation, people who understand financial responsibility and decision-making beyond emotions. Our tax dollars should be managed wisely, not treated as an unlimited resource
Let’s step up and make a difference. With soaring increases on property taxes, soon you will find that the town owns your home, you don’t.
Susan Bowen Shelburne
Voter turnout indicates support for schools
To the Editor:
To the community, on behalf of the school board and administration, we write with gratitude for your overwhelming support of the Champlain Valley School District’s FY26 budget.
On Town Meeting Day, 4,494 people, or 7 percent of voters, cast ballots in favor of next year’s school budget. The “yes” votes were among the highest ever recorded in the history of a consolidated district.
direction.
While the district and school board are thrilled with the outcome of last Tuesday’s vote, we also recognize that this budget reflects the challenges affecting our entire state. As we’ve shared throughout this process, the FY26 budget’s cost containment measures require the reduction of nearly 40 staff, faculty, and administrative positions. These reductions directly affect our students, colleagues and community.
The Champlain Valley School District has long been known as an educationally progressive organization that benefits from a community that recognizes the vital importance of public education. Tuesday’s vote underscores that commitment to education, our students and the work of our educators.
Thank you for your support of our schools.
Meghan Metzler, school board chair
Adam Bunting, superintendent
No one should have blind loyalty
To the Editor:
These figures demonstrate two things: significant community support for our schools, and the hard work of those who support and educate our 3,700 students every single day. With this budget, the Champlain Valley School District will continue to innovate and provide a high-quality educational journey for students that honors identity, forges connection, develops proficiency, and fosters
I was in attendance at the Shelburne town meeting and heard the resolution on the Palestine situation. I agree with it in principle but also feel it could have been written with less inflammatory language if it had a hope of being passed.
There was a lot of pain in the room as people expressed their feelings. I understand where
continued from page 5 See LETTERS on page 7
LETTERS
continued from page 6
they were coming from. I am shocked and sorry for the rise in antisemitic incidents in our community and will fight with my energy to put a stop to it. Everyone should feel safe here.
However, one has to be able to call out injustice where they see it without fear of being painted with a broad brush and label of being “antisemitic.”
Do I believe what Hamas did on Oct. 7th, 2023, was horrible and what they have done since to the hostages is as well? Yes.
Do I believe Israel has a right to defend itself? Yes.
Do I believe Israel has gone way beyond defending itself and has committed atrocities of its own against the Palestinian people? Yes.
The balance of loss of innocent life on both sides is vastly unequal. This has been documented.
Am I in favor of the current Trump policies and actions taking place right now? No. Am I “un-American” if I call that out? No. It is our civic and moral
GARDENING
continued from page 4
to monitor their health and be sure they’re receiving sufficient humidity, a common problem with the dry air inside during winter.
Plant stands can be plain or fancy. Some are made of wood and can be embellished to create a piece of furniture that would look good in any room. A homemade plant stand can be assembled from purchased components such as a wire shelving unit and some grow lights.
Wire shelves may appear more utilitarian but add a clean look to your indoor garden and aid in air circulation, which is necessary for plant health. Purchased plant stands make setup quick and eliminate the need to select separate grow lights.
If you’ll be using multiple grow lights, be sure the power strip they’re plugged into is away from dripping or splashing water. Consider adding a timer to turn lights on and off for consistent hours of light.
For best results, lights should be positioned close to the top of plants but not touch foliage. A short chain between the light fixture and a hook attaching it to the plant stand make adjustments easy. If the light is in a fixed position, you can always add a book or similar object below plants to move them closer to the light.
To learn more about choosing and using grow lights: go.uvm. edu/grow-lights.
duty to call out injustice where we see it.
Therefore, it follows that if one sees injustice in the war in the middle east, one should be able to call it out without being labeled “antisemitic.” No leader of a country should have blind loyalty. According to history, it is a dangerous precedent.
Donna Lee Shelburne
Great teachers should be retained, despite costs
To the Editor:
While it’s great news that the Champlain Valley School District budget passed, avoiding the potential for further cuts, this is no time for celebration. Due to the depth of the budgeted cuts, along with the union’s “last in, first out” layoff mechanism, which is blind to the quality of a teacher’s performance, the district stands to lose some of its most talented educators.
