The Other Paper - 03-17-22

Voting rights

Top team

South Burlington artist’s work showcased at Statehouse

Snowboarders win it all at state championship

POSTAL CUSTOMER

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #217 CONCORD, NH ECRWSSEDDM

Page 8 Page 2

South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977

the MARCH 17, 2022

Buy or say bye

otherpapersbvt.com

VOLUME 46, NO. 11

Ice cold dip

S. Burlington residents feel housing crunch first hand AVALON STYLES-ASHLEY STAFF WRITER

Rachel King and her corgi, Callie, have lived in her apartment off Hinesburg Road in South Burlington for a little over three years. King grew up in Vermont, graduating from Champlain Valley Union High School and the University of Vermont. She loves her home state and doesn’t want to move, nor can she really afford to.

But a month into starting grad school, her apartment complex sent her a notice warning she can buy her unit or vacate in six months. With surging rental prices and a small pool of options, King doesn’t know if she can afford to stay in Vermont.

The notices came to her and her neighbors at the end of February, just a few weeks after a similar story broke in Winooski where 24 low-income, mostly New American families were notified they had to find new housing by June or be evicted.

Jessica Hyman, associate director of housing advocacy programs at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, hears these stories all the time, many coming from Vermonters calling into their tenants’ hotline.

“Unless we prioritize perpetually affordable housing and mixed income communities where there’s a range of different types and costs of housing, then that’s how segregation happens. Then we end up with communities that don’t work for everybody, and frankly, are less vibrant and less inclusive, less of what most people would say they want to see in the world,” Hyman said.

Running the numbers In 2021, Vermont home sales skyrocketed to the highest they’ve been since 2006, See HOMES on page 12

PHOTO COURTESY ERIN SUTHERLAND

Rick Marcotte Central School 5th graders — and two second grade siblings — jumped into Lake Champlain at the Penguin Plunge Saturday, March 12 in Burlington.

The group raised over $5,000 for the Special Olympics Vermont.

University Mall sold for $60 million AVALON STYLES-ASHLEY STAFF WRITER

South Burlington’s one stop shop for hot pretzels, lava lamps, skinny jeans, board games, frozen pizza, cucumber body wash and whatever they sell at Spencer’s is under new ownership. Eastern Real Estate, a national real estate company with over 100 properties across the country, inked a deal to buy the University Mall, city officials announced last week.

The mall, which covers about 51 acres off Dorset Street, sold for $60 million in a deal that closed March 4.

City manager Jessie Baker hinted at the purchase in late February, describing the yet unnamed Eastern Real Estate as a buyer with experience redeveloping

properties and an interest “to use the site 24/7.”

The company portfolio boasts projects that incorporate retail and mixed uses, like University Station in Massachusetts that features shops, restaurants, apartments, office space, assisted living and a hotel, according to its website.

It also manages industrial, office, residential and hospitality projects.

“They start every conversation with what are the goals of the city and how can we help achieve them? So, we’re really excited to welcome them to the community,” Baker said after announcing the purchase at a city council meeting March 7. “Of course, the mall will continue to operate as is for the foreseeable future.”

City councilor Meaghan Emery added,

“That’s wonderfully exciting. It’s like turning a page. It’s like the sun is rising.”

University Mall, at 611,693 square feet, is the state’s largest shopping mall.

It’s been managed and leased by KeyPoint Partners, a Burlington, Mass.-based management company.

While internet shopping giants like Amazon and changing shopping habits have seen the demise of malls nationwide, University Mall still features about 70 stores, a mix of mostly second-tier national retailers and services like Verizon and LensCrafters, and three anchor stores: Target, Kohls and JC Penney.

The new owners will sit down with The Other Paper next week for an in-depth look at the future of the University Mall, which opened in 1979.

Page 2 • March 17, 2022 • The Other Paper

Local artist exhibits painting in Statehouse ‘Light of Truth Upon Them’ commemorates women’s suffrage “The Light of Truth Upon Them,” an oil painting by Xicana artist Cynthia Cagle of South Burlington will be exhibited in the cardroom at the Vermont Statehouse until March 31. Presented by the Vermont curator’s office, the painting was commissioned by the Vermont Suffrage Centennial Alliance to commemorate voting and the centennial of the 19th Amendment.

March is also Women’s History Month.

Cagle’s work explores the metaphysical relationship between identity and nature.

Using her experiences as a biracial woman, she creates paintings, collages and murals that investigate themes relating to biology, relationships, generational trauma and the impact of colonialism.

Combining the struggles of Indigenous, Black, Latina and Asian people, the history of the fight for the vote stretches back well before 1920 and continues today. Cagle’s painting highlights the perseverance of those who stood up — and continue to stand — in the face of injustice in Vermont and across the country, according to a press release.

As an artist with Indigenous ancestry, Cagle’s art confronts notions of progress. When one group moves forward toward independence and autonomy, often another is left behind, such as Native Americans. Her art is a fierce condemnation of stag-

“The Light of Truth Upon Them,” an oil painting by Xicana artist Cynthia Cagle of South Burlington.

gered freedoms that peels back the facade of more comfortable notions of equality to expose injustice.

Six women are featured in Cagle’s painting.

• Zitkala-Ša, a member of the Yankton Dakota Sioux, argued for women’s rights in her graduation speech, delivered at White’s Indiana Manual Labor Institute in 1895.

• Before she became a force in the suffrage movement, Ida B. Wells, born into slavery in Mississippi, documented the horrors of lynching through her

journalism. Wells wrote, “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” She saw voting rights as inextricable from civil rights and the fight against racism.

• Wells’ work was shared by Vermonter Lucy J.C. Daniels of Grafton, who picketed the White House in 1917 and was arrested, tried, sentenced and incarcerated.

She also championed Black and working-class women to gain the vote.

• Mabel Ping Hua Lee, the first Chinese woman to earn a doctorate in economics, fought for the

right to vote alongside white suffragists in the early 20th century. However, due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, she herself was unable to vote until 1943.

• These women paved the way for other activists and lawmakers, including Vermont’s own Louvenia Dorsey Bright, the state’s first Black female legislator, elected to the Vermont House in 1988, and Stacey Abrams of Georgia, who continues to fight today to expand access to voting, regardless of political party, in her work to knock down voter suppression laws.

Cynthia Cagle

Lenny’s Limited Edition Life is Good T-shirts!

Barre, Williston, St. Albans & Plattsburgh, NY

$10 from every tee sold goes directly to the Green Mountain Club to protect Vermont’s mountains and trails.

M-F 10-6, Sat 10-5, Closed Sun Shop Online: LennyShoe.com

Available Exclusively at Lenny’s & LennyShoe.com

Still Family. Still Local.

Available for a limited time while supplies last

The Other Paper • March 17, 2022 • Page 3

Masks become optional across SB school district AVALON STYLES-ASHLEY STAFF WRITER

Vision, Visionaries and Voices

A virtual conference featuring international speakers.

PHOTO L : CE ES TE

SL

OM

AN

MARY BASSETT, MD, MPH physician and public health leader

ANITA HILL

advocate for equality and civil rights

BYRON KATIE

creator of “The Work”

© BRIG ITTE LA

CO MB

E

South Burlington schools are almost back to “normal.” Face masks are officially optional everywhere in the district except while riding the school bus.

The school board passed a motion last week nixing the mask mandate starting Monday, trailing behind other school districts in Vermont which dropped their mandates like flies in response to recent state and national guidance for COVID-19 recovery.

An amendment to keep masks required on school buses was added after Mark Gabel, a bus driver in the district, argued that many district drivers are older and that such a tight, packed space as a bus makes transmission of the virus more likely.

The motion to otherwise drop masks passed 4-1, with member Alex McHenry voting nay out of concern for students and teachers not yet vaccinated. McHenry has been a proponent of considering a vaccination mandate, since other vaccines like those for rubella, measles and mumps are required, but the board has not taken up the issue.

“My concern right now is we’re not following the science; we’re following our exhaustion with the pandemic. If we want to follow the science, we have to get everyone vaccinated,” McHenry said at the special board meeting March 9. “We cannot just wish it away. My concern is that we’re at the point we’re wishing it away.”

His motion to drop the mask mandate except for folks who are unvaccinated failed as other board members expressed privacy and enforcement concerns.

South Burlington follows the suit of many other districts in Chittenden County and across the state, with many districts dropping the requirement weeks ago.

