The Other Paper - 12-29-22

Run for a good Claus

The Sixth annual South Burlington Rotary Ugly Sweater Fun Run not only brought loads of smiles to its many participants but it raised $11,000 to benefit the organization’s causes within the community and beyond, including a $3,000 donation to the South Burlington Academic Boosters. The run this year attracted 150 participants, including families, couples, friends and individuals. The event was featured in The Other Paper, on TV and radio, on many South Burlington school media platforms, on multiple city platforms as well as on social media. See more photos on page 7.

YIR: Burlington airport drama opens wounds

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Tensions between South Burlington and Burlington this year opened old wounds, as the two cities grappled over a rezoning request from the Burlington International

Airport, which is on South Burlington soil but owned and managed by Burlington.

The 942-acre international hub serves more than a million passengers a year and houses the Vermont Air National Guard and other businesses crucial to the state economy.

But its strain on residents in Winooski and in South Burlington — specifically in South Burlington’s Chamberlin neighborhood — set the stage for months of conflict.

After months of meetings and discussion by the city airport rezoning task force, formed in December 2021, the body in

April unanimously decided against the Burlington International Airport’s request to rezone 11 acres of airport-owned land from residential to aviation use.

The task force argued that the neighbor-

COURTESY PHOTO

Obituary

Peter Jeffrey Sutherland

Peter Jeffrey Sutherland, 71, lifelong Vermonter and world citizen, died on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.

Born May 13, 1951, in Burlington to Mary Lou and Bob Sutherland, he grew up in Shelburne, attending Champlain Valley Union High School, Castleton State College and the University of Vermont.

A descendent of minstrels, he had a knack for music and art from as far back as anyone can remember. He lived his creativity and crafted a life and career sharing his music, poetry, art and storytelling.

One of his earliest outlets was writing and starring in home movies. While Pete went on to work with numerous performance groups here and abroad, his original endeavors involved recruiting family and neighbors to participate in his various project ideas.

His mom was the initial musical inspiration, playing and writing musicals at the piano, the instrument that Pete first learned. He was quick to develop the ability to play by ear, picking out melodies and composing his own. In high school he played trombone in the marching band alongside his brother Chris.

At Castleton he began his lifelong love affair with folk and traditional music. It was during that time he learned fiddle, banjo and guitar, forming his first gigging bands. While he was indeed adept at many instruments, he always washed dishes like a man just learning to play drums.

Pete was a student of Vermont history and some of those stories found their way into his impressive body of songs and poetry.

Always curious and well read, Pete was an early adopter of health trends that would later become

popular. His favorite foods were the ones he picked himself. He was a lifelong forager of mushrooms and other wild edibles that he would find on his frequent and beloved hikes.

Deeply committed to preserving traditions and discovering new musical pathways, he taught, mentored and inspired people of all ages. Pete leaves behind a rich legacy that can be found on the many albums he recorded, produced and played on, in his many projects including those with the Vermont Folklife Center and in the hearts and memories of those he touched.

He lived with cancer for over a decade, continuing to follow his heart and creative muse. And when his body finally gave out, he chose Vermont’s medical aid in dying act to go on his terms. Pete spent his time on Earth doing what he loved, and his was a life well lived.

Pete is survived by his son, Calum; his brothers, Michael, and Davis and partner, Marie, and all their families.

He was predeceased by his brother, Chris.

A full circle hoedown is being planned for his birthday in the spring.

SBHS Music Fundraiser Christmas Tree Pick-up

Saturday, Jan. 7 Curbside pick-up begins at 10 a.m.*

*Condo and apartment pick‐ups at main road or entrance. No need to call ahead – but if your tree is not picked up by 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7, call Christina (802) 373‐6937.

Peter Jeffrey Sutherland

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The South Burlington Business Association and many member businesses donated $10,900 to the South Burlington Food Shelf in December. Initially started in 2020 when the food shelf had just opened and COVID-19 shutdowns were in place, the business association has continued this initiative annually. “The business community is proud to support the food shelf in meeting its mission of helping to feed those in need,” said Julie Beatty, the group’s coordinator.

SoBu business association feeds the hungry

League wraps up diaper drive

The Junior League of Champlain Valley has an ambitious goal of raising $10,000 and collecting 50,000 diapers before the close of the year.

The Junior League hosts its final diaper dump on Saturday, Dec. 31, at the University of Vermont men’s hockey game against Lindenwood. Through its diaper bank, the league distributes diapers and wipes to families struggling to meet basic

needs across 13 of Vermont’s 14 counties. In September 2022, it distributed over 90,240 diapers statewide, and another 112,750 in October.