At Shelburne Community
Some indoor gardeners display flowering houseplants such as African violets (Saintpaulia) or Cape primrose (Streptocarpus) on plant stands. Others may need a place for tender perennials saved from last year’s garden. Plant stands can also serve as a propagation or seed-starting station.
If you’re overwintering outdoor plants, particularly those needing “full sun,” a plant stand can make sure they receive sufficient light to survive the cold season in good health.
These stands also provide a great place to root cuttings from plants such as coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides) or herbs like basil (Ocimum basilicum) and rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis). Information on rooting cuttings can be found at go.uvm.edu/ perennials.
School, where we’re lucky to have many wonderful teachers, the least “senior” K-4 teacher, Parker Cadwell, happens to be one of the most exceptional. Mr. Cadwell is the kind of teacher that parents of rising 3rd graders eagerly cross their fingers for. He’s the kind of teacher that students will remember their whole lives. He has earned this reputation in only his third year at Shelburne Community School. And, barring any additional staff retirements or voluntary departures, he’s the teacher who will be “first out.”
I understand the dual pressures of low enrollment and steep property taxes. But I hope our legislators understand how deeply we’re feeling the impact of Act 127. And I hope the district and the union agree with me that the kind of teaching talent that Mr. Cadwell represents is rare and should be retained, whatever the cost.
Jennifer Trussell Shelburne
accommodate them.
This time of year, one of the best uses for a plant stand is for starting seeds for the upcoming gardening season. Providing sufficient light will help prevent spindly, leggy seedlings. From germination to potting up those baby plants, you’ll be able to easily monitor their progress.
Wire shelves may appear more utilitarian but add a clean look and aid in air circulation, which is necessary for plant health.
When it’s time to move your indoor garden outdoors, remember that the sun is much brighter than a grow light and can damage plants grown indoors. Be sure to introduce plants to outdoor conditions by slowly increasing their exposure each day over the course of a week or two.
Many herbs grow well in pots, and a plant stand can provide the light they’ll need to provide you with fresh herbs through the winter and into the warm weather months. When choosing which herbs to grow, consider their mature size and whether your plant stand will comfortably
For information on seed starting: go.uvm.edu/seed-starting. It doesn’t matter if you buy a plant stand complete with stateof-the-art grow lights or build one yourself. A plant stand can keep your inner gardener content through the long winter months and help provide a head start on the upcoming gardening season.
Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension Master Gardener from North Adams, Mass., and part of the Bennington County Chapter.
cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
Play offers masters, mistresses, meatballs
The Shelburne Players presents “The Servant of Two Masters,” March 14-22, in the town center facility at 5420 Shelburne Road.
According to Dramatists Play Service, “A cross between traditional Italian commedia and postmodern vaudeville, this new version of Goldoni’s classic pits the madcap servant Truffaldino against masters, mistresses, lovers, lawyers and twenty-seven plates of meatballs. Imagine a Bob Hope or Woody Allen comedy written by Monty Python and performed with the physical bravura of Chaplin or Keaton.”
For more information on showtimes and to buy tickets, visit shelburneplayers.com. Email questions to theshelburneplayers@gmail.com.
“The Servant of Two Masters” is written by Carlo Goldoni, translated and adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher and Paolo Emilio Landi. The production is directed by Su Reid-St. John and produced by Cathy Diamond.
Get your dancing shoes and head to town hall
Shelburne town hall will feature two different dance nights this week. Starting March 17 at 6:30 p.m., learn to waltz just in time for the Ballroom is Back social dance party on March 22 at the Shelburne Town Hall. Organizers will get you comfortable on
the dance floor so you can delight in the joys of social dancing. The class meets three times in one week and space is limited.
Learn to waltz, swing and salsa with lessons throughout the evening by one of the country’s most sought after professional dance instructors and competition coaches, Patti Panebianco.
Beginners welcome. No partner? No problem. This social dance party will have you on your feet dancing with all of us! Now is your chance to discover the passion and joy of dancing!
Beethoven’s music takes center stage at Town Hall
On Saturday, March 29, the Champlain Philharmonic Orchestra will take the stage in Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater. The show will feature pianist Diana Fanning performing Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 3.”
“I love playing with this group of passionate and enthusiastic orchestra players, many of whom have been friends of mine for years,” Fanning said. “It will be especially meaningful to have another performance of the very first concerto we played together.”
