Airport expansion on the horizon
Passenger traffic surpasses pre-pandemic numbers
The South Burlington Development Review Board is getting its first pass at a plan for a massive expansion project at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport.
The construction site for the project also just launched last week, marking the beginning steps for the $45 million infrastructure project that is expected to take two years to
See AIRPORT on page 17
Advocates rally for migrant dairy farmers’ rights
LIBERTY
Farm workers, advocates and allies rallied at Hannaford grocery store locations in South Burlington earlier this month in a continued effort to pressure the company to improve working conditions for migrant dairy farmers.
The latest string of pickets across the state is a continuation of nearly five years of work to push the mass grocer and major
dairy buyer to join the Milk with Dignity campaign, spearheaded by Vermont-based advocacy organization Migrant Justice, which asks the company to take responsibility for human rights abuses in its dairy supply chain.
This October has been a month of action for the advocacy organization with similar protests popping up in Morristown, Willis-
See MIGRANT JUSTICE on page 18
DARR STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY AL FREY
Brendan McGinley spikes the ball past two Champlain Valley Union players in the Wolves’ straight set win Oct. 19. The undefeated South Burlington team is the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Division I playoffs. See story, page 15. Slam!
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Nordic Farm owner signs lease with USDA, University of VT
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
When Benjamin Dobson and Kaspar Meier bought the sprawling 600-acre Nordic Farm property in July, they had a “serendipitous” opportunity on the horizon, but the deal was officially signed, sealed and delivered just earlier this month.
Representatives from the University of Vermont signed a 30-year lease for approximately 400 acres of the farmland for long-term agricultural research use in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which has a unit based on the college campus.
This collaboration builds on UVM’s partnership with the research service through its Food Systems Research Center, the first USDA-funded center dedicated to studying all aspects of the food system.
“We are supposed to be in this business to help lead both research and implementation of good agricultural practices here in Vermont.” Cate said. “This supports that in many ways.”
But signing the deal wasn’t the first time Cate and the research lead with the research service’s Burlington unit, Christian Peters, had visited the property. The whole ordeal began with a simple conversation in late May, when the property was, at the time, still for sale.
•
“It was created about three years ago here on the campus,” Richard Cate, vice president of finance and administration at the university, said of the Burlington unit. “They do independent research. It’s not part of UVM’s research, but our faculty collaborate with their faculty in some instances. If we have a faculty member that is studying the same types of things, there are collaborations. But it is their research that is ongoing, in this case, here at the university and now on this farm.”
To further signify the partnership, the entire deal was penned on an antique desk that belonged to Vermont Sen. Justin Morrill, the father of the land-grant university system that has provided UVM its agricultural mission.
“At about the same time we went down to look at it, Ben and Kaspar made the offer, and it was accepted. So, it became clear the purchase wasn’t an option, but I just was trying to think of a way whereby we could still accomplish the same goal for the university and for the Agricultural Research Service,” Cate said.
The work that the research service plans to do is expected to span decades, maybe even more than a century. While the $1.9 million lease is now set at 30 years, there are three options for renewal beyond what is currently stipulated in the agreement.
There are two aspects of research currently in motion. One side is focused on plant science and forage productivity along with soil health and the other is focused on animal science with beef cattle
PHOTO
University of Vermont CFO Richard Cate, center, signs the lease for 400 acres of Nordic Farm land in Charlotte during a ceremony Oct. 3. He’s flanked by Ben Dobson, co-owner of Nordic farm, on the right, and Christian Peters, research leader for the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Burlington on the left.
NORDIC FARM
continued from page 2
and grazing livestock, Peters said.
“It’s not only close, but it’s in this really important region within the state of Vermont for agriculture, one of the most densely farmed parts of the state,” Peters said. “We looked at the soils and they’re diverse, as you’d expect for this part of Vermont. It’s got some poorly drained soils, and that’s a good place to be doing research.”
The farm looks much different than it did in July when Dobson and Meier officially closed on the property. The antique barn that sits directly on Route 7 has been cleared and swept, with some initial work to stabilize the building underway. An original Nordic Farm sign Meier found when cleaning out the barn sits proudly propped against the building farthest to the back of the property that currently houses office space.
What’s even more notable are the trails through the back of the property that have been tended and cleared by Meier, who, alongside Dobson, is working to bring new life back to the expansive acreage’s soil.
like Gardeners Supply and the Intervale Center, bought the massive undertaking forged under the name Earthkeep Farmcommon. The project was poised to usher in a new era of collective farming that balanced nonprofit research, innovation and education all within a single hub. But before plans could fully evolve, Raap died in December 2022.
The farm has sat relatively vacant, minus a few businesses that were still operating out of the barn spaces, until this summer. Meier said that those businesses are no longer there as a new leaf for the property turns.
“Nordic Farm has got some poorly drained soils, and that’s a good place to be doing research.”
— Christian Peters
“It’s awesome news for us because in so many regards, we’re aligned with what they want to do and it’s really what we would like to do,” Meier said.
The property has seen a frequent shift in ownership and ideas over the years, but at one point was home to one of the state’s most prolific dairy operations with nearly 300 milking heifers during its prime. In 2004, it became the first farm in New England to install robotic milking equipment under the ownership of Clark Hinsdale III.
The high-profile farm went through a few different owners who offered a variety of ideas for its future. In 2018, Andrew Peterson, owner of Peterson Quality Malt, partnered with a group of investors led by Jay and Matt Canning of Hotel Vermont to buy the property, although that venture never got fully off the ground.
But the most notable endeavor, up until this month, came just three years when Will Raap, the visionary behind ventures
The duo hails from the Hudson Valley of New York, and have farming and research in their blood. From managing farming efforts in the Hudson Valley and across the globe to spearheading research into the impacts of regenerative farming practices on carbon sequestration through his company Hudson Carbon, a partnership like this was a no-brainer for Dobson.
Although Meier has spent most of the last two decades in the contracting and building business, farming is just what he loves to do. The plan now is for the team to have their own farming operation on roughly 200 acres of the Nordic Farm land.
“The USDA hasn’t always been my favorite institution, but there’s one part of it — and I’m a pretty organic radical — that I’ve respected called the ARS,” Dobson said. “These ARS stations are where the USDA does its often more innovative research set within an eco-region, or a bioregion. That’s what their plan here is.”
Despite the team’s extensive backgrounds in organic farming and biodynamics, the partnership didn’t ultimately happen because of them. Instead, the opportunity just knocked on the front door.
“I’ll be frank, it came up serendipitously,” Dobson said. “I would’ve applied for and looked for things like this with Hudson Carbon. But instead, it drove down the driveway and Mr. Cate came in and introduced himself.”
WalletHub ranks South
Burlington nation’s safest city
According to WalletHub, a personal finance website, South Burlington is the safest city in 2024, in part because of its safe roads.
It has one of the lowest pedestrian fatality rates in the country, along with the 13th-lowest percentage of uninsured motorists. When accidents do happen, the city benefits from having the ninth-most EMTs and paramedics per capita.
One area where South Burlington shines, according to WalletHub, which many people might not think about, is financial safety. It has the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 1.9 percent, the second-lowest
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share of seriously underwater mortgages and the third-fewest non-business bankruptcy filings per capita over the past year.
“This demonstrates that residents are doing well financially and are at a reduced risk of being unable to pay their bills, losing their property or becoming homeless,” according to a press release.
