The Other Paper - 4-11-24

For second time

SB voters reject school budget

A second try at passing a South Burlington school budget failed by 150 votes last week.

The final tally for the trimmeddown $69.5 million budget was 1,577 to 1,427. The school district’s March Town Meeting Day budget failed 2,856 to 2,072.

In what has been a challenging year for officials crafting school budgets after the Legislature implemented a new education funding formula known as Act 127 — then altered it just weeks before town meeting — South Burlington school officials will now have to

See BUDGET on page 12

School board fills its suddenly vacant seat

The South Burlington School Board appointed Christopher Trombly to fill the open seat vacated by Alex McHenry.

McHenry, who held a seat on the board for seven years, abruptly resigned just hours after the Town Meeting Day vote this year citing an “enormous amount of disrespect and incivility” he says other board members had shown him since August.

Trombly, managing director of community development at

Vermont State Housing Authority, said that with his experience in community development and finance, he hopes to enhance the educational landscape of South Burlington as it looks ahead to tackling some big issues.

A few of those, he said, are attracting and retaining high-quality staff, managing district-wide growth and fostering a safe and just school culture.

As a former member of the enrollment committee tasked

See TROMBLY on page 13

Greg Merhar of South Burlington didn’t have to travel far. He took this shot of Monday’s eclipse from his driveway. See a few more photos on page 12 and online at otherpapersbvt.com.

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Wright headlines party to honor Dismas director

When Richard Gagne, then 27, joined an informal committee four decades ago to discuss expanding volunteer opportunities to assist people in prison in Vermont, his rookie career path already indicated a strong interest in helping people.

“Facilitating reconciliation through intentional community spoke to me,” Gagne said about his joining that committee led by Rita Whalen McCaffrey. “I knew I could make it my life’s work.”

Gagne, newly arrived in Burlington after directing a homeless shelter in Manchester, N.H., took a winding path to find his true passion. Intending to become a pilot with the U.S. Air Force after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1979, he found he couldn’t, in good faith, serve in the military.

A grueling decision led him to become a conscientious objector, and he then taught high school math in a poor community in Mississippi

and, for a time, was a novice in a Trappist monastery with the goal of becoming a monk.

Now, 40 years later, Gagne is the longest-tenured director of Dismas of Vermont’s two Chittenden County houses in Burlington and Winooski while also raising three children and building a home in Cambridge. He retired April 15.

While he anticipates pursuing his other passion, custom woodworking, he leaves with a sense that much work remains to help people on the margins of society reintegrate and become contributing members of society.

Dismas of Vermont operates five transitional housing programs across the state. These programs provide newly released prisoners with a chance to live in a structured home setting and reintegrate into the community. Nearly 500 local volunteers are engaged in the houses almost every day, including countless college interns, as well as

international Volunteers for Peace.

“I can’t imagine having lived my life any other way,” the whitehaired, bearded, soft-spoken Gagne said recently.

A celebration to honor Gagne’s contributions will take place on Saturday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the Elley Long Music Center in Colchester as part of the Burlington Dismas 37th annual community celebration. McCaffrey, founder of Dismas of Vermont, will present Gagne with the Jack Hickey Award.

Hickey founded the first Dismas House in the nation in Nashville and was integral in bringing Vermont’s first Dismas House to fruition.

This year’s event features musical guest Kat Wright backed by her band. Food and drink trucks will be at the event. All proceeds will benefit the programs of Burlington Dismas

House. Tickets are $50 online and $65 at the door. Go to bit. ly/49yrvaU or call 802-658-0381.

Meaghan Emery, associate professor of French at the University of Vermont and a former, longtime South Burlington city councilor, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award for France for the 2024-2025 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Emery will be engaging with French scholars in Rennes at the University of Rennes II and in the Paris region at the Institut d’Études Politiques in Saint Germain-enLaye to investigate these French cities’ transition to net zero.

She intends to analyze the adaptation of French attitudes, customs and traditions to changing climactic conditions in view of current educational efforts, initiatives to modernize facilities and municipal infrastructure and governmental policy, and to uncover how the French are reconciling their attachment to individual freedom with collective goals and action.

University of Vermont provost Patricia Prelock said of Emery’s award: “We are proud of our faculty who compete for the Fulbright Awards and are excited to see Dr. Emery be recognized in this way so she can continue her excellent work while completing her Fulbright in France.”

Fulbright scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators and established professionals who are teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in innovative research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future part-

nerships between institutions. Upon returning home, scholars share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

COURTESY PHOTO

Kat Wright

Meaghan Emery

Parents, staff decry ‘lack of transparency’ in school district

ty is a highlight for us in our school district community. I don’t say that lightly. There are few, if any, other highlights right now.”

“Another banner day in South Burlington,” wrote Margaret Pasqua, a 24-year veteran staffer at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, in an email. “My 8th principal, Scott Sivo, whom we all like very much, is being terminated at the end of his contract in June.”

“Everyone here is very upset, understandably,” she said. “This is shocking. The faculty and staff are stunned and angry.”

Her opinions, along with dozens of others, were emailed to the South Burlington School Board and school officials after its unanimous decision to not renew Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School principal Scott Sivo’s contract for next year. Additionally, an online petition asking the board to reconsider its position has collected nearly 500 signatures since March.

A records request to the district also revealed that 45 emails between Feb. 15 and March 19 linked to the details of Orchard Elementary School principal Mark Trifilio’s leave of absence are related to an “ongoing investigation” and are exempt from the state’s public records law.

The board and district superintendent Violet Nichols have provided the community with little response as to why Sivo’s contract is not being renewed since the decision was made at a board meeting in March. Officials have also not clarified why Trifilio, who was set to retire at the end of this year, went on a sudden leave of absence at the end of February.

Nichols notified families on Feb. 21, and Trifilio did not submit an official notice of leave to the district.

While specific performance review information and other personnel documents related to Sivo are protected under law, records revealed that the district received a lot of backlash from community members, staff and parents expressing anger, confusion and frustration over the lack of transparency over Sivo’s nonrenewal.

“I can’t believe we would not renew Scott Sivo’s contract! We are so lucky to have him! Please reconsider this decision. Parents want Scott Sivo please!” parent Alison Flamini wrote.

“I am shocked, angered and saddened at this news,” wrote another parent, Courtney Kutler, in an email to Sivo. “You have been an amazing leader for Tuttle. You have always been approachable, responsive and transparent with our community.”

Another community member, Bradley Krompf, wrote, “I’m baffled. What you have done for the middle school communi-

Another parent, Carly Companion West, wrote that she feels continually blindsided by the decisions of the school board and the “lack of transparency.”

“I have wondered in the last year if the combination of our superintendent and school board are at all focused on the education of the students and the community in which they serve,” she wrote.

The district and its attorneys said 28 emails regarding Sivo’s nonrenewal are protected under attorney-client privilege, making them exempt from the state’s public record law.

According to the district’s communication coordinator, Julia Maguire, the district completed evaluations for Sivo for both the current and 2022-2023 school years and engaged in the “supervision and evaluation process” in accordance with the administrator evaluation timeline that is negotiated as part of the collective bargaining agreement for administrators.

“After those evaluations had taken place throughout the current school year, the district’s counsel then met with Mr. Sivo on March 4 and made him aware that, should he not accept the superintendent’s decision, the final decision would go to the school board. That vote took place at the March 13 school board meeting,” Maguire said.

Records revealed that Nichols notified Sivo on Feb. 28 that she needed to meet with him regarding his employment status and confirmed he had the right to bring a union representative to the meeting.

Sivo responded by asking whether the meeting was disciplinary in nature.

“Should I be prepared to answer questions? I would rather not have union representation with me, if this is just about whether or not I am being renewed in the position. If I am being accused of something I would choose to have representation. An answer to that question would be hugely helpful in my preparation,” he wrote.

Nichols confirmed that she would not be conducting an investigatory interview but would be discussing his continued employment. Because his contract was probationary — he had been with the district for less than two years — the district reserves the right to non-renew at any time, Maguire said.

In a statement sent to the communi-

See TRANSPARENCY on page 12

Correction

Our guest perspective on March 28, “How Climate change impacts the maple syrup industry,” which featured an interview with University of Vermont maple expert Mark Isselhardt, was written by Lauren Milideo, strategic communications manager for the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. We mistakenly credited Isselhardt for writing the piece.

In a letter about wildlife management last week, we left out a key word in the headline. It should have read, “Emotions should not dictate wildlife management.”

Total reported incidents: 225

Foot patrols: 13

Directed patrols: 8

Public assists: 14

Noise ordinance violation: 4

Restraining order violation: 1

Agency assists: 15

Traffic stop: 8

Motor vehicle complaint: 11

DUI: 2

Stolen vehicle: 2

Larceny from a vehicle: 6

Suspicious events: 9

Juvenile problem: 1

Disturbances: 8

Domestic incidents: 6

Welfare check: 17

Property damage: 9

Trespass notice: 8

Larceny: 3

Unlawful mischief: 1

Retail theft: 7

Fraud: 2

Threats: 5

Sex crime: 1

Selected incidents:

April 1 at 1:37 p.m., police responded to a simple assault on Shelburne Road.

April 3 at 2:07 p.m., a fraud complaint was reported on Lime Kiln Road.

April 4 at 10:29 p.m., a sex crime

the

CRIME & COURTS

was reported on Shelburne Road and is under investigation.

April 5 at 9:51 a.m., a fraud was reported on Dorset Street.

April 5 at 12:47 p.m., police responded to a case of embezzlement from the Executive Car Wash on Williston Road.

Arrests:

April 1 at 3:24 p.m., Jeffrey W. Milisci, 47, of South Burlington, was arrested on Lime Kiln Road for simple assault.

April 4 at 2:25 a.m., Jason J. Merrihew, 51, of Milton, was pulled over while driving 89 miles an hour on I-89 northbound and arrested for driving under the influence, first offense.

April 5 at 1:46 a.m., Isaiah DuBose, 26, of South Burlington, was arrested on Imperial Drive and Shelburne Road for driving under the influence, first offense.

April 6 at 4:27 p.m., Bryan Tran, 28, of South Burlington, was arrested on an in-state warrant.

Previous incidents:

March 26 at 5:40 p.m., James A. Douglas, 34, no address given, was arrested on Dorset Street on two counts of misdemeanor retail theft.

ATF arrests man in Shelburne for setting fire at Sanders’ office

MICHAEL DONOGHUE CONTRIBUTOR

The suspect in an arson case at the Burlington offices of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders had his travel bags packed and his Shelburne hotel door barricaded when authorities tried to arrest him Sunday, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Records show Shant M. Soghomonian, 35, formerly of Northridge, Calif., had lived for much of February and March at an inn on Williston Road in South Burlington, the ATF said.

Soghomonian did not immediately answer his door at the Quality Inn in Shelburne when police arrived shortly before sunrise, and claimed he was getting dressed, the ATF said.

Investigators heard what sounded like the dragging of heavy items near the door, but the man continued to refuse to open the door, ATF Special Agent Eric Brimo said.

Fearing a barricade, a pass key was used to unlock the door, but it was blocked, forcing officers to push their way in, Brimo reported.

Soghomonian was inside wearing what appeared to be the same white Nike shoes that had been seen on security video during the arson on Friday morning, the ATF said.

After a sweep of the room, police secured a search warrant for the room and the Subaru parked outside, Brimo said. The car was towed to the Burlington Police Department.

Soghomonian, who did not have a wallet or cellphone with him when arrested, was taken to the Williston Police Department, where he waited for legal representation.

The former Masonic Temple is the home to Sanders, Vermont office, the law firm of Paul Frank & Collins, a Chase Bank branch, and headquarters for Unnecessary Inventions.

Investigators said Soghomonian had been outside Sanders’ office the day before the arson, indicating it was a planned attack.

He remains jailed on a federal complaint at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans Town pending a hearing in federal court this week.

Soghomonian is charged in a federal criminal complaint with setting a fire on Friday at 1 Church St. in Burlington — a building used in interstate commerce.

Investigaors said Soghomonian had been outside Sanders’ office the day before the arson, indicating it was a planned attack and not a spontaneous act, the ATF said.

The new information about the arson case became public after Vermont News First made an emergency petition to federal court Sunday evening to release records about the criminal charge and search warrants.

The petition to Chief Court Clerk Jeff Eaton and Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle was approved by 5:45 Monday morning and the records were subse-

See FIRE on page 13

To achieve savings, we need different way to fund education

From the House

Rep. Brian Minier

Now that we are in the wake of our second defeated district budget proposal, it seems a good time to revisit Vermont’s unique education funding system. After all, a great number of people have said they voted down their local school budgets “to send a message to Montpelier.”

Average property tax increases across the state have no recent precedent, and the education funding formula is quite complicated. Unsurprisingly, this leaves everyone confused and angry, wondering how we got here. I can’t cover every nuance here, but I hope to give a brief historical synopsis, followed by the confluence of events that have made this year particularly difficult, concluding with some thoughts about the road ahead.

of the record-breaking increases we are seeing, the truth is more complicated. At the most basic level, property tax increases are being driven by the enormous increase in proposed education spending — recently estimated at about $250 million dollars, or approximately a 15 percent increase year over year.

Contributing to this are such things as inflation, the end of federal funds, continuing student mental health needs, a high rise in the cost of district employees’ health insurance, increased special education spending, the vertiginous rise in home values, and more. This has resulted in reasonable school budgets causing eye-watering property tax increases. Many have called our current trajectory unsustainable, and I would agree. So, what do we do?

As late as the 1990s, local school budgets were funded directly by local property taxes. This resulted in wealthier towns being able to offer greater educational programming at lower tax rates than poorer towns could. While at the federal level education is not considered a fundamental right, Vermont provides “that all Vermont children will be afforded educational opportunities that are substantially equal.”

In 1997, in what is known as the Brigham decision, the Vermont Supreme Court determined that the way we were funding education was fundamentally unfair. In response the Legislature passed Act 60, creating the statewide education fund. This act enjoyed great bipartisan support — to my knowledge it was not opposed by a single school board or superintendent — and it led to our current system where decisions about district spending are made at the local level while money is collected and redistributed at the state level.

This resulted in more money flowing to poorer areas of the state, but it also came along with a complicated formula and to some degree insulated taxpayers from the direct consequences of local spending choices. The only meaningful change to this in the last quarter century was the recent change in pupil weightings, which was meant to address the fact that Vermont had been chronically underestimating the true cost of educating certain classes of students; for example, English language learners, students living in poverty, and so on.

This year, several statewide and national factors came together and created what many have referred to as a perfect storm in education funding. While some people have pointed to the change in pupil weightings as the biggest or sole driver

The first measure is cost containment. Many Vermont schools currently have class sizes and school populations that are too small for optimal instruction. Where feasible, larger sizes should lead to expanded educational offerings and cost savings. Rural special education spending is another serious driver of increased per-pupil education spending.

The House just passed a bill to establish Boards of Cooperative Education Services that should offer some relief by better enabling supervisory unions to share special education resources. These boards will also be able to help with grant writing, offering access to federal dollars for districts too small to handle grant writing in-house. Last, a bill coming out of the Senate, S.98, seeks to create a prescription drug affordability board that should help contain the skyrocketing cost of health care for district employees.

Second, we need new, dedicated revenue sources to supply the education fund. Possible candidates include a tax on the cloud, a tax on sugary beverages, treating second homes as a distinct category from homestead properties, and a wealth tax.

Third, if we want a true accounting of what we are actually spending on education, we need to remove from the education fund expenses that simply don’t belong there. Items that could, and perhaps should, move from the education fund to the general fund run the gamut from universal school meals to student mental health and other social service needs to PCB remediation and school construction. Education is expensive in part because we ask so much of our schools, which now take care of many functions that were traditionally performed elsewhere.

But let’s be realistic: Raising taxes in one area to offset taxes in another just shifts the pain. Getting a clearer picture

Rep. Brian Minier

An ode to beloved Palace 9 movie theater

To the Editor:

I didn’t know just how much Palace 9 cinema meant to me until I knew I couldn’t get it back. I would give about anything to have it back. Palace 9 theater closed forever. My heart is broken.

Palace 9 in South Burlington was my favorite theater of all time. The emotions came pouring out of me and I cried and wept. I hugged Palace 9 from the outside and my tears trickled down the outside of the windows. I told the theater how much I loved it. Somehow, the theater knew.

When I heard that Palace 9 closed, I sent detailed emails to all three of owner Merrill Jarvis’s email accounts begging him to reopen the Palace. I had no idea that the inside of Palace 9 theater had already been demolished.

The Palace temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it reopened for about a year and a half. Last summer I went to see “Transformers Rise of The Beasts” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” at Palace 9. The last movie I went to was “The Creator.” That came out about a month and a half before Palace closed. I didn’t know then that they were closing, and I missed the chance to be there at the end.

The owners should have renewed the lease for another five years. The year 2023 featured big movies like “Fast and Furious,” “Barbie” and “Mission Impossible.” I suspect that trend would have continued.

Tonight, I stood outside Palace 9 and said goodbye to my favorite place in the world to watch my favorite movies. So many beautiful memories of so many wonder-

ful movies.

But Palace 9 was about more than just money or movies. It was about love. The love that people can have when sharing an experience together. No amount of money can ever replace 32 years of beautiful and wonderful memories shared at the Palace 9 movie theater. So, I cried tears of sadness and loss.

I love you Palace 9 theater, forever.

Joshua Jay Burlington

It’s time for SBSD to fight for brown, Black students

To the Editor:

As I read the article “Parents’ lawsuit asserts racial bias, discrimination against district,” the pain caused and allowed by the South Burlington School District began to resurface. (March 28, 2024)

It has been over three years since former superintendent David Young allowed Stephen Barner, the district’s former supervisor for the business and technology department, to suggest during a robotics class that one of the students’ 3-D printed objects resembling a noose should be hung from the Black Lives Matter flagpole. (“South Burlington High School teacher made ‘racist’ hanging remark,” Sept. 2, 2021)

I met the Larmond family after the incident with my son. Now, reading the detailed circumstances of what their child experienced makes me want to vomit. How could the Orchard Elementary School Administration, especially principal Mark Trifilio, continue allowing the student to be racially harassed? How could Young sit

idly by? Was it “white privilege,” the words he used on several occasions in conversations to describe himself?

How can Trifilio state the school “dropped the ball” and then a month later, the student is, again, racially harassed? Dropping the ball seems to be a defense that administrators, including Young, used to appease the situation.

As a brown person, seeing the initials KKK makes me feel uncomfortable. However, based on Trifilo’s reaction to the parent’s concerns, which he called complaints, it is acceptable for students to read about organizations such as the KKK that operate in terror in pursuit of white supremacy. The KKK is known for hanging brown and black people, the same noose Barner mentioned hanging from the BLM flagpole.

Trifilio was allowed to retire before being held accountable for continually allowing the racist harassment of an elementary student.

Barner, too, was suspended during the March 21, 2021, racial harassment investigation but was allowed to return to his classroom and quickly retired. The only consequence Barner had was one day without pay.

Young swiftly retired during the school year (March 2022) months after a new investigator, Susan Leonard, reported, “ex-teacher’s punishment too lax” and “a more significant suspension would have more appropriately reinforced the degree to which South Burlington School District stands fully behind its commitment to equity and inclusion.”

I am sad because South Burlington has some great people, teachers and administrators, but

nothing will change unless the jury rules in favor of the Larmond family.

I hope the community supports the family and other families that begin to tell their children’s racial harassment truths.

South Burlington School District, it is time to stand up and fight for our brown and black students.

Travia Childs South Burlington

Bullying policies can’t address racial incidents

To the Editor:

After reading The Other Paper’s recent article, about the lawsuit concerning racial bias and discrimination at Orchard Elementary School, I was disappointed, but not surprised. (“Parents’ lawsuit asserts racial bias, discrimination against district,” March 28, 2024)

Racial harassment in Vermont schools has been well documented since the Vermont Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights published its scathing report in February 1999. That report generated legislative hearings and a subsequent progress report in October 2003. Unfortunately, legislative action focused on bullying and diversity rather than racism. Specific recommendations for training teachers and administrators were omitted. In response, I published “Through White Eyes: Color and Racism in Vermont.”

I know the South Burlington School District has adopted policies pertaining to bullying, harassment and hazing consistent with those of the Vermont Agency

of Education.

Unfortunately, those policies do little to prepare administrators and teachers to handle sensitive and explosive racial incidents as they occur. As I read the narrative of the Orchard School situation, it was clear to me that serious mistakes were made.

Racism is an uncomfortable, complex and often misunderstood subject. Several authors define it as prejudice plus power. Others define racism as a system of advantage based on race. It takes many forms. Blatant racism is easily recognized.

Covert racism, by its very nature, is hidden. Institutional racism is generally misunderstood; however, it becomes clearer after reading the book “The Power of Law.”

Unintentional racism is the most common form. The Orchard School situation is an excellent example. There is no evidence of malice in the actions of teachers or administrators. They were simply not prepared to deal with race.

Racism in our community is not going to go away. Many of us don’t realize that it permeates every aspect of our lives. For persons of color, it is a daily challenge. We do our teachers and administrators a disservice if we don’t prepare them to meet the challenge. The following recommendations are offered for consideration:

Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, establish an African American history and racism reading and discussion program for teachers and administrators.

Dedicate the hours allocated to professional development to this

Student Milestones

Tenzin Geygong of South Burlington was named to the dean’s list at Rochester Institute of Technology for the fall semester. Geygong is in the physician assistant program.

Nadia La and Clara Margulius, both of South Burlington, were named to the fall dean’s list at Tufts University.

Baxter Lowell of South Burlington, a first-year student list at St. Lawrence University was named to the dean’s list the fall 2023 semester.

Lilly Truchon of South Burlington was recently named to the 2024 New England Small College Athletic Conference winter all-academic team for women’s hockey. Truchon, a sophomore majoring in neuroscience at Hamilton College, is a graduate of Saint Paul’s School.

Angela Luman of South Burlington was named to the Champlain College trustees’ list for the fall 2023 semester.

The following students from South Burlington were named to the Champlain College dean’s list for the fall 2023 semester:

MINIER

continued from page 5

of cost drivers is useful, but it doesn’t make education any cheaper. If we are to bend the cost curve and achieve savings, we will need a different way of funding education.

The House Committee on Education, on which I serve, and the House Committee on Ways and Means have been taking a great deal of testimony on what such a change might entail. I do not pretend to have all the answers, and I speak only for myself here, but I think some amount of local control will have to be sacrificed. One plausible route is to have the state provide districts with some sort of minimum funding per student,

LETTERS continued from page 6

program. Books recommended for reading could include “Before the Mayflower, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria,” “Through White Eyes: Color and Racism in Vermont,” “The Color of Law, The Other Side of Freedom” and the “1619 Project.”

Consider completion of a three-credit college level course in African American history as a requirement for advancement on

Salma Badra, Jasmina Besirevic, Garrett Brayman, Jaren Brigham, Marjorie Candreva, Jaden Cypes, Tenzin Dhondup, Rachel Guyette, Kim Le, Buddhi Magar, Carter Marshall, Yunier Martinez, Abby Mcneil, Alanna Nguyen-Kenney, Tenzin Palden, Han Tran and Hillery Whitney

Nilufer Gungor of South Burlington was named to the Champlain College president’s list for the fall 2023 semester. Gungor is majoring in computer networking and cybersecurity.

Mohammed Hussein of South Burlington was named to the Champlain College president’s list for the fall 2023 semester. Hussein is majoring in computer networking and cybersecurity.

Angela Luman of South Burlington was named to the Champlain College president’s list for the fall 2023 semester. Luman is majoring in business management.

Taylor Tomasi of South Burlington was named to the Champlain College president’s list for the fall 2023 semester. Tomasi is majoring in marketing.

School zone goes live on Dorset

A new school zone has been created on Dorset Street.

On April 1, the South Burlington City Council approved a resolution adopting a 25-mph school zone around Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School and South Burlington High School and will be like the other recently established zones on White and Market streets.

The Dorset Street school zone will be in effect from 8-9:30 a.m. and 3-4:30 p.m. on days when school is in session. During these hours, lights will flash, indicating the lower speed limit is in effect.

Call before you dig

Outside of those hours, the speed limit is 35 mph.

Radar speed signs and school zone signs are expected to be installed by early summer 2024, immediately upon delivery from the manufacturer.

“Keeping our students and staff safe is our number one priority,” Violet Nichols, superintendent of South Burlington School District, said. “The district is grateful to the city for taking this step in assuring their safety as our community continues to grow.”

The school-zone-associated speed limit and signs are based

on recommendations from an engineering study, and, in fall 2023, the city council allocated funds for a consultant to study and design pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements around the middle and high schools as part of the Dorset Street Phase 4 paving project.

Further improvements in this area will likely include upgrades to existing crosswalks, improved lighting and other design components. These improvements and the paving of Dorset Street from Aspen Drive to Kennedy Drive are scheduled for summer 2025.

Do you have spring planting or digging projects?

with districts being able to fund services above and beyond that base level through local taxation. It’s not as straightforward as I just made it sound, and any such big change will be contentious, but this is one possible path. Your legislative team is here, and we want to hear from you. I am delighted to have heard from so many folks — please also remember to loop in your senators and the governor. To address a problem of this magnitude we are going to need all hands-on deck.

Brian Minier, a Democrat, represents South Burlington in the Chittenden-11 House district.

If you plan to do any type of digging on your property, you or your contractor must contact Dig Safe™ at 811at least 48 hours prior to digging.

Dig Safe will notify member utilities, who will locate of buried facilities they own and ensure they are clearly marked. If you plan to work within 18 inches of themarked lines, please make sure it is dug by hand.

How to Detect a Gas Leak

Smell: Natural gas is normally odorless. VGS adds an odorant similar to the smell of rotten eggs, so it can be easily recognized.

Sight: You may see a white cloud, mist, fog, bubbles in standing water, or blowing dust. You may also see vegetation that appears to be dead or dying.

Sound: It may result in an unusual noise that replicates the sound of roaring, hissing, or whistling.

the pay schedule. None of the above is offered as a solution. It is the beginning of a continuous educational effort to create understanding and minimize future racial incidents that result in traumatized students, disciplinary actions against teachers and administrators and a tarnished reputation for school districts.

Robert L. Walsh South Burlington

Move immediately to a safe location. Call VGS at 800-6398081 or call 911 with the exact location. Do not smoke or operate electrical switches or appliances. These items may produce a spark that might result in a dangerous condition. Do not assume someone else will report the condition.

Be safe

Scan the QR Code or visit vgsvt.com/be-safe for more safety information.

Community Notes

United Church of Hinesburg plant sale returns

United Church of Hinesburg’s 2024 plant sale continues a 50-plus year tradition. The online sale of locally grown perennials and beautifully packaged homemade biscotti runs through Saturday, April 20, with orders ready for pick up on Saturday, May 4.

An in-person sale of annuals and home-baked pies will be held the following Saturday, May 11, just in time for Mother’s Day.

Access the online store from the church website at ucofh.org. Place your order and pay with a credit or debit card. Shop early to ensure the best selection.

Contact the United Church of Hinesburg with any questions at 802-482-3352 or unitedchurch@ gmavt.net.

Food systems researchers talks to garden club

The Burlington Garden Club welcomes speaker Polly Ericksen, inaugural director of the University of Vermont Food Systems Research Center to its next monthly meeting, Tuesday, April 23, 1 p.m., Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St., South Burlington.

Ericksen has been recognized as an early pioneer in the field of food systems research and is a seminal scholar who uses interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex food systems issues in the context of global environmental change. She has spent much of her

career working across disciplines to link science with development policy and resource mobilization. She will explain what is meant by food systems research and why the university is privileged to host a Food Systems Research Center. She will also welcome questions about food systems in New England. More at bgcvt.org.

So, who wants to collect for the food shelf?

The shelves of the South Burlington Food Shelf are looking very bare so if anyone wants to canvas a neighborhood, business or organization, Rep. Emilie Krasnow can provide bags and boxes to help.

Needed items include canned meats, canned fruit, soup, pasta sauce, cereals, canned vegetables, snacks, ketchup, rice, peanut butter, paper towels, tissues, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, soaps (hand, face, dish, and laun-

Expert birder leads talk on rare birds of Vermont

In every season of the year, birders may stumble upon the unusual: a western flycatcher with misguided migration; an arctic owl wandering south; or a far-flung waterfowl from across an ocean. How do these birds end up in our little state, and what can they tell us about our changing world? At an upcoming Green Mountain Audubon program, take a look back on some of the most spectacular birds to visit Vermont and ponder which avian treasures may come next. The presentation on rare birds of Vermont features Zac Cota, an expert birder, Birds of Vermont Museum board member, Vermont Bird Records committee member, Vermont eBird data expert and teacher and naturalist with North Branch Nature Center. Register for the talk on Thursday, April 18, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at greenmountainaudubon.org. Seen above is the crested caracara, spotted in Woodstock.

dry) and shampoos.

Reach out to Krasnow at ekrasnow@leg.state.vt.us.

Austen Society speaker at Temple Sinai

What can we learn about Jane Austen if, instead of asking whether she liked the theater, we ask what kind of theater she preferred?

Does Aunt Norris speak for Jane Austen when she opines in Mansfield Park that “there is very little sense in a play without a curtain?” Or did Austen prefer to perform and write plays designed for the curtainless stage that Shakespeare wrote for? How did her encounters with the intense process of planning, rehearsing and performing a family theatrical

influence her writing?

Austen Society speaker Lesley Peterson will be on hand to answer those and many other questions, at Temple Sinai, 500 Swift St., South Burlington, on Monday, May 5, from 1-3 p.m.

The presentation will include opportunities for audience participation. The talk is free and light refreshments will be served.

Learn more at janeausteninvermont.blog.

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

PHOTO BY CAT ABBOTT

Polly Ericksen

Friends hold book sale this weekend, plan StoryWalk

South Burlington Public Library is moving outside.

As new construction finishes near Market Street, park and walking paths will be developing nearby this summer, and The Friends of the Library are financing a new project along those paths — a StoryWalk.

Created first in Montpelier by Anne Ferguson with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library and the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and now popular throughout the country, StoryWalk gives children and adults a chance to read while walking.

Pages from a children’s book are printed and placed in displays along a path. Families have fun reading aloud together and building children’s interest in reading while enjoying the health benefits of exercise. This will be a continuing

program with the book changing periodically.

The Friends of the South Burl ington Public Library raises money for this and other projects through various means, such as its winter concert series and enhancement of children’s summer reading. The Friends will hold their big spring book sale in the community room on the second floor of the library, 180 Market St., on Friday, April 12, 2-5 p.m., and Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Children’s and adult fiction and non-fiction books in very good condition, popular paperbacks and more will be on sale at special low prices. Book bags and a raffle will be some of the extras. Shoppers can join The Friends at the sale or online at bit.ly/3U7DKXu. All sales benefit the library.

At South Burlington library

Exhibit chronicles early roll-out of vaccine

“Beneath Our Skin,” a new multimedia storytelling and art exhibit, premieres at South Burlington Public Library and the Root Social Justice Center in Brattleboro in April.

“Beneath Our Skin: COVID19 Vaccination Storytelling & Art Exhibit” displays the artistic reflections and stories of Black Vermonters and white health care providers about their experiences during the early roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte gathered stories and art from participants who were either fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated or not vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Through the curation of very personal stories, the exhibit shares the spectrum of emotions experienced by Black Vermonters during the height of the global pandemic, ranging from fear and a deep-rooted mistrust in the medical system, to hope, joy and pride in Vermont’s early leadership in combating the spread of the virus.

The exhibit also features the stories and artwork of three white health care providers who volunteered their time to administer the vaccine in communities throughout Vermont.

Most of the participants expressed themselves through narrative storytelling along with poetry, song or visual art, and the exhibit highlights participants’ arts-integrated stories through audio, video and print.

Some of the original artwork featured in this exhibit showcases nine members of the Vermont African American/African Diaspora Artists Network and includes poems by Djeli (formerly known as William Forchion), Rage Hezekiah and Yanna Marie Orcel; songs by Samirah Evans and Khonsu X; and visual artwork by Celine Davis, Travon Groves, Harlan Mack and William Mwanga.

“Beneath Our Skin” was curated by Yanna Marie Orcel, Clemmons Family Farm’s wellness arts adviser, who is herself a multidisciplinary artist. One of her original poems is included in the exhibit.

“This exhibit feels very personal, since it shares the fears, concerns and hopes associated with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout for Black people — many of whom carry the intergenerational trauma of exploitation and neglect in United States medical and public health arenas. This perspective is often not brought to light outside of the Black community, which makes this exhibit an urgent representation of a historically underrepresented population,” said Orcel.

The exhibit will be open Sundays at Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte starting May 19 through June 16, and by appointment.

It will also be available for viewing at the South Burlington Public Library’s Community Gallery Space, 180 Market St., through Wednesday, May 10.

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A line forms at Farmers & Foragers food truck Friday, April 5, for South Burlington’s Illuminate Vermont festival at City Center. The two-day festival spanned two days and drew hundreds of people to enjoy cocktails, food trucks, live music and an indoor-outdoor market. Also on this page, Ryan Sweezey performs on Market Street Friday. Members of the Judi Emanuel Family Band, who performed on Saturday, smile for the camera. Kids enjoy activities just for them.

Next page, Cirque de Fuego, a Vermont-based fire performance troupe, performs for an enthusiastic crowd. Dr. Jolivette Anderson-Douoning performs poetry theater in the library. The Andriana Chobot Duo headline in the auditorium.

PHOTOS BY ANDY BRUMBAUGH

BUDGET

continued from page 1

grapple with even greater budget cuts as the community demands leaner spending.

“We have to be responsive to what the community needs and can afford, and we’ve had a great deal of conversation about the significant impacts of the legislative changes on our budget, and how a lot of these pieces are out of our control,” superintendent Violet Nichols said at a public hearing on April 3. “I think that dialogue has really changed as we came together as a community to look at what we’re presenting for the second vote.”

The second budget was cut by nearly $1.7 million from the district’s initial $71 million proposal, which saw an associated tax-rate increase of 23 percent drop to 14.5 percent.

Of that $1.7 million decrease in spending, the board cut $848,186 in staff and programs, including a net reduction of 4.4 full-time equivalent positions, and a reduction of $814,705 to the district’s capital reserve fund, down from the $1.9 million previously allocated in the original budget.

“It’s 11.2 percent higher than the fiscal year 2024 budget,” Nichols said at the hearing. “You won’t be surprised to know that most of the cuts are associated with staff, which is about 80 percent of the district’s expenditures annually. We’re in a business of people supporting people with people.”

The $1.9 million of extra capital reserve money was made possible by Act 127, the new law that adjusted the state’s previous equalized pupil weighting system and caused headaches for school officials this year.

As districts with new low pupil weights saw dramatic tax rate increases due to the new formula, the law granted a 5 percent tax increase cap meant to soften the blow to districts that were affected negatively. The law also allowed districts a 10 percent per-pupil spending limit — meaning that the South Burlington school district could have spent anywhere from $63 to $71.5 million

TRANSPARENCY

continued from page 3

ty following the decision, the school board wrote, “We assert that Superintendent Nichols acted with supreme integrity and conducted a thorough investigation in this situation, and we fully support her decision. Please be assured that our decision in this matter was not made lightly and that we concluded, on the basis of our superintendent’s report, that it was absolutely necessary to support all students, staff, and families.”

To the contrary, some staff felt that this move was in direct opposition to what they would consid-

with the same exact effect on tax bills.

To maximize that spending cap, the board opted in January for that additional $1.9 million to be allocated for its capital reserve fund, which at the time did not negatively affect tax rates.

But the new law fast-tracked through the Legislature just weeks before Town Meeting Day removed that spending cap and instituted a different percentage discount that increased the city’s expected tax rate even more.

Additionally, the second budget also applied the $2.27 million surplus that the community voted to allocate to the district’s capital reserve fund on Town Meeting Day as revenue to offset spending.

“The only way that we could lower the tax rate increase impact was really to use the lever of using the fiscal year 2022 surplus allocated to revenue,” Tim Jarvis, the district’s senior director of operations and finance, said at a meeting in March.

Although town meeting voters approved allocating those surplus funds to the capital reserve fund, Jarvis said that the language on the ballot didn’t technically bind the board to that decision.

“What the voters approved was for the board to authorize using the surplus to put in a capital reserve fund. They didn’t mandate you to do that. They authorized you to do that,” he said.

Should a budget not pass before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, the district is only approved to borrow, with interest, up to 65 percent of the current operating budget, said Nichols. The school board has warned a special meeting for Wednesday, April 10, after The Other Paper goes to press, to give guidance to the superintendent on the next budget vote, said district communication coordinator Julia Maguire.

“Once that meeting occurs, the district will have a better sense of what the budget will look like,” she said.

Vantage points

er “support.”

“I am in still in shock about the news this morning,” Kelly Tivnan, Howard Center school services clinician at the middle school, wrote in an email to Sivo.

“I know that you have made FHT such a better place than when you arrived. I shudder to think about what comes next here, particularly if the reasons for your non-renewal are because you tried to bring forth change. That was sorely needed, by the way.”

Another teacher, Christopher Towle, questioned the process under which officials took regard-

ing Sivo’s nonrenewal.

“The vast majority of the faculty is behind Scott and for the Superintendent to do this without giving any reason is absolutely appalling,” he wrote. “There was no inquiry to our (faculty) thoughts, no interview with Dave Hyatt, no vote of no confidence from the faculty, and as far as I know no big accusations. I would like to know the why behind this decision.”

Former school board member Bryan Companion, who resigned from his seat on the board in September citing a “lack of

respect and civility,” also sent an email of support to Sivo.

“I am saddened and shocked by this announcement,” he wrote.

“In the past two years, I have heard nothing but complements and praise for the work you have done at FHTMS. They came from teachers, staff, parents, and most importantly, students.”

South Burlington Educators Association president Noah Everitt also wrote in an email to Nichols, “Many of our middle school colleagues are angry and confused.”

The district began forming a

search committee for the middle school principal position at the end of March. The committee last week determined to extend the timeline for this search with the first interviews to be held on April 29. Administrator interviews, site tours, student and staff meetings, along with a community forum, will take place on May 2.

The three final candidates to replace Trifilio as principal at the elementary school have been selected and final interviews began last week. A final candidate is expected to be brought to the board at its April 17 meeting.

Members of the South Burlington Fire Department employ a ladder truck to get closer to Monday’s total eclipse of the sun. Crowds gather in Overlook Park off Spear Street to enjoy some togetherness and see the moon turn out the lights for a few brief moments.

PHOTOS BY SOUTH BURLINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT / TIM BARRITT

FIRE continued from page 4

quently released. The court was closed until Tuesday for the eclipse.

Court records show authorities credit two employees at the former La Quinta Inn on Williston Road next to Al’s French Frys in helping to identify Soghomonian on Saturday as the suspect in the arson.

The two witnesses reported the picture of the suspect released by Burlington Police on Friday afternoon matched Soghomonian, who had been a long-term guest at the motel, now known as the Inn at Burlington, the ATF said.

An inn manager reported Saturday he thought he recognized the suspect as Soghomonian based on a photograph of the suspect near the crime scene, Brimo said in a court affidavit.

Burlington Police Sgt. John Stoughton met with the manager and another co-worker who reported the suspect checked in as “Michael Soghomonian,” according to the court records made

TROMBLY continued from page 1

to find solutions to the district’s capacity needs in recent years, he said his focus has switched slightly from looking at facilities and more on how to ensure a safe transition for students, staff and community members.

“If you were to ask me a couple of years ago, it was probably more facilities-based, like do we need a new high school, are we consolidating fifth grade, how are we going to handle our enrollment?” he said, adding that he’s evolved since then and now finds himself thinking who is most affected by board decisions and ensuring they’re not disproportionately harmed.

While he has not previously held any position with the school board, through his job and other volunteer efforts, which focus on helping people move out of homelessness, he said he has cultivated a strong sense of teamwork.

One challenge he sees the board facing in the next five years is garnering community engagement.

“I’m not a big fan of board meetings as a way of building consensus,” he said. “It’s those coffee and donut sessions, where you can really build that trust because when you’re sitting across the table, it’s hard to have a meaningful conversation.”

Along with Trombly, the board interviewed four other candidates Wednesday night: Maria Bettina Miguez, Cole Patno, Alison Kompf and Bridget Burkhardt.

Since Trombly will join the team this week as the board navigates another budget defeat, he said that it’s important, now more than ever, for board members to remem-

public Monday morning.

Soghomonian often wore the same orange or salmon colored hat on the top of his head that was seen on the suspect, they said.

Hutchins said he often chatted with Soghomonian because he would come down to the lobby to renew the room for another day or two, the ATF said.

Stoughton secured screenshots from hotel security video from when Soghomonian was staying there. The inn also shared a description of the car used by Soghomonian and his phone number.

Williston Police Sgt. Eric Shepard, who is a member of the ATF’s Gun Violence Task Force, was alerted by Shelburne Police that they had found the 2019 blue Subaru Impreza with New York registration plates about 4 a.m. Sunday at the Quality Inn on Shelburne Road, just south of the South Burlington city line, records show.

Shepard confirmed with the

staff that Soghomonian was renting a room and was due to leave after daylight.

Brimo said that’s when the decision was made to approach the room and arrest Soghomonian if he was inside.

The Burlington Fire Department reported on Friday that somebody entered 1 Church St. about 10:44 a.m. and went to the third floor. Security video showed a man spraying a liquid on the door at Sanders’ office and setting it afire with a lighter, officials said.

Sanders was not in the office at the time.

Burlington Fire Chief Michael LaChance said the sprinkler system and fire alarms activated and people were evacuated. He said the fire was located between the elevator and the door to Sanders’ office and quickly extinguished.

The video captured clear images of the arsonist at the historic building, officials said.

The motive for the fire remains unclear.

ber that they represent the vision of the district.

“It’s just having that ability to reach out and have faith that your elected officials are representing your best interest and even though you might be that one voice with that one problem,” he said. “Being in the role of a board member is hearing that voice and responding to them.”

A desk clerk at the Quality said Soghomonian checked in Saturday morning and was due to leave Sunday morning. She said the inn was fully booked for Sunday and Monday nights due to the eclipse.

“He came in quietly,” the clerk said. His room was in the back portion of the inn, not visible from Shelburne Road.

The initial criminal complaint filed by ATF carries a possible penalty of 5 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, upon conviction.

will be held in person and remotely via GoToMeeting. Participation options:

• In Person: City Hall Auditorium, 180 Market Street

• Interactive Online: https://meet.goto.com/SouthBurlingtonVT/

• citycouncilmeeting05-06-2024

• Telephone: (224) 501-3412; Access Code: 729-777-373

The proposed amendments would (1) replace “Sign Design District” with “City Center Sign District,” modifying geographic applicability and streamlining review process; (2) expand permissibility for perpendicular signs citywide; (3) prohibit new free-standing signs within the City Center Sign District except along specific roadways; (4) expand allowances for temporary sidewalk signs and continue to allow larger temporary signs and banners as event signs; (5) prohibit free-standing signs within designated site amenities and civic spaces; (6) expand allowance for wall signs on single-tenant buildings; (7) clarify that School District signage is exempt under the same allowances as City signage; (8) expand the allowed size for “help wanted” and similar signs; (9) expand allowances for commercial flags; (10) extend requirements for internally-illuminated signs to have opaque backgrounds City wide; (11) extend compliance period for newly-created non-conformities to come into compliance within seven (7) years; and (12) clarify definitions, including for prohibited sign types, incorporate legal and technical corrections, and update fine schedule. Following the public hearing and second reading, the City Council may take action on final passage of the amendment.

Copies of the proposed amendments are available for inspection at the Department of Planning & Zoning, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 180 Market Street, and on the city website at www.sbvt.gov.

Tim Barritt, City Council Chair April 11, 2024

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Sandy Dooley

How many of you share my sense of inadequacy relative to our housing crisis and climate change? The bad news is that both challenges are mind-bogglingly enormous. The good news is that some strategies help us make progress on both fronts.

While these challenges clearly require macro initiatives, micro initiatives are also part of the solution. To make meaningful progress our toolboxes for each must include multiple interventions.

One way to combat unaffordability and global warming is smart and efficient use of land when developing housing. Government land use policies can be vehicles that promote smart and efficient land use. Take a walk along Market Street and you will see large, high-rise, multi-unit apartment or condominium developments. South Burlington’s land development regulations for City Center made these developments possible; they also require new buildings to be energy efficient.

In general, it is less costly on a unit basis to build many housing units in one structure than to construct the same number of units in separate structures. In addition, this approach uses less land, thus reducing its cost. These savings should result in lower rents or purchase prices.

Typically, units in one structure are smaller in square footage than the same number units built in separate structures. The combined effect of less space and energy efficiency results in lower energy consumption and lower costs for heating and cooling.

Building large, multi-unit buildings is a key means to promoting affordability and less energy consumption on a large scale. Smaller scale approaches are also necessary. Even the addition of a single housing unit, assuming it is of modest size and energy efficient, addresses the housing crisis in a way that reduces the climate impact of producing the housing we need to address homelessness. Each of us needs to consider the importance of housing type — single family, duplex, triplex, multi-unit, etc. — unit size and energy-consumption characteristics when forming our position on new developments proposed for our neighborhoods.

Historically, Vermont has enacted statutes that recognize the importance of increasing its housing stock, including laws authorizing only one or a small number of additional housing units. One law bars any municipality from adopting zoning that prohibits the development of manufactured home parks.

In the past, manufactured homes were not energy efficient. They now have stronger energy efficiency standards and Efficiency Vermont operates the Zero Energy Modular Home Program, which assists folks in purchasing net zero manufactured homes.

Another law requires all municipalities to have zoning allowing homeowners to add an accessory dwelling unit within or adjacent to their primary residence; the owner must live in one or the other.

During April, which is Fair Housing Month, learn more about accessory dwell-

ing units at the program, “Is an ADU Right for You?”, hosted by the South Burlington Affordable Housing Committee and the library on Thursday, April 18, 7-8 p.m., in the South Burlington Library community room.

In 2023 Vermont enacted a statute requiring all municipalities to allow the conversion of single-family housing units to duplexes. This legislation also requires zoning that authorizes up to five housing units on land with access to municipal water and sewer service — another example of promoting smart and efficient land use.

I encourage every resident to assess whether any of these options for adding one or more housing units is compatible with their living and financial situation. Empty nesters living in large homes could convert their homes to duplexes? Or add an accessory dwelling unit? If sharing your home would help meet your needs, HomeShare Vermont does the work of matching you with a person who is mutually compatible (homesharevermont.org).

Regarding existing homes, weatherization is a proven method for reducing the cost of heating and cooling, thereby reducing the household’s carbon footprint. Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity’s Weatherization program (cvoeo.org) and Efficiency Vermont (efficiencyvermont. com) are valuable resources for choosing and carrying out a weatherization project. In addition, Vermont’s Weatherization Assistance program (dcf.vermont.gov) provides financial assistance to income-eligible households to defray the cost of weatherization.

Strategies that involve large upfront investments are beyond the capacity of many Vermont households. It is both necessary and prudent to have programs that assist lower-income households in completing projects that increase affordability and combat climate change.

Equally important, if you share my belief that South Burlington has a duty to do more to address these crises, make your voice heard. When new housing proposals come before the development review board, state your support at the hearing or in a letter. Too often only residents who oppose projects attend these meetings, likely giving a false impression of community sentiment.

Ask the city council to adopt a housing action plan to complement the city’s climate action plan. Attending and sharing your thoughts at energy and affordable housing committee meetings, as well as city council and planning commission meetings and hearings are opportunities for increased knowledge and involvement.

Let’s keep up and increase the good work.

Sandy Dooley is a 50-plus year resident of South Burlington and a member of the Affordable Housing Committee. She served on Champlain Housing Trust’s board of directors for nine years. Tom Getz and Nora Senecal, also affordable housing committee members, assisted her in preparing this article. Clean & Green is a regular feature by the South Burlington Energy Committee.