Fanning has toured extensively as a recitalist and chamber musician throughout the eastern US and in Europe, concertizing in London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam, and Munich.
Also on the program will be a silent film score called “Two Balloons,” which is an adaption of
a 10-minute animated love story between two lemurs. The piece will be played to a projection of the silent film.
Keeping tradition of showcasing a Vermont Composer at each concert, the program also includes “Among the Hidden,” composed by Vermont’s own Patricia Julian. They will also perform “Ritual Fire Dance” by Manuel De Falla and Borodin’s “Symphony No. 3,” a lesser-played symphony that was unfinished due to Borodin’s death and was later completed by Glazunov. Tickets range from $5-$15 and
may be purchased via townhalltheater.org.
Billy Joel and Elton John together on a baby grand
On Saturday, March 28, Town Hall Theater, 76 Merchants Row, Middlebury, presents the live music hits of Elton John and Billy Joel, played by Massachusetts-based band Billy + The Jets. This concert, which celebrates the songwriting and piano-playing-genius of two music legends, is sponsored and presented in partnership with WVTK-92.1FM
Radio.
“There are concerts that showcase the brilliance of Town Hall Theater’s baby grand Steinway piano. The work of John and Joel, exceptional piano men, will be on mind-blowing display by Billy + The Jets’ talented pianist. Sharing the experience of these beloved tunes with fellow audience members is sure to send spirits soaring,” said Town Hall Theater executive and artistic director Lisa Mitchell.
COURTESY PHOTO
Billy + The Jets brings the music of Billy Joel and Elton John together in one performance March 29 in Middlebury.
continued from page 1
the volume of syrup Shelburne Sugarworks can produce in a few hours.
According to Palmer, this kind of technology is important to family-run maple producers like him. He works a day job as a civil engineer, and having the reverse osmosis machine means he can boil more syrup in the hours after he gets home from work.
Palmer started tapping trees with his grandmother, Marjorie Palmer, who began sugaring on the family farm during World War II in response to sugar rationing. When she started out, she would create crystals of maple syrup, almost like sugar, and then barter them with neighbors. After the war, she grew the business year after year.
“She fell in love with it. This was her passion,” he said.
Palmer still reflects a lot of that neighborhood mindset — he’s trusting his neighbors will continue coming by the store and the farmstand in Hinesburg, even if he has to increase prices.
Although Trump walked back the tariffs until April and Palmer was able to get his reverse osmosis machine, he’s still concerned about the impact of fuel prices. He said he was the first producer in the East to install a natural gas-powered evaporator.
Between that and other technological investments, Palmer said he’s been able to reduce the business’s carbon footprint by 97 percent. However, like most of Vermont, Shelburne Sugarworks’ supply of natural gas come from Quebec. He said, even for producers that use wood, they’ll still need fuel for their farm equipment, and those increased costs will eventually show up in the product.
Pat Leclaire, another sugarer — born and raised in Charlotte — similarly remembers as a young boy hooking milking pails to his bike to collect sap and bringing his harvest back to the farm to boil. His small, family-run operation is now much more of a passion-project hobby he took up after suffering a stroke following his retirement as a lineman from Green Mountain Power.
Leclaire doesn’t use reverse osmosis for his operation, but, even without tariff concerns, costs are inevitably growing. With exchange rates making the cost of the equipment slightly cheaper for Vermont sugarers, Canada is a good friend to many of them.
“When I bought this rig, these were $330 a piece,” LeClaire said, holding up a sugaring pan he had just recently bought to replace an old one. “I paid $1,300 for this.”
David Allen, a Charlotte resident for nearly half a century and lifelong sugarer, knows a thing or two about the maple syrup business, something he’s been doing and studying nearly all his life. For a short stint 25 years ago, he sold equipment for CDL to sugarers in Vermont.
Allen, still sporting a CDL jacket and hat, said the only remaining producer of equipment in the United States was Leader Evaporator in St Albans, and they were bought by a Canadian company.
“Virtually every sugar maker is going to be paying a lot more for equipment,” he said. “Well, until a truce is declared.”
While Allen has always had his hands in the syrup, so to speak, he now operates a medium-scaled operation tapping nearly 3,000 trees in a forest that extends just behind the Starksboro fire station. His pump station is located on the same property.
Despite the growing costs, Allen said he hasn’t changed his retail prices in nearly 15 years.