“A steady supply of diapers is critical for every family. We are grateful to the greater Vermont community for its contributions, recognizing it can cost up to $75 per month to diaper a child and no state or federal safety-net program

allocates dollars for the purchase of diapers,” said Amanda Herzberger, diaper bank chair.

Bring donations to the hockey game or they can be dropped at any Dee Physical Therapy location during regular business hours in the month of December, or at one of the league’s year-round diaper donation bins at Healthy Living Market in both South Burlington and Williston, and Hula in Burlington.

GetSetUp offers interactive learning for older Vermonters

The Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging, through their partnership with GetSetUp, is offering Vermont residents 60 years old and older interactive online programming specifically designed to increase activity and wellness for older adults.

Classes cover topics from how to effectively use digital technology to health and wellness through fitness and cooking to a full range of enrichment classes. Vermonters can access thousands of interactive classes taught by older adults to their peers that are accessible at the click of a button 24 hours a day.

The GetSetUp program also helps active agers become more

fit, learn to manage their finances, develop new skills and even supplement their income. Special “New Year, New Me” programming is running into the new year to help people accomplish their new year’s goals in one or all three learning tracks on health and wellness, money and business and growth and development.

Classes are available in multiple languages including English, Mandarin, Hindi and a growing number of weekly classes in Spanish.

The custom-built video learning interface has been tailored to older adults of all tech levels. The platform offers support via phone

and in all classes to help learners with technology and includes a booking system complete with regular reminders and after-class notes. Vermont’s older adults can easily connect with a safe community of over 4.6 million peers globally.

“We know that the holidays and winter season can be a festive time for many people but also a time where others feel particularly alone,” said Lawrence Kosick, president and co-founder of GetSetUp. “We want to remind people that there are empowering learning and socialization opportunities on GetSetUp,”

More at bit.ly/3WhEDuS.

A Taste of Abyssinia

COURTESY PHOTO

The Junior League of Champlain Valley has until the end of the month to raise $10,000 and collect 50,000 diapers.

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CRIME & COURTS

South Burlington man wanted in domestic knifing incident

MIKE DONOGHUE CORRESPONDENT

South Burlington Police are seeking a local suspect for aggravated domestic assault after he reportedly slashed a woman six or seven times with a knife at her apartment early Monday.

Kevin Mack, 51, was under an earlier court order to stay away from the woman following another alleged domestic assault in October with the same person, police said.

The victim sustained the cuts from the paring knife during the assault shortly before 2 a.m. Monday, Dec. 26, police chief

Shawn Burke reported.

South Burlington Fire and Rescue also responded to the apartment near the Colchester town line, treated the woman and took her to the University of Vermont Medical Center for further treatment, police said. By Monday afternoon the victim had been discharged.

Mack fled the scene before police officers could respond to the 911-emergency call. He is believed to have fled in a Chevrolet Malibu with Vermont registration KAN 932, police said.

Even with Monday being considered a city holiday, the police department is taking extra steps in the manhunt.

“We have been working on it all day,” Burke said.

The chief called it an “egregious case” and noted the conduct had escalated even when Mack was told by a judge to stay from the victim and her home.

The October incident was reported as a verbal dispute, but an investigation revealed there had been an earlier striking of the victim, the chief said.

Mack was charged in October with two counts of aggravated domestic assault, Burke said. The charges were considered aggravated because the defendant has an earlier domestic conviction, the chief said.

Man arrested for theft at sports store

Four or five masked people all wearing similar dark clothing swarmed Eastern Mountain Sports on Garden Street in South Burling-

ton on Dec. 21 around noon and, using the store’s own backpacks, started to steal numerous high-value items.

When staff approached, the group attempted to flee, and several customers helped to physically restrain one of the suspects. An additional suspect was restrained outside the store and numerous items were recovered.

Police arrested Anthony Bray, 33, of Burlington, on a warrant, escape and attempted retail theft.

After complaining of arm pain, police took Bray to University of Vermont Medical Center where he attempted to flee officers.

Bray had an active warrant from the state for a parole violation stemming from multiple charges including burglary, grand larceny, and escape from custody-furlough.

He was lodged at the Northwest Correctional Facility in St. Albans and is due in court in March.

More than $5,000 in property was recovered from Bray and the other unknown suspect.

South Burlington police are asking witnesses or anyone with knowledge of the incident to contact Sgt. Matthew Plunkett at 802-846-8174 or mplunkett@ southburlingtonpolice.org.

We can create housing, protect environment

Guest Perspective

John Bossange

Too often the discussion between building much-needed housing and protecting the environment has become an either-or proposition. This is a false construction.

We need to update our thinking and vision for the future. The year 2023 is so different from the way it was just 20 years ago. The pressure to build and conserve has grown immensely, and we must move forward with both in mind.