On top of that, South Burlington is safe from certain natural disasters. For example, it has the 14th-lowest risk of flooding, 21st-lowest risk of tornadoes and 31st-lowest risk of wildfires.
The city of Burlington placed fourth on the list.
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Cruise into Fall Savings
CRIME & COURTS
State drops charges against man accused of driving over woman
received abrasions with imbedded gravel, police said.
The state has dismissed criminal charges in Vermont Superior Court in Middlebury against a Shelburne man who state police maintained had driven over a family member during an incident in Ferrisburgh on Aug. 6.
Peter Hoehl, 46, had pleaded
Total incidents: 256
Agency / public assists: 26
Directed patrol: 13
Traffic stop: 3
Accident: property damage: 10
Alarm: 14
Foot patrol: 16
Suspicious event: 14
Retail theft: 13
Found/lost property: 7
Motor vehicle complaint: 8
Welfare check: 13
911 hangup: 5
not guilty to criminal charges of aggravated domestic assault and reckless endangerment following the incident, according to court records.
The victim was rushed to University of Vermont Medical Center, where she was admitted with broken ribs, a collapsed lung and fluid in her abdomen, those records detailed. She also
“The injuries correlate to being ran over by a vehicle and the tires spinning on her,” trooper Kelsey Dobson wrote in a court affidavit.
Rutland County deputy state’s
See HOEHL on page 10
Threats: 5
Trespass: 13
Suicidal person: 3
Disturbance: 11
Fraud: 10
Simple assault: 3
Animal problem: 3
Accident: insurance purposes: 4
Accident: leaving the scene: 6
Youth services: 5
Larceny: other: 2
Larceny from a vehicle: 6
Accident: injury: 4
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Larceny from a structure: 5
Stolen vehicle: 4
Mental health: 4
Arrests:
Nichole L. Nimblett, 54, of Vergennes, was arrested for possession of narcotics in an incident on Aug. 22 at 12:24 pm. at Overlook Park.
Oct. 15 at 7:09 a.m., Vincent O. Williams, 44, of South Burlington, was arrested on an in-state warrant on Shelburne Road.
Oct. 16 at 10:41 a.m., David S. Sahande, 24, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., was arrested for unlawful trespass and lewd and lascivious conduct on Williston Road.
Oct. 16 at 1 p.m., Patrick T. Barron, 42, of Richmond, was arrested for misdemeanor drug possession on Williston Road.
Oct. 17 at 12:21 p.m., a 19-yearold juvenile was arrested for violating conditions of release on Cottage Grove Avenue.
Oct. 17 at 1:28 a.m., James C. Watson, 32, of Starksboro, was arrested for retail theft on Dorset Street.
Oct. 18 at 5:13 p.m., Jason A. Ames, 42, of St. Albans, was arrested on an in-state warrant on Dorset Street.
Oct. 20 at 1:06 p.m., Anna M. Wells, 34, no address given, was arrested on an in-state warrant at Heath Street and Williston Road.
Oct. 20 at 2:45 p.m., Neeraj Bharati, 35, of Burlington, was arrested for retail theft on Dorset Street.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Office and can be amended or dropped.
OPINION
Common Roots Farm
Compact urban farm focuses on food equity, healthier communities
Liz Spitler
When we envision Vermont, we typically picture rolling pastoral farmlands with herds of grazing cattle, mountains and valleys ablaze in autumn and gatherings at grandmother’s house where generations of family celebrate the pleasures of Sunday suppers with simplicity and gratitude.
Vermonters have always been a proud bunch, and we value working landscapes and their heritage. But the true heroes and visionaries are today’s farmers, who are working hard to protect soil health and preserve the land for future generations.
When we can fill our baskets full of nourishing seasonal vegetables, herbs and ripe fruits, organic grains and grassfed meats, we need to take a moment to recognize what our world would be like without farmers. Farmers are among our greatest conservation allies. They produce the crops that help to feed, fuel and nourish a growing world, while caring for the lands and waters on which we all depend.
Keep in mind the number of farms in the world is declining, which threatens biodiversity. What’s more, new technology replaces the inherent indigenous knowledge that farmers carry with them, and this knowledge is critical.
Upholding farmers and the importance of urban agricultural practices is vital to
maintain what our elders have known for centuries. Simply put, they preserve the healthier microbiome of the soil without chemicals, ensuring our health and well-being. Long term, it all begins with the farmer, from soil to consumption.
We know the growth of organic foods contributes to a community’s health, economic development and builds relationships among neighbors. To take it one step further, we become more resilient to climate change by reducing the greenhouse effect, improving air quality and managing stormwater runoff.
The Common Roots Farm at South Village and Hubbard Park Farm are great examples of compact urban farming. They produce certified organic food on 14 acres, within 220 acres of South Village, and 4 acres of Hubbard Park’s 60 acres where no chemicals are allowed on the land.
But what truly sets this farm apart is not just these restoration farming practices. Consider their increased healthy food distribution, accompanied by the key lessons in food education and nutritional guidance provided for everyone regardless of their socio-economic situation.
Food equity means that everyone in a community has opportunity, knowledge and choice to enjoy locally sourced, organic nutrient-dense, satisfying food that
COURTESY PHOTO
Executive chef Anthony Jones and lead farmer Colin O’Brien at Common Roots Farm in South Village.
Guest Perspective
Sponsored
Current legislators key to affordability in Vermont
To the Editor:
Inflation, higher prices, cost of education and affordability are terms we hear as politicians discuss the cost of living on the national and local levels. Vermonters have become accustomed to this affordability discussion since the state has had one of the highest costs of living for many years.
Vermont is a top five state in the tax burden it places on its residents according to sources like WalletHub and Turbo Tax. Vermonter’s state-imposed tax burden exceeds 11 percent of total disposal income.
Our property tax rate of 4.85 percent is the highest in the country. We can expect that to significantly increase as we enter year two of the new education funding formula. This funding formula has already had an impact on South Burlington residents. It will have an even greater impact on them and our schools moving forward.
There are many factors that contribute to the high cost of living Vermonter’s experience, and some are beyond our and the legislature’s control.
One area within the legislature’s control is the rate at which we are taxed. The Legislature passes laws, imposes taxes and fees and, lately, frequently overrides vetoes. Some legislators continually talk about identifying funding sources. Funding sources come in many forms. They include higher motor vehicle fees and taxes
Letters to the Editor
on software that are passed on to consumers, increased state property taxes to fund education and others. In the end the funding source is the public that ends up paying the taxes, fees and bills.
Vermont’s cost of living has been a campaign issue for many elections. Many incumbent legislators have talked about the issue and the need to do better. These legislators are the ones who need to do better. They need to tell us how they plan to specifically address this issue and make Vermont more affordable for everyone. The time for talking is over. What are they going to do?
The public’s role is to decide if they deserve continued support or should we consider other candidates. This decision is up to each of us.
Bryan Companion South Burlington
Will we face another 20 percent tax hike?
To the Editor:
Here’s an update regarding education spending for this next fiscal year. First, as far as the legislative commission tasked with studying changes to education law in Vermont is concerned, it’s a mixed bag.
There has been a total of 13 meetings, several reports and data presentations by the Agency of Education, some public input and several jam board ideas. I have attended
every session. There’s not enough space nor a strong enough pill to prevent brain fade about everything that has been discussed.