But beyond recent news from the administration, this isn’t the first time local sugarers have had to adapt to a changing atmosphere.
On a particularly warm Monday morning this week, Allen reminisced on boiling sap in his childhood backyard in Brattleboro while looking ahead to a week that is supposed to bring even warmer temperatures. Sugarers are close weather watchers, since their entire operation hinges on the whim of Mother Nature, which has proven quite unpredictable in recent years.
A prime sugaring scenario sees warmer days with freezing temperatures at night. But as the effects of climate change tread its fury, what used to be the norm is no longer the trend.
“I used to say that the bulk of the syrup that I made was March 20 through April 10. That’s the season right there,” Allen said. “You’ll make some before. You might make some after, but you’re going to make most of it right in that window. And it has not been that way for the last five years. It’s getting earlier.”
But this year was like historic trends. Old timers, Allen said, have historically measured the timing of the tree tapping by
the arrival of Town Meeting Day. By the first Tuesday of March, it’s best to have all the trees tapped and ready for go time. Last year was an anomaly, he said — he made a third of his crop by the end of February.
“By last year’s standard you wanted to be ready to go Feb. 1, because we made a lot of syrup in February last year,” he said. “This year, we didn’t make any in February. We got a little bit of sap, but didn’t boil until the first of March.”
Leclaire, who has a smaller operation with around 1,100 taps, said his season last
MAPLE SYRUP
PHOTOS BY BRIANA BRADY
Above, Matt Fisher of Shelburne Sugarworks explains the syrup-making process. Below, Brownie Adsit and Rieanna Murray behind the Sugarworks counter.
Shelburne Parks & Rec News
Here’s what Shelburne Parks and Recreation has going on this week.
• Yoga flow for strength and flexibility, Tuesdays, March 18-April 22 from 9-10 a.m. Cost: $90. Registration deadline, March 14. Join C. Jane Taylor for an accessible, energizing yoga flow that builds bone strength and brings students out of their daily grind and into their true nature of goodness. Get the heart rate up with vigor and then wind down and relax in a balanced class.
All levels welcome. Participants should be comfortable sitting on and
getting up from the floor. Bring your own yoga mat and whatever props you need.
• Shelburne youth lacrosse deadline for boys and girls in grades K-2 is March 31, with a $15 fee after that. Parent volunteer helpers are needed for this level and can sign up at time of registration. Online Registration can be found on the parks and recreation website, shelburnevt.org/160/ Parks-Recreation, or paper forms are available to print off the website and available at the office.
News from Pierson Library
Here’s what’s happening in the next week at Shelburne’s Pierson Library, 5376 Shelburne Road.
• Magic in Nature with Georgia, Saturdays, March 15 and 29, 1-2 p.m. Learn about Vermont’s ecosystems through the lens of faeries and forest magic. Georgia Knight aims to inspire a sense of wonder for the natural world, with art-based activities and crafts that teach about the Vermont eco-system and simultaneously indulge in a bit of magic. At the first session, learn about the subnivean zone, and build fairy homes beneath the snow. At the second session, create snowflakes and discuss how crystals develop from dust mote to prismatic wonder.
• Celtic Cats Irish céilí dance performance, Monday, March 17, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Éire go Brách to ye Pierson patrons. In anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day, the library welcomes back the Celtic Cats, the University of Vermont group of Irish/Scottish dancers, for a tap and soft shoe céilí. Witness dancing and learn about this
folk tradition. Appropriate for all ages. No advanced registration is necessary.
• Taxidermied Bear, an evening of music and off-off-off-off-off-Broadway comedy, Tuesday, March 18, 6-8 p.m.
Get those tickle bones primed for the Pierson Library’s first ever Taxidermied Bear show, featuring hysterical stand-up sets from Meredith Gordon, Gordon Clarke, Scott Goyette, Brian Thompson and Jessie Baade plus live, bluesy, riffs from musical act The Time Killers. Also, there’s pizza. All free.
• Do Anything but Sit-up Straight: Feldenkrais with Gilian Franks, Thursday, March 20, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Yes, the teacher said to do it. Your mother insisted you do it. But do you know how to? Come listen to Feldenkrais instructor Gillian Franks and find out some new ways to have fun and sit. In this class you will wriggle, slump, slouch and hang out to find ways that really help you. Wear warm, loose comfortable clothes. Call ahead to register or just drop-in.