Rice Memorial High School, a private catholic high school in South Burlington,

was the first school to drop a mask mandate in Chittenden County starting Feb. 28. As of last week, Champlain Valley School District has been mask-optional, and Burlington School District also dropped its mask requirement.

The end of mask mandates comes after Gov. Phil Scott and the Vermont Agency of Education kicked off March by announcing the state would no longer issue school-related recommendations for COVID-19. The new guidance tells schools to follow the Vermont Department of Health’s guidance, which does not recommend masking in public indoor spaces as of March 14.

As the most populous area in Vermont, Chittenden County still has the highest case count in the state at 416. Throughout the state, 17 people are currently hospitalized and 608 people have died since March 2020.

Despite supporting making face masks optional, South Burlington school board member Kate Bailey emphasized that masks should still be considered a worthwhile “tool in our toolbox” and that not everyone has the luxury of choosing whether to mask or not.

“When we say, ‘The sky isn’t falling,’ what we mean is the sky isn’t falling for everybody at the same time, but it’s still falling for some people. We still are going to have folks who are sick,” Bailey said, adding that for folks who are immunocompromised or pregnant, who work in highrisk settings or who have children under age five, the choice to wear a mask “is not equal for everybody.”

“I want to be clear: masks are going to be part of our lives. COVID-19 is going to be part of our lives,” Bailey said.

Still, she and a majority of other board members agreed that the benefits reaped for students and staff, in terms of social emotional health and in teaching, outweighed the potential negatives.

The mask mandate on school buses will expire at the end of the current school year.

5TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

REGISTER TODAY WITH SUPPORT FROM

ETHAN NADELMANN

founder of the Drug Policy Alliance

TARA WESTOVER

bestselling author, “Educated”

howardcenter.org | April 7, 2022

2022-HC-conference_BANG_5x4_ATTC.indd 1

3/1/22 3:37 PM

Very Special dresses

for all your upcoming

Special Events

Jonathan simkhai, Shoshanna, Alice & Olivia, Shona Joy, Trina turk, Ted Baker, Halston, Julie Vos, DVF, Monique L'huillier, Toccin, Mac Duggal, tadashi shoji, Marella, Alexis...

Page 4 • March 17, 2022 • The Other Paper

Cops donate armor to Ukraine South Burlington also plans to send shipment TOMMY GARDNER STAFF WRITER

Last week, Lamoille County sheriff Roger Marcoux found himself repaying a favor from three decades ago, donating surplus body armor to help in a conflict far from Vermont’s mountains.

Gov. Phil Scott last week called on Vermont law enforcement agencies and any person with unused body armor vests to donate them to the Ukrainian war effort.

Marcoux said he is familiar with the need for people to need help protecting themselves from violence, from the receiving end.

When he was working for the federal Drug Enforcement Agency in the 1990s, often undercover, stationed in Haiti with local police surrounded by violent gangs, he reached out to Vermont’s state police force and Sen. Patrick Leahy to help get body armor shipped to the country. Marcoux said Kevlar couldn’t simply be exported during that era, because of the tight rein on the technology.

“It was a big game changer,” he said of the shipment.

The request for vests is the latest of Scott’s acts of solidarity with Ukraine. Those include canceling any purchase contracts with Russia and removing Russian vodka from liquor stores and bars; severing official relations with Vermont’s sister state in Russia and asking Vermont cities and towns to suspend similar sister city relationships; and asking the Legislature to appropriate $643,077 for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine — one dollar for every Vermonter.

“I appreciate the Vermont National Guard bringing this opportunity to our attention, and the efforts of the Vermont State Police, local law enforcement agencies and any members of the public who can contribute to this effort,” Scott said.

In South Burlington, Chief Shawn Burke found six vests that the department was able to donate to the project.

“We are proud to be able to assist the Ukrainian people and

Public also asked to donate vests In addition to items from law enforcement agencies, members of the public also may donate body-armor vests, provided the vests have a rating of level III or more.

Donations will be accepted from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the 10 Vermont State Police barracks statewide until March 23. For a list of all VSP barracks, vsp. vermont.gov/stations. are thankful that the Vermont National Guard and Vermont Sate Police brought this opportunity to our attention,” Burke wrote in an email.

Chittenden County Sheriff Kevin McLaughlin said his team is also checking to see if they have older vests that could be sent to Ukraine; if they have some, they’ll be donating them, he said.

South Burlington Police Blotter Total Incidents: 185 Agency assists: 17 Retail theft: 14 Welfare checks: 12 Suspicious events: 10 Traffic stops: 9 Car crashes (property damage): 9 Mental health issues: 1 March 6 at 2:25 p.m., a car crash on Dorset Street caused damage but no injuries.

March 6 at 10:22 p.m., a vehicle was stolen from Williston Road.

March 7 at 7:16 a.m., police responded to an overdose on Shelburne Road.

March 7 at 2:08 p.m., someone reported illegal dumping on White Street.

March 8 at 7:50 a.m., multiple car crashes that had happened earlier were reported late to the department, two separate ones on Dorset Street and two on Williston Road.

March 8 at 10:40 a.m., police responded to Suburban Square to assist with a juvenile problem.

March 8 at 5:48 p.m., K9 Rush assisted with a case on White and Charles streets.

March 9 at 10:50 a.m., police investigated a reported sex offense on Dorset Street.

March 9 at 6:30 p.m., police

investigated a case of retail theft from Harbor Freight Tools on Shelburne Road.

March 10 at 10:23 a.m., police investigated a computer crime at Fieldstone Drive.

March 10 at 2:28 p.m., police responded to the DoubleTree on Williston Road for a report of unlawful mischief and vandalism.

March 11 at 1:22 p.m., an alarm was tripped on Hinesburg Road.

March 11 at 4:11 p.m., officers checked on the wellbeing of someone at the Dorset Common Apartments.

March 12 between midnight at 12:28 a.m., police cited three winter parking bans in the south, middle and east areas of the city.

March 12 at 7:32 p.m., an officer assisted a motorist on Market Street.

Arrests: Anthony M. Couillard, 31, of Essex Junction, was arrested March 7 for retail theft.

Gary Lacasse, 70, of Williston, was arrested March 7 for violating conditions of release and an abuse prevention order.

Brian Charles Foy, 45, of Bennington, was arrested See BLOTTER on page 6

the South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977 A publication of Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC otherpapersbvt.com Advertising Director Judy Kearns judy@otherpapersbvt.com (802) 864-6670 x21 Advertising Wendy Ewing wendy@shelburnenews.com (802) 985-3091 x12 News Editor Tommy Gardner Staff Writers Avalon Styles-Ashley Aaron Calvin Corey McDonald Production Manager Stephanie Manning stephanie@shelburnenews.com Publisher Gregory Popa gpopa@stowereporter.com

National Sales Director, Insert Program Irene Nuzzo irene@stowereporter.com (802) 760-9673 Billing inquiries Leslie Lafountain leslie@stowereporter.com (802) 253-2101 Advertising submission deadline: Thursday at 5 p.m. for next Thursday issue advertising@otherpapersbvt.com classifieds@otherpapersbvt.com Editorial submission deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. for next Thursday issue news@otherpapersbvt.com Calendar submission deadline: Friday at 12 p.m. for next Thursday issue news@otherpapersbvt.com Contact: 1340 Williston Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 864-6670

The Other Paper is published weekly and mailed free to South Burlington residents and businesses, and rack distributed in select high-traffic areas. Circulation 10,600. The deadline is Thursday, one week prior to publication. The Vermont Community Newspaper Group LLC assumes no responsibility for typographical errors in advertisements and reserves the right to refuse advertising and editorial copy.

The Other Paper • March 17, 2022 • Page 5

OPINION

Letters to the Editor

Sunshine Week

Every American should wave banner for more transparency The University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Justin Silverman published a report last fall analyzing the polarization in our counWe live in contentious times. try. The report identified the most According to a 2020 study by the contentious issues which included National Bureau of Economic gun legislation, policing and Research, political polarization vaccines. As Americans, we may among Americans has grown have starkly different opinions rapidly during the last 40 years. about these issues. But consider “There’s evidence that within the common ground we the U.S., the two major can find when looking at political parties have them relative to governbecome more homogement transparency. neous in certain ways, To have an informed including ideologically debate about gun legisand socially,” said Jesse lation, for example, it Shapiro, a co-author of may be helpful to know the study and a profesbasic data points like sor of political economy how many firearms are at Brown University. being manufactured “So, when you identify in the country or the with a certain party and Justin Silverman number of gun-related you’re looking across deaths each year. We the aisle, the people may need to determine where it’s you’re looking at are more different from you than they were a few most difficult to obtain a firearms license or to read emails among decades ago.” government officials looking to Given the degradation of curtail Second Amendment rights. political discourse in our country Before we discuss whether and the growing list of hot-button a police department should be issues pitting us against friends defunded, we should first deterand neighbors, it’s easy to see mine how much funding that the divide. But as Sunshine Week agency receives. How is money begins this year, let’s remember spent within local, state and that no matter where we stand county law enforcement agencies? on a particular topic, we all need For us to have a conversation accurate information to shape our about police officers using force opinions and best advocate for against citizens, we need to know ourselves.