Of particular interest and concern are the finance subcommittee meetings because they are tasked to present any short-term cost containment ideas to the Legislature in the fall. School boards will need this information in their budget making as soon as possible. I’m hoping there will be more conservative voices on these committees in the spring following the elections.
The last meeting of the finance subcommittee on Oct. 14 was a four-hour migraine on cost drivers, health care and special education law and costs. Do not attempt to listen to these videos unless your health insurance is paid up.
My takeaway is that the way health insurance policies are written and offered to teachers in Vermont is chaotic. Health care costs are a major cost driver for Vermont school districts and will continue to be so. According to plan directors, they process $6.4 million per week in claims for the 34,200 employees. There are an incredible number of causes for the increases in annual costs but hospital inpatient and outpatient services, specialty prescription medications and certain high-risk pools seem to be at the top of the list. The average cost of a specialty medication is $37,000.
Why are special education costs going up? Many reasons but listening to the complexity of current law and regulations makes for more migraines.
Both Gov. Phil Scott, the superintendent of Champlain Valley School District, school leaders and business officials have all raised the red warning flag about potential increases in school spending next year. Also, the town of Hinesburg has also jumped into issue with its own warning. We may be lucky to see another 20 percent increase in our property taxes next year, if not more.
John
Clifford Hinesburg
John Rodgers best suited to take Vermont’s second top job
To the Editor:
I am writing to express my strong support for John Rodgers as Vermont’s next lieutenant governor of Vermont.
Having previously served as commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation for 12 years, appointed by two different governors with a significant legislative portfolio over six legislative biennia, I worked over an extended period with both Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and Rodgers. The differences between them are real and important and Rodgers emerges clearly as the best choice for Vermont. It’s not close.
During his time in the Senate, he served on two committees with important roles
See LETTERS on page 7
continued from page 6
relative to Forests, Parks and Recreation: The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy — with jurisdiction over the department’s responsibilities, programs and budget — and the Senate Committee on Institutions, which had jurisdiction over capital appropriations and land transactions.
While Rodgers and I certainly differed on some topics over the years, he was a breath of fresh air and a welcome voice of practicality and reality. He listened actively, asked informed and sometimes tough questions (always appropriately and respectfully), and he consistently offered ideas and solutions or at worst, a willingness to work together to find them.
My experience with Zuckerman was very different, characterized and summarized best as Zuckerman doing a lot of talking at me — whether in the Senate Committee on Agriculture or in the hallways in advance of important floor debates in the Senate after he became lieutenant governor. That may seem tough, but it’s fair.
SPITLER continued from page 5
nourishes their body, mind and soul with dignity, thereby achieving optimal personal, community, health and well-being for everyone.
So, without the dedication and sweat of local farmers, would any of these achievements be possible in today’s fast-paced, stressed-out world?
This fall, Common Roots enters its 17th year growing food for three local food shelves. In 2023, Common Roots gave $120,000 of value in farm fresh foods plus its nutritional guidance to support the South Burlington Food Shelf, Feeding Champlain Valley (formerly Feeding Chittenden) and the Abenaki Food Shelf in Shelburne.
I’ve also come to know Rodgers more personally as a friend, affording an expanded view of him as a person and his values and ethics. He is smart, fun, talented, honest, hardworking and reliable. He is committed to his family, friends, land and community. Indeed, watching him delight in engaging with our young daughter says it all — whether when fishing with her or touring her around his farm.
I am grateful for Rodgers’ significant and selfless service to the state and for his willingness to run and serve us as lieutenant governor. When he speaks of unsettling changes in Vermont’s legislative process over the last decade or so — becoming more political and less inclusive — he is spot on. It is real and damaging. Given his experience, personality and commitment to Vermont and all her people, he is best equipped and best suited to bring a different, more realistic and truly effective approach to Montpelier.
Michael Snyder Stowe
Public investment in child care is an investment in our workforce.
• West Point Graduate
• MBA Temple University
• Graduate of Army Command and General Staff College
• Georgetown University Graduate Program
• 22 years US Army active duty
• 16 years Gov’t Defense Industries
• Husband and Father of 4
Located on higher ground than farms in floodplains, the farm continues to build its capacity, recognizing the horrendous flooding impacts on a community’s food supply. With the flooding in 2023, the Vermont Food Bank and the Intervale Food Hub gleaned more than 4,000 pounds of food from our farms. We are lining up to donate more than 4,000 pounds in 2024 due to repeat flooding.
The power of eating locally allows us to deepen our mission while nourishing the community and building a sustainable food system.
Liz Spitler handles communications for Common Roots farm in South Burlington.
wolf tree falls in the forest
To the Editor:
I started down the familiar trail at the Wheeler Farm off Spear Street anticipating my usual joy and awe at seeing my old tree friend again. That tree, a red oak, has never failed to amaze me with its size, dignity and air of wisdom.
I was thus stunned when I saw that a large part of it had fallen, exposing the seemingly rotten interior. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I was momentarily embarrassed, but I realized how much it deserved a remembrance. So often when I’ve walked there in the past there would be a group of children or a family around its base, having a snack or playing fairy games. I always stopped to pay it tribute.
Alas, it was wounded but I hope the broken part will become home to other critters and still inspire awe as it morphs into another form.
Priscilla Douglas Burlington
As Vice President Kamala Harris has proven since she began campaigning to be president, she is no neophyte in the world of politics as some proclaim. Nor is she a potted plant: She has an amazing presence, a strong intellect, an impressive resume and refreshing charm as she campaigns calmly and with dignity. She joins a distinguished group of accomplished women who precede her as capable, courageous change makers.
History is full of such women. Hypatia, who died in 415, was a mathematician and philosopher who risked upsetting the establishment’s sexism. She was killed for that, but we know her name. Hildegard of Bingen, born in 1098, is better known than Hypatia. Sequestered in an abbey at 9, she became a scientist, healer and mystic and is regarded as the most accomplished medieval woman.
Christine de Pizan was born in Italy in 1364. As a writer she advocated for women’s equality. Her works are among
PHOTO BY PRISCILLA DOUGLAS
A limb of the wolf tree in South Burlington’s Wheeler Park, a red oak, recently succumbed to old age.
continued from page 8
the earliest feminist writing. She argued that speaking up was a powerful tool for women. Olympe de Gouges, born in 1748 France, was a social reformer who challenged conventional views on many issues, including divorce, women’s roles, the need for maternity hospitals and the rights of orphaned children.
In the 18th century Mary Wollstonecraft was a renowned women’s rights activist who authored “A Vindication of the Rights of Women,” which remains a classic. A century later the women of Seneca Falls, including women of the Iroquois Nation, forged a new agenda for women, including the right to vote. The list of leaders, orators, and organizers of that movement is long and important.
Matilda Joslyn Gage, Sojourner Truth, the Grimke sisters and many others changed women’s lives, although it took decades for them to vote.
Alice Paul continued the work of the Suffragists when she helped secure passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution enfranchising women. She authored the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923, which has still not been adopted. Paul’s “Silent Sentinels” picketed the White House during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, remaining persistent despite attacks and arrests. Paul was jailed and quickly organized a hunger strike while enduring force feedings and threats of psychiatric incarceration.
These women, and others weren’t
viewed as overtly political figures in their own time, but their social justice work was profoundly political. Dorothy Day is an example. A journalist and social activist, she resisted war and nuclear testing. She also led the peace movement, the civil and workers’ rights movements while advocating for women’s rights.