No one doubts the need for more housing. The question is: What type of housing and where should it be built? Foremost, we need apartments for those who prefer apartment living. Most of us began renting first before home ownership was a possibility and many may retire into apartments again. We need to understand that a home today can no longer mean what it meant 20 years ago.

Many people now choose to live in apartments, duplexes, townhouses and condominiums to be close to parks and bike and walking paths that provide convenient access to stores, schools, libraries and other community amenities. Many also prefer to use public transportation and not to budget the expense of a car.

Somehow, we must shift our definition of a home created by the car culture advocates after World War II and promoted by the oil and gas companies along with the auto industry. Prior to that time, most people lived in city apartments and in the centers of rural towns. Very few commuted by car. If people needed to travel a long distance, they took public transportation, especially to and from work. All this changed with the excitement and freedom given to us by car ownership. Unfortunately, where people lived followed suit with suburban neighborhoods sprawling across the landscape, including in South Burlington.

We are now at a moment in history when we must change our approach to planning. The Dec. 17 issue of the New York Times included an article on emissions that clearly illustrates that the denser the development, the less pollution. A lot of South Burlington, especially in the southeast quadrant, is still an open, rural landscape that requires car culture living, and until people transition to electric vehicles, gasoline-powered cars will continue to be destructive to the environment because of the increase of emissions.

The article further states, “We need to be building smaller homes in denser places, closer together, and closer to jobs and to public transportation.” Controlling sprawl and promoting smart growth development is not a choice any more. It’s a survival necessity. Fortunately, that’s what

we have begun to do on Market Street and need to do along the Route 2 and Route 7 corridors. This type of core development is especially critical for those who are seeking more affordable housing. Typically, those residents that need to walk, ride or take public transportation whenever possible.

We now also know that it’s in rural areas where some of the worst environmental pollution occurs, and surely that is true in the southeast quadrant. Thanks to these recent investigations done by the Times, we know that transit-friendly neighborhoods have some of the lowest emissions per household nationwide.

Emissions from housing (construction and maintenance), services (health care and education), food (production) and goods (manufacturing) all contribute to emissions, but transportation (gasoline, motor oil, air travel, vehicle manufacturing, etc.) tops the list of activities contributing harmful emissions into the environment.

By following the principles for smart growth development, we can provide modern, 21st century housing, and move away from the suburban Levittown lots from the previous century. Families lived well before the birth of suburbia, and there is no reason we cannot return to that type of housing today.

Gone are the days of 20th century homes seen in Butler Farms, Cider Mill, South Village and surrounding golf courses. The recent Spear Meadows development under construction and the pending Vermont Superior Court decision on a proposal to pack 32 more homes inside the Wheeler Park Nature Park are the clearest, recent examples of sprawling car culture Levittowns that should never be built.

Real estate agents, funding institutions and developers can still profit from a variety of city and town core housing developments, and town planners can provide us with the zoning leadership to make this shift.

Again, it’s not like we have other options. We should be in a serious 21st century planning mode. Conserving the remaining environment will directly help mitigate the impacts of carbon in the air, provide relief from heat domes and severe weather events, allow for the proper filtration of water before it runs into streams and lakes, protect the remaining wildlife habitat and, of course, provide all of us with the physical beauty of open meadows and forested woodlands with trails and vistas accessible to everyone in our city. Conserved land and city-owned parkland are a wonderful gift for all residents and visitors.

And so, building more housing and conserving land should complement each

Vermont needs to expand school choice options

Guest Perspective

Rob Roper

For over 150 years, Vermont has run the most equitable and dynamic school choice program in the nation. Any parents of any children in towns or districts that do not have a public school can choose any public or approved independent school to send their child with an amount of money following the child that is competitive with, if less than, the cost to educate that child in the public school system.

This system has given rise to some of Vermont’s most sought-after educational experiences, not just locally but globally. The four traditional academies — St. Johnsbury Academy, Burr & Burton, Lyndon Institute and Thetford Academy, attract students

from roughly thirty countries, making these choice schools by far the most racially, culturally, economically and intellectually diverse in our state. Given the tuition paid by these out-of-district students, as much as $64,500 a year, these schools are critical economic engines in their communities.

In addition to the four academies, there are over 100 independent schools throughout Vermont serving more than 10,000 students, including more than forty with specific missions to serve students with special needs. Of the general admission independent schools, we see some of the top-performing schools in the state in terms of student outcomes in places like The Sharon Academy and the Long Trail School.

It is worth noting that these stellar outcomes and unique

opportunities offered by independent schools come at significantly less taxpayer expense than government-run public schools. The maximum tuition allowed to follow a child to an independent middle or high school this year is $16,020 and $17,278 respectively, compared to an average of $23,299 per public school pupil—a 25 percent taxpayer discount.