The mission of Sunshine Week the policies within each department and under what circum— March 13-19 this year with stances lethal or non-lethal force related events occurring throughcan be used. out the month — is to promote While sunshine laws vary a dialogue about the importance from state to state, all this inforof open government and freedom mation should be available to us of information. The sunshine through public record statutes and reference is attributed to U.S. the federal Freedom of InformaSupreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis who famously wrote that tion Act. Wherever we ultimately land on the issues, these laws “sunlight is said to be the best of exist to provide us a way to learn disinfectants.” about government and better In other words, an informed support our positions. citizenry is the best check against But despite the mandated government corruption. sunshine, shadows persist. Public This is the idea behind state record request deadlines are often public record and open meeting ignored. Inadequate staffing and laws, as well as our federal Freerequest backlogs result in delays. dom of Information Act. GovernDocuments are excessively ment transparency is a non-parredacted. Citizens are shut out tisan principle that transcends of public meetings. The flow of who’s in office or which political information can be slowed to a party is in control. Freedom of glacial pace. information or sunshine laws This is a reality that should open up government and empowconcern us all. er people through information.

Guest Perspective

Every American should be waving the banner for government transparency. The consequences of secrecy affect not just our ability to have good-faith debates about the issues that matter most, but they also limit our ability to oversee government and the work it does on our behalf. When it comes to transparency, we’re all stakeholders.

So, here are a few things we all can do to honor Sunshine Week: • Contact your state representative to discuss strengthening your respective public records and open meeting laws. Be a part of the effort to make access to government easier and more equitable for all Americans.

• Support your local newsroom. Journalists are often the most frequent filers of public records requests. They are typically at the frontlines of obtaining government information despite newsroom budget cuts and inadequate resources. Subscribe to your news source of choice and be kind to those seeking out information on your behalf.

• Make a public records request. Visit nefac.org/foiguide for video tutorials. Take advantage of your right to know by requesting information about issues that mean the most to you.

Then take that information and engage in fact-based conversations with those in your community.

“Thoughtful debate about serious issues is central to our democracy,” wrote the authors of the Annenberg study. “But solving real problems is impossible when every issue is viewed through a distorted lens that is often informed by sources who create their own facts to further their own power.”

Sunshine laws are integral to thoughtful debate. They can provide us the knowledge needed to form opinions about what’s best for this country and how well our government is leading the way. But those laws need to be protected and strengthened. That’s something we can all agree on.

Justin Silverman is executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition. More at nefac.org.

Take action now and prevent disaster later To the Editor: If you don’t fully understand why scientists and environmental activists are urging that we stop destroying nature, perhaps an analogy to insurance might help. It’s not a perfect analogy, but there are enough similarities to explain why some of us are so concerned about protecting rural lands in South Burlington.

Most people understand insurance. We give money to a company so that in the event of an accident, the financial resources of the company will help us recover. In theory, we pay a modest amount of money to an insurance company, and then we get back far more than we contributed.

Without insurance, we risk bankruptcy or worse.

We can think of preserving our city’s rural lands that contain natural resources as a kind of environmental insurance. We pay into the plan by preserving nature so that it will be there to help us in times of disasters.

Natural resources such as trees, soil, grasses, waterways and wildlife not only maintain the balance in

nature, but they fend off the impacts of the climate crisis, such as floods, insect-borne diseases, heat waves, loss of food sources, pandemics, health impacts from pollution and more.

But wait, it gets much better. Not only do natural resources provide lifesaving benefits, but they also can counter climate change.

Elements of nature absorb greenhouse gases, including those emitted from the extraction and use of fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas. Trees, soil and grasses store those gasses. But if we cut them down or plow them over, they will release into the atmosphere all the stored greenhouse gasses, thus making our predicament worse. Left undisturbed and allowed to exist and grow, they will keep absorbing gases and other pollutants.

The analogy isn’t perfect in at least three ways. While we pay money to an insurance company, we pay little to no money for nature.

While the odds say that most of us will not experience a catastrophic personal accident, scientists say climate change disasters are a sure bet. While insurance benefits See LETTERS on page 7

Page 6 • March 17, 2022 • The Other Paper

House completes budget adjustment, now looks ahead to 2023 Housing and Conservation Board for affordable housing and increased shelter capacity.

Rep. Maida Townsend • $373,680 to the Vermont Veterans Home for staff retention The 2022 budget adjustment and personal protective equipact has finally been approved by ment. both the House and Senate.

• $60 million for workforce The budget adjustment act retention payments, with initial is the vehicle for truing up, focus on essential mid-year, any budget community health area that may be out of care and social service sync. It is also a vehicle providers. for tending to acute • $6 million for needs of Vermonters retention payments for and their communities, child care staff. needs exacerbated by • $6 million to the the continued presence Vermont Foodbank for of the coronavirus. food insecurity.

Here is a sampling • $9.7 million to the of key provisions agreed Maida Townsend Vermont State Colleges to in the bill.

Vermont House for critical occupations • $6.1 million for of Representatives scholarships, and $1 emergency housing District 7-4 million to University of initiatives, including Vermont for workforce rental risk mitigation, training. transportation for Vermonters • $1 million for adult day needing shelter in hotels, and providers. rapid resolution housing.

• $2 million for the Working • $25 million to address emerLands Enterprise Initiative. gent and exigent circumstances • $400,000 to maintain the 988 related to COVID-19, providing suicide prevention line. support to health care providers • $250,000 for municipal to prevent disruptions or business planning grants, and $300,000 closures. to support public, educational, • $55 million to the Vermont

Legislative Update

governmental TV services.

• Vermont prevailing wage and fringe benefits to be paid on contracts for maintenance, construction and improvement projects receiving $200,000 or more in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

That list reflects our continued efforts regarding fiscal year 2022.

The House Committee on Appropriations is now immersed in the very complex process of readying the 2023 budget. We must have it finalized for a straw vote in committee on Friday, March 18.

The staff at the Joint Fiscal Office will produce the actual document over the weekend of March 19-20, with our committee doing a proofread and formal vote on Monday, March 21.

The “Big Bill” should then make it to the House floor that week.

Why is readying the 2023 budget proposal a very complex process? State revenues have surpassed expectations, and we are awash in federal money, are we not? Here is a snapshot of the reality.

We have an extraordinary list of “asks” to consider, and none of them is capricious or lacking

in validity. The asks come from for review with appropriations Vermonters through statewide requests embedded. Most of those public hearings, held via Zoom, to bills are arriving for our considersolicit input. The asks come from ation now, and needing attention policy committees of jurisdiction. now because of crossover, the They heard, as did we, testimony date by which bills must be out from across state government, of committee if they are to reach advocates, the Senate for and individufurther action.

The problem is that al Vermonters So, there is before their the complicatthe total of all available committees. The ing matter of asks reflect lived timing, while general fund dollars experience. the fundamenand all available federal tal conundrum The problem is that the total remains: Where American Rescue of all available are we to find general fund the dollars for Plan Act dollars is dollars and all these additional available federal asks? We shall insufficient to meet American Rescue see. all the needs.

Plan Act dollars is insufficient to As always, meet all the needs — insufficient do not hesitate to reach out with by far. Building the fiscal year your questions and concerns: 2023 “Big Bill” is a very complex mtownsend@leg.state.vt.us; process because we must deter802-862-7404; 232 Patchen mine which needs must go unmet, Road; or Duke’s on Saturday either partially or entirely. It is mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. also a very painful process, not Remember our South Burlingunlike household decision-making ton delegation legislative forum that goes on at kitchen tables from scheduled for Monday, March Addison to Windsor.