Eleanor Roosevelt, with help from the educator Mary McCleod Bethune, had a major impact on President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his reluctance to address racism. She became actively political by promoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights while urging women’s involvement in international affairs. She influenced FDR to appoint Frances Perkins as Secretary of Labor, the first woman to serve as a cabinet secretary. Perkins was the driving force behind the New Deal and actively supported labor laws. Subsequently women began being elected or appointed to their governments highest offices. Among them were Sirimavo Bandaranaike the world’s first female prime minister in 1960, and Vigdis Finn-
bogadottir, voted Iceland’s president three times, becoming the first elected female president in the world. She was followed by other Nordic women as effective heads of state.
Norwegian politician Gro Harlem Brundtland made her mark as an environmental leader, Prime Minister, and party leader. She gained international recognition for her work on the environment, human rights, and sustainable development.
Harris is part of a sisterhood who envisioned a different way of being. She is not an anomaly. In this time of fractious debate, it’s urgent that we recognize who she is, what she offers, and what she will do.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Liberia’s first female president and won the 2011 Nobel Prize for Peace for her efforts to further women’s rights internationally. Known as Africa’s Iron Lady, she promoted peace, justice and democratic rule, for which she was jailed by a military junta.
Mary Robinson was president of Ireland and was highly regarded for her transformative effect on her country. She fought for the legalization of contraception, the decriminalization of homosexuality, the legalization of divorce, and women’s ability to serve on juries
Michelle Bachelet, twice the president of Chile, was that country’s first woman president. She focused on the needs of the poor, reformed the pension system, promoted the rights of women, and recognized the rights of Chile’s indigenous people.
Outside the political arena of presidents and prime ministers, politically active women throughout history have contributed to the realm of social justice, human rights and equality. Among them are writers who see the world through a gender lens. Simone de Beauvoir, Tillie Olsen, Adrienne Rich, Gloria Steinem, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde and others have illuminated the reality of people’s lives, the need for political action and reform, the value of women’s contributions no matter their class or caste. They help us see the urgency of defeating stereotypes, overcoming destructive assumptions, and instituting compassionate laws and practices that demonstrate an understanding of what makes us strong, safe, and free.
Haris joins these women. She is part of a sisterhood who envisioned a different way of being. She is not an anomaly. In this time of fractious debate, it’s urgent that we recognize who she is, what she offers, and what she will do as she goes forward in good company.
Elayne Clift is a Vermont-based writer. More at elayne-clift.com.
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As election nears, what mail-in voting will look like
ACEY SHEEHAN AND GWEN MATTHEWS COMMUNITY
NEWS SERVICE
Earlier this fall, most registered voters in Vermont opened their mailboxes to find an election ballot — but how many have been returned so far and from where?
University of Vermont’s Center for Community News, home of Community News Service, has built an interactive map to find out.
Center data visualization engineer Ben Cooley pulled together figures from the Office of the Vermont Secretary of State to track the number and percent of registered voters in each town whose ballots have been received and tallied.
As of Oct. 14, just under 13 percent of those ballots had already been returned and tallied statewide, officials said.
proportion of returned ballots as of Oct. 14 at 20 percent, according to the data. Towns like Manchester, Middlebury, North Hero, Norwich, St. Albans and Rutland followed close with 19 percent, the data shows.
Take a look yourself — hovering over a town allows you to see the data. Link to the map at bit. ly/3Ub5utL.
Casting ballots via mail is not a new concept. Dating back to the Civil War, U.S. citizens have been able to request an absentee ballot if they’re unable to attend their usual polling location — due to being away for college or military service, for example.
Some towns have more people voting early than others. South Hero and Westford had the highest
Over the next several weeks, the center will be updating the map as new numbers come in. Student journalists with CNS plan to delve into the townby-town data to tease out trends and provide Vermonters with a deeper understanding of the state’s relatively nascent vote-bymail system.
In 2021, the Legislature made universal mail-in ballots a permanent part of voting in Vermont. This coming Election Day marks only the second presidential election in which most registered voters in Vermont automatically were mailed a ballot — though some
states have been doing it for many years.
Casting ballots via mail is not a new concept. Dating back to the Civil War, U.S. citizens have been able to request an absentee ballot if they’re unable to attend their usual polling location — due to being away for college or military service, for example.
Universal mail-in ballots differ from absentee ballots. They don’t require requests or reasons and are sent automatically to all residents.
In Vermont, the use of universal mail-in ballots spiked during the 2020 election. Officials sent them to voters as an emergency measure to maintain social
HOEHL
continued from page 4
attorney L. Raymond Sun said this week the victim did not want to proceed with the case and the state did not have enough to proceed without her.
Defense lawyer Brooks G. McArthur, both in an interview after the arraignment and in recent filings, has maintained the state lacked sufficient evidence to show any intent in the case. He maintained it was an accident.
“Examining the evidence in the light most favorable to the State and excluding modifying evidence, the State has failed to produce substantial, admissible evidence as to the essential
distancing during the height of the pandemic.
Almost three-quarters of Vermont votes cast in 2020 came from those ballots, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Only about one in four votes came from people showing up in person.
Whether a vote came by mail or in person that year followed partisan trends. The more people in a town voted for former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden, the fewer people from that town chose to vote by mail, according to a VTDigger breakdown of state election data.
Will that trend persist this time
around? What about the popularity of mail-in voting overall, a few years removed from the pandemic emergency?
Community News Service reporters will be paying attention to those trends, along with the rate of ballot return in general. We’ll also be looking for patterns involving income, rurality and age.
Acey Sheehan and Gwen Matthews are reporters 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.
elements and therefore the matter must be dismissed,” McArthur and co-counsel Amanda Hemley said in a written motion filed Aug. 16.
Sun responded Aug. 30 asking the court to set a hearing to allow him to show the state had “substantial admissible evidence as the elements of the offenses charged.”
Sun was asked to prosecute the case because one of the investigating state troopers is a witness in a pending driving while intoxicated case filed against Addison County state’s attorney Eva Vekos.
“While at the hospital, (the victim) provided a brief statement to Trooper (Nicole) Twamley in which she stated she believed Peter’s actions to be intentional and had heard Peter put the vehicle in gear just before getting ran over,” Dobson wrote in his affidavit.
McArthur, a former state prosecutor, said the defense follow-up investigation disputed that claim. Sun filed a one-sentence notice of dismissal on Monday without any explanation.
Hoehl had an alcohol level of 0.142 percent after the incident, Vermont State Police said in court papers.
McArthur also said there was no driving while under the influence charge filed because the incident did not happen on a public highway. Police said in court papers that DUI was among the charges when Hoehl was taken into custody.
The Vermont State Police emergency dispatch center got a call from Hoehl about 10:18 p.m. and a woman could be heard in the background saying that he had purposely run her over, Dobson said in a court affidavit.
Police initially responded to Grosse Point Road, but nobody was found there, and troopers later located the caller near Driftwood Lane, police said. A police press release listed the incident as near Sand Road.
Police said Hoehl indicated he did not realize that he hit the woman after the first of the two bumps. Police said he estimated his speed at 2 miles per hour.
Oct. 20-26 is National Friends of Libraries Week, and South Burlington is lucky to have its own Friends of the Library organization. In fact, the group recently celebrated its 50th birthday, having formed in 1973 to support library staff, programs and events.
Over the summer, the Friends supported the South Burlington Public Library’s “Adventure Begins at Your Library!” summer reading programs for kids, teens and adults. The group contributed funding for raffle prize bundles, reading incentive prizes, pre-reader goody bags, free books for English language learners, program supplies and even after-hours parties for middle-grade readers.