One would think that based on a simple cost-benefit analysis, lawmakers would be eager to expand Vermont’s tuition system. However, when this legislature returns to Montpelier in January, Vermont’s century-and-a-half-

year-old, successful experience with school choice will be under threat of elimination.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this past summer in Carson v. Mason that if a state chooses to run a school choice program that allows independent schools to take part — which Vermont does — the state cannot discriminate against religious independent schools by barring them from competing for students. Vermont has been doing this since the 1960s. Such discrimination was determined to violate the free-exercise clause of the First Amendment.

What this means for Vermont

is that now other high-achieving schools, such as Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington and Christ the King in Rutland are now available choices for tuition students. That’s a good thing. But rather than allow this benefit, several powerful Vermont lawmakers are pledging to cut Vermont’s tuition system for all independent schools. Families without a public school in their district may have to pick a public school in another district to send their child or pay out of pocket to continue in their current independent school — if they can afford it and if that school can remain workable at all without tuition.

This is the preferred approach by Senate Majority Leader Alison Clarkson (D-Windsor), who, ironically, sent her own children

What this means is that school such as Rice are now available choices for tuition students. That’s a good thing.

BOSSANGE

continued from page 5

other. This is not an issue of NIMBYism. This is an issue of our children’s survival and understanding the importance of the remaining natural environment surrounding us.

Nor is this a time to complain about taller buildings inside our defined core, wider sidewalks, and more bike and walking paths, crosswalks and pedestrian-friendly greenspaces in place of massive parking lots. Infill projects that create a livable and enjoyable city experience must be the wave of the future.

Everyone deserves a place to call

home, but in the right location designed with the future in mind. Everyone also deserves to experience the joy, comfort and beauty of natural areas, knowing at the same time that preserving remaining lands helps fight the climate crisis rapidly closing in on us.

For our children’s future we must act now.

John Bossange is a board member on the South Burlington Land Trust, serves on the city’s natural resource and conservation committee.

COURTESY PHOTOS

South Burlingtonians once again did not disappoint, digging deep in their closets for the ugliest Christmas sweaters they could muster to help the South Burlington Rotary Club Dec. 11 to raise $11,000 in its Ugly Sweater Fun Run.

Better sweaters

The city of South Burlington held its holiday lights contest once again. Above, residents and others picked this home as their fan favorite. It was also the winner of the Merry and Bright category. At right, runner up in the Merry and Bright category. Below left, winner in the traditional category, and below right, the judge’s favorite for this scene of The Grinch stealing the neighbor’s lights.

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Community Notes

Play explores whimsy of childhood, wisdom of age

The Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School will present “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” on Friday, Jan. 13, at the South Burlington High School auditorium. The play is a collection of stories that celebrate the whimsy of childhood and the wisdom of old age.

Presented in association with First Light Theater Company, the play is directed by David Bailey with musical direction by Wendy Valastro and adapted from the novel by Robert Fulghum.

Contact pkeenanfitzgerald@gmail. com or (802) 324-8450 for more information.

Beethoven’s Ninth will ring in the new year

The Green Mountain Mahler Festival presents a New Year’s concert featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Sunday, Jan. 1, at 3 p.m. at the Elley-Long Music Center, Colchester.

Daniel Bruce conducts the Green Mountain Mahler Festival Orchestra and Chorus, along with vocal soloists Stefanie Weigand, Nessa Rabin, Kevin Ginter and Erik Kroncke. Proceeds benefit the Vermont Foodbank. For more information and to purchase tickets visit vtmahler.org.

County historical society gives talk on Abenaki erasure

On Sunday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. Ethan Allen Homestead Tavern hosts Vera Longtoe Sheehan, who will speak on “Abenaki Erasure, Eugenics and Ethnocide.”

Longtoe Sheehan is the executive director of the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association and a citizen of the Elnu Abenaki Tribe. The program is co-sponsored by the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum and the Chittenden County Historical Society. All are welcome.

Boards and commissions give Vermonters numerous opportunities to serve their state and communities. The governor’s office is currently soliciting applications to fill vacancies and upcoming term expirations.

All those interested in serving on a board or commission should visit bit. ly/3WjUXeQ to apply.

Local appointments made by the governor over the last six weeks include: Passenger Tramway Board, Mike Tarricone, Shelburne; and Community High School of Vermont, Joan Lenes, Shelburne.

Age Well Christmas meal

A grab and go Christmas meal in Shelburne will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m. to noon.

Age Well and St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne are teaming up to provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older. The menu includes meatloaf with sauce, vegetable gravy, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, dinner roll with butter, banana Craisin cookie and milk.