28, 6:30 to 8 p.m., hosted by the Adding to that complexity and South Burlington Public Library, that pain, policy bills are coming in the community room with remote participation available.

Expand Your View

BLOTTER

continued from page 4

with a new home at Harborview Senior Living

March 8 for retail theft.

Eric McGee, 36, of Middlebury, was arrested on an in-state warrant for drug possession.

Sharon S. Brailsford, 53, of Colchester, was arrested for violating conditions of release and an abuse prevention order.

Roger P. Deteso, 59, of Winooski, was arrested for driving while under criminal license suspension.

Harborview is a great choice for adults 55+ looking for: • Spacious and airy one and two bedroom independent living apartments • Large fully applianced kitchens • Balconies or walkout patios • Highly attractive rental rates • Wonderful social opportunities

Death investigations: Kelley Barney, 88, of South Burlington, died March 11. The medical examiner is determining cause of death.

• Varied daily exercise and fitness classes • Gardening plot and raised beds to enjoy • Delicious high quality chef prepared meals • Resident focused stimulating intellectual and entertainment programming • Attentive and friendly staff • Natural setting, walking areas and beautiful sunsets

The Other Paper

AY CALL TOD LE U TO SCHED R! U YOUR TO

-1525

802-559

16 Harbor View Rd. | South Burlington, VT. 05403 HarborVillageSeniorCommunities.com

PROUDLY MANAGED BY MERIDIAN SENIOR LIVING

Visit us online at otherpapersbvt.com

The Other Paper • March 17, 2022 • Page 7

Developers’ consultants miss important city wildlife corridors Guest Perspective Ray Gonda South Burlington is blessed by an abundance of wildlife: coyotes, fox, fisher, occasional bears, otters, mink, racoons, skunks, opossums and, in some places, muskrat, beavers and weasels. The predators hunt rabbits, squirrels, grouse, turkeys and scavenge deer carcasses or other animal carcasses and hunt smaller rodents such a voles, mice, shrews and chipmunks.

Near houses lie some of the best hunting opportunities. To rest between hunts, they may utilize any one of several dens, hollow logs, rock crevices, under porches or sheds — almost any place offering protection and warmth. Animals need the cover of animal corridors to get around from habitat block to habitat block — their natural habitats.

They live among us, out of sight, normally utilizing nocturnal hunts. But they are occasionally seen in daylight as attested to by the many photos of bobcats and bears, for instance, posted on social forums and in The Other Paper. Bobcats are commonly sighted during day, even caught napping on back porches. On my acre of property on Spear Street, the only thing I have not seen are signs of bear. Two days ago, I opened my front door and was surprised by a beautiful hawk that had just killed and was beginning to devour a robin.

Professor Declan McCabe of St. Michael’s College, a biology professor who runs projects monitoring wildlife presence with game cameras at culverts, says, “These cameras were in place for less than a month and we picked up fisher, bobcat, gray fox, racoon and mink. So, yes, there are paths that animals take under the interstate. That’s not their design intent, but no one told the animals.”

Referring to his album of photos from the culverts he writes: “Individually, these photos constitute anecdotal evidence, but the sheer volume of them paints a larger picture of wildlife moving through human dominated landscape at odds with many of (the consultant’s) thoughts on this issue. Wildlife needs wooded patches to hunker down and by preserving wooded patches we can still be a town with foxes and bobcats and be less dominated by raccoons and rats.

I think it’s a mistake to think

of wildlife corridors as necessarily being continuous ribbons of woods through the landscape.

The patches are like stepping stones that together constitute a corridor. Carnivores move among multiple denning sites and have large home ranges.

Patches are critical and eliminating one increases the distance between the remaining ones.

On the Hill Farm off Hinesburg Road in South Burlington there have been sightings — sometimes frequent — of bear, coyotes, turkeys, deer, eagles, bobcat, rabbits, squirrels, skunks, fox, migratory birds and geese.

The Hill Farm is frequented by walkers who have created several “herd paths” from constant use. Biologist and educator Drew Shatzer and I separately canvassed the Hill Farm on a day with snow on the ground. We photographed fisher, coyote and fox tracks which were hunting the hedgerows or scavenging a partial deer carcass.

The fisher tracks were moving toward the culvert. A hunter’s blind is located on the property.

I photographed fox, coyote and raccoon tracks on trails leading to both the north and south ends of the culvert under I-89 at the edge of the Hill Farm.

This wildlife-corridor culvert connects the Hill Farm to Potash Brook downstream. The Hill Farm is adjacent to Wheeler Park where master naturalist program tracking-training sessions study coyote, fisher fox, bobcat as well as other animal tracks and signs.

Yet a developer’s consultant’s report claims that, over a year, neither predators nor their signs were seen in monthly, day-long visits.

An environmental consultant’s report accompanying an application for developing the 110-acre Hill Farm property into a commercial/industrial area downplayed its value as habitat and cites the busy road as being a block for wildlife movement, and so, no wildlife corridor.

The South Burlington Natural Resources and Conservation Committee spent about 25 hours at the snow-covered Eastview project area searching for animal signs and other important natural resources. Their first time out, fresh fisher, coyote and bobcat tracks from the previous night were found leading through the culvert under Kimball Avenue with a well-worn game trail leading right to it. Ditto for a racoon at the second culvert.

I find it difficult to comprehend these consultants’ assertions about such animals as fisher, coyote, bobcats and fox.

Their reports downplay the presence of such animals to the extent of seeming almost nonexistent. They consider these animals too timid to inhabit suburban areas. They also do not recognize the role of culverts as wildlife corridors for allowing animals to safely cross major roads with heavy traffic.

When developers hire environmental consultants are they getting an accurate story of the wildlife present, or are they getting what they would like to hear, or is it what the consultants think they would like to hear?

For more, see bit.ly/3G5KkmU. Ray Gonda of South Burlington is former chair of the South Burlington Natural Resources and Conservation Committee and former chair of the Vermont chapter of the Sierra Club.

LETTERS

continued from page 5 come only after an accident, the environment provides benefits all the time.

Climate crisis disasters are not an if, they are a when. So, knowing that a disaster is going to happen to you or to your children or grandchildren, and that there is a cost-free way to help withstand that catastrophe, would you invest in environmental insurance?

Rosanne Greco South Burlington

Winters gets early support for secretary of state To the Editor: I am writing to support Chris Winters for Vermont Secretary of State.

I first met Winters in 1998 when I was a member of the Vermont Real Estate Commission. He was the staff attorney assigned to advise the commission. We worked closely together on numerous cases. I was impressed with his knowledge of the law and his ability to provide the commission with

sound advice on a wide variety of issues.

At the time Winters was 27 years old. Now, 24 years later, he is seeking the position of secretary of state. We could not have a more experienced or worthy candidate. He has served as director of professional regulation and is currently the deputy secretary.

He worked with the Legislature on voting access, same day registration, vote by mail and automatic voter registration.

Elections are the bedrock of our democracy. In Vermont, the secretary of state is the individual charged with the responsibility for our elections. In today’s toxic political environment, we need a steady hand at the wheel. Chris Winters is that person.

When asked what the most important aspects of the job are, he said, “Voter access, safety and security in elections and building transparency and trust in government.”

Please vote for Chris Winters Vermont Secretary of State.

Robert Walsh South Burlington

Page 8 • March 17, 2022 • The Other Paper

Wolves win snowboarding championship LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT

COURTESY PHOTO

The South Burlington High School girls’ snowboard team, which won the state title this year. From left, Sloane Urette, Annie Chalnick, Molly Cota, Ava Hamme, Emma DeGuise and coach Kevin Downey. Sage Wyndorf is not pictured.

THE SWING OF IT

Golf Club Kwiniaska is a newly designed 18-hole semi-private championship course with stunning scenic mountain views of Vermont and New York.

• Daily Green Fees • Memberships (Almost Sold Out!) • Member Clinics • Events • Players Cards • Gift Cards

FOOD & DRINK Visit our renovated clubhouse - the Pub is open for lunch daily and drinks anytime!

GOLF SHOP Our shop is stocked with men’s and women’s clothing, equipment and accessories.

Kwiniaska Golf Club 5531 Spear Street, Shelburne, VT 802-985-3672 • @kwiniaska www.kwiniaska.com

Six years ago, the South Burlington girls snowboarding team didn’t really exist.

With zero female snowboarders on the roster, it became a focus of coach Kevin Downey to build the program.

It looks like that hard work paid off.