In total, the library’s summer reading programs had over 1,500 participants, including more than 1,100 children under 13, and parents reported that the reading incentives really worked.
Children’s librarian Kelly Kendall said, “We simply could not attract the numbers of participants without the funding and support of this most generous organization.”
And they’re already planning their next project: funding and maintaining a permanent Storywalk on Garden Street in City Center.
One of the Friends’ most visible gifts to the community is the Friends of the Library Free Concert Series. This annual series brings musicians from a range of genres and traditions, including folk, classical, bluegrass, jazz and choral, to the library auditorium for concerts each month throughout the winter. This year’s series will kick off on Saturday, Nov. 2, at noon with the Evans Asbell Duo playing 1940s and 1950s jazz.
The concert will coincide with the fall book sale. The group runs the popular Friends Book Store year-round from the library’s second floor, selling gently used fiction and nonfiction for kids, teens and adults, with all sales going to support the library. But for avid readers, the twice-yearly book sales in the community room are the place to browse and stock up on a bagful or two of used books.
The public sale runs Friday, Nov. 1, 2-5 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m.noon, with a Friends-only preview night on Thursday, Oct. 31, 5-7 p.m. You can join the organization on the spot for $10 and be a part of the Friends’ efforts to support the city’s local library.
The organization’s work continues behind the scenes throughout the year, maintaining four little free libraries around the city, contributing funding for programming like adult writing workshops and middle school cooking club, volunteering at library events, supporting staff training and development and more.
COURTESY PHOTO Friends of the South Burlington Public Library prepare for the book sale.
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
Holiday bazaar features baked goods, crafts, antiques
The All Saints Episcopal Church, 1250 Spear St., South Burlington, is holding its holiday bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 2, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
The sale will feature antiques and uniques, baked goods, books, crafts and Christmas decor, jewelry. There will also be a silent auction, yard sale and luncheon.
Burlington Civic Symphony holds fall concert
The Burlington Civic Symphony presents its fall concert on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m., at the Elley-Long Music Center in Colchester with guest conductor Cole Marino.
The program will feature Gioachino Rossini’s Semiramide Overture, the Karelia Suite by Jean Sibelius and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major.
Marino, a classically trained conductor, baritone and keyboardist, graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in 2020.
Information and tickets can be found at bcsovt.org.
First Congo church hosts chicken, biscuit dinner
First Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Burlington, 38 South Winooski Avenue, holds a traditional chicken and biscuit dinner on Saturday, Nov. 2, 5-8 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door for $14 per person; $50 for a family of 4; and $10 for college students. To reserve tickets, call 802-862-5010, ext. 4, for dining room or take-out, or email info@firstchurchburlington.org with your name, phone, email and your reservation information.
Pickup for take-out is from 4-5 p.m.; reservations are required.
Shelburne holds blood drive on Nov. 19
St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Shelburne is hosting a Red Cross blood drive on Tuesday, Nov. 19, noon-5 p.m., 72 Church St.
To give, call 800-733-2767 or visit
The South Burlington Rotary Club officially handed over a new electric van to the South Burlington Food Shelf at an Oct. 15 ceremony at the South Burlington Food Shelf on Dorset Street. Peter Carmolli, director of the food shelf, addresses the crowd at the event. Tom O’Keefe, immediate past president of the Rotary Club, and Carmolli, director of the food shelf, check out the interior of the all-electric van, which O’Keefe said will “significantly enhance the food shelf’s ability to serve our community, especially for families and individuals who rely on these critical resources. Those assembled pose for a photo with the new South Burlington Food Shelf van, donated by the South Burlington Rotary Club.
redcrossblood.org and enter Shelburne to schedule an appointment. Appointments are strongly recommended as walk-ins cannot always be accommodated.
Holiday bazaar at Faith United Methodist
Faith United Method Church of South Burlington will host its annual holiday bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 9, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 899 Dorset St.
Featured this year are a large variety of adult and children’s new and like new winter coats for $10-$20 each, a huge cookie walk, fudge, pies, to-go soup, and lots of holiday and home decor. All proceeds will go directly to the South Burlington Food Shelf.
Faith UMC is accepting donations, including holiday-themed decor, gently
November 1-2nd at
used toys, puzzles, jewelry, kitchen/household gadgets and quality re-giftable items on Sunday, Oct. 27, and Nov. 3, from, 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the church.
Contact Diane at events@faithsbvt.org with any questions or a different drop-off time.
Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St., South Burlington.
Learn more at eeevermont.org.
Sign up now for Shelburne grab and go meal
Post-Soviet Russia
Lecture series focuses on
“The Politics of the Great Patriotic War in Post-Soviet Russia” will be offered by Michelle Commercio, professor of political science and director of Russian/East European studies at University of Vermont on Friday Nov. 8, 2-3 p.m., as part of the Education and Enrichment for Everyone fall lecture series.
The talk takes place at Faith United
Age Well and St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Shelburne are teaming up to provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Meals will be available for pick up in the parking lot at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m. until noon and are available for anyone 60 or older. Suggested donation is $5. The menu includes roast turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sliced
See COMMUNITY NOTES on page 13
Barre, Williston, St. Albans, Plattsburgh
COURTESY PHOTO
Electric wheels
‘Earth to Earth’
FOREST CEMETERY
Join the Vermont Forest Cemetery in the South Burlington High School auditorium for a screening of the documentary, “Earth to Earth: The Lost Art of Dying in America,” on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Following the film, there will be a Q&A with Vermont Forest Cemetery founder, head cemeterian and natural burial advocate and expert Michelle Hogle Acciavatti. Vermont Forest Cemetery is the state’s first forest cemetery and is in Roxbury. This cemetery offers a place for people to gather, honor their dead and the forest, and participate in outdoor art and learning. For information, call 802-234-1262 or email info@cemetery.eco.
COMMUNITY NOTES continued from page 12
carrots, cranberry sauce, wheat roll, pumpkin pie with cream and milk.
To order a meal contact Kathleen at agewellstcath@gmail.com or 802-503-1107. Deadline to order is Wednesday, Nov. 6. If this is a first-time order, provide your name, address, phone number and date of birth.
Shelburne church, Age well host July luncheon
St. Catherine of Siena and Age Well are teaming up to offer a Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday, Nov. 20, for anyone 60 or older in the St Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St. in Shelburne.
Check-in time is 11:30 and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation. Entertainment will be provided by Gerry Ortego on guitar.
The menu is roast turkey and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sliced carrots, wheat roll, pumpkin pie with cream and milk.
Author talks about future of transportation at library
FALL FOLIAGE PHOTO CONTEST
Submit your best Vermont fall foliage shots by midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
issue
Join the South Burlington Energy Committee on Thursday, Nov. 14, 6:30-8 p.m., for a special book discussion with Paris Marx, author of “The Road to Nowhere: What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong About the Future of Transportation.”
The event will be held in-person at the South Burlington Public Library and on Zoom. Refreshments will be served.
“Road to Nowhere” exposes flaws in Silicon Valley’s vision for the future of transportation, like fee for services, automation and “green” solutions.