To order a meal, contact Sheryl Oberding by Wednesday, Jan. 4, via email at soberding@yahoo.com or by calling 802-825-8546.

Deadline to order is Thursday.

First-time patrons could provide name, address, phone number and date of birth. Bring a completed registration form or send one to: Age Well; 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210; Colchester VT 05446.

Download the registration form ahead of time at bit.ly/3PUwdHN.

Panel discussion explores climate, social justice

The League of Women Voters of Vermont, in partnership with Kellogg-Hubbard Library, presents “The Impact of Climate Change on Vermont” on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m.

Gov. Phil Scott appointed 52 individ

The panel discussion, moderated by Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, will focus on the social justice aspects of climate change with panelists Kashka Orlow and Judy Dow. The program will be hosted on

Gov. Phil Scott appoints 52 to boards and commissions

hood had already suffered enough from F-35 noise, the removal of hundreds of homes, the loss of critical affordable housing and the disintegration of its community.

“The city does not have the authority to regulate noise generated by aircraft operations. The city does have the authority to not allow BIA to expand airport uses beyond the limits established by the current zoning map,” task force consultant Brandy Saxton wrote on behalf of the members.

Those 11 acres off Kirby Road Extension were once dotted with houses that were demolished under a noise mitigation program in the early 2000s. It is now a small undeveloped park where residents often walk their dogs, picnic, and cross-country ski.

More than 250 people signed a petition against the request, which the group created and took door to door around Chamberlin — one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city.

“We in South Burlington have been sort of the stepchildren to the airport for years now. So, I hope this is a start in defending South Burlington,” Paul Engels, a member of the airport rezoning task force who also serves on the planning commission, said in March.

“I just see the injustice of this, and I don’t expect my tenants to get involved and go to meetings. They’re raising their families, they’re working hard, and I feel like someone needs to step up and do something about this important moral issue,” Adams told The

Other Paper in March.

“I heard you. I heard you loud and clear,” the director of aviation at the Burlington International Airport, Nic Longo, said at the time. “We have a responsibility to make sure that we are a good neighbor... We are growing. That’s a really good thing. But we can grow respectfully with the neighborhood’s thoughts, and certainly their expertise. They live here, they see everything that we don’t necessarily see.”

A noise pilot program started by Burlington Airport began in August to help decrease the amount of sound seeping into homes most affected by the airport

and the Air National Guard’s F-35 jets.

Only eight homes were included in the initial pilot, which started with public outreach last

December, but Longo said previously that more grant funding will eventually beef up the program to include as many as 100 homes a year.

YIR: Battle to solve overcrowding at South Burlington schools continues

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

The South Burlington School District started and ended 2022 in the same way: overcrowded.

Both Rick Marcotte Central School and Orchard School exceed the state-recommended 85 percent capacity by nearly 100 students.

Since the fall of 2021, an enrollment committee composed of community members and school personnel has been working on finding solutions to the elementary schools’ overcrowding issues, ultimately landing on the plan to integrate eight Zero Energy Modules into the existing school facilities.

The school board led by the newly appointed superintendent Violet Nichols, approved the plan to move forward with the classrooms in August with the hopes of having them constructed by January. But, due to unforeseen circumstances the project intensified in more ways than one.

Much like everything else, the original projected cost for the modules jumped dramatically from $1.2 million to more than $6

million based on several unbudgeted factors.

Although the board reappropriated $1.3 million the district had planned to use for a new roof at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School for the temporary classrooms, the board came up short on the remaining $5 million.

As a solution, the board examined the use of impact fees on new developments paid by developers that would, in turn, pay for 91 percent of the modules’ costs over six years. Based on an analysis by Resource Systems Group, these fees would apply to the construction of new housing units since data shows that South Burlington is expected to remain one of the fastest growing communities in Vermont with over 1,000 housing units projected to be built over the next 10 years.

A portion of those households and the residents living in them are likely to house school-age children, adding to the overall demand for educational facilities in the school district.

Although impact fees are typically levied at the time a building permit is issued, the school district

is recommending a six-month phased-in approach to soften the financial blow to developments that have already been planned.

This approach calls for 50 percent of the fees on new projects to be paid on or after July 1, 2023. After this initial six-month phasing-in period, new developments would be on the hook for 100 percent of the fee after Jan. 1, 2024.

The South Burlington City Council has shown an overall support of the implementation of impact fees thus far and have set a public hearing date for Jan. 23, 2023. Should everything go as planned, the board is hoping the temporary classrooms will be instituted by the 2023 school year.

However, this is really only the first step in addressing the issues of overcrowding that are expected to continue as students age out of elementary school and into middle and high school. Although no plans have been made to address future issues, the eight modules are expected to have a lifespan of 10 or more years and can be moved within the district to meet changing capacity needs.