The South Burlington girls snowboarding team captured the state championship at Jay Peak March 8, the program’s first ever state title.

“They’re a determined bunch of young ladies and they really work hard,” said coach Downey. “They really are inspiring.”

The team was paced by a standout performance from senior Ava Hamme, who came in first in the giant slalom, finished third in slope-

style and fourth in the rail jam.

“Ava is a very strong rider in the league, and she was hoping to walk away in her senior year with some accomplishments,” Downey said. “Her helping in carrying our team to the state’s final victory was phenomenal.”

While Hamme set the pace, South Burlington placed two more riders in the top 10 in giant slalom — Annie Chalnick came in ninth and Emma DeGuise was 10th — to set the Wolves up for a win.

Chalnick came in ninth in the rail jam, DeGuise followed in 10th and Molly Cota was 13th to add to South Burlington’s score. Ivy Howard was 17th for the Wolves.

DeGuise was eighth in the slopestyle, while Cota came in 10th to round out more top 10 finishers for South Burlington High School.

See SNOWBOARDING on page 9

The Other Paper • March 17, 2022 • Page 9

SNOWBOARDING continued from page 8

Chalnick was 13th.

“There’s this awareness that, ‘Hey, we can do this,’’’ said Downey of the team’s growing confidence. “Emma (DeGuise) has been on the team three years and Annie (Chalnick) too. They have also now realized that they can compete.”

Despite Hamme’s strong showing, the Wolves did not know where they sat as they waited for the final scores. On a day that featured all three events running concurrently, teams had to wait as judges tallied the numbers.

“For an hour and a half, we’re sitting there, waiting, and then they come out with the scores and the announcements and the awards,” Downey said. “It’s almost like a Grammy type event, like open the envelopes and here’s the winner.”

So South Burlington sat and waited.

Then, when the announcement finally came, they were state champions.

“It was phenomenal. They were actually shocked,” Downey said of his team’s reaction. “The spirit and the energy coming off of that win, the entire team was elated.”

The win also sets up the snowboard program for the future. With only two seniors — including Hamme — graduating, the team is full of talent to return to the hill next season.

“I think we are in a good place to be in a strong position at the league next year,” Downey said. “There are very strong programs in this league and our girls realiz-

Great Golf Doesn’t Have To Be Expensive You’ll love our immaculate conditions, exemplary service, inclusive events and robust instruction programs.

Warm up on our driving range, then enjoy 27 holes.

Come see for yourself!

We’ll make your wedding or banquet unforgetable.

COURTESY PHOTO

South Burlington high schooler Ava Hamme, a senior, placed first in the giant slalom, third in slopestyle and fourth in rail jam at the state high school snowboard championships.

13020 Route 116 • Hinesburg, VT 05461 802-482-3186 • cedarknollgolf.com

ing that they can win. I think just brings a lot of inspiration for further years.”

Boys’ team On the boys’ side, Erik Laub came in 11th in the rail jam and 25th in the slopestyle event for South Burlington.

Luke Nelson was the top finisher for the Wolves in the giant slalom, coming in 12th place.

2022 SEASONAL MEMBERSHIPS AV VA AILABLE NOW

NO INITIA AT TION NO ASSESSMENTS MONTHL LY Y PA AY YM MENT OPTIONS

www.stoweco ountryclub.com

80 Colchester Avenue | Burlington | (802) 657-7990 120 Graham Way | Shelburne | (802) 985-9360 19 Farrell Street | South Burlington | (802) 448-9190 426 Industrial Avenue | Williston | (802) 860-4360

Page 10 • March 17, 2022 • The Other Paper

COMMUNITY Community Notes

Sara Faucher

Senior living facility hires new exec director Sara Faucher is the new executive director of The Residence at Quarry Hill, a senior living facility in South Burlington.

Faucher, a geriatric clinical nurse specialist, earned two bachelor’s degrees, in Nursing and business administration, from Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., and received a master’s degree in nursing from the University of California, San Francisco.

Faucher worked at Haven Hospice, Tidewell, Mercy Care and HPH Hospice before becoming an independent consultant for older adult advocacy and becoming part LCB Senior Living, which operates Quarry Hill.

Originally from North Carolina, Faucher has worked all over the United States. In 2016, she received a legal nurse consultant certification from The Paralegal Institute at Brighton College. She is also a veteran of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.

chocolate chip cookie.

RSVP to tec@trinityedcenter. org, or call 802-777-8080.

The event will be at the youth center, 155 Dorset St.

Trinity Educational Center offers free luncheon

Kids ages eight to 14 are invited for hands-on learning about environmental science, engineering, robotics and nutrition at the STEM Showcase 2.0, Saturday, March 19, University of Vermont campus, 10 a.m.-noon.

Workshops will focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) topics.

Registered participants may choose two of the four workshops offered: Environmental Engineering: The Race to Sustainability; Robot Go! Robotics and Coding with LEGOs and Code Blocks; Don’t Sit Still: Help Us Clean Up an Oil Spill; and Get the Scoop on Dairy-free Ice Cream: Make Your Own. Parents and caregivers are welcome to attend the brief opening welcome session, but activities are for youths only.

Admission is free but registration is required by March 17 at go.uvm.edu/stem-showcase.

Location and parking information will be provided upon registration.

Trinity Educational Center continues to be active in South Burlington and fulfill the needs of the community as it continues to move from the pandemic to an endemic and as some people still struggle.

The educational center is offering a free community luncheon on Saturday, April 2, between noon and 2 p.m.

Pick from one of two options: pickup meals curbside or dine-in.

“This is my preference because then youth and parents will have a chance to view the Infinite Youth Center,” said Trinity organizer Travia Childs.

There will be 40 free meals available, and reservations are suggested. Meals will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The menu consists of beef or vegetarian spaghetti, garden salad (ranch or Italian dressing), and dessert, including cheesecake, fruit cup or

STEM showcase features workshops

COVID safety protocols will be followed with a health screening at check-in. Masks are required.

Don’t forget can, bottle drive this Saturday Fifth graders at Rick Marcotte Central School in South Burlington are having their annual bottle drive on Saturday, March 19.

This fundraiser helps to pay for an end of the year trip to Smugglers’ Notch Resort. The event typically raises between $1,800 to $2,000, which means a long day of collecting cans and bottles. The fundraiser helps 73 fifth graders take a field trip without having to contribute to its cost. So, please place your bottles out by 9 a.m. on the March 19 for pickup.

Friends hold SoBu Library book sale The Friends of the South Burlington Library used book sale will be held Thursday, March 31 to Saturday, April 2, in the community room at the library.

A Thursday evening preview, 5-7 p.m., is for members only.

Membership in the friends is only $10 per year.

General public can peruse the book sale — fiction, non-fiction

Reward Checking UP TO

$250

UP TO /YR

IN BONUS CASH*

YOU LIVE IN VERMONT.

PLUS

$300

/YR

IN ATM REFUNDS**

Put money back in your pocket, with a checking account where your rewards really add up. Not only does it pay you back, but it’s also totally free! Sound too good to be true? Well it’s true, we promise. That means no minimum balance requirements and no monthly service fees of any kind.

WE THINK YOU SHOULD BE REWARDED FOR THAT. INSURED BY NCUA *1.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) paid on balances between $0.01 and $25,000 and 0.25% APY paid on any amount above $25,000 each qualification cycle when the minimum requirements are met. If you do not meet the requirements per cycle, your Reward Checking account will earn the base rate of 0.10% APY. $5 Share Deposit required for Credit Union membership, though no minimum balance necessary to earn rewards. Available for personal accounts only. The daily method is utilized to determine which rate will be applied. Dividends are accrued daily and compounded monthly. Dividends will be credited to your account on the last day of each monthly statement cycle. If you close your account before dividends are credited, you will not receive the rewards, but you will still receive the base rate of 0.10% APY for the monthly dividend. Rates subject to change without notice and are accurate as of August 1, 2019. **Nationwide ATM fee refunds up to $25 per qualification cycle. Individual ATM fees of $5.00 or more will be reimbursed into your Reward Checking account upon presentation of the ATM receipt. If you do not meet the requirements per cycle, you will not receive ATM fee refunds for that qualification cycle.

and children’s books in good condition at low prices — on Friday 2-5 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

There will also be a raffle of baskets donated by local merchants.

Amit Lodha

South Burlington man reelected to health board Amit Lodha of South Burlington has been reelected to a second term on the University of Vermont Health Network medical group board of directors.