Marx offers a vision for a more collective way of organizing transportation systems that considers the needs of poor, marginalized and vulnerable people. The book argues that rethinking mobility can be the first step in a broader reimagining of how we design and live in
You must register by Wednesday, Nov. 13, with Kerry Batres, nutrition coordinator, 802-6625283 or email kbatres@agewellvt. org.
future cities by creating streets that allow for social interaction and conviviality.
Peans of transit should be determined by community needs rather than algorithmic control, guided by the search for quality of life rather than for profit, Marx argues.
The library has copies of the book ready for pickup at the circulation desk. It is also available from the Green Mountain Library Consortium. Get the Zoom link or learn more at southburlingtonlibrary. org.
Glow walk returns this Halloween season
South Burlington Recreation and Parks hosts a Community Glow Walk on Saturday, Oct. 26, 6-8 p.m., along Market Street at Goose Pond.
Get the Halloween spirit and see all the lights and decorations. Come in costume and receive free glow necklaces and trick-or-treat buckets while supplies last.
For information, go to bit. ly/487urMp.
FREE | Starts 6pm | 21+ |
@magicmannvt | magicmann.com
has not been analyzed or
by the
and Drug Administration (FDA). For use by individuals 21 years of age and
or registered qualifying patient only. Keep this product away from children and pets. Do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding. Possession or use of cannabis may carry significant legal penalties in some jurisdictions and under federal
It
be transported outside of the state of Vermont. The effects of edible
be delayed by two hours or more. Cannabis may be habit forming and can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Persons 25 years and younger may be more likely to experience harm to the developing brain. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this
WINNER
Photo by Lee Krohn
VERMONT
SPORTS
SeaWolves football heads into Division I postseason
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
It was never going to be an easy task, combining two rivals into one team.
The Burlington-South Burlington co-op football team, which also includes players from Winooski, has certainly had its growing pains as it worked to merge into a cohesive group on the field.
Now, in the seventh season of the SeaWolves program, all that hard work has translated into on-field success.
“I feel so happy for them, to work so hard and to show everybody that, yes we can do it, we can play good football here,” SeaWolves coach Chadde Wolf said. “Changing the culture is what we have really been striving for. Obviously wins and losses are good too but changing that culture gives them satisfaction. I’m proud of them.”
The team works hard on and off the field to build team chemistry, including “Mental Mondays” every week and lots of team building.
“I tell everybody, we’re a college team, we come from three different communities, and we’ve got to try to get together,” Wolf
said. “That’s always been a struggle for us, trying to build that team bonding when you only see each other for about two hours a day.”
After a regular season that included a four-game winning streak, a 6-2 record and the No. 5 seed in the Division I playoffs, the team camaraderie they have worked so hard to build is working.
The SeaWolves will travel to No. 4 Middlebury (5-3) on Friday night for a 7 p.m. D-I quarterfinal game.
“We want to compete, and we want to do the best we can and hopefully be successful in the playoffs, not just being happy that we’re here,” Wolf said. “They put us in a situation as a team to come in as a top five seed and they earned the right to go down and have a great experience.”
The SeaWolves wrapped up the regular season on Friday, with a rare opportunity to measure themselves against the top team in D-I, Champlain Valley.
The undefeated Redhawks came to Munson Field and the SeaWolves were looking to make the ultimate statement as they headed into the postseason.
But things did not go entirely to plan. The SeaWolves played a
solid first half and held CVU to its lowest point total since the first game of the season but fell 33-0.
It was the first half that Wolf asked his team to focus on, which he felt set the team on solid footing for a competitive game. But an injury to quarterback Ahmed Diawara in the second quarter threw the team off and it ultimately succumbed to CVU’s offensive prowess.
“We made them work for it offensively. We were moving the ball. We got first downs,” Wolf said. “That’s one of the best half’s we’ve played against the best team.”
Now the SeaWolves will look to take the lessons of that first half and translate it into a win on the field on Friday. BHS-SBHS has yet to face Middlebury this season but, until the loss to CVU, had won four games in a row.
“We had a great preseason and then we had a great regular season and now we’re looking to have an equally good postseason,” Wolf said. “I think, both sides of the ball, Middlebury gives us a pretty big challenge. We think we have some answers to those and when the whistle blows, we will see what happens.
“It’ll be a lot of fun.”
PHOTO BY AL FREY
Quarterback Ahmed Diawara, No. 7, scrambles for yards during the last game of the season. The Wolves now move to the playoffs.
Boys’ volleyballers end season undefeated
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Boys’ volleyball
South Burlington 3, Champlain Valley 0: The South Burlington boys’ volleyball team swept Champlain Valley in straight sets on Saturday.
With the win, the Wolves wrapped up the regular season with a 14-0 record.
South Burlington earned the No. 1 seed in the postseason with that undefeated record and will now look to capture the program’s first title.
The Wolves will start their championship push with a quarterfinal match against No. 8 Montpelier on Thursday at 5 p.m. at home.
South Burlington did not face the Solons in the regular season.
Girls’ soccer
South Burlington 3, Mount Anthony 0: The South Burlington girls’ soccer team snapped a five-game winless streak with a victory over Mount Anthony on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Kyle Couture tallied two goals for the Wolves, who moved to 3-8-3 with the win. Reese Gordon added a goal and an assist, while Julia Conway had an assist.
South Burlington finished the regular season with a 3-8-3 record and earned the No. 10 seed in the Division I playoffs.
The Wolves traveled to No. 7 Mount Anthony on Wednesday for a playdown game. The win against the Patriots at the end of
the regular season helped buoy South Burlington’s upset hopes, as it looked to advance to the quarterfinals.
If the Wolves won, they will face No. 2 Essex in the next round.
Boys’ soccer
Burlington 3, South Burlington 1: South Burlington fell to Burlington on Saturday in high school boys’ soccer.
Burlington scored early in the second half to break a 1-1 tie.
Marco Stazi had a goal, and Connor Watson added an assist for the Wolves. Will Goyette and Orion Rex teamed up to make five saves in goal.
The loss dropped the Wolves to 7-5-2 this season and into the No. 6 seed in the D-I tournament.
South Burlington hosted No. 11 BFA-St. Albans on Tuesday in the playdowns, after press time, and looked to advance to the quarterfinals. The Wolves beat the Bobwhites 4-0 in their only matchup this season.
A win would mean facing No. 3 Burlington in the next round.
Field hockey
South Burlington 1, Champlain Valley 0: South Burlington scored in the fourth quarter to break a scoreless tie and beat Champlain Valley in field hockey Friday, Oct. 18.
Lily O’Brien scored the game winner for the Wolves, while Bella Gordon had an assist. Sophie Comeau stopped five shots in the shutout.
South Burlington moved to
11-3 with the win and earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
The Wolves will kick off the postseason with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 Essex on Saturday at noon.
The two teams played only once during the regular season, a narrow 2-1 win for the Wolves.
Girls’ volleyball
The South Burlington girls’ volleyball team finished the regular season with a 3-11 record and will now move into the playoffs.
The Wolves took on Missisquoi (0-14) in the playdowns on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at home after the press time.
A win would advance the team to face No. 2 BFA-St. Albans on Wednesday in the D-I quarterfinals, also played after press time.
COURTESY PHOTO
The South Burlington boys’ volleyball team ended its season undefeated and now heads to the Division I playoffs.
OUTDOORS
Not so itsy-bitsy, but docile Joro spider
Guest Perspective
Jen Weimer
Tis the season for spooky stories, and just in time for Halloween, the spider that news headlines have described as “giant,” “flying,” and “venomous” has made its way to New England. While it may be a nightmare for anyone with arachnophobia, the invasive Joro spider (Trichonephila clavata) is quite docile and, if given the choice, will run rather than attack. It also doesn’t have wings, and its venom is not harmful to humans.
