Floods pose growing risks to Lake Champlain
the South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
25, 2024
COURTESY PHOTO
The South Burlington School District Project Search team received an Excellent Employment Outcomes Award for their 2022-23 interns at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. This award means that 70 percent or more of the interns achieved competitive, integrated employment, meeting all the Project SEARCH criteria. The announcement was made at an awards ceremony and dinner on July 16 at the 17th Project SEARCH Conference in Albuquerque, N.M.
Burton pulls out of Higher Ground relocation plans
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Plans to relocate Higher Ground, South Burlington’s live music venue, to the Burton campus in Burlington’s South End have been nixed after Burton pulled out of the plan last week.
Higher Ground made the announcement in a social media post last Wednesday, just days after a Vermont Supreme Court ruling paved the way for the project to go forward after nearly five years of lawsuits with neighboring residents who opposed the move.
“Despite our extensive efforts and the strong support from many South End residents, Higher Ground will not be relocating to the Burton Snowboards
campus,” they wrote. “We are deeply disheartened that Burton has decided to change direction in their plans for the building we were to occupy. This resulted in a significant loss of time and resources for Higher Ground.”
In an email sent to employees Thursday, Burton CEO Andrew McConnell told staff that the company has been turning over every stone to seek a path forward, but “a lot has changed in the 5-plus years since the project was initially conceived,” he wrote. “Including the cost of bringing the project to fruition.”
He noted that the company was pleased — yet not surprised — at the “clear and decisive”
See HIGHER GROUND on page 12
South Burlington City Council bounces pickleball solutions
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The South Burlington City Council is looking to mediate a pickleball debate at Szymans-
ki Park that has some residents saying their quality of life is deteriorating due to the incessant noise and traffic congestion associated with the sport’s growing popularity.
With a petition circulating in the city demanding that pickleball courts be removed from Szymanski Park and relocated to Dorset Street, pickleball advocates showed up in droves to the coun-
SUMMER TOMATO
cil meeting last week to show their support for the sport with some looking for ways to work with the city on solutions to keep them playing.
Jovanna Guerino, who spear-
headed the petition, says her quality of life has been drastically eroded by what she calls an
See PICKLEBALL on page 13
Shelburne Road, S. Burlington Maple Tree Place, Williston
Researchers tie recent flooding to affects of climate changes
KATE KAMPNER COMMUNITY NEWS SERVICE
Fair skies last Thursday might have suggested a good day on the lake for boaters. But toward the mouth of the Winooski River, a clear cut of gray across the blue waves was hard to miss.
Correction
In our story July 11 about the setting of the tax rate in South Burlington, we misattributed the following quote by city council member Michael Scanlan: “Because I think all of us would welcome, I think our residents would welcome that we saw sort of a growth in the tax budget being carried by the commercial sector while keeping our neighborhoods the way that we enjoy them.”
Flooding last week caused the river to overflow into Lake Champlain and with it came an influx of phosphorus and sediment such as dirt and bits of landscape. Together, fine particles from the debris created a string of murky, chocolate-colored plumes across the water. The cloudy water will likely take about two weeks to clear up. That was according to several researchers hosting the equivalent of a floating press conference on the lake that morning. The five experts — several affiliated with the University of Vermont — took members of the press on the college’s new hybrid-electric boat to talk about water quality risks to
PHOTO BY KATE KAMPNER
UVM agroecology fellow Nora Beer holds a Secchi disk, used to measure water clarity, on Lake Champlain on June 18.
LAKE CHAMPLAIN
continued from page 2
the lake.
The researchers also announced the Lake Champlain Sea Grant was awarded just under $300,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to launch a community-action coalition focused on reducing plastic pollution into Lake Champlain.
A larger trend
One of the indicators of bad water quality can be raised counts of E. coli or chloroform bacteria, which are brought in with river sediment and hazardous if ingested. The plumes also prevent photosynthesizing organisms from getting the energy they need by limiting how much light fully passes through the water.
Matthew Vaughan, chief scientist of the Lake Champlain Basin Program, was surprised how the lake recovered after last year’s catastrophic floods.
“There’s a shorter timescale of recovery where the lake can bounce back, but in the long run we are battling against an increase in flow over time and more nutrients coming downstream,” he said.
Vaughan said last year on July 11, the Winooski River had the highest flow researchers had seen since 1990.
“When we ran the numbers, we determined that half of the annual phosphorus’ (total maximum daily load) was deposited in Lake Champlain in a week’s time from the storm last year,” he said, referencing the highest amount of the mineral the lake can take in a day before exceeding water quality standards.
With the flooding this month, the flow level reached the 10th highest measure since 1990, Vaughan said. “The flow overall of the lake was about two-thirds of what it was last year,” he said, and
he expects the amount of phosphorus in the lake to be lower this year.
