SB Food Shelf celebrates 5 years
LIBERTY DARR
South Burlington’s Alan Luzzatto remembers Nov. 1, 2019, as clear as day — the day the South Burlington Food Shelf opened its doors after years of planning.
As the story goes, Luzzatto, a regular volunteer and one brain behind the shelf’s earliest beginnings, was standing with Peter — or better known to customers as Pedro — Carmolli, one week before the doors opened.
The shelves were still barren, but hopes were high that soon the space would be full, not just with food but also community.
Luzzatto reached into his pocket and pulled out two cans of tuna fish. He placed them on the shelf, turned to Carmolli and said, “We’re open.” Moments later a caravan of cars came from Temple Sinai and dropped off 100 bags of food.
“All of a sudden, I said to
See FOOD SHELF on page 13
City won’t put noncitizen
voting on March ballot
Committee says issue is complex, more time needed
LIBERTY DARR
The South Burlington Charter Committee told the city council last week that an all-resident voter expansion is too complex to be brought before city voters at this time.
All resident voting would allow all the city’s legal residents,
including those who are noncitizens, to vote in local elections and other supplementary school or city votes. The idea was first brought to the city council by the city’s Democratic committee in September with the hopes of having it placed on the ballot next March,
See VOTING on page 12
PHOTO BY LIBERTY DARR
Communications Union District awarded $2.1 million grant
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The Chittenden County Communications Union District, which currently includes eight towns, was awarded a $2.1 million grant from the Vermont Community Broadband Board in September to begin expanding high-speed fiber-optic internet connections to pockets of underserved areas throughout the county.
The communications union district officially formed in November 2022 after voters in five towns — South Burlington, Shelburne, Essex, Essex Junction and Williston — overwhelmingly approved its formation. The towns of Jericho, Underhill and Westford have since joined. The
district received a grant award of $300,000 from the Vermont Community Broadband Board in 2023 for preconstruction work over the last year.
The main function of the district is to deliver public funds to providers to build the network and to provide oversight to ensure broadband service is provided to unserved and underserved locations — 4/1 megabits per second or less than 25/3 megabits per second. By working together, municipalities are more likely to attract a provider and leverage financial resources, proponents say.
In 2023 the communications union district brought on Mission Broadband, a telecommunications consulting group, to help with mapping to better under-
stand coverage areas in the eight municipalities. The Vermont Department of Public Service also has interactive maps available online that show broadband availability by 911 addresses, David Solomon, Shelburne representative to the district, said.
“We used those particular maps, and we went about verifying that those locations actually had activity there,” he said.
grant agreement and partnership contract, Solomon said.
The current $2.1 million grant came from American Rescue Plan Act pandemic funding and is anticipated to fund phase one of construction in 2025. Phase two is dependent on additional federal funding sources but could begin in 2027.
“South Burlington was more kind of supportive being part of this, even though it is negligible the number of addresses that they have.”
“For example, you might have locations identified that turned out to be storage units, so we had to go through and make sure that those were valid addresses.”
— David Solomon
The Chittenden County Communications Union District plans to partner with broadband company Consolidated Communications to bring Fidium Fiber to areas across the eight municipalities. Over the next few months, the district will be finalizing the
The Shelburne Selectboard last year voted to allocate $50,000 of the town’s own American Rescue Plan Act money to assist the communications union district. But Solomon explained that money has since been returned to the town.
“I think that when the Vermont Community Broadband Board approached the municipalities, there seemed to be this sense that everyone was going to get internet for free, and it wasn’t going to cost the taxpayer or anything,”
he said. “But that’s actually not what the law provides for. It’s not providing for this big fiber to come into town and to go everywhere. It’s specifically fiber for existing, unserved or underserved locales.”
Roughly 60 addresses in Shelburne are planned to be covered, with approximately 20 addresses in phase one and the rest in phase two. But only roughly five addresses in South Burlington are expected to be covered overall.
“South Burlington was more kind of supportive being part of this, even though it is negligible the number of addresses that they have,” Solomon said.
Meanwhile, Burlington Telecom has separately begun to make its way into Shelburne and parts of South Burlington but they’re hitting areas he describes as “low-hanging fruit” — parts of Shelburne and Webster roads and into bigger neighborhood areas, he said.
The communications union district’s draft fiscal year 2025 budget is targeted to be $2.1 million and should be finalized later this month after a public hearing.
City enlists StreetScan to help bring its sidewalks up to par
HOLLY SULLIVAN COMMUNITY NEWS SERVICE
You may have seen a handful of electric scooters rolling down South Burlington sidewalks this past week. Those scooters belong to StreetScan, a company the city enlisted to see how sidewalks are doing — with the goal of fixing broken ones and making them safer to use.
Officials hired the company in August to lead a citywide survey of South Burlington’s sidewalks and shared-use paths that started Oct. 10. With that data, the company is set to rate the condition of every concrete panel and more. In total, the sidewalk assessment and management of paths and ramps was pegged at $21,400, according to city records.
The scooter work was set to end after a week or so, Department of Public Works Deputy Director of Capital Projects Erica Quallen told Town Meeting TV this month. By next spring or summer, the city will use the data put together by StreetScan to plan for improvements over the next five to 10 years, Quallen said.
In 2022, South Burlington released an updated climate
action plan, hoping to make the city greener and by 2030 bring emissions 60 percent below 2019 levels. The plan aims to significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and what better way to do that, the thinking went, than to get more people walking by improving the sidewalks?
South Burlington has increased its sidewalk maintenance budget from $2,000 to $40,000 for the 2025 fiscal year and intends to start construction on new sidewalks, push-towalk buttons and a pedestrian-bicycle bridge.
The scooters feature an attached camera to collect video imagery to find sidewalk defects, which could look like missing or broken slabs, tripping hazards, cracks or uplifts — bouts of rising concrete from tree roots or other obstacles.
But officials see improving the over 50 miles of existing sidewalks in the city as just as important as building new ones, and that’s where StreetScan comes in.
“Our crews are going to essentially go around collecting a lot of data on all the various different defects that they’re going to encounter,” CEO Jon-Erik Dillon said. “All that data then gets processed and formulated into a sidewalk condition index, so that the municipality can then have a scoring and rating system to know which sidewalks are worse than others, what types of issues are present on each of the sidewalks and then recommendations on how to address that.” The scooters feature an attached camera to collect video imagery to find
Performances will be Thursday to Saturday, Nov. 21-23, at 7 p.m. There is also a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are
during lunches and for purchase 45 minutes before the show. Tickets are
SCOOTERS
continued from page 2
sidewalk defects, which could look like missing or broken slabs, tripping hazards, cracks or uplifts — bouts of rising concrete from tree roots or other obstacles.
Would South Burlington pedestrians appear in the scooter video data?
“I mean, you’d get their legs or feet, but predominantly the camera is kind of steered toward the sidewalk,” Dillon said.
The company analyzes videos to put every stretch of sidewalk on a severity index from zero to 100, ranking the condition of each. That data is meant to help city officials create a plan of attack for keeping pedestrians safe and encouraging more people to walk instead of drive.
Typically, SafeScan is hired to analyze both roads and sidewalks to assess accessibility, its CEO said.
“Most of the reason for doing sidewalks across the U.S these days is more ADA compliance, so it’s the American Disability Act,” Dillon said. “It’s ensuring that sidewalks and infrastructure are able to handle anybody with a disability. So, identifying areas that are not up to code.”
Though Dillon’s company is
usually hired for ADA compliance, he assures South Burlington residents that this StreetScan project will operate just like the others: “zero disruption at all” to everyday life.
“We don’t close any of the sidewalks or infrastructure,” he said. “They’ll just be zipping around, collecting data, and ultimately what the residents can expect with the outcome of this data is the city is going to have a better understanding of the state of the infrastructure, what kind of funding they require, you know, to address those issues moving forward.”
This week is one of Street-
Scan’s first times in Vermont. Dillon is excited to be working in a new area and is confident that his scooters will get South Burlington the data it needs.
“We’ve been in many projects elsewhere, but the benefit of sidewalks is they all look pretty much the same,” he said through a laugh. “So going from one state to the next, we’re pretty good.”
Holly Sullivan 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.
COURTESY PHOTO
South Burlington High School Drama is staging a production of “Mean Girls the Musical” this month at the South Burlington High School theater, 550 Dorset St. The show is directed by Amy Riley and Gina Fearn with musical direction by Aimee Bushey. The show’s producer is Julia DiFerdinando.
available in the school lobby
$10 each, cash or check, made payable to SB Drama.
‘Mean Girls’
CRIME & COURTS
South Burlington Police Blotter: Nov. 4-11
Total incidents: 207
Agency / public assists: 19
Directed patrol: 13
Traffic stop: 7
Animal problem: 5
Accident: property damage: 10
Alarm: 17
Foot patrol: 9
Suspicious event: 15
Retail theft: 11
Motor vehicle complaint: 11
Welfare check: 8
Fraud: 3
Trespass: 6
Domestic: 3
Disturbance: 10
Field contact: 5
Simple assault: 2
Accident: insurance purposes: 3
Stolen vehicle: 3
Leaving the scene of an accident: 7
Larceny from a vehicle: 2
Accident: injury: 2
Threats: 2
Mental health: 3
Arrests:
A 17-year-old juvenile was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident with bodily injury resulting stemming from an incident at 10:14 a.m. on Oct. 19 at Airport and Kennedy drives.
Trever J. Hoag, 49, no addressed provided, was arrested on Oct. 22 at 2:43 p.m. on Hinesburg Road for felony retail theft.
Samantha A. Tonnessen, 37, no address provided, was arrested on Hinesburg Road on Oct. 31 at 7:22 p.m. for retail theft.
Nov. 5 at 6:04 p.m., a 16-year-old juvenile was arrested for assault and robbery on Williston Road.
Nov. 6 at 3:01 p.m., James A. Porter, 32, of Burlington, was arrested on an in-state warrant on Hildred Drive.
Nov. 6 at 9:30 p.m., Olivia P. Pelletier, 27, no address provided, was arrested on an in-state warrant on Hinesburg Road.
Nov. 7 at 5:46 p.m., Adam L. Champagne, 42, no address provided, was arrested on an in-state warrant on Gregory Drive.
Nov. 7 at 8:08 p.m., Loralie Elisa Fuller, 34, no address provided, was arrested for retail theft and on an in-state warrant on Hinesburg Road.
See BLOTTER on page 12
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Bicyclist killed by Shelburne police cruiser in South Burlington
MIKE DONOGHUE
CORRESPONDENT
A bicyclist was killed when struck by a Shelburne police cruiser on a rainy, wet Shelburne Road in South Burlington early Monday, officials said.
Shelburne Police Sgt. Kyle Kapitanski was southbound and headed back toward Shelburne when his cruiser struck a bicyclist towing a trailer at Fayette Drive about 2:45 a.m..
Vermont State Police eventually identified the dead man shortly after 4 p.m. Monday as Sean P. Hayes, 38, of Burlington. Hayes was dead at the scene.
Police did not say if the bicycle or trailer had any operating lights or reflectors, nor if the bicyclist wore any reflective gear.
Police did not say why Kapitanski was in South Burlington or whether he was responding back to Shelburne for an emergency call.
Shelburne town employees, including off-duty police learned about the crash through the media.
Shelburne police chief Mike Thomas did not respond to multiple inquiries in recent days.
Shelburne town manager Matt Lawless said Shelburne police chief Mike Thomas was handling the issue and he would leave it up to the chief to issue a statement on Monday. As of Tuesday there had been no response from Thomas.
It was unknown if the selectboard had been briefed. Chairman Mike Ashooh did not respond to messages by phone and text.
South Burlington police started the investigation, but soon asked the state police, which has a special crash reconstruction team, for assistance. Two investigators were assigned to the case.
Two detectives from outside the area also were assigned to the death of Hayes.
According to state police, the road was wet and it was raining at the time of the fatal accident.
The cyclist was also headed southbound toward Shelburne. A partially enclosed bus stop got
It was unclear if Kapitanski, a 22-year police veteran, including two years in Shelburne, was put on administrative leave by the town.
shattered during the accident. The fully marked Shelburne Police cruiser, a 2021 Ford Explorer SUV, sustained front passenger side damage.
State police impounded the cruiser, and a full data download is expected to be undertaken, police said.
Kapitanski, 41, joined Shelburne police during the summer 2022, after previously serving as police chief in Richmond for one year.
Kapitanski began as a parttime deputy for the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department in January 2002. He moved to Hartford police in May 2005 and attended the Vermont Police Academy to become certified as a fulltime officer.
Richmond hired him as a patrol sergeant, second in command, in August 2019. He was later named interim police chief and received the permanent post in June 2021. State police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has other information to call 802-878-7111. Anonymous tips also may be submitted online at vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
Police arrest man in South Burlington bank robbery
MIKE DONOGHUE
CORRESPONDENT
A career criminal was arrested for robbing KeyBank on Shelburne Road in South Burlington on Sept. 25, authorities said.
Adam Champagne, 42, admitted to investigators that he has committed at least four bank robberies in the Burlington area since the summer, Gregory Waples, an assistant U.S. attorney, said.
Champagne pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court last week for the KeyBank robbery charge and was held pending trial.
After Waples outlined the evidence in the case, Champagne’s attorney, Barclay Johnson, asked for 90 days to complete an investigation and consider pre-trial motions.
Federal judge Kevin J. Doyle set the deadline for Feb. 6.
South Burlington police said a man walked into the branch bank at 960 Shelburne Road shortly after 4 p.m. on Sept. 25, said he had a bomb inside his bag and demanded cash.
The robber made off with about $3,000 and fled north on a dark-colored mountain bike, police said.
A federal indictment for the robbery was obtained on Oct. 24, but it was filed under seal until Champagne could be arrested, according to court records.
Champagne, who has had multiple addresses in the Chittenden County region over the years, was hard to find, officials said.
South Burlington police, along with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, arrested him Thursday in Burlington.
He is the second suspect arrested on a federal bank robbery charge in recent days after a string of holdups.
James E. Plunkett, 39, of Burlington has been charged with robbing the M&T Bank on Pine Street on Oct. 26. He stole $683, and also claimed he had a bomb in his fanny pack.
Colchester police officer Kyle Sturgis watched the robbery video and recognized Plunkett from an interaction on Oct. 22 that he captured on his body camera, officials said. Several other witnesses came forward in subsequent days with incriminating information.
It was unclear if the two men were connected to the series of robberies.
South Burlington is being assisted by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Gun Violence Task Force in Chittenden County.
Waples said Champagne’s criminal history spans 25 years and includes dozens of convictions, including escape and numerous violations of probation.
“He uses force, violence and intimidation to obtain money to buy drugs,” Waples wrote in a motion seeking Champagne’s
detention pending trial.
Champagne also matches the description of a robber at the EastRise Credit Union on Shelburne Road in South Burlington, investigators said. The same threat of a bomb was used in that robbery, which was captured on video.
That robber entered the credit union, said he was armed with an incendiary device and demanded money. The suspect never brandished a weapon or device, police said.
During the KeyBank robbery down the road, the suspect was described as a white man with a crew cut and was dressed in a light gray sweatshirt and dark pants, police said.
He wore black boots, had a black face mask and a baseball cap with “Brooklyn” written across the front.
Man fires shots during robbery, police say
South Burlington police are looking for man they say fired a gun during a robbery at Interstate Shell at 1055 Williston Road on Nov. 5 at 6:04 p.m.
The store clerk handed over some cash during the robbery, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Sgt. Dave MacDonough at 802-846-4111 or email dmacdonough@southburlingtonpolice.org.
The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, and police from the University of Vermont, Burlington, Williston and Essex, along with Vermont State Police, assisted at the scene.
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COURTESY PHOTO
Adam Champagne
OPINION
Letters to the Editor
Rep thanks supporters for their trust in her
To the Editor:
I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to continue serving as state representative for Chittenden-9 House District. The trust you’ve placed in me is something I take seriously, and I am committed to working every day with integrity and dedication to represent you.
Throughout this campaign, I had the privilege of connecting with so many of you, whether through door-to-door conversations, community events or messages. Your feedback and stories were invaluable in shaping my priorities and reminding me why I’m here: to listen, to learn and to advocate for what matters most to our community.
As we face a rising cost of living, a housing crisis, and the challenges of ensuring long-term sustainability for public education and health care, it’s clear that our community is grappling with complex issues.
We must prioritize fiscal responsibility. With the state facing tough budgetary decisions, we cannot lose sight of the need for sustainable growth and efficient use of taxpayer dollars. We must find solutions that balance our immediate needs with the long-term health of Vermont’s economy and services.
What makes democracy strong is the accountability we have to one another. When you reach out to me, I am the one who picks up the phone. When you have a question or concern, I listen. I am committed to being accessible and responsive.
Vermont has always stood for fairness and opportunity, but we must also approach these challenges with pragmatism. This is why I work across the aisle and build coalitions to push for policies that create real, lasting change. Whether we’re addressing affordability, investing in housing, expanding access to health care or tackling climate change, I remain focused on solutions that benefit all of us.
As your representative, I will continue to seek your input on the issues that matter most to you, and I’ll make sure you are
informed about how I vote and why. I want to ensure that you always have a voice in the decisions we make, and that we work together toward a Vermont that meets the needs of the community.
My late father, Rep. Gerry Krasnow, often said, “State government belongs to the people and is funded by them.” Those words continue to guide my work in Montpelier.
Rep. Emilie Krasnow
South Burlington
Senate candidate offers thanks
To the Editor:
My thanks to the citizens of Chittenden County Southeast Senate District for allowing me to campaign to be your representative in the Vermont Senate. Thank you for your consideration and your votes.
I am disappointed by the outcome, but I truly appreciate all the interactions I’ve had with the good people of Chittenden County over the last months. I hope the successful candidates have listened to you as well and will join Gov. Phil Scott in bringing Vermont to a new and bright future.
My intent in running was to offer change and a new voice for Chittenden County residents. The most respectful, honorable and powerful voice is your vote. The district has spoken, and I accept and respect the results.
Special thanks to all the town clerks, town clerk staffs, and the many election day volunteers who made voting an efficient and friendly operation.
I am proud of the campaign we ran, and I am so grateful for my many supporters and volunteers that gave of their precious time and financial support.
I had a truly terrific team, and I was humbled by all their efforts on my behalf.
My congratulations to all who gave their time and energy to run for office and best of luck in Montpelier to all who won.
Bruce Roy Williston
South Burlington balances smart growth, conservation
technical assistance.
Councilor’s corner
Andrew Chalnick
Finding the right balance between conservation and development in South Burlington has been an ongoing challenge, reflecting a broader national dialogue around land use, environmental preservation and community identity. I want to address one proposal that has been receiving attention lately: the Longview project.
A few years ago, the Northeast Agricultural Trust purchased the former Long family property, totaling over 40 acres, with the dual goals of conserving its natural resources and developing permanently affordable housing.
The landowner has offered approximately 36 acres of forests, meadows and wetlands on the site to South Burlington for $461,000. The city’s investment would come from the voter-approved open space fund. This portion of the parcel would be subject to a conservation easement and would be permanently protected with the additional help of an anticipated grant of $175,000 from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.
Located in the heart of the Great Swamp, the city’s ecological treasure, this parcel has been recognized in multiple city-commissioned studies as ecologically significant and deserving of protection.
The landowner is also partnering with Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity to construct 16 permanently affordable housing units on the disturbed portion of the parcel next to Spear Street. As part of the project, the agricultural trust would also grant the city a right of way to complete a shared use path connecting South Village, South Pointe, Hubbard and areas north. Along with the other partners, the South Burlington Land Trust has been involved in facilitating the transaction and providing
I voted in favor of the Longview project, conditioned on the construction of at least 16 permanently affordable homes and certain other requirements. Habitat for Humanity’s letter of support stated that this project represents a unique opportunity to combine land conservation and affordable homeownership, and that we should “seize this opportunity for South Burlington families.” I share that sentiment and hope we can complete the transaction as proposed. However, the project has faced objections from some community members who argue that the land is already protected by regulation, or that the city should prioritize maximizing its development potential. There are also concerns about the parcel’s location in the southeast quadrant. Addressing the first objection of the 36 acres proposed for conservation, approximately six lack regulatory protection. These 6 acres feature a younger forest of oak, birch, pine and maple, along with some invasive species typical of reclaimed meadows. The remaining 30 acres are currently regulated, but laws and regulations can change. A permanent conservation easement would ensure protection that today either doesn’t exist, or that can be undone.
Regarding the second concern, maximizing development on this parcel would mean clearing some or all the 6 acres of unprotected forest that the landowner wishes to conserve. Forests play vital roles in carbon sequestration, water filtration and air purification, and these acres have been identified by Arrowwood Environmental as important wildlife habitat. I believe we must honor the landowner’s commitment to conserving the natural resources on the parcel.
Consistent with the council’s letter of
ANDREW CHALNICK
The Longview parcel is depicted above. Both the red and green bordered areas are proposed for conservation. The red area is currently protected by regulation, the green area is generally not. The blue bordered area is proposed for affordable housing. The yellow bordered area is proposed to be kept by the landowner.
Andrew Chalnick
Arts and artists: dissenters more necessary than ever
Guest Perspective
John R. Killacky
Moving to New York to study dance in 1973, I worked retail at Macy’s and was an answering service operator, janitor, artist model and office assistant to support myself. Short-term contracts and unemployment benefits subsidized my performing career. In between tours, I finished my college degree in psychology and was a nanny and pre-school teacher.
After a vision quest in the Himalayans, I managed two dance companies and a festival. Philanthropy called. Suddenly I was funnier and smarter, until I left the foundation, and the accolades and joyful embraces ceased overnight. Moving to Minneapolis, the culture wars of the 1990s had me battling right wing media, religious leaders and politicians who cared little about the truth so long as they could raise money off controversy.
The San Francisco Bay Area beckoned, and I directed a contemporary art center with another bout in philanthropy. In
CHALNICK
continued from page 6
support that there be at least 16 permanently affordable homes, I am very open to increasing the number of affordable homes to be constructed on the portion of the land that the landowner has identified for development.
I am truly disappointed by the objection against acquiring this parcel solely because it is in the southeast quadrant. This refrain feels, to me, divisive and I think it damages our civic discourse.
Different areas of the city have different attributes and needs. I would be equally disappointed if residents argued against providing sufficient money for public transit even though not all residents have equal access to public transport. I couldn’t imagine questioning the amount we spend on public safety even though it may be that not all parts of the city benefit equally from that spending. Parents in the southeast quadrant have not protested the absence of a local elementary school.
The southeast corner of the city contains most of our remaining unprotected natural resources. So, it should come as no surprise that conservation funds would be directed there. Moreover, while the city reached out to many owners of ecologically valuable parcels throughout the city to gauge interest in conservation,
2010, I relocated to Vermont to run The Flynn and served two terms in the House of Representatives. As I moved through the world, I was blessed to have my husband willing to relocate.
In these fractious times, further capitalizing the arts seems prudent as culture demonstrably builds community and creativity sparks innovation — necessary components for a path forward.
All the while I continued writing personal essays and making films. My ongoing artistic practices sustained me throughout. My artist-self sensed how to improve on what worked, and change course when things were unsuccessful. Filmmaking is inherently collaborative, which is an asset in solving institutional problems. I often relied more on ingenuity than experience jumping in with a beginner’s mind to business challenges.
My art background was also beneficial personally. Twenty-eight years ago, I was para-
lyzed from complications from spinal surgery. While kinesthetic connections in my legs were lost, I learned how to walk again in front of mirrors, just like I did in dance class.
Now retired from day jobs, what a joy it is to wake up every morning and imagine, “What can I make today?” I finished my 20th short film and have work on view in galleries in Stowe, Brattleboro and Philadelphia. Videos of mine will be broadcast on Vermont Public and Maine Public. While tremendously validating, there is little financial reward. Even with grants, commissions, royalties, publishing and broadcast fees, breaking even remains aspirational.
The Vermont Arts Council
recently awarded creation grants of up to $5,000 to 22 artists to cover a portion of their estimated expenses. Winners are only eligible to apply again after a five-year waiting period. So, few can realistically pursue an artistic career full-time locally. National opportunities are as slim. Artmaking in America remains avocational.
In these fractious times, further capitalizing the arts seems prudent as culture demonstrably builds community and creativity sparks innovation — necessary components for a path forward. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum is enhanced when you add the ‘a’ for art to provide STEAM problem solving in our schools. Making work is stimulating and filled with wonder; I wish this for others.
Artists are often among the first responders in political
protests with potent iconography. Civil rights, queer liberation, reproductive freedom and Black Lives Matter protests are pertinent examples. These kinds of voices are essential to democracy. In our post-election Trumpian apocalypse, clarion dissenters are even more necessary, along with soothsayers offering hope.
Artifacts from every epoch are indicators of the vibrancy of that society. It is the disruptors that are often remembered. In art — as in politics — change happens from the fringes. What will our legacies be? For an emboldened and transformed future, invest more deeply in artists. They begin and begin again.
John R. Killacky of South Burlington is a former state representative, and the author of “because art: commentary, critique, & conversation.”
THANKSGIVING DINNER
in the Beautiful Four-Story Atrium Restaurant and Veranda at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Burlington
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28
Northeast Agricultural Trust is among the few to step forward to conserve. The open space fund remains available for other conservation initiatives citywide, and I sincerely hope that other landowners will approach the city with their plans.
Why should we conserve this land? Isn’t there enough conserved land already and shouldn’t we prioritize housing?
While development in South Burlington has created important economic opportunity, it has also come at a cost to the city’s natural resources, water quality, environmental quality and overall quality of life. Could we go back in time, the city’s streams and wetlands, forests and farmlands would be barely recognizable to today’s citizens.
Today’s grand list of assessed properties shows that the natural landscape has been fragmented into nearly 7,700 separate land parcels developed over generations of demographic and economic change.
Acquiring the Longview property would help slow degradation of our ecosystems and create a public amenity — a quiet common space for everyone, regardless of income or background, to enjoy and share.
I am also deeply committed
to addressing the acute housing shortage and believe South Burlington is on the right track. Our new land development regulations mandate dense development (minimum of 6 units per acre, with much higher allowed density) and encourage development in areas closest to services.
These regulations also significantly incent affordable housing, mandating that 10 percent (for smaller developments) and 20 percent (for larger developments) of new rental units be permanently affordable, and that 10 percent of new ownership units (in developments larger than nine units) be permanently affordable. We also grant height and density bonuses for projects that exceed these affordable housing minimums.
Our strong dual commitment to smart growth and land conservation is perhaps why Fortune magazine has recognized South Burlington for the last two consecutive years as one of the best places in the country to live and raise a family, highlighting its natural beauty and commitment to sustainability through the Open Space fund and climate action plan.
Andrew Chalnick is vice-chair of the South Burlington City Council.
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In wake of election, keep the focus on humanity, love
Guest Perspective
Rev. Devon Thomas
We must encourage everyone to accept the results of the 2024 election. The people have spoken and while many in Vermont may struggle with this choice, we still have a responsibility as citizens of this nation to respect the integrity of elections, despite our feelings of anxiety over the results.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King famously said that the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice. It’s hard for me to believe that today. Still, I must try to believe. For the first time in American history, the people of our country have elected a man convicted of 34 felonies, and who had attempted to overturn a legitimate election.
God gave us a savior, I refer to a man who preached that we should feed the hungry, clothe the naked and heal the sick, and he teaches that when we uplift the poor and oppressed, we honor him.
I now must recognize that my understanding of the savior is very different from many Christians today because they just elected their savior to office on a platform that casts out the oppressed and turns a blind eye to the suffering.
I take comfort in knowing I am not the only one feeling this extreme anxiety.
Vermont is still a community that believes neighbors should love their neighbors, and in my anxiety, it means everything to know my neighbor loves me.
Donald Trump will be the 47th president of the United States. No matter how much I disagree with his beliefs and stances, I must accept the vote of the American people and look to future discourse within the framework of the nation’s laws if I want to see change.
As a Vermont church pastor, this election has shown me that my values of love are not shared by most Americans. We have deep divisions in our understanding of human rights, civil liberty, common decency and religious truth. As a Christian, when I say
Having seen the state election results, I am deeply proud of Vermonters because, though we may disagree on policy, our vote from my town of Georgia to the U.S. Senate floor demonstrates that we share similar ethical and moral values of love. Vermont is still a community that believes neighbors should love their neighbors, and in my anxiety, it means everything to know my neighbor loves me. This place of love is where justice is reborn into the universe.
I ask all those who share my anxiety to channel that frustration into loving action. Unfortunately, I fear we will see a lot of injustice going into the future. This future administration has promised mass deportations and military action against American citizens. Hopefully, that was just political rhetoric. The American people have
decided the path of the nation, and it falls to Vermonters to decide the path of our state within the nation. Please help Vermont stand as a moral example to America in times to come. Take your anxieties and fears and turn them into loving actions. Uplift the poor, sick, hungry and oppressed where we have the power to do so. There is a lot of good work to be done here in Vermont. We are struggling
with a housing and homelessness crisis, and you can give what you can to housing trusts and organizations such as the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, United Way, Joint Urban Ministry Project and Committee on Temporary Shelter, which serve poor and unhoused people. As we struggle with social justice, consider helping groups like the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance and the Pride
Center that work to bring inclusion and equity to all Vermonters. Help keep the light of neighborly love alive and strong in Vermont. Love is the defining fabric of the Vermont community, and I predict our love will be an example for the rest of the world.
Rev. Devon Thomas serves the Ascension Lutheran Church in South Burlington.
Schools face tough choices; board seeks community input
From the School Board Chelsea Tillinghast
As we begin school budget discussions, I wanted to take the opportunity to offer a refresher on Vermont’s statewide school funding system, which is impacted by school spending across the state as well as some insight into how the South Burlington School Board budget is developed.
Last May, the board approved a budget for a final vote that was projected to raise the homestead tax rate by 9 percent. When all the state budgets were finalized, our tax rate increase was 8.18 percent, the second lowest homestead tax rate increase in our area. Many of our neighbors approved double-digit increases.
pupils, but employing a workforce to educate those pupils. With health care costs, inflation, cost of living, property values and more continuing to climb, of course the cost of running the district is also rising. And these costs don’t include how our district is funded by the state, through an education model that has changed dramatically in the last several decades.
Chelsea Tillinghast, South Burlington School Board
As it can be easy to look at specific programming and staffing and question their necessity, if, as a community, we truly believe that public education is a worthwhile investment in both the future of South Burlington and the future of students, then our dollars should be spent in a way that offer students the best pathway to success and contribute to the world in a meaningful way.
Voters were loud and clear last year that the proposed tax rates were too high, especially at our initial budget with a 23 percent increase. Even with last-minute funding changes from the state, the board opted not to adjust that budget and check the temperature in the community. At that increase, 46 percent of the voting tax base still cast their ballots in favor of that budget. We appreciate the support of those community members and understand what the other 54 percent were concerned about.
A criticism we heard is that school budget proposals see runaway increases that kick the can down the road and unreasonably increase spending. However, costs — local, statewide, nationally and globally — continue to rise, some faster than others. Public schools are businesses that function to educate, so costs are sustained for not only educating
An after-school sport or an elective course may be the difference between a student feeling engaged in their education. Without them, they may not see any reason to come to school at all.
We have powerful headwinds facing our district this year. If we want to preserve education quality and equity, we need to increase the political appetite in South Burlington as well as rural parts of the state. Many of those communities have one-tenth as many students as schools in Chittenden County, so they are not in need of the same resources. But aren’t they also guaranteed a quality education with access to the same materials as our students? So how can we balance the inequities we see statewide?
Last year, after two failed budgets, we had time to review our audit and applied two years’ worth of fiscal surpluses (approximately $3.5 million) to the tax rate. Such
surpluses will not be available this year. While this was a concern that was shared at the time, it was the best lever we could pull to avoid losing staff.
Even if we put forth a level funded fiscal year 2026 budget — $68 million and 0 percent expense increase — with no adjustment to the real estate inflation factor, homestead property taxes would still increase by 7.18 percent. If the real estate inflation figure increased at the same pace as previous years, the property tax increase, with no increase in spending, would be close to 25 percent.
Looking at this from a different angle, even assuming modest staff salary increases to compensate for inflation and rising health care costs, to provide everything that we offer today, we would need to increase our expenses by over $3.5 million. To put that into perspective, if we estimate staff salaries and benefits to be about $100,000 per employee, 35 positions would need to be cut to fund that difference.
Legislators have been clear that the cavalry isn’t coming. The state has advanced a commission on the future of pubic education to survey the state of education in Vermont and make recommendations for change. It is imperative to contact legislators, talk with neighbors and raise awareness that the current education funding formula is not working. Consolidation of schools in Vermont is a solution we should be strongly considering to mutually benefit all Vermonters by offering equitable resources, electives, after-school options and more to everyone who wants to partake. We are prepared to have hard conversations and want to hear feedback from the community.
Chelsea Tillinghast is chair of the South Burlington School Board.
‘Lug nuts come off,’ the nightmare begins
Guest Perspective
Walt Amses
Tuesday, anticipating a long, drawn out vote tabulation that would last well beyond the deadline, I wrote, “The one thing of which I’m absolutely certain at this point is that as you read this commentary you will know far more than I do about a presidential election that long time CBS anchor Dan Rather might describe “as tight as the rusted
lug nuts on a ’55 Ford.”
Well, it’s now 6 a.m. Wednesday, Donald Trump is the president elect by a shockingly wide margin, and I’m no longer certain about anything.
For Kamala Harris and the Democratic party, the lug nuts came off easily as the polls closed and in short order it became clear that the wheels would soon follow as state after state repudiated the perceived status quo, opting instead for the former president’s dark vision of a nation on the brink of collapse.
Grime and punishment
In Musing
Trump will return to the presidency four years after refusing to admit defeat, instigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, while dishonestly maintaining that the election had been stolen.
starkly cognizant of the price we pay regarding our collective well-being as the battle for political supremacy, money and power rages around us almost constantly.
Again, I’m out the door and a mile down the road before realizing it’s a much warmer day, coming out of the lengthening shadows to a long, sunny stretch, I begin sweating. Though I’m out here for a little calming solitude, I find none.
I notice I’m walking faster than normal with my feet hitting the ground so hard they hurt. My knees too are sending distress calls. With arms pumping and hiking poles striking the road surface with such force that I feel the pinging in my head, I see what’s happening and call a halt.
I have a strained relationship with vacuums. And it sucks. Even so, with every new one, I’m hopeful. Maybe this vac will glide easily from room to room without scuffing walls? Perhaps it’ll weigh less than a Prius? Perchance it won’t need incessant emptying nor require schmancy bags, filters and belts, oh my? I even dared to imagine it might clean well. A person can dream.
Buying a new vacuum is akin to getting a haircut. If you’re like me, you have grandiose ideas of looking fabulous, but end up looking about the same, but with less hair. Ditto with vacuums, you purchase and use the highest-rated one and your floors look about the same, but sometimes with more hair. Not sure who said high expectations are merely the seeds of disappointment, but whoever it was surely had dirty carpet and a mullet.
My unease with vacuums began in childhood when my dad carpeted the kitchen and the bathroom. An unsanitary nightmare that got worse. As a kid, I longed to interrogate the big guy, “Does the toilet itself need carpeting? And, while we’re at it, why do you have a rug on your head?” You know by the fact I’m alive, I held back. The word toupee never exited my mouth and for years our toilet was better dressed than I was. Warmer too.
My eldest sister cleverly created a game to get us to do chores and vacuuming scored the most points, 50! I’d literally fight to drag that metal Electrolux around and faux vacuum. We never changed the bag, so it picked up zilch. Exactly what my points were worth.
Rainbow vacs were the next big thing. At the time, a marvel of technology based on trapping dirt in water. It was given its colorful name with this catchphrase, “Now your home can be fresh as a rainbow.” Pretty sunny language for an appliance that was revolting to empty. What does one do with sludge stew?
Over the years, I’ve hefted all kinds of vacuums, from uprights to canisters,
Hoovers to Eurekas. So, the day Jeff, a Kirby salesperson, showed up at my door, I was ripe for vacuum redemption. “The holy grail of vacuums? Why, yes sir, get in here!”
In my defense, we had just moved into a house that seriously needed deep cleaning. Besides, our Kenmore vac was on sick leave. When Jeff displayed that die-cast aluminum 1950s-looking behemoth, believe me, I was skeptical. “Does he think I’m going to buy that?” Why, yes, I did. Twelve hundred smackers. Do not judge. I had to. Jeff scared the crap out of me by vacuuming my mattress and emptying the contents on a white piece of paper. People, this is why I drink. Turns out that Kirby was amazing. For a while. Because no matter how great something sucks, if I’m habitually balancing a mammoth hunk of aluminum on my hip halfway up the stairs while its hose once again is stuck at the bottom, the bloom has fallen off the rose. And me off the stairs. I heard Kirby has an attachment that sharpens knives. Now, I’m afraid of it.
Our next home had a central vac. Insert choir of angels here. All my vacuum woes were gone. Then, my husband excitedly showed me a Roomba. Thanks, Costco flyer. He was smitten. Clearly, we did not need a robotic vacuum. That is, until he added, “If we get it, I’ll do all the vacuuming.” To which I yelled, “Get in the car!
We’re going to Costco!”
I was snookered. He’s not vacuuming, the Roomba is. Truth is, long ago I had the epiphany that if we want more men to vacuum, there needs to be a riding one. I know, ahead of my time and sexist. Anyway, the robot vac took care of that in my household.
Hubert Cecil Booth was the man who may have coined the term “vacuum cleaner.” Granted, it was a big improvement over his previous model, a horse-drawn vacuum affectionately called “Puffing Billy.” I don’t know what that guy was smoking.
Well, nature may abhor a vacuum, but not as much as me. Thank goodness my husband loves his Roomba. He just bought a second. This one empties itself, while the older one just sits there. Reminds me of myself. After all, nothing happens in a vacuum.
Carole Vasta Folley is an award-winning columnist and playwright. Visit carolevf.com.
The country’s democracy will be under enormous pressure from Trump, according to the New York Times, since he has little regard for the “checks and balances that have defined American government since the dawn of the republic.” As the strength Republicans demonstrated “all over the map and up and down the ballot cut across political and cultural lines,” the Times cited “momentous changes” in the offing, particularly if the GOP takes control of both Houses of Congress, which they appear poised to do, giving the president elect nearly unchecked legislative power.
Admitting that I would be glad the vicious campaign was over several days ago, I wondered how we would be able to put aside our differences and diffuse the animosity, forgetting momentarily that the strident bigotry, misogyny, unbridled hate and general nastiness were the core of Trump’s messaging and now, after a decisive victory, will likely remain factors in his administration for the foreseeable future.
Given the tenor of his campaign rhetoric over the past month, I wasn’t convinced winning was something the former president cared deeply about, especially considering his natural inclination toward the grift, which worked like a charm in 2020 even though he didn’t overturn the election results. He never even tried. Swindling supporters out of an estimated $300 million via the “Save America” fundraising vehicle through which he was able to personally retain 75 percent of the take, spending exactly zero of it on saving anything but himself.
While Trump has made his intentions clear repeatedly, it remains astounding voters have chosen to simply ignore his myriad threats and disrespect for the rule of law and all the norms and traditions underpinning democracy.
Slowing my pace, I breathe deliberately, finally understanding that I’m not as removed from the looming catastrophe as I might think — more like a squirrel anticipating an earthquake hours before it happens. The walk mostly does its job, my heart is no longer racing, and my gut has stopped fluttering, but I’m not quite calm and, as I will learn the morning after, probably won’t be for a while.
Rummaging through the debris there will be endless speculation of what Harris could have or should have done differently as Democrats face a political landscape that only days ago would have been incomprehensible. Recriminations will abound but this crushing defeat was less about Harris and more about the party rejecting what voters had been telling them for a year: Joe Biden needed to announce he would not seek a second term, which he had pledged to do in December 2019.
Faced with the consternation-provoking possibilities of which party could/would/ might win and what direction the nation would be taking, my solace of choice (as usual) was going for a walk, which I did twice earlier this week with distinctly different revelations.
Monday was the kind of November afternoon I’ve come to enjoy: chilly and overcast with gray stratus clouds layered above the withering landscape. With the foliage gone, the hillsides deepen, taking on a more mysterious tone, reminding me that autumn’s exuberance is winding down, making way for a more serious reckoning as winter beckons. Quite a harbinger in retrospect.
Early afternoon on Election Day I’m not feeling as insulated from what’s going on as I thought I would be, unable to put aside a kind of creepy premonition of what will transpire later in the day. Although I’m not among three billion Facebook users — I also don’t do Snapchat, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) or any social media and refuse to watch TV commercials — I’m nonetheless
Instead, they circled the wagons, orchestrating Biden’s disastrous debate performance and setting the stage for a truncated campaign by a hastily chosen candidate who deserved better.
While Trump has made his intentions clear repeatedly, it remains astounding voters have chosen to simply ignore his myriad threats and disrespect for the rule of law and all the norms and traditions underpinning democracy. He will continue to self-aggrandize in pursuit of money and power; he will remain free of accountability; and change the future of the world as he sees fit, installing toadies like Elon Musk or Robert Kennedy Jr. in vital positions, while abandoning allies and alienating friends.
Clearly, we have underestimated the societal tolerance for white nationalism; sexual abuse and utter disdain for women; xenophobia; threats of violence; political retribution; and a host of other, thoroughly despicable attributes and attitudes Trump brings to the table.
Quite possibly, America will become a country we no longer recognize.
Walt Amses writes from Vermont.
Carole Vasta Folley
Carole Vasta Folley
EEE holds talks on climate, colleges
Education and Enrichment of Everyone offers the talk, “Climate and Health 101: Understanding and Addressing the Human Health Impacts of Climate Change in Vermont,” with Dr. David Grass, environmental health program manager at the Vermont Department of Health on Friday, Nov. 15.
On Friday, Nov. 22, Dr. Richard Plumb, president of St. Michael’s College, will give a talk on “Opportunities and Challenges of Small Liberal Arts Colleges.”
Both programs are at 2-3 p.m. at Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St., South Burlington. Learn more at eeevermont.org.
Agency of Education holds
listening tour
The Vermont Agency of Education is holding three additional sessions in Chittenden and Windham counties through its Listen and Learn Tour.
The tour offers an opportunity for the public to share its thoughts and help the agency craft a strategic plan that reflects the priorities and needs of Vermont communities.
COMMUNITY
Upcoming sessions include:
• Dec. 3: King Street Center, Burlington
• Dec. 4: Champlain Valley Union High School, Hinesburg
• Dec. 10: virtual meeting
All the meetings will take place from 6-8 p.m. Each will begin with an introduction, followed by breakout sessions on topics related to student achievement and support, career and college readiness, school budgets, among other priorities.
Pre-registration is encouraged using the online registration form at bit.ly/3UEGQ51.
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 provid ed by Gerry Ortego on guitar.
The menu is roast turkey and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes
wheat roll, pumpkin pie with
You must register by WednesKerry 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.
Episcopal
church hosts holiday bazaar
Trinity Episcopal Church will open its doors for its annual holiday Christmas bazaar on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
The sale will feature all manner of gifts and will fill the rooms with original and handmade crafts, food, and ornaments.
A special traditional item will be the pinecone wreaths fashioned by hand. They require no adjustment; just hang them on the door.
Other holiday gifts will include knitted and crocheted items and wooden and glass tableware.
There will be children’s activities, raffles and take-home baskets and holiday food set-ups.
The church is on Shelburne Road in Shelburne.
Honor your pet at remembrance day
Join A.W. Rich Funeral Home for its annual holiday pet remembrance service on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m., at the Elley-Long
Music Center at Saint Michael’s College, 223 Ethan Allen Ave., in Colchester.
Honor your cherished pet that has crossed the rainbow bridge. FREE registration includes a personalized memorial ornament with your pet’s picture.
A reception will follow. Donations accepted to benefit Lucy’s House, a local nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of homeless pets, which provides pet food and medical assistance to keep pets in their homes.
To register, scan a picture of your pet with their first and last name and email to diana@awrfh. com
Registration ends Monday, Dec. 2.
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 redcrossblood.org and enter Shelburne to schedule an appointment. Appointments are strongly recommended as walk-