The reference to flight comes from the Joro spider’s propensity to ballooning — a process by which spiders move through the air on silk threads, which they release to catch a ride on the wind. Naturally, the spiders disperse at a rate of about 10 miles per year; any long-distance travel is a result of human transport. The Joro spider’s venom effectively subdues insects and small vertebrates, but for humans, a bite is less painful than a bee sting.
Native to parts of Asia, the Joro spider was first reported in the United States in
Georgia in 2014 and has spread across the Southeast. Earlier this year, scientists predicted the species would soon spread up the East Coast, and in September, six Joro spiders were reported near Philadelphia, and a single pregnant female was reported in Boston. With the spider’s tolerance for cold temperatures, scientists expect them to continue spreading northward.
The Joro spider belongs to the orb-weaver family, whose members are known for their spiral wheel-shaped webs. Joro spider webs are extremely strong and can stretch up to 10 feet across, with support strands that may be more than 20 feet long. These webs can extend between the tops of trees and can catch large insects and other prey. Webs are golden in color and are typically built in trees, shrubs, or on the outside of structures. If a web is disturbed, the spider will quickly rebuild.
Female Joro spiders have bright yellow and greyish-black bands on their bodies, distinct red markings on their undersides, and can grow up to 4 inches long (including leg span). Their legs are black with yellow bands. Immature female spiders have brown heads, narrower abdomens and a blotchy
black and yellow pattern on their backs.
Males are about a quarter of the size of the female and are dull brown in color. Joro spiders are most conspicuous in September and October, when they reach maturity and grow to their maximum size.
Females lay egg sacs, each containing 400 to 500 eggs, in dense white silk from mid-October through November. Eggs hatch in spring.
A couple of Joro spider look-a-likes you may encounter in the Northeast include Argiope aurantia, commonly known as the black and yellow garden spider and Leucauge venusta, the orchard orb-weaver. The garden spider is similar in size to a Joro spider but has a black and yellow abdomen without the red coloration seen on the underside of the Joro spider. Garden spider legs are brown near the abdomen and black near the tips.
The orchard spider, most often spotted in spring and early summer, is much smaller than a full-grown female Joro spider, and is silver and green in color.
A study published in the journal “Ecology and Evolution” reported that Joro spiders are becoming dominant among orb weav-
ers where they occur, suggesting that native spider biodiversity declines are associated with its presence. Although Joro spiders may pose a threat to native ecosystems, they might also help control other pest populations that are disrupting local biodiversity. Joro spiders will eat anything that falls into their giant webs, including other invasive species such as beetles, lanternflies and stink bugs. May be too early to tell how this new invasion will play out, but one thing is certain: if the Joro spider shows up in your neighborhood, there will be no need to buy fake spider webs for Halloween. If you do spot one of these relatively gentle giants, you can report it to jorowatch.org, a monitoring program developed to collect data to help scientists better understand the spread and distribution of Joro spiders.
Jen Weimer is a forest health expert, photographer and writer living in the forests of New Hampshire. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.
Local businesses employ people who are customers of other local shops, restaurants, printers, accountants, farms, attorneys, etc. ... Maybe even yours.
ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL
continued from page 1
Project NexT will completely upgrade and replace the current northern terminal with a net-zero energy, three-story building comparable in size to the current 30,000-square foot building. The project is expected to improve five gates in the northern concourse with the capability of holding larger aircraft, more seating space for passengers, and a third floor with relocated office space for airport staff, along with an outdoor patio for public use, among other interior and exterior improvements to adapt to a changing market, airport officials say.
Planes now are getting bigger — both longer and wider — director of aviation Nic Longo said, and the industry as a whole has dramatically changed. The northern terminal, which was originally designed for aircraft with 50 passengers, is now seeing far greater aircraft like Boeing 737s or Airbus 320s that can transport from 150 to 240 passengers on a single flight.
public to enjoy the unbelievable views.”
To comply with development requirements in South Burlington, Longo said they are focusing landscaping efforts on creating a large multi-use bike path that will connect to existing South Burlington bike paths and walking paths.
The project is funded largely through $34 million in congressionally directed spending secured by former Sen. Patrick Leahy. Another $8 million grant was secured through the Federal Aviation Administration and $1.8 million was secured through the Northern Border Regional Commission to support the timber construction.
“Back in the early, late 1990s and 2000s when this building was built, the design was meant for these smaller planes.”
— Nic Longo
“Back in the early, late 1990s and 2000s when this building was built, the design was meant for these smaller planes, because that’s where the industry was headed,” Longo said. “Well, now I’m talking about something completely different, and we’re building something for an industry of today.”
Apart from necessary upgrades, the entire project is also meant to be an aesthetic one. From the use of mass timber to new seating rooms, Longo said he was most excited about the third-floor patio that, in part, pays homage to the airport’s former observation tower.
“I really wanted to bring back the nostalgia and the community engagement with our old observation tower,” he said. “We get comments all the time like, ‘We wish we could go up there.’ We’re bringing that back, and we want members of the
Longo said they have additional applications currently out to the FAA for another $18 million in funding.
Passenger data
Officials hope the expansion will continue to increase options for travelers and grow competitive ticket prices. Longo noted the newly introduced Frontier direct flight to Florida — both Tampa and Orlando — competes with an existing airline, Breeze, which is also going to those destinations. He said that Florida is historically the most frequented destination at the airport.
“But that’s really good and really healthy for our market,” he said. “That drives competition with airline ticket prices, and that’s something that we want to sustainably grow and watch.”
Passenger traffic is also on the rise.
According to Longo, the airport is busier than ever with projections for this year expected to surpass nearly 700,000 — well above pre-pandemic numbers.
“My primary goal is to make sure there is competition and the options available to the public to get to more destinations, or even the same airline going to the same destination, to compete on ticket prices, to keep that relevant to the market,” he said.
FILE PHOTO
Burlington Airport director of aviation Nic Longo addresses a recent South Burlington Business Association meeting.
COURTESY PHOTO
The current terminal at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport.
MIGRANT JUSTICE
continued from page 1
ton, Middlebury, along with Portland and Belfast, in Hannaford’s home state of Maine, where the team was last week.
“Currently, Hannaford’s store brand milk is coming from farms where workers are being abused and their rights are being violated. Farm workers are asking Hannaford to join this program, which would ensure that the company sources from farms that are treating workers with dignity and respecting their rights,” organizer Will Lambek said.
“It’s been a decade now since I’ve worked on a farm, and unfortunately, the conditions in the industry haven’t improved.”
— Enrique Balcazar
The campaign asks that farms comply with a code of conduct, which was developed by farm workers themselves, that sets standards for wages, scheduling, health and safety and creates enforceable protections against abuses like child labor and sexual harassment and violence.
A recent survey conducted by Migrant Justice and scientific researchers with the University of Massachusetts found that of the nearly 200 migrant dairy workers surveyed, nearly 87 percent
were being paid below the minimum wage. Fifty percent reported working 12 or more hours a day with one in four workers working seven days a week without a day off. About 75 percent of workers have had work-related injuries and illnesses due to lack of training and lack of protection. Four in five workers report issues with housing ranging from a lack of heat to overcrowding to pest infestations like bed bugs, cockroaches and rodents, Lambeck said.