PHOTO BY AVALON STYLES-ASHLEY

Acting director of aviation Nic Longo has worked at the Burlington International airport for 10 years. He took over the helm from predecessor Gene Richards, who was fired following an investigation into his workplace misconduct last summer.

YIR: Dogs go on romp at Wheeler Park

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

What a long wait it was for South Burlington’s resident pooches.

“A new dog park at Wheeler Nature Park in South Burlington is coming soon, according to a sign at the park entrance erected nearly a year ago,” The Other Paper wrote in September 2021. It would take another 14 months before the hotly anticipated dog park would open.

But, at long last, the gates opened in November for town dogs to run and romp on the idyllic site at Wheeler Nature Park.

Despite already having a dog park in Farrell Park, the new site provided town residents with a larger space for their pups to get some energy out.

“All the work that so many people put in to making that happen, and all the staff, it’s just wonderful to see dogs running free,” said Matt Cota, South Burlington council member and the liaison to the Committee on Common Areas for Dogs. “For those people — and there are many of you, including myself — who don’t have a yard, this is the only place where our dogs can run without a leash, so it’s just wonderful to see that.”

As residents are painfully aware, however, the process of opening was a bit more drawn out than expected.

A 2-acre park was first approved for the Wheeler property

off Dorset Street by the development review board late last year, but, due to certain features of the terrain like a hard rock ledge and a large tree, the park ended up getting cut down to half of the expected size — another saga in the unusual number of setbacks the park had experienced since its inception several years ago.

The city council first earmarked $35,000 for the park in the 2019 capital improvement plan, but it wasn’t until 2021 that concrete plans got rolling.

This year’s troubles meant the seemingly completed park sat uninhabited for several months. Meanwhile, over in Farrell Park, complaints have been levied that the town is effectively ignoring the “poor stepchild,” as resident Dan Albrecht described it, as mud and

drainage problems persist.

Since at least 2020, according to records of meetings for the committee on common areas for dogs (formerly known as the Dog Park Committee), discussions about improvements have been ongoing.

Betty Milizia, the chair of the committee for on common areas for dogs, said it’s her committee’s goal to continue to make improvements to Farrell Park, as well as try and “make sure all our public spaces have some level of accommodation for dogs.”

Whichever park they end up at, it’s unlikely the dogs are doing much complaining.

As dog owners know, the more space for the pups to run, the better. A tired dog means a happy parent.

PHOTOS BY COREY MCDONALD

People and their pets enjoy the newly opened Wheeler Dog Park on Nov. 19.

Balsam woolly adelgid poses threat to fir trees

The Outside Story

Jen Weimer

’Tis the season for balsam fir, the fragrant evergreen that adorns our homes through the winter holidays. Its scent and long lasting needle retention make this the most popular Christmas tree and wreath species. Balsam fir is also an important timber species used for lumber.

Native to North America, balsam fir (Abies balsamea) grows throughout the more northern latitudes and highest elevations of the country, including in the Northeast. However, researchers predict a northward shift of balsam fir in an increasingly warming climate. Warmer temperatures are also contributing to a rise in populations of an exotic invasive pest — balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) — which feeds on fir trees, affecting their health and viability as lumber and Christmas trees.

Introduced to North America on nursery stock from Europe around 1900, this tiny, sucking aphid-like insect attacks true firs. This includes balsam fir and Fraser fir, another popular Christmas tree species native to the southern United States and often cultivated on Christmas tree farms in the Northeast. Balsam woolly adelgid currently exists throughout New England and New York, as well as in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the Pacific Northwest and central coastal California.

Populations have historically remained low at elevations above 2,000 feet. In recent years, however, this pest has expanded in both population and range, likely due to warming temperatures. From 2017 through 2021, Vermont and New Hampshire reported more than 13,500 acres of balsam fir mortality from balsam woolly adelgid.

Feeding by balsam woolly adelgid can cause significant damage and mortality in both cultivated firs and forested trees. On tree farms, balsam woolly adelgid can be effectively controlled with insecticides. There are no known effective controls, however, for forested settings. Several natural enemies, including predatory beetles and parasitic flies from Europe, were released in North America in the 1950s for use as a biocontrol, but none of these have been effective at controlling balsam woolly adelgid.

In Europe, where it is native, balsam woolly adelgid reproduces both sexually and asexually. In North America, only

females exist and reproduction is parthenogenetic — without fertilization from males — with two generations per year occurring in the Northeast. Additional generations (up to four) may be present in areas with warmer temperatures, which could increase the severity of damage in a warming climate.