“Although we saw infrastructure damage, it was higher up in the watershed and in steeper areas,” he said.
Vaughan noted that this year’s extreme rainfall was a byproduct of Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record since the 1850s. Category 5 storms feature winds greater than 157 mph.
“This really can be tied to climate change, increasing air and ocean water temperatures, and that’s part of why you’re seeing an increase in flooding here in the Lake Champlain Basin,” he said. “It’s part of a larger trend.”
Devastating cycles
To determine water visibility, UVM researchers use a Secchi disk — a black-and-white disk that is lowered into the water until you lose sight of it.
In some of the most recent tests after the early July floods, disks disappeared at just 0.3 meters in one spot of the lake and 1.7 meters in another. A typical clear water average would be between 3.5 and 7.5 meters, Vaughan said.
Lake Champlain Sea Grant Director Anne Jefferson, a UVM professor, said flows that carry debris into the lake can sometimes be natural.
“Rivers moving things like sediment and wood are natural and good processes; that dynamic landscape is a functioning landscape,” Jefferson said.
But when those flows pass through developed land, they can contort the natural processes into devastating cycles.
“Anytime that we’ve gotten water moving over our urban areas or causing erosion in the rural
areas — taking out pieces of buildings or even just flowing over a parking lot in a heavy rainstorm,” she said. “We are picking up all of the human pollution, including trash, and delivering it to our streams and rivers and eventually Lake Champlain.”
Organisms can struggle to digest plastic, if they can at all, meaning it remains inside them and causes nutrition problems, Jefferson said. Plastics in the water also provide homes for bacteria and algae that otherwise wouldn’t get to set up colonies, she said.
Rebecca Diehl, a UVM research assistant professor, said it’s natural to regularly have a small amount of sediment moving through the watershed, but with extreme weather events, there’s an excessive amount of sediment and nutrients.
In her research, she looks at natural processes in the landscape that help mitigate sediment runoff. “Floodplains themselves when they’re properly functioning. They can do a lot to slow floodwaters and capture those nutrients and sediments and keep them on the landscape.”
Last year, Vermont floodplains captured about six times more phosphorus than during more routine floods, Diehl said.
“If we open up our floodplains, if we can take advantage and harness that natural function, we potentially can put a dent in the massive amount of sediments that are moving through our landscape,” she said.
Kate Kampner is a reporter with the Community News Service, a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
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PHOTO BY KATE KAMPNER
A plume of sediment and debris floats in Lake Champlain on June 18 after heavy rains caused the Winooski River to overflow.
Third person arrested in 2019 execution killing in Hinesburg
MIKE DONOGHUE
CORRESPONDENT
The boyfriend of a former Monkton woman, who authorities said gunned down her husband five years ago, has been arrested on federal conspiracy charges.
John Turner, 45, of Milton is the third person charged in connection with the fatal nighttime ambush killing of David Auclair, 45, in July 2019.
Auclair’s bullet-riddled body was found at the LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest trailhead parking lot off Gilman Road in Hinesburg.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Vermont State Police arrested Turner last Wednesday at a Hinesburg golf course where he has worked for many years.
Turner appeared in U.S. District Court later that afternoon and plead not guilty to the charges.
His defense lawyer, Karen
Shingler, asked for four months to investigate the case and consider filing pre-trial motions.
Turner was released on conditions.
The victim’s estranged wife, Angela M. Auclair, 52, initially pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and was expected to be sentenced to 18 years to life in prison, but she withdrew her plea earlier this year and fired her lawyer.
She is awaiting trial.
Other charges, which were to be dismissed, have been restored against Auclair, including aiding in the commission of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice.
Her son, Kory Lee George, 36, was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison after admitting to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder of his stepfather in Hinesburg. George, a five-time felon, was convicted separately in federal court for illegal possession of
a firearm in connection with the homicide.
At his change of plea hearing, George said his mother fired all the shots into David Auclair. She initially claimed she was home when her husband was gunned down.
“It’s about as bad as it gets,” Judge Kevin Griffin told George at his sentencing.
David Auclair was shot 11 times, and no shell casings were left behind from the shooting, Vermont State Police said.
He was the son of a well-known South Burlington family that operated a large farm on Vermont 116 near the Shelburne line.
The victim was lured to the scene of his execution through a pre-paid burner cellphone that was traced to a Milton store where George bought it, state police said.
Auclair tried to crawl under his
See TURNER on page 9
South Burlington Police Blotter: July 15-21
Total incidents: 266
Agency / public assists: 20
Directed patrol: 15
Traffic stop: 22
Accident: property damage: 8
Alarm: 9
Foot patrol: 22
Suspicious event: 16
Retail theft: 4
Motor vehicle complaint: 12
Welfare check: 17
911 hangup: 4
Trespass: 17
Domestic: 4
Disturbance: 7
Field contact: 11
Stolen vehicle: 3
Parking: 4
Background: 3
Restraining order violation: 3
Accident, insurance purposes: 8
Leaving the scene: 4
Found, lost property: 4
Larceny, other: 3
Larceny from a vehicle: 7
Threats: 2
Mental health: 3
Arrests:
Allyson K. Foley, 36, of South Burlington, was arrested for disorderly conduct stemming from a Nov. 10 incident on Hinesburg Road.