The most recent campaign against Hannaford started nearly two years after bringing Ben & Jerry’s — the first dairy supplier to sign onto the campaign — into the program in 2019.
“But Hannaford has never sat down with farm workers to have a discussion about conditions in their supply chain and how to ensure respect for workers’ human rights,” Lambeck said. “Migrant Justice began by reaching out to Hannaford to try to establish a meeting, and when
the company ignored us, that’s when the organization launched a public campaign to let consumers know about the conditions in the company’s supply chain.”
He noted that Hannaford has never offered any solutions to improve farm workers’ lives.
Enrique Balcazar, a former farmworker who has been in Vermont for nearly a decade, now works as a community organizer for Migrant Justice, focused on the Northeast Kingdom. In an interview translated by Lambek, he told The Other Paper that conditions on many of the farms have remained the same as when he began the work nearly a decade ago.
“It’s been a decade now since I’ve worked on a farm, and unfortunately, the conditions in the industry haven’t improved,” Balcazar said. “Some of the farms that I worked at have since closed down. The others still employ immigrant workers, and they’re still facing the same issues that I would be facing 10 years back.”
Part of the issue, Balcazar said, is that there’s no protection for farm workers when it comes to unjust firing and since many of the farm jobs also include a place to live, that poses its own set of problems.
“Because the bosses need you to be there 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, they want workers to live on the farm,” he said. “Being fired means that you lose your housing as well, and you’re out of a job.”
Migrant Justice is asking consumers to boycott Hannafordbrand milk and to contact the store’s corporate offices to show support for the campaign. The organization has also already received back nearly 400 consumer pledges.
“It’s difficult because Hannaford has really increased their security and they’re trying to limit our contact with the store’s customers. But even despite that, we’e able to have a lot of great conversations,” Balcazar said.
Ericka Dodge, director of external communications and community relations for the
grocer, wrote in a statement that the company has been clear that it will not join Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity program in part because it is limited in both scope and impact.
“The concerns facing agricultural workers — and migrant workers in particular — are systemic, complex and extend well beyond Hannaford’s private label dairy supply chain.”
She said that while the two share the same goals of safeguarding the dignity and well-being of farm workers, Hannaford differs from Migrant Justice in its approach of achieving what they call a sustainable, long-term solution.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Advocates and migrant workers rallied outside the Hannaford grocery store on Shelburne Road for Migrant Justice’s Milk with DIgnity campaign.
MIGRANT JUSTICE
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“Hannaford has a long history of success as a leader in solving complex supply chain issues — and we have done so with partners who are respectfully and collaboratively engaged in problem-solving. Unfortunately, from our perspective, this is not the approach that Migrant Justice has taken with us.”
In a written statement in 2023, the company said that it had implemented the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management tool, a comprehensive program to support farmers in building safe work environments and is currently being utilized by more than 3,000 farms across the country. The company requires its private label suppliers to deploy the FARM assessment and the FARM Workforce Development Evaluation Tool, which includes environmental practices, animal welfare housing and workforce conditions.
“Utilizing the tool, our suppliers have
assessed working conditions at 70 of Hannaford’s private label milk suppliers across our marketplace,” the company wrote. “While this work is ongoing, to date these assessments have covered more than 500 farm workers. Any findings are addressed with farmers in real-time.”
Other efforts by the company like implementing a complaint hotline, standards of engagement and farmer self-assessments are what Migrant Justice refers to as “knock-off Milk with Dignity programs” that offer no real positive changes for workers.
“There have been all these responses from the company basically to try to trick consumers into thinking that Hannaford actually is taking action to protect workers,” Lambeck said. “But the base reality, the experience of farm workers, has remained unchanged through all these years.”
Check Locally First
PUBLIC MEETINGS
PATRICK LEAHY BURLINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2024, 6:30-8:00 P.M. CHAMBERLIN SCHOOL, SOUTH BURLINGTON
Chances are what you need is available through local online ordering and curbside pickup or delivery. Our entire community is depending on your support.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2024, 6:30-8:30 P.M. WINOOSKI HIGH SCHOOL
Notice is hereby given that Public Meetings will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, at 6:30-8:00 p.m. (South Burlington Public Meeting) at Chamberlin School, and Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Winooski Public Meeting) at the Winooski High School.
These meetings will provide an overview of the DRAFT NOISE EXPOSURE MAP REPORT that has been prepared on behalf of Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport. The meetings will be workshop style with various stations for individuals to review the information and ask questions. There will be no formal presentation. Comment sheets will be available for the public to leave their comments.
The draft report can be found on the Airport’s noise program website: btvsound.com. Physical copies of the draft report are also available for review at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport administrative offices located at 1200 Airport Rd, South Burlington, VT, Suite 1.
Public comments can be submitted at the meetings or via email to btvsound@jonespayne.com
The public comment period will close Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Additional comments and questions regarding the noise program can be submitted at any time.
PHOTO BY GORDON MILLER
Two weeks ago, Migrant Justice protested outside the Hannaford in Morritown.
HONORING OUR VETERANS
Van Duyne is the featured soloist in the upcoming Hinesburg Artist Series concert. She will perform “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” the classic Gershwin song arranged for band and vocals by Warren Barker. Van Duyne is a professional performer, choreographer and director, and the theater arts teacher at Champlain Valley Union High School. As a performer, she’s been seen on Broadway, television, national tours and regional theaters all over the U.S. and Europe. The concert will include a mix of choral and band music at the Champlain Valley Union High School at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, with the South County Chorus and the Hinesburg Community Band under the direction of Rufus Patrick, Hinesburg Artist Series founder and music director. The concert is free, but donations are accepted. Learn more at hinesburgartistseries.org.
STAY CONNECTED
Aurora Chamber Singers offer ‘Wake Every Breath’ concert
Aurora Chamber Singers will present its fall concert, “Wake Every Breath,” On Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m., the at the College Street Congregational Church, 265 College St., in Burlington. The program features sacred choral music by three 18th century composers —Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and William Billings — who all had quite different world views.
Bach was a devout Lutheran, guided in everything by his fervent belief in the glory of God. The program features one of his cantatas, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, with a setting by Lutheran hymnist Erdmann Neumeister. Mozart was Austrian, steeped in the traditions of Catholicism, and was commissioned to write music “à la mode” to glorify the
reputation of his various sponsors. The chamber singers will perform one of his many settings of the liturgical Mass, the Missa Brevis in F, K 192.
American composer Billings was born in the last years of Bach’s life and outlived Mozart. He is regarded as the first American composer. Born in Boston, his life there pulled him into the center of revolutionary thought. His music was sung by heart around campfires and at political meetings up to and during the Revolutionary War.
The spirit and vocabulary of the Revolution and spirit of the Age of Enlightenment will be evident in the program’s presentation of three of his great compositions. His piece, Wake Ev’ry Breath, inspired the title of the program.
Aurora Chamber Singers is a group of experienced choral artists, many of whom have sung together for many years in the Oriana Singers. Under that name, they enjoyed a prestigious 36-year place in the musical life of the region under the direction of founding director William Metcalfe.
The current group sings under the direction of music director David Neiweem and presents two concerts each year.
Neiweem is a veteran conductor, having led many professional, community and academic choirs during his 40-plus years of work. He is professor emeritus of music at the University of Vermont, where he taught until 2023.
Learn more at aurorachambersingers.org.
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COURTESY PHOTO
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