Lodha, associate vice president of manufacturing with Agilent Technologies, will serve a second two-year term. He has extensive experience in manufacturing, supply chain, production processes and quality improvement.

“I have been on the board for the last two years and I am impressed with the talent and amount of work being done by the medical group,” said Lodha. “This is a significant time in the history of health care with the global pandemic and workforce shortages.”

He has been active with several area organizations, previously serving as a board member of United Way of Northwest Vermont, Mercy Connections and the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Mumbai, the College of Engineering Pune, and earned a master’s degree in manufacturing management from The University of Toledo.

Help, treatment for gambling is out there vermontfederal.org | 888.252.0202

Have a gambling problem?

Howard Center’s spring See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 11

The Other Paper • March 17, 2022 • Page 11

New COVID-19 rules put Vermonters in charge The state is putting its COVID19 prevention efforts into the hands of Vermonters.

As of March 14, citing “low levels of severe disease and effective tools to prevent COVID19, Vermonters should consider their own circumstances and risk in deciding what precautions to take — including wearing a mask around others — to protect themselves, loved ones and those at higher risk from COVID-19.”

Previously the guidance recommended wearing a mask in all indoor public spaces.

Vermonters are still urged to be vaccinated against the virus.

“Although COVID isn’t going away, we’re in a much different place than we were not too long ago, and we know how to protect ourselves,” Gov. Phil Scott said.

“Vaccination remains the best tool in our toolbox to protect ourselves and others, and we continue to encourage anyone who hasn’t to get vaccinated and boosted.”

The new protocol also calls for people who test positive to isolate for five days — even if you are vaccinated or never have symptoms. Recommendations no longer include a negative test to end isolation or masking for an additional five days after isolation.

For people who are considered close contacts of someone who tested positive, quarantine is no longer recommended. However, those who are unvaccinated or not up to date on vaccines should get tested around five days after the contact. Any close contact should get tested if they develop symptoms, regardless of vaccination

status.

These changes do not apply to health care settings, including long-term care facilities, or other congregate settings that follow separate guidance.

Health commissioner Dr. Mark Levine emphasized, however, that low levels of virus is not the same as no virus, and that we need to remain prepared in case the virus changes again.

“If we have learned anything about COVID-19 over these past two years, it is that the virus is good at evolving,” Levine said.

“With many surges and new variants, nearly all of us have been affected in some way, and too many have suffered serious illness and tragic losses.”

More information at healthvermont.gov.

Market Rate. All Utilities Included.

Visit www.SummitSeniorLiving.net for Rates, Details and To Apply!

Plan for Your Future Home at The Pines!

Spacious 1- and 2-Bedroom Apartments Chef-Prepared Meals • Hair Salon • Massage Studio Art Gallery • Expanded Outdoor Patio and Grilling Area Mature Landscaping • Resident Garden Vibrant Social Atmosphere with Weekly Events and Activities Convenient Dorset Street Location ESTABLISHED INDEPENDENT SENIOR COMMUNITY

LOCATED IN THE HEART OF SOUTH BURLINGTON

7 Aspen Drive, South Burlington, VT • 802. 865.1109

www. SummitPMG. com

OtherPaperSBVT.com

COMMUNITY NOTES continued from page 10

sommunity education series kicks off Monday, March 28, 6-7 p.m. with “Gambling and its Effects.”

A panel discussion and question-and-answer period will be led

by Dan Hall and Mallory Stunell of the Howard Center, Jacqueline Posley from the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery, and Cait Huble from the National Council on Problem Gambling.

2-Bedroom, 1-Bath Unit Available Mid-April!

The talk is free and open to the public. For more information go to howardcenter.org or call 802-4886912.

Charlotte Senior Center, 212 Ferry Road, Charlotte.

Get the News of South Burlington 24/7

SUGARBUSH.COM

Upcoming blood drives Friday, March 18, 12:30-6 p.m., United Church of Hinesburg, 10580 Route 116, Hinesburg.

Thursday, April 14, 2-7 p.m.,

MOVE BETTER FEEL BETTER Experts in sports physical therapy, injury prevention & fitness training VASTA is the region’s premier facility for Physical Therapy, Performance Training, and Therapeutic Massage.

Providing integrative solutions for athletes and those committed to an active lifestyle.

80 MAIN STREET, SUITE 7 WATERBURY, VT

358 DORSET STREET SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT

802.399.2244

VASTASPORTS.COM

Buy now & ski/ride free this spring Sugarbush is better than ever with even more pass options available for next winter. Stay local and explore Sugarbush or unlock Ikon’s 49 global destinations. Next season, get more ski time with less wait time and with Adventure Assurance and a convenient payment plan, now is the time to commit to a winter full of even more adventure. Season passes are on sale now at the best value of the year.

Visit Sugarbush.com to learn more.

802.552.4007

#SUGARBUSHVT

Page 12 • March 17, 2022 • The Other Paper

HOME

continued from page 1 with sales up 8.5 percent over the previous year, according to the Northwest Vermont Realtor Association. In a market statistics report, the association noted that “home sales would’ve been even greater were it not for soaring sales prices and a shortage of homes for sale in many markets.”

In South Burlington, the median sales price for a single-family home grew by close to 20 percent — from $339,900 to $405,500 — comparing January of this year to 2021. That’s a couple thousand dollars higher than statewide numbers, which saw home prices rise about 16 percent.

For townhouses and condos, which is what King’s apartment complex, rebranded as the Farmhouse Commons, falls under, the median sales price in January was $270,000. Compared to last year, the median price dropped by about 10 percent; inventory of units dropped by 70 percent and the number of days on the market fell by 81 percent, from 21 days last year to just four days this year. Statewide, the inventory of single-family homes, townhouses and condos fell by about half while median sales prices have continued to climb.

One of the Farmhouse Commons units for sale is listed at $289,000 on the Larkin Realty website.

A lack of housing stock is one problem, with the inventory level at the lowest it’s been since 1999 according to the National Association of Realtors. Another is inflation and high prices.

But Hyman also noted that when people are displaced, like at the apartments in Winooski or at Farmhouse Commons in South Burlington, and unleashed on the already tight housing market, it

2022

has ripple effects beyond city boundaries.

“It changes the fabric of our communities because when housing prices go way up, and when people are forced to leave where they’re living because they can’t afford it anymore, and people with higher incomes move into that area — that’s gentrification,” Hyman said.

Before the pandemic hit in 2020, the vacancy rate in Chittenden County was 2 percent, according to the Vermont Housing Finance Association. That means for every 100 rental units, two were available at any given time.

As of now, Chittenden County has a vacancy rate of 0.8 percent, Hyman said, referencing a report

by Brad Minor at Allen Brooks & Minor, which studies and reports on commercial property.

That means less than one rental unit in Chittenden County out of every 100 is available at any given time.

Who is homeownership for?

King and her neighbors were offered to purchase their units, which are owned by Marilyn and Joseph Larkin and managed by Full Circle Property Management, but King said she can’t afford to buy, having just started grad school, nor does she want to.

“Financially, I can’t afford it and I just like to rent because I have the option of not being tied down,” King said.

A few of her neighbors she’s talked to also will likely be forced to move.

“My next-door neighbor, she got divorced recently and she’s trying to rebuild her credit and do all these things,” King said, adding that as a single parent, her neighbor is hesitant to move out

of Chittenden County where her kids live and attend school, even though housing might be cheaper elsewhere.

“This isn’t an opportunity.

You’re forcing everyone into a corner and if you don’t do this, you need to leave,” King said.

Six months heads-up might be OK under normal circumstances, she added, “but with the pandemic and the housing prices, there’s just, there’s nothing.”

Now King is considering moving out of state, as most of her family has left Vermont. But her partner still lives here and the thought of moving mid-semester has added onto the stress of everything else.

Farmhouse Commons includes 26 apartments, ranging from oneto two-bedrooms and will be sold at market rate. Two vacant units already have offers with contracts closing this month, according to Stephanie Gilbert, a representative for Full Circle Property Management. Gilbert explained that tenants have been given the first option to purchase their units, and that “home ownership is the objective” of the overall plan.

As far as support for current tenants, Gilbert said that Full Circle is looking to connect residents with local lenders should they express interest in buying their unit.

“The first option to purchase offered to the tenants demonstrates our priority in working with the current residents. We can appreciate that not everyone is interested or in a position to engage with the opportunity to own their home (versus rent),” Gilbert wrote in an email. “We encourage each resident to follow the path that best meets their own personal needs.”