July 15 at 2:31 a.m., Ajeing Dau, 29, of Charlotte, was arrested for driving with a criminally
suspended license, excessive speed, violation curfew and another condition of. Release, grossly negligent operation and during under the influence, second or subsequent offense, on Dorset Street.
July 18 at 7:59 a.m., Jennifer L. Lamothe, 48, of South Burlington, was arrested on an in-state warrant on Grandview Drive.
July 20 at 12:53 p.m., Kristin K. Verchereau, 39, no address provided, was arrested on an in-state warrant on Dorset Street.
July 21 at 6:47 a.m., Devin F. Legassie, 33, no address provided, was arrested on an in-state warrant and operation with consent on Williston Road.
Untimely deaths:
July 20 at 7:06 p.m., police responded to Shelburne Road for the death of Don Abad, 66, of Portland, Maine. The medical examiner’s office is determining cause and manner of each death.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Office and can be amended or dropped.
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OPINION
Dressing room reflections
In Musing
Carole Vasta Folley
Recently I went shopping with friends, women I adore, and once again reveled in the magical enclave called dressing rooms. It makes no thread of difference whether the dressing room is in a department or discount store or a boutique or thrift shop, this women-only space creates an intimate one-of-a-kind type of connection I’ve rarely experienced elsewhere.
I’m not sure how to describe the camaraderie that manifests out of thin air in between these mirrored cubicles. Even in a dressing room by myself, I hear kinship all around me. Mothers and daughters, sisters by birth or by heart, and friends of all ages sharing with an ease and authenticity that’s both dynamic and comforting.
Snippets of supportive and congenial conversations drift over partitions, from exclamations of delight and appreciation to offerings of assurance and encouragement. Everyone there is privy to the generosity of women among women.
In that private space, insecurities are shared. How our bodies have changed over time. How our bellies belie our self-worth. We speak in intimacies, revealing ravages left behind from illness, surgery and childbirth or just plain ole life. Baring souls and bodies, we admit how we often dress to hide when really, we want to twirl and twirl in a rainbow-colored skirt or never again wear an undergarment labeled “supportive.” A misnomer if ever there was one.
We laugh too. The best laughter to be found. The healing kind. The kind you never forget because, to this day, it still makes you laugh. Hilarity from the clothes themselves, including their fit — or should I say unfit? Cracking up over ensembles that make you look like Half Pint on “Little House on the Prairie,” or worse, a character on “Gilligan’s Island,” and by that, I mean,
Thurston Howell the Third.
Then there’s the ridiculousness of sizes; how a 6 and a 14 in different brands are exactly the same dimensions. Or it could be you can’t take off a dress you tried on. You’re stuck with your arms straight up in the air and the skirt over your head. I’m not saying this happened to me once, because it’s happened repeatedly. I can assure you it gets funnier each time, but only when you’re with friends.
And it’s not just those I know. Women, who are strangers, have shared with me about themselves, their bodies, their hopes, their needs, asking if they look OK for a first date, a job interview, a wedding or a funeral. It’s akin to holding someone’s hand. An opportunity to say something that matters.
Maybe that is the magic of women’s dressing rooms. They enable us to be seen when sometimes we can’t see ourselves. Especially without the lens of societal scrutiny of what we’re supposed to look like.
I saw an article last week that advised women to stop looking in mirrors at themselves in profile. Sure, it’s the quickest way to assess the size of our stomachs. Plus, a lifelong habit for many of us who were taught to critique ourselves from the side or back view because that is how others judge us.
Though painful in its practice and impact, sadly, in our culture it’s a valid reality. The shame outside a dressing room is real. We’re told throughout our lives that we women are too big, too small, too much, too over-dressed, too under-dressed, too loose, too tight, too short, too long, etc. Clearly, too evaluated to simply be.
But inside that changing room, there are women who believe no such thing. Women who see and praise the beauty, the individuality and the fullness of other women. And, just maybe, this sisterhood of affirmation can help us all get a little closer to being, in Anne Lamott’s words, a constant tender-hearted wife to ourselves. Outside a dressing room.
Carole Vasta Folley is an award-winning columnist and playwright. Visit carolevf.com.
Letters to the Editor
Let’s send Krasnow back to Montpelier
To the Editor:
As a Vermont resident for over 40 years and a homeowner in South Burlington for 27 years, I am excited and proud to support Emilie Krasnow in her re-election for state representative, Chittenden-9 district. I’ve known Krasnow for at least eight years. We met while volunteering, and I immediately noticed her dedication to Vermonters and the quality of life in Vermont. Her heartfelt passion is obvious, and her words and actions follow.