These insects lay masses of up to 200 eggs within a protective white wool, known as flocculence, on tree trunks or branches in summer. Tiny “crawlers,” about 1 mm in length, emerge and develop into adults while feeding on phloem — living tissue just under the bark — using their piercing, sucking mouthparts. Crawlers are mobile and can spread to other trees by wind, or hitch a ride from birds or other animals. Once a crawler begins feeding, it stays anchored to its feeding spot, where it morphs into a nymph and then an adult.

Second generation crawlers will remain in place through the winter as nymphs and complete development the following spring. Planning a fir harvest during the winter months, when eggs are absent and crawlers are immobile, can reduce the spread of balsam woolly adelgid throughout the stand.

Balsam woolly adelgid feeds either in the phloem on the face of the trunk or on the branches, which causes them to swell. Balsam woolly adelgid infestation depletes trees of nutrients and kills new growth, leading to tree mortality. Trees weakened by balsam woolly adelgid are also more susceptible to drought and other secondary damage-causing agents such as bark beetles and armillaria root rot.

Christmas trees left untreated will become distorted and unmarketable. Feeding on the main stem also produces irregular growth rings similar to compression wood, known as rotholz, which disrupts water conduction and degrades lumber.

Proper disposal of decorative fir greenery and Christmas trees at the end of the season can help prevent the spread of balsam woolly adelgid. Many municipalities offer Christmas tree recycling programs where trees are composted or turned into mulch. Post-holiday community tree bonfires are also becoming popular.

While it may seem easiest to dump trees and greenery in your backyard brush pile or toss them into the woods, they could be harboring pests that can find their way to nearby trees and cause new infestations. You can find more tips and resources for proper disposal of your holiday greenery at dontmovefirewood.org/holidaygreenery.

Jen Weimer is a forest health expert, photographer, and writer living in the forests of New Hampshire. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story

is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.

ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL

to Groton, the elite Massachusetts boarding school, at her own expense.

Another approach is that of Senate education committee chair, Brian Campion (D-Bennington), which would essentially force all independent schools that receive tuition dollars to operate as public schools in terms of admissions and programming. In other words, force the more expensive model that is demonstrably failing many of its lower income and non-English-language speaking students onto the less expensive more successful schools rather than the other way around.

If we want to apply the same school standards to independent schools, fine. But let’s also apply the same independent school standards to public schools. For example, limit the amount of taxpayer dollars flowing to a public school to $17,228 per pupil. If we did that Vermont property taxpayers would save roughly a third of a billion dollars a year.

Second, if parents decide the public school is not meeting their child’s needs, they can pull the child out of the public school at any time and send him or her to another with the money following the child.

Last, if a public school does not fulfill its legal obligations to serve all specialneeds students, all public funding for that school will be pulled. That’s fair.

If two years of COVID-19 showed us anything, it is that parents need and deserve a multitude of educational options that they can choose from to meet their child’s and their family needs. The wealthy can choose to hire tutors, create learning pods or homeschool if that’s what it takes to educate their children. Lower-income families deserve at least a similar range of options and expanding Vermont’s school choice system is the way to give them those choices.

Rob Roper is on the board of EdWatch Vermont. He lives in Stowe.

Why not have a job you love?

Positions include a sign on bonus, strong benefits package and the opportunity to work at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont”.

Service Coordinator: Continue your career in human services in a supportive environment by providing case management for individuals either for our Adult Family Care program or our Developmental Services program. The ideal candidate will have strong clinical, organizational & leadership skills and enjoy working in a team-oriented position. $47,000 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

Residential Program Manager: Coordinate staffed residential and community supports for an individual in their home. The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a team-oriented position, have strong clinical skills, and demonstrated leadership. $45,900 annual salary, $1,500 sign on bonus.

Direct Support Professional: Provide 1:1 supports to help individuals reach their goals in a variety of settings. This is a great position to start or continue your career in human services. Full and part time positions available starting at $19/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Residential Direct Support Professional: Provide supports to an individual in their home and in the community in 24h shifts including asleep overnights in a private, furnished bedroom. You can work two days, receive full benefits and have five days off each week! Other flexible schedules available, starting wage is $20/hr, $1,000 sign on bonus.

Shared Living Provider: Move into someone’s home or have someone live with you to provide residential supports. There are a variety of opportunities available that could be the perfect match for you and your household. Salary varies dependent on individual care requirements. $1,000 sign on bonus.