While the letter to tenants

/

Dog

Cat

Pet’s Name:___________________________________ (please circle): Male Female Spayed/Neutered (please circle): Y N Rabies Certificate Enclosed (please circle): Y N Vet’s Name & Phone____________________________

FEES until April 1, 2022 DOG Spayed or Neutered $25 Non-neutered or spayed $29 CAT Spayed or Neutered $12 Non-neutered or spayed $16

Please return this form along with a rabies certificate (with a vet’s signature) and the applicable fee to:

City Clerk’s Office • 180 Market Street • S. Burlington, VT 05403

to have a certain credit score. You might be in a position in your life where something just changed and your credit isn’t in a great place, divorce, death, disability. I mean, there’s all kinds of hardships that come up where rental kind of gives you a buffer,” Trombly said.

And getting that all together in six months is not impossible, but “improbable,” he said.

Since King doesn’t plan to buy her unit, she’s started looking for a new place — whether that’s in Vermont or out of state, she still doesn’t know.

“This is my home, you know,” King said. “I was completely blindsided by this. I love Vermont.

I love living in Chittenden County.

But it’s pricey and renting here is just expensive, it’s hard, it’s competitive. I wasn’t planning on moving. I was planning on staying here.”

Island Memorial Pet Service Premium Compassionate Care for Your Pets Because

Gomer & Gunther

Owner’s Name:___________________________________________________ Owner’s Address:_________________________________________________ Phone:____________________ Email:_______________________________ New Pet

offers a “path to home-ownership” in light of “a lack of affordable housing in Chittenden County,” Hyman said homeownership isn’t a feasible option for everyone for many reasons.

“There are all sorts of systemic barriers that have been built into our housing system, both the rental and ownership system,” she said.

Chris Trombly, who volunteers as chair of the South Burlington affordable housing committee and works at Peoples United Bank assisting homeowners and small business owners with loans, noted homeownership can be “a great way to build wealth,” but it’s not without risk.

“The amount of money you need to come up with — sure there’s some down payment assistance programs, but you do need to have stable income. You do need

Pet Licenses

TOP DOG & FIRST FELINE CONTEST Register your pet by April 1 for a chance to win!

Renewal

PHOTO BY AVALON STYLES-ASHLEY

Rachel King grew up in Vermont and has lived at her apartment on John Fay Road in South Burlington for a little over three years. Now that her apartment complex is being sold and she’s being forced to move, King is unsure if she can still afford to live in her home state.

“LOYALTY DESERVES DIGNITY”

We understand the love you have for your pets and the importance they hold in your life. Our compassionate staff is devoted to easing the difficulties at this challenging time.

Our staff is here for you 24/7 • The Island Memorial Difference: • Pet Funerals • Cremation Services • Your Pet is Always in Our Care • Dignified Pet Transportation from Your Home or Vet • Immediate & Witness Cremation Available • Full Line of Pet Loss Products

Tiger & Buster

1176 Main St. • Fairfax, VT 57 Main St. • Essex Jct., VT www.islandmemorials.com Northwestern Vermont’s Only Pet Crematory A Member of the A.W. Rich Funeral Home Family • www.awrfh.com

802-316-2284

The Other Paper • March 17, 2022 • Page 13

CLASSIFIEDS

Classified ads are free for South Burlington residents. Ads run for two weeks, as space and time allows. Ads should be 30 words or less.

Call 802-864-6670 with questions or to run a paid ad for Services, Real Estate, For Rent, Employment, Business Opportunities, etc.

WANTED SUMMER RENTAL: Retired, quiet senior couple looking for summer rental or less furnished main floor. Excellent references and security. Lawrence Daum 904-383-2272 or email daum27 @aol.com FOR SALE 2017 Chevy Tahoe LT: 4x4, Fully loaded, 30,500 miles, excellent condition. $46,000. Call 802-999-7933.

If it’s important to you or your community look for it in The Other Paper

DELI

Champlain Community Services just raised their salaries. Significantly.

And that’s on top of being a “Best Place to Work In Vermont” for four years running.

Great positions in Residential Program Management ($43K) and Direct Support Professionals ($18 per hour) at an award-winning agency serving Vermonters with intellectual disabilities. Plus a $500 sign-on bonus and an incredible benefits package.

Make a career making a difference. Apply today at https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/ ccs-vt.org EOE

positions available in Williston Join this friendly and fun and Essex!

Deli team and earn OVER…

$17/hour

*

($15/hr. + $2/hr. premium) Pay increases with ANY work experience.

Hiring for FT Deli Leads, FT Deli Associates, and PT Deli Associates. We will train you!

Please contact Sara at (802) 391-0059 for more information. *Currently offering this $2/hour site premium at Essex and Williston Hannaford locations ONLY, for all hourly positions!

https://hannaford.careerswithus.com

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS to the SOUTH BURLINGTON OFFICIAL MAP Public Hearing Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 7:00 pm PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 7:00 PM to consider amendments to the Official Map. The amendments are proposed in the vicinity of I-89 Exit 14 / Williston Road. The hearing will be held in person and remotely via Zoom. Participation options: Interactive Online: https://zoom.us/j/98114256459 Telephone (audio only): (929) 205 6099, Meeting ID: 981 1425 6459 In Person: City Hall Auditorium, 180 Market Street The purpose of the hearing is to consider the following: A. OM-22-01: Add bike/pedestrian connections between planned I-89 bike/pedestrian bridge and Dorset Street, Williston Road, and Quarry Hill Road Copies of the proposed amendment are available for inspection at the Department of Planning & Zoning, City Hall, 180 Market Street, and on the city website at www.sbvt.gov.

Jessica Louisos, Planning Commission Chair March 18, 2022

Shared Living Provider Open your home to someone with an intellectual disability or autism and open a whole world to them, and to you.

Working with our team of professionals, you’ll help someone live a safe and fulfilling life at home and in the community.

There are a variety of opportunities available that could be the perfect match for you and your household.

A $500 sign on bonus, generous stipend, paid time off, comprehensive training & supports are provided. Plus, CCS has been voted one of the Best Places to Work in Vermont for the fourth year in a row. Join us!

Contact Jennifer Wolcott, jwolcott@ccs-vt.org or 655-0511 ext. 118 ccs-vt.org EOE

od venrything ers and animals cts, and

Golf Ball Drop and a chance to win prizes depending on where the numbered balls Page • March 17, 2022 • The Other Paper land.14Proceeds from ticket sales help fund Rotary’s many projects through the year.

SERVICE DIRECTORY To advertise in the service directory email judy@otherpapersbvt.com or call 802-864-6670

Bear Ridge Home Improvement

Edie Brodsky REALTOR® (802) 846-9532

call 985-3091 All You Need is Home advertising@shelburnenews.com Landscape / Lawncare

vermont

Rug cleaning vermontrugcleaning.com | 802.985.1178

rconi

erapist

• Basement Waterproofing • Crawl Space Repair • Sump Pump Systems • Foundation Repair • Concrete Leveling & Sealing

h Road elburne

5-8984 8-7001

85-2453 63-0590 85-8620

• Remodeling • Bath renovations • General handy man services • Exterior siding • Painting • Rot replacement • Decking • Construction services • Remodeling • Interior painting services • Tile and hardwood flooring

100% Financi n Availab g le

Landscape / Lawncare

26 years experience 802-343-2708 tfortin1007@gmail.com

Piano Lessons

Piano Lessons

Give the gift of music-making Remote and In-Person Lessons Basic, intermediate - children, teens, adults National Keyboard Arts Curriculum References, scholarships available

Edward Darling South Burlington

Edward802-318-7030 Darling, So. Burlington

edwardjohndarling@gmail.com • 802-318-7030

1-855-DRY-TIME • www.northernnebasements.com

PLEASANT VALLEY, INC.

Spring/Fall Siding & Trim Clean Work Up Carpentry Repairs Lawn Care Painting & Staining Landscape Design Decks & Porches Stone Work Outdoor Structures

802-343-4820 802-343-4820

www.pleasantvalleyvt.com www.pleasantvalleyvt.com

ANTIQUES WANTED Decluttering? Downsizing?

Settling an Estate?