She is a working Vermonter who brings firsthand experience to the decision-making process. She is familiar with ordinary citizens’ challenges, from navigating affordable housing options to accessing quality health care and securing wages. This perspective is not insightful. It’s essential for crafting policies that benefit the community. Her presence ensures that our legislative agenda remains rooted in the realities of Vermont life rather than abstract policy discussions. Krasnow speaks for equity and inclusive-
See LETTERS
OPEN MON-SAT 10-5 CLOSED SUN
It’s the garage sale to end all because everything is NEW! We’ll be drastically reducing prices to near or below wholesale on select furniture that we’ve had too long. It’s got to go – and it might be just what you’re looking for!
Carole Vasta Folley
Stop the decline of democracy: We need term limits, campaign finance reform
Guest Perspective
John Bossange
It’s not a stretch to think that the two gravest threats to democracy have been the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United and the absence of term limits for elected members of Congress.
Both have allowed money and
LETTERS
continued from page 5
influence peddling to successfully control our votes and reelections of representatives and senators. Incumbency financed over time has created a Congress silently loyal to their funders and party leaders, essentially eliminating the purpose and spirit of elections, and consequently driving voter apathy to historically high levels.
As we approach the 2024 presidential election, we have evolved to a place in history where there are now no meaningful primaries in any party for voters to assess a pool of candidates. Instead, we are given a party-approved candidate from the mega-donors.
Don’t believe for a minute that Biden’s four-decade record and legacy in Washington, D.C., or his current platform of issues, or Trump’s intimidation and fear mongering or his platform of issues were the driving factors that placed these candidates at the top of their tickets. Again, it has been the mega-donors who are approving their rise to the top, their positions on issues, fronting their messaging in the media and buying their relevance.
ness, and she encourages active citizen engagement. We can trust that she means what she says — from the bottom of her heart. This fosters trust in the democratic process.
Krasnow has what it takes to continue representing Chittenden-9. Her dedication, passion and experience will allow her to face the challenges within the role. Join me in voting for Emilie Krasnow in the primary on Tuesday, Aug. 13, and again on election day.
Tricia Gustafson
South Burlington
Remember when we looked for the best?
To the Editor:
When I was young the country debated who was the most fit to be president.
Now we yell and scream about who is the least fit.
Why?
Lou Bresee
South Burlington
Parties still have labels, like MAGA, Democratic, Progressive, Republican, Libertarian, Green and even Independent. But today it’s the millionaires and billionaires who are largely calling the policy shots, approving the candidate platforms and funding their campaigns. No wonder voter interest and turnout are so low.
Why would the Democrats have bypassed vice president Joe Biden and nominated Hillary Clinton in 2016, and why was Joe Biden allowed to remain the only Democratic Party presidential candidate for 2024? Why was Donald Trump allowed to remain on the debate stage as an Independent and secure the Republican Party nomination in 2020 over a pool of more qualified party candidates, permitting his rise to the top of their ticket? Mega-donors were responsible for these decisions, not the party leaders or interested, engaged voters.
Also, key to Biden and Trump’s success has been the silent loyalty of those politicians who might have challenged and debated either candidate. We first saw this demonstrated in the Republican Party when no one came forward after Trump’s loss in 2020.
The mega-donor money filling Trump’s campaign war chest, not just his searing, personal and boorish attacks, ensured silence and loyalty from potential alternative candidates. These mega-donors have given him his most powerful super PAC of all, the ever-expanding media coverage and the underground social media.
The Democratic Party has functioned in a similar fashion. Midway through Biden’s presidency, mega-donors decided there would be no real primaries and that their funding would be delivered to Biden’s war chest, icing out a strong bench of possible successors.
Worse than the Republican
Police arrest man who assaulted homeowner at knife point
A man who held a South Burlington woman at knife point has been arrested on multiple felony charges.
Shannon Edwards, 39, of Montpelier, was arrested for resisting arrest, felony aggravated operation without the owner’s consent, felony attempting to elude, felony burglary, felony unlawful restraint, felony kidnapping and three charges of felony aggravated assault.
He was also reported to be an escapee of the Vermont Department of Corrections for violating furlough conditions.
he was able to drive to a residential neighborhood off Shelburne Road.
He abandoned the vehicle on Brewer Parkway, went into a home, and assaulted its 74-year-old homeowner, holding her at knife point before the officers physically disarmed him.
On July 22 around 5:25 p.m., South Burlington police responded to Hannaford Drive for a disturbance and located a man wanted on an unrelated aggravated domestic assault. While taking him into custody, the man said that Edwards had threatened him and others with a knife in the nearby woods.