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continued from page 10
year also ran significantly shorter than it had the previous nine years, and he finished most of his boiling by mid-March.
“It’s all Mother Nature,” he said. “We can do what we want and say what we want. But it’s really all Mother Nature saying how much we can have.”
Leclaire was filling a Dixie cup with the first pull of piping-hot syrup of the season, the color reflecting a rich amber hue.
“I don’t do this because I have to,” he said. “I do it because I want to and it’s something I love.”
On the other side of town in Shelburne, Palmer said that, should prices need to be raised for his product, the truth about Vermont maple syrup will keep customers coming back: “If you’re used to real maple, you’re not going to Log Cabin, I mean, it’s just not happening.”
“People are going to complain about it. There’s no doubt,” he added. “But I don’t think it’s going to change the buying habits for the most part.”
MAPLE SYRUP
PHOTO BY BRIANA BRADY
Matt Fisher checks the temperature of the season’s first batch of maple syrup.
SPORTS
Redhawk downhillers repeat as state alpine champs
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
For the second year in a row, it was a clean sweep for the Champlain Valley alpine ski teams.
Both boys and girls Redhawks teams captured the Division I state championships and teamed up to win the combined title for back-to-back years.
“It was awesome to just see all of these kids and all the families and parents and everybody celebrate,” CVU coach Steve Francisco said. “It’s awesome to see these kids come out on top.”
The girls set themselves up for success after placing four skiers in the top 10 in the giant slalom competition on Monday at Burke Mountain.
Carly Strobeck came in second place overall, while Rachel Bialowoz was right behind in third place. Heather Pelletier came in fifth place and Elizabeth Nostrand finished in ninth place.
In the second day of racing, CVU had a couple of early slips and relied on their depth to clinch the win over Rice in the slalom.
Bialowoz was the top Redhawk finisher in second place. Addie Bartley came in seventh place and Heather Pelletier finished eighth to secure the championship.
“In the slalom, Carly Strobeck made a small mistake and had to hike, so her time put her pretty far back so that made it, ‘OK girls, we got to stack as many of you in that top 10 as we possibly can,” Francisco said. “The girls were able to pull it off. It speaks to the
depth of our team.”
For the boys, success on Day Two set them up to capture the title. Trailing St. Johnsbury entering the final day of competition, CVU placed four skiers in the top 10 to jump ahead and get the win.
Sebastian Bronk came in third place for the Redhawks, Ray Hagios finished in fourth place and George Francisco came in sixth. Sawyer Lake rounded out the top CVU finishers with an eighth place showing.
“When you’ve got that depth and you’re counting up like, ‘OK, they’re going to only count four of us and it looks like we’ve got our four boys in the top 10,’ it’s going to be tough to beat that,’”
2024 AND 2029 NOISE EXPOSURE MAPS (NEMS)
PREPARED FOR PATRICK LEAHY BURLINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BTV) ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
The City of Burlington is announcing that the FAA has determined that the year 2024 and 2029 Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs) prepared for Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) were developed in accordance with the procedures outlined in Appendix A of Title 14, Part 150 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
The NEMs may be downloaded using the links on the website below. For further information, please contact Larry Lackey, Director of Planning, Engineering and Sustainability at 802-338-8106. Visit www.btvsound.com for the 2024 and 2029 Noise Exposure Map.
Francisco said. “We’re just super fortunate to have that kind of depth.”
In the GS competition on the first day, Bronk was the top finisher for the Redhawks and came in third place overall.
Champlain Valley followed up the state championship win by sending skiers to the Eastern High School Championships at Black Mountain in Maine.
Sebastian Bronk and George Francisco finished third and fifth, respectively, to help lead the Vermont team to a win on the boys’ side.
Rachel Bialowoz came in sixth place and Carly Strobeck in eighth place for the Vermont girls.
Seeking a part-time year round caretaker in Shelburne.
Responsibilities include maintaining security, building and property maintenance oversight, and other maintenance support for owners of a property on Lake Champlain. One to two days a week depending on seasonal and work demands. Provide resume and/or statement of relevant experience and skills along with contact information to PO Box 129 Shelburne, Vermont 05482. Starting date is late May/early June.