Join our dedicated team and together we’ll build a community where everyone participates and belongs https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/

Make a career making a difference and join our team today!

https://ccs-vt.org/current-openings/

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC HEARING SOUTH BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

The South Burlington Development Review Board will hold a public hearing in the South Burlington City Hall auditorium, 180 Market Street, South Burlington, Vermont, or online or by phone, on Wednesday January 18, 2023 at 7:00 P.M. to consider the following:

Final plat application #SD-23-01 of JJJ South Burlington, LLC to amend a previously approved plan for a 291 unit planned unit development. The amendment consists of establishing lots around 30 previously-approved single family home sites, and creating one additional 0.20 acre open space lot to be maintained by the HOA, 1580 Dorset Street and 1699 Hinesburg Road.

Board members will be participating in person. Applicants and members of the public may participate in person or remotely either by interactive online meeting or by telephone:

Interactive Online Meeting (audio & video): https://us06web.zoom. us/j/87341219080

By Telephone (audio only): (929) 205 6099, Meeting ID: 873 4121 9080

A copy of the application is available for public inspection by emailing Marla Keene, Development Review Planner, mkeene@sburl.com.

December 29, 2022

January 17, 2023 at 7:00 P.M. Public Hearing

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT the South Burlington City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, January 17, 2023 at 7:00 PM to obtain public comments regarding the proposed FY24 General Fund & Enterprise Fund budgets and FY 2024-2033 Capital Improvement Plan prior to Council action to approve the budgets and amend the Capital Improvement Plan. The hearing will be in-person at the South Burlington City Hall, 180 Market Street, South Burlington, Vermont and remotely via GoToMeeting.

Online: https://meet.goto.com/SouthBurlingtonVT/citycouncilmeeting1-17-2023

Participate by phone: +1 (224) 501-3412 Access Code: 699-586-277

The purpose of the Capital Improvement Plan is to serve as a fiscal tool that is reviewed and amended each year and includes estimated public capital cost expenditures and revenues (funding sources) related to the following areas over the next ten fiscal years: Highway/Parks, Roads Improvements, Fire and Ambulance Department, Police Department, Recreation and Parks, Open Space Projects, Bicycle and Pedestrians Improvements, IT, Administration, Energy Projects, Library, Physical Plant, City Center, Sewer, Stormwater, and Water.

The proposed General Fund budget, Enterprises Fund budgets and Capital Improvement Program amendment are available for viewing online: www.southburlingtonvt.gov/departments/finance/fy_24_budget_(7_1_23__6_30_24)_proposed_budget.php and in City Hall in the Clerk’s Office at 180 Market Street, South Burlington, Vermont.

Riehle, Chair December 5, 2022

Helen

PROPOSED FY 2024 GENERAL FUND BUDGET & ENTERPRISE FUND BUDGETS AND PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN FY 2024-2033

ROPER

with its

have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of those have been raccoons.

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their nor mal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.

Shelburne Historical Society will have a display and president Dorothea Penar will lead a cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Food vendors round out the event with everything from coffee and lemonade to burgers and creemees. Kids will enjoy meeting animals from Shelburne Farms, craft projects, and

POINTS Evidence-Based Strategies to Navigate Life Changes

Life, Career, Moving & End-of-Life Support

Judy F. Carr, Ed.D. 802.487.8077 - jcarrvt@gmail.com Winooski, Vermont & Virtually www.TransitionDoula.org Conversation – Education - Advocacy

head the Golf depending land. Rotary’s

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

Cleaning and organizing can wait for another week, Aries. This week you should focus on having fun with your family and friends Enjoy the respite from work.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, work is on your brain, but it could be because you’re wired to focus on getting things done. Work is important, but remember to make time for other things as well.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Your bank account may not be as healthy as it could be, Gemini. Tuck those credit cards away and cut back on purchases for the time being to set things straight.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

You have been feeling less motivated of late, Cancer. That is likely due to the breakneck speed that you have been going for some time. Slow down and enjoy the break.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Leo, practicality is your middle name. The next few days you may be focused on whimsy and imagination. It could be all the feelings the holidays are bringing up.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Planetary energies could be affecting those around you and their reception to your ideas, Virgo. Remain patient that things will tip in your favor after some time has passed.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

Your thoughts this week are about setting goals for the future, Libra. Not that you haven’t already been doing your share of planning, but now you’re rming up those plans.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, issues with your professional life may be on your mind. It could be time to make a major change in the days to come. Are you ready to move in a new direction?

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 ll each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can gure 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

New responsibilities have left little time to spend with your signi cant other, Sagittarius. Carve out moments to snuggle if you cannot get out to a romantic meal or movie.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

Have you been plotting a move, Capricorn? Make sure your real estate research is up-to-date and you’re ready to take the plunge. This move may be a big one.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

Aquarius, perhaps you have made a few big purchases lately and feel like your budget has taken a hit? Add up receipts and you may nd it’s not as bad as you had thought.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

This is a good time for a change of perspective, Pisces. Maybe you have been looking at things all the wrong way. Switch things up.