We can help you discover, learn about and sell:

WATCHES • JEWELRY • COINS • SILVER • ARTWORK

MOWING | MULCH/SOIL DELIVERY WEEDING | PRUNING SPRING/FALL CLEANUP | HAUL A-WAY

Lawns by Adam 802.578.8347

Adam Dantzscher | adamdantzscher@aol.com

Residential • Commercial • Industrial

GEORGE GARDNER CPL, RST, CPS, CHI

We can field questions, review photos and coordinate estate work.

884 Old Hollow Road North Ferrisburg, VT 05473 (802) 425-3060

Contact Brian Bittner • 802-272-7527 • bittnerantiques@gmail.com

Certified Locksmith & Safe Technician Professional Security Consultant E-mail: lockman1@comcast.net or georgessafes@gmavt.net www.georgeslocks.com www.georges-safes.com

www.bittnerantiques.com

WHY GO

LOCAL?

Shape the community’s character Vermont Community Newspaper Group

The business next door donates nearly twice as much as big-box stores and online retailers to local non-profits, events and teams.

The Other Paper • March 17, 2022 • Page 15

CROSSWORD

ARIES

LEO

March 21 - April 20 This week you will have an opportunity to see things how they are and not necessarily as you imagine them to be, Aries. This clarity could require some restructuring.

TAURUS

July 23 - Aug. 23 Leo, you need to be flexible, especially over the next few days. People may put you to the test with a perceived unwillingness to compromise, but cooperate when possible.

VIRGO

April 21 - May 21 Long-term goals are nearing completion, Taurus. You have gained so much from your pursuits and you have made plenty of friends along the way. Take time to appreciate that.

GEMINI May 22 - June 21 Communication difficulties arise this week, Gemini.

Someone can coach you into getting your point across with sufficient finesse. Seek a communication mentor.

CANCER June 22 - July 22 Cancer, there may be some passionate discussions coming up this week with family members. Everyone wants his or her point of view to be heard.

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22 Virgo, in order to reach a destination you have in mind, you may have to rethink the route you’re taking. A direct course just may not be the way to go in this instance.

LIBRA Sept. 23 - Oct. 23 Always be honest with yourself and others, Libra.

That means being true to you and never putting on masks just to hide others from how you are truly feeling.

SCORPIO Oct. 24 - Nov. 22 Scorpio, you want to do things for others out of the goodness of your heart, and you will not need anything in return. Good deeds are their own reward.

SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 23 - Dec. 21 Sagittarius, dining out too many days in a row may leave you feeling sluggish.

Reassess your eating habits and commit to making more meals at home for a bit.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 20 Capricorn, recognize that not everyone has your best interests at heart. Others’ intentions may not be sinister, but your own interest and the interest of others may not align.

AQUARIUS Jan. 21 - Feb. 18 Sometimes you are a bit proud and do not like asking for or accepting others’ help, Aquarius. You deserve the breaks that others are willing to offer you, though.

PISCES Feb. 19 - March 20 This is a good time of the month to nurture loved ones, Pisces. Play with your kids or sit and chat with an elderly relative who needs you.

CLUES ACROSS 1. Type of footwear 5. Studies a lot all at once 10. Adventure story 14. Hundred thousand 15. Former U.S. Vice President 16. Ruler 17. Indian city 18. Similar 19. Ship as cargo 20. Volcanic craters 22. Boxing’s “GOAT” 23. Bullfighting maneuvers 24. London soccer team 27. Score perfectly 30. No (Scottish) 31. SoCal hoops team (abbr.)

32. Woman (French) 35. Unwanted attic “decor” 37. Peter Griffin’s daughter 38. Broad, shallow crater 39. Large instruments 40. Low bank or reef 41. __ and Venzetti 42. Oil group 43. Father 44. Aggressive men 45. Pairs well with green 46. Travelers need it 47. Digital audiotape 48. Midway between

northeast and east 49. Chemistry descriptor 52. S. China seaport 55. Sound unit 56. Heavy cavalry sword 60. Thick piece of something 61. Spa town in Austria 63. Boyfriend 64. Norse personification of old age 65. Type of box 66. Tie together 67. Fiber from the coconut 68. Chicago mayor 69. Old English letters CLUES DOWN 1. Type of sauce 2. Pattern of notes 3. Plant with long seedpods 4. Map out 5. Numbers cruncher 6. Make a mental connection 7. Italian tenor 8. N. America’s highest mountain peak 9. Witness 10. Arabic given name 11. Music awards 12. “ The Immoralist” author 13. Area units

ANSWERS

21. Units of loudness 23. Political action committee 25. Bar bill 26. Witch 27. A theatrical performer 28. 2-door car 29. __ and flowed 32. Papier-__, art medium 33. City in Georgia 34. Irregular 36. College sports conference 37. Angry 38. Partner to cheese 40. S. American mammal 41. Self-immolation by fire rituals 43. Split pulses 44. Disfigure 46. Cow noise 47. Erase 49. Chadic language 50. Reward for doing well 51. Paid TV 52. Millisecond 53. Other 54. Colombian city 57. Necklace part 58. Every one of two or more people 59. Regrets 61. They come after “A” 62. Horse noise

Page 16 • March 17, 2022 • The Other Paper

“You may be Surprised at how fast Mom will feel right at home.”

Discover the Maple Ridge Difference SPRING SPecIal!

Classic ‘Little Women’

Sign by May 1St* and Save $6,000 at Move in!

Services & Features Include:

Retirement. Reimagined.

Adjacent to the Essex Resort and Spa and Maple Ridge Memory Care, Maple Ridge Lodge is a shiny new 71-apartment assisted living community that embraces all that is true to Vermont and those who call it home.

Residents may select from studio, one and two-bedroom apartments, and enjoy conveniences such as 3 chef-prepared meals served daily, complimentary snacks and beverages, a library, fitness center, and art studio.

• 24-hour personal care services • Emergency response system throughout the building and in every apartment • Maintenance services on demand • Housekeeping and laundry services • Full-service beauty salon/barber shop

802-872-7775

• Art Studio • Library • Scheduled transportation • Bed & Breakfast-style guest suite for families • The Harvest Dining experience • Inspired Life Activities Program

Schedule a tour of the beautiful models at Maple Ridge Lodge, the Burlington area’s newest assisted living community!

2 Freeman Woods, Essex Junction, VT 05452 MapleRidgeLodge.com

COURTESY PHOTO

Rice Memorial High School students performed “Little Women” last weekend. The four shows were directed

by Kevin Ginter and Monsignor John McDermott. From left, Grace Kline (Joe), Catherine Viner (Beth), Lili Diemer (Amy) and Kerna Bond-Bardes (Meg).

High schoolers stanza-out in poetry competition Nineteen high school students across Vermont were selected as school champions in the 2022 statewide Poetry Out Loud competition and advanced to the state finals March 14 at the Barre Opera House.

Poetry Out Loud is a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry — both classic and contemporary — through memorization, performance and competition. Since the program began in 2005, more than four million students across the country have participated.

In Vermont in 2022, 75 teachers from 19 schools across the state registered to bring the program to their classrooms, reaching more than 2,500 students.

While in-person attendance is limited at the event, it will be livestreamed on the Vermont Poetry Out Loud Facebook page.

All 2022 judges are distinguished poets and performers. They are Sarah Audsley, poet; Susan Haefner, actor and teaching artist; John Hadden, actor and teaching artist; and Vera Escaja Heiss, former Vermont Poetry Out Loud champion.

Contestants will be evaluated on physical presence, voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, dramatic appropriateness, accuracy and overall performance.

A state champion and one runner-up will be named, and participants with the five highest cumulative scores will be recognized.

The state champion receives $200

and advances to the national finals where $50,000 in awards and school stipends are distributed. The school of the state champion receives $500 for the purchase of poetry materials.

The first runner-up in each state receives $100, with $200 for their school or organization. The Poetry Foundation provides and administers the monetary prizes.

The 2022 national semifinals will take place on Sunday, May 1, with the top nine semifinalists advancing to the finals on June 5.

Both the semifinals and finals will stream live at arts.gov.

Vermont Poetry Out Loud is supported by the Poetry Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the state.

Here’s a partial list of school champions: Champlain Valley Union High School, Alex Wemple Harwood Union High School, Holden Stephenson Hazen Union High School, Maddison Hayden Lyndon Institute, Oak Clarke Peoples Academy, Andi Tisdell Rice Memorial High School, Anouk Von Bernewitz South Burlington High School, Gianna Morin St. Johnsbury Academy, Madison Wilson Stratton Mountain School, Max Hack Vermont Commons, Amelia Foster