CVU boys make hockey semis, face the top seed
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Girls’ basketball
No. 4 Champlain Valley 60, No. 5 Essex 43: The Champlain Valley girls basketball team advanced to the Division I semifinals with a win over Essex on Saturday.
Zoey McNabb led the way for the Redhawks with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Rose Bunting added 12 points and Kaitlyn Jovell chipped in with eight points.
CVU (14-7) face top-seed St. Johnsbury on Wednesday in the D-I semifinals on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the University of Vermont’s Patrick Gym. That game was
played after press deadline.
The Hilltoppers (20-1) beat the Redhawks twice in the regular season. The winner will face off against the winner of No. 2 Mount Mansfield and No. 3 Burlington.
Girls’ hockey
No. 2
BFA-St. Albans 8, No. 7 Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield 1: The Champlain Valley-Mount Mansfield co-op girls hockey team fell to BFA-St. Albans on Tuesday in the Division I quarterfinals.
Sophie Brien had the lone goal for the CougarHawks, while Alex Walpole assisted on the score. Ella Gilbert and Tessa Nowell combined to make 24 saves.
The CougarHawks wrapped up the season with a 7-14 record.
Town of Shelburne Development Review Board
Notice of Public Hearing to be Held April 2nd, 2025, 7:00 PM Town Hall Meeting Room #1 and Remote via Zoom
SUB 15-08 R1: Application by Bob and Sally Torney, seeking Sketch Plan approval for a 2-lot subdivision. The property at 205 Haytumble Road is in the Rural Zoning District.
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81526207135?pw d=wO42EhxyseDcMOHlJOeH9dlE7AAwBM.1
Meeting ID: 815 2620 7135
Passcode: 5NwD6F
March 13, 2025
COURTESY PHOTO
The Champlain Valley Union alpine ski teams, both boys and girls, won their second straight state championship.
State and country readies for total lunar eclipse
The Outside Story
Michael J. Caduto
While many are still basking in the afterglow of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, a lunar eclipse is about to have its day in the sun. In the early hours of March 14, a total lunar eclipse will be visible across North America.
The entire eclipse will start just before midnight and last six hours. Earth’s shadow will take a gradually larger bite out of the reddish-orange Blood Moon, reaching totality between 2:263:31 a.m.
In these times, a lunar eclipse is regarded as an extraordinary but explainable astronomical event. That was not always so. More than 5,000 years have passed since the oldest recording of an eclipse was carved into stone at what is now known as the Loughcrew Megalithic Monument in County Meath, Ireland.
an eclipse with fasting and celebration to express gratitude for gifts that Grandmother Moon and Grandfather Sun give to the people.
About 2,300 years ago, the ancient Greeks deduced that a lunar eclipse occurred when Earth passed between the sun and moon. The shape of Earth’s shadow projected across the face of the moon confirmed that Earth was round, and the duration of the eclipse inspired one Greek astronomer, Aristarchus from Samos, to calculate that the moon’s diameter was one-third that of Earth.
Eclipses occur during a new or full moon, when the Earth, moon and sun fall on a straight line, known as a syzygy.
Over the millennia, it was believed the moon occasionally disappeared because it was attacked by demons or, in the case of the Inca, eaten by a jaguar. As the moon bled, it became a rusty hue, causing what we now call a Blood Moon.
To prevent the jaguar from falling to earth and pouncing on the people, it was driven away by making noises and brandishing weapons. Some Wabanaki groups of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada mark
When Earth passes between the sun and a full moon, we have a lunar eclipse. During a total eclipse, the moon passes through the umbra, the dark center of Earth’s shadow, from which the sun cannot be seen. Earth’s umbra, at the distance of the moon (some 240,000 miles), is about 5,600 miles wide, and it can take the moon 1.5 hours or more to pass through it.
Because the size of the umbral shadow that Earth casts on the moon during an eclipse is smaller than our planet’s actual diameter, Aristarchus was a bit off: the moon is actually about one-fourth the diameter of Earth. Comparatively, during a total solar eclipse, like last year’s, the moon’s umbral shadow on Earth is about 115 miles wide, so the sun is only blocked out entirely for a few minutes along the path of totality.
In New England, the most recent total lunar eclipses were visible in September 2015, January 2019, and in both May and November 2022. Following this Saturday’s event, the next total eclipse of the moon will be visible from Northern New England on March 3, 2026.
The recent runs of springtime astronomical phenomena are not unusual.
“Eclipses take place during ‘eclipse seasons,’ when the alignment between Earth, Moon, and Sun is favorable for eclipses,” Catherine Miller, observatory specialist at Middlebury College, said.
These happen around every 6 months and are just over a month in duration. Eclipses occur during
a new or full moon, when the Earth, moon and sun fall on a straight line, known as a syzygy.
“Solar eclipses happen during the new moon, while lunar eclipses happen during the full moon, and these phases occur approximately 15 days apart,” said Miller.
If you miss Saturday’s lunar eclipse, you’ll have another eclipse opportunity two weeks later. In the early morning of March 29, a partial solar eclipse will cross the Northeast. In the Upper Valley, the sun will rise around 6:35am, just minutes before the eclipse reaches its maximum and nearly half of the sun is obscured.
While solar eclipse viewing varies greatly by location
and requires safety precautions to protect the eyes from injury, everyone in the Northeast will be able to view the total lunar eclipse during the wee morning hours on March 14, if the sky is clear, simply by stepping outside and looking up.
Michael J. Caduto is a writer, ecologist, and storyteller who lives in Reading, Vermont. He is author of “Through a Naturalist’s Eyes: Exploring the Nature of New England.” 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.
ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL
COMMUNITY NOTES
continued from page 9
Dance floor and seating available. Cash bar available throughout the event. Tickets range from $15-$20 and may be purchased via townhalltheater.org. Patrons may also buy tickets in person at the box office from Monday-Friday from 12-5 p.m., or via phone at 802.382.9222.
Band information at billyandthejetstribute.com.
Sign-ups open for state chess championships
The 38th annual Vermont State Scholastic Chess Championships will be held Saturday, March 29 at Lamoille Union High School in Hyde Park.
This is the selection tournament for Vermont’s nominees to the national Denker, Haring, Barber and Rockefeller Invitationals and is open to Vermont students in grades K-12. Participants must be Vermont residents or be enrolled in a Vermont public or private school — resident home school students are eligible.
Chessboards, pieces, and clocks will be provided. No prior tournament experience necessary. High school and 8th grade sections will be U.S. Chess Federation-rated. Sections for grades K-7 will be unrated.
Individual and team prizes will be awarded. All players must pre-register for the event. No walkins allowed. Registration closes March 23 but may close prior to then due to space limitations. Online registration only. Complete rules and registration information at vermontchess.org.
GOP committee holds monthly meeting
The Shelburne/Charlotte GOP Committee holds its monthly meeting Monday, March 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Shelburne Town Offices, 5420 Shelburne Road, on the second floor. This is your chance to engage in meaningful discussions about how we can work together to enhance our community. Longtime residents or those new to the area are welcome to collaborate and share ideas on making positive changes that benefit everyone.
Concert offers glimpse in Bach’s early influences
The Burlington Baroque concert “Lenten Meditations: Bach & His Predecessors,” March 30 at 4 p.m., at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 2 Cherry Street, Burlington, offers listeners the rare
opportunity to hear sacred music from late 17th-century Germany and to gain a greater appreciation for how Johann Sebastian Bach emerged from his cultural ancestry and attained the acclaim the world would accord him.
The program is presented by vocal soloists, the Juno Award-winning period-instrument ensemble L’Harmonie des saisons, and the Burlington Baroque Festival Singers.
Bach is considered one of the
greatest composers of all time, his position among European composers of the 18th century influencing all composers to follow. Alongside Handel and Vivaldi, his works represent the pinnacle of Baroque Music to audiences 300 years later.
And yet, Bach did not emerge monolithically from a musical vacuum without forebearers and influences. One sees from an early work like his Cantata “Christ lag in Todesbanden,” written when he was 22 years old, the direct impact
composers before him had on his style and expressionism.
Dietrich Buxtehude was a composer and mentor that Bach walked hundreds of miles to study with. Johann Christoph Bach was an elder cousin among many distinguished related composers and church musicians in the region. The young Bach had numerous works of Buxtehude and J. C. Bach in his library, painstakingly copied out by hand to fully understand and synthesize their work.
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Income-eligible Vermonters may also qualify for free weatherization services.
*Subject to availability and eligibility.
COURTESY PHOTO
Burlington Baroque will explore J.S. Bach and the inspirations that led to his greatness.