Shannon Edwards
Edwards had outstanding warrants for multiple violent offenses, police said.
Officers began a perimeter search with help from University of Vermont, Colchester and Burlington police departments. Edwards fled and then reportedly confronted a Champlain Water District employee and stole a pickup, police said.
Officers used tire deflation devices as Edwards left the water district property, but
BOSSANGE
continued from page 6
Party, there were no debates discussing important issues and, still today, silence and loyalty govern the behavior of key party leaders in the Democratic National Committee, in the halls of Congress and with potential nominees.
Money has always played a role in America’s elections. But during the past 30 years, a candidate’s worth and potential have often been measured by the amount of money they can raise. With the birth of super PACs, any thought of hiding a millionaire or billionaire’s campaign contribution has disappeared.
Buying and supporting a candidate who will represent their special interests is now the law of the land. The mega-donors proudly stand on stage with their candidates pledging their financial support.
Senior leaders in both parties fall in line so they too will continue to receive mega-donor funding for their own campaign war chests.
With no term limits and no concern for turnover, members of Congress have built up a reserve of funding and years’ worth of seniority, establishing them as the permanent voices in their respective states and districts.
Incumbency has a lifetime of rewards and long-term benefits.
Trump and Biden both represent the modern political party process. There is no difference between a Republican or Democrat in the mega-donor class. Each will be sure their money goes toward
“Two South Burlington officers were immediately confronted by Edwards holding the homeowner against her will at knife point stating he was going to kill her,” police said in a statement.
The victim received significant lacerations to her face and neck during the struggle and contusions to her head and knee.
A Burlington police detective received a deep laceration to his arm and a South Burlington officer was also injured.
They were all treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center.
Edwards has an extensive criminal history in Vermont, including 10 felony convictions, 15 misdemeanor convictions, and 12 violations of release resulting in four convictions.
At the time of Monday’s incident Edwards was under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, Barre Probation and Parole, and had been considered an escapee since July 10 for violating the conditions of his release.
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keeping other potential nominees from gathering momentum, visibility and money.
Most important, each will be sure to buy the silent loyalty of those in Congress and in the party who might offer a different opinion, policy or an alternative candidate.
Today, only big money could eventu ally remove Trump or Biden from their positions as their party’s nominee, even if we are told that party leaders or voter opinions had a major impact. That’s not democracy as we have experienced it.
Instead, the selection process Ameri ca has witnessed for the past decade has established a political environment that sets us up for a one-party, one-person oligarchy rule over a longer period, now with immunity to do what they please.
Only when Citizens United is reversed and true campaign finance reform begins, and only when an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring 12-year term limits becomes the law of the land, will democ racy have a chance to survive.
If these changes do not occur, then silent party loyalty will continue, and mega-donor candidates with their oligar chies will control the future of American politics and governance.
John Bossange is a retired middle school principal who now volunteers on several nonprofit boards in the Champlain Valley.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ACT 76 AND PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN CHILD CARE:
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
Free summer meals at S. Burlington schools
Through Aug. 9, Monday to Friday, free summer meals will be provided to all children under 18 at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, Chamberlin Elementary School and Rick Marcotte Central School. The meals must be consumed onsite.
Breakfast is served from 7:308:30 a.m. and lunch goes from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. There will be no meals on July 4 and 5.
There’s no application or paperwork necessary. Meals are free for all children 18 and under.
See the menus at sbschools.net/ summermeals.
Hospital board hosts community conversation
The Vermont Green Mountain Care Board hosts a discussion on the future of health care in Vermont on Monday, July 29, 4:30-6 p.m., at the South Burlington Public Library.
Despite rising insurance costs, Vermont’s hospitals and health systems face financial pressures and the health system requires revitalization.
Join local community leaders, hospital leaders, legislators, state
officials and neighbors in discussing the options the community has for supporting the future of health care in Vermont.
Learn more at gmcboard. vermont.gov/act-167-community-meetings.
South Burlington students attend Texas conference
South Burlington High School students, along with other students from districts in the area, attended HOSA Future Health Professionals International Leadership Conference and Competitions in Houston in June.
Students attended medicine-related workshops and exhibits and heard keynote speakers.
In March, students qualified to compete in several competitions by winning the Vermont competitions at the University of Vermont. The South Burlington students competed in the following categories: prepared speaking, Emily Greenfield, Class of 2025; and state voting delegate: Abby FitzPatrick, Class of 2025.
No students from Vermont placed but qualifying to compete among 10,000 other students from as far away as China and South Korea is a great achievement.
Shelburne church, Age well host July luncheon
Age Well is offering a luncheon on Tuesday, Aug. 20, in the St. Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St. in Shelburne.
Entertainment will be provided by Gerry Ortego on guitar.
The menu is barbecue chicken sandwich on a roll, potato salad, broccoli salad with Italian dressing, watermelon, pumpkin chip cookie and milk.
Register by Wednesday, Aug. 14, to Kerry Batres, nutrition coordinator, 802-662-5283 or email kbatres@agewellvt.org. Tickets are also available at the Age Well Office, 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210, Colchester.
Check-in time is 11:30 a.m. and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation.
10th annual Vermont Open Farm Week in August
Do you love local food and farms? Do you want to get to know your farmer better and get
COURTESY PHOTO
On Thursday, Aug. 1, Sticks and Stones graces the SB Nite Out stage at 5 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park in South Burlington. The evening includes a celebration of fitness. Quadra is the musical act on Aug. 8, and that’s senior night.
SB Nite Out
TURNER
continued from page 4
2017 GMC pickup truck to get away from the shooting by his wife, deputy state’s attorney Susan G. Hardin said in court when George pleaded guilty.
Turner faces two federal charges: conspiracy to possess stolen firearms and receiving stolen firearms in July 2019.
Vermont State Police had reported earlier that Turner had driven George to the Colchester home of James Synott on July 10, 2019, one night before the homicide.
George broke into the unoccupied home on Arbor Lane and stole five firearms, according to court records. The home was unattended because Angela Auclair had set up a dinner with Synott and her estranged husband at the Lighthouse Restaurant in Colchester. The three were mutual friends.
Turner drove his Chevrolet Suburban to the Spanked Puppy restaurant in Colchester, where he met George, records showed. Turner drove George in his own car to the Synott neighborhood and dropped him off near the home.
George stole five guns, including two 9-mm Beretta handguns, a Davis Warner
COMMUNITY NOTES
continued from page 8
a behind-the-scenes look into Vermont’s working agricultural landscape?
During the 2024 Vermont Open Farm Week, Aug. 4-11, meet the farmers, plants and animals that bring your favorite Vermont products to your plate.
Milk a cow and harvest a carrot at one farm, sit on a tractor and take in the smell of freshly cut hay at another and then head over to another for wood-fired pizza night and a garden tour. Events are happening across the state, so it’s a great time to get out and explore.
A complete list of Open Farm Week events will be posted are posted at bit.ly/4d7OITb.
Sign up now for Shelburne grab and go
meal
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 on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Meals will be available for pick up in the parking lot at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m.
Arms .32 handgun, and a Llama .380 handgun. The guns were later transferred to Turner’s Chevy Suburban, according to the indictment.
Also with them was George’s then girlfriend, who he later married, state police said.
The stolen guns were stored for the night at a trailer used by the co-conspirators in Milton, and the next day Angela Auclair used one of the stolen Berettas to kill her husband, the indictment read.
The day after the shooting, one of the co-conspirators attempted to dispose of the Beretta used in the shooting and one day later a co-conspirator attempted to dispose of the other handguns stolen from the Synott residence, the indictment noted.
The second count in the indictment charges Turner with possessing four of the stolen handguns.
Before David Auclair’s death, his estranged wife had a romantic interest in Turner, who would visit the couple’s home on Vermont 116 in Williston, records showed.
until noon and are available for anyone 60 or older. Suggested donation is $5.
The menu roast turkey with gravy, potatoes with ranch dressing, mixed vegetables, dinner roll, date raisin cookie and milk.
To order a meal contact Kathleen at agewellstcath@gmail.com or 802-5031107. Deadline to order is Wednesday, Aug. 7. If this is a first-time order, provide your name, address, phone number and date of birth.
Learn about restaurant tickets to dine at participating restaurants at agewellvt.org.
Dwight + Nicole entertain at Free First Friday
Dwight + Nicole play American soul and blues at the summer’s last Free First Friday at Shelburne Museum, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
It’s the perfect time to visit galleries, enjoy a picnic on the grounds, stroll through gardens and take in the splendor of a summer’s evening. For more, visit shelburnemuseum.org.
Vermont cheesemakers win big in national cheese competition
Vermont took home 34 individual ribbons at the American Cheese Society’s national competition this year, including 10 first place wins, 14 second place and 10 third-place finishes.
Winners were announced last week at the annual conference in Buffalo, N.Y.
Judges assess cheese on technical and aesthetic qualities to showcase talent, leadership and excellence.
“To be recognized from over 1,500 entries for their commitment to producing great cheese is an incredible honor for Vermont’s cheesemakers,”
Marty Mundy, executive director for the Vermont Cheese Council, said. “Winning awards like these comes with a ton of gratitude for our community and pride for our hardworking cheese producers and dairy farmers across the state.”
Vermont cheese producers won the following first-place awards:
• Alpha Tolman, Jasper Hill Farm, top 10 finisher overall, Greensboro
• Cabot Salted Butter, Extra Sharp Cheddar, White Oak Cheddar and Monterey Jack,
Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Cabot
• Calderwood, Jasper Hill Farm
Second place winners:
• Cabot Alpine Cheddar, McCadam New York Sharp Cheddar, Cabot Creamery Cooperative
• Moses Sleeper, Harbison Mini, Vault 5, Whitney and Willoughby, Jasper Hill Farm
• Maple banon and Morse Camembert, Sage Farm Goat Dairy, Stowe
• Black Label Cabot Clothbound, Cellars at Jasper Hill
Orchard School hires new assistant principal
Michelle Basile has been named interim assistant principal of Orchard School in South Burllington.
“I am very happy to be joining the South Burlington School District and Orchard Elementary for the coming school year,” Basile said. “I look forward to working closely with principal Olivia Kane and the school staff in support of high outcomes for students and the vitality of the school.”
ing, responsive and just, and that ful school communities requires a
most recently as a school adminis trator in California.
istrator who will bring valuable perspective to our team,” Kane said.
Her work has been centered around a core belief that all
Basile will start in her new role
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Austin Simone of South Burlington High School has been awarded a $1,500 scholarship from the Green Mountain Athletic Association, Vermont’s largest running club. Simone joined the cross-country team his freshman year and he has participated in cross-country, track and field or Nordic skiing in all 12 seasons of his high school career and was named co-captain for each sport during his senior year. Simone will attend Penn State University this fall and major in mechanical engineering. He will run on the club team and might try out for Penn State’s Division 1 varsity program. This is the third straight year a SBHS scholar-athlete has been awarded the scholarship. Winners are chosen based on their academic achievements, community and school involvement and contributions to the sport of running. Simone was coached by Geoff Bennett, Stephen Rizner and Matt Powers. Scholar-athlete
South Burlington Dolphins shine at all-star football camp
South Burlington hosted the Vermont All-Star Football Camp in mid-July featuring expert college football coaches from New England.
This annual event, a cornerstone of northern Vermont’s football community for over 30 years, brought together more than 60 youth athletes and over 70 high school players for an intensive week of training and competition.
The South Burlington Dolphins, a local youth football program, had over eight current athletes participate in the camp, along with multiple alumni in high school. These young players, ranging from fourth graders to eighth graders, embraced the fully padded camp experience, and gained skills and knowledge to carry into the upcoming season starting on Aug. 12.
“The Dolphins are doing a great job of getting kids back out playing football,” Chris Redding, the camp’s director and head coach of the Ballantyne Ridge Football in North Carolina, said. “I think this camp allows kids to see where the bar is set, play against some of the best, and provide a chance to learn fundamentals from guys who are playing at the college level.”
Gavin Johnson, a college foot-
ball player at Assumption University and the camp’s youth director, echoed this sentiment.
“I just personally want to pour everything I can into the kids to come back next year after I go to school to see the bar raised another level,” he said.
The camp, organized by an
experienced team, continues to be a vital platform for nurturing young football talent in the region, fostering a strong community spirit and a love for the sport.
— Javen
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HIGHER GROUND continued from page 1
ruling of the Supreme Court in their favor.
The company originally received approval from the Burlington Development Review Board in September 2020 for the project, which included converting an 11,560-square-foot portion of a warehouse building owned by Burton next to the company’s headquarters on Queen City Park Road to a 1,500-person concert venue in collaboration with Higher Ground — nearly 400 more people than can be accommodated at the nightclub’s current location on Williston Road in South Burlington.
Two years later the company received state approval from the Act 250 commission.
But a resident-led group of more than 140 people, Citizens for Responsible Zoning, appealed both decisions in environmental court, saying traffic, noise and overall aesthetic impacts would cause undue problems for neighbors in Burlington and South Burlington.
believed residents involved in the litigation were interfering with business operations and spreading misinformation.
Despite the higher court’s ruling in favor of Burton, the group planned to continue its opposition when Higher Ground applied for its entertainment permit and liquor license.
“We still have grave concerns about noise and traffic from a 1,500-seat venue serving alcohol whose patrons will pour out into our residential neighborhoods and get into their cars, trucks and motorcycles after midnight and sometimes after 2 a.m.,” the group wrote in a statement after the Supreme Court decision.
“My opinion, just my opinion, is that Burton didn’t want to admit that they might be wrong. They wanted to show they were right, and they were going to fight this to the bitter end.”
— James Dumont
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When Vermont Superior Court Judge Mary Miles Teachout ruled in favor of Burton and Higher Ground last year, the group again appealed the decision — with the support of the city of South Burlington, which signed on as an interested party — to the state’s highest court, saying the lower court erred in its findings regarding the sale and consumption of alcohol, the city’s own noise ordinance and adverse traffic impacts.
The issues intensified last summer when nearly two dozen residents living near Queen City Park were issued no-trespass notices by Burton, which
Doug Goodman, a spokesperson for the group, said that after hearing the news, while he and his neighbors were thrilled and shocked, he would like to hope that the decision to pull the plug on the project came because Burton, “recognized that the impact on the neighbors would be tremendous. The reality is that we did get a lot of concessions going through the (process),” he said.
The group had fundraised — and spent — nearly $200,000 on its litigation efforts over the years.
He noted that although the
Superior Court denied their appeal, the group did have a few wins throughout the legal process, including added additional operating stipulations for Burton and Higher Ground, which would have required the team to coordinate efforts with South Burlington and Burlington police to ensure parking didn’t overflow into surrounding neighborhoods; ensure ticketed events ended by midnight, with the exception of 12 events per year that could run until 2 a.m.; and a permanent noise monitoring installation. All these, Goodman said, “would have made a tremendous difference in the project if it were completed.”
Although the resident group’s attorney, James Dumont, acknowledged similar sentiments, he said he wasn’t shocked to hear the news. He added that finishing the lawsuit out may have been a way for Burton to get one final win before pulling the rug out from under the project.
“The point is, the feelings are really, really hard,” he said. “My opinion, just my opinion, is that Burton didn’t want to admit that they might be wrong. They wanted to show they were right, and they were going to fight this to the bitter end, even after they decided not to do it because they didn’t want the public perception to be that the community that was opposing them had won.”
In their social media post, Higher Ground indicated that they were still seeking out the best possible venue to bring performances to the area.
“In many ways, I can’t think of a worse scenario than a 1,500seat concert venue,” Goodman said of the space at the Burton campus. “Bring in retail or housing or restaurants or something like that, but 1,500 people coming to a concert venue with 426 parking spots, it was going to be pretty unpleasant.”
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continued from page 1
“incessant and psychologically torturous, ‘pop-pop-pop’” sound emanating from pickleball players at Szymanski Park at all hours of the day, or at least until 10 p.m. when the park lights shut off.
But Laura Weinstein describes this sound as a “happy sound.” She said that she and her husband bought housing in the area specifically for the pickleball courts, which are within walking distance.
“People who play are extremely happy people,” she said, adding that she feels terrible that the sound is annoying other residents. “It’s a very fun sport, enthusiastic. It really spews good health. I do believe it’s really for happiness.”
Chris Tudor, an ambassador for the USA Pickleball Association for northern Vermont, said he has played pickleball at Szymanski Park off and on for nearly seven years, and he has never seen the park as populated as it has been now.
“There are days there where there’s some 40 people and the parking lot only holds, what, six or seven cars,” he said.
He added that the issue of noise is a nationwide problem with the sport, but the issue at Szymanski Park is two-pronged: “One is the noise, and the other is definitely the parking.”
Another pickleball player, Linda Norris, said the city should look for a place to add more pickleball courts due to the high interest in the sport, which might alleviate the current stress on Andrew’s Avenue.
The city turned one tennis court into four pickleball courts in the fall of 2022, Adam Matth, the city’s director of recreation and parks said. The project cost roughly $20,000 to build, but that project was just one of a dozen projects in the recreation department’s capital improvement plan, which also included repaving the basketball court and remaining tennis court that year.
Matth said at last week’s meeting that it is possible that the recreation department could begin to look at other pickleball courts across the city through the park department’s master plan, which is set to roll out this summer.
As far as traffic and speed, South Burlington police chief Shawn Burke said that in response to resident complaints, the department began compiling data in 2023 with an in-person traffic safety officer monitoring the neighborhood. According to police data, “the traffic safety officer did not identify any violations that would warrant action,” he said.
Fast forward to 2024, and the complaints persisted in the neighborhood. The department this time deployed a speed trailer with its own data capture.
According to a report, there was high compliance with the posted 25-mile-perhour speed limit. From mid-May to lateMay when the speed trailer was in operation, 13.72 miles per hour was the average speed of passing cars.
“When you sit and monitor speed, especially in a residential neighborhood such as Andrews Avenue, would 25 miles per hour look quick? It does,” Burke said. “But it is lawful. I think that the takeaway here is that the design of the city street is what it was engineered to be whenever that neighborhood was built. It is appropriately posted at 25 miles per hour. From a traffic enforcement perspective, there are no violations that would warrant dedicated enforcement or more directed patrol.”
While the city council made no decision last week, it directed city staff to study potential solutions like sound mitigation mats, decibel measurements, a change of hours, and when to turn the park’s lights out.
Recommendations are expected to come before the city council at its Aug. 5 meeting.
“I think the notion that the pickleball community needs to maybe step up and look at what they can do to mitigate their impact, and say, ‘We care about the neighbors around here, and we’re going to do what we can to make sure that we’re not disturbing them,’ is important,” council member Laurie Smith said. “I really want everybody to enjoy their sports, but I also want everybody to be able to enjoy their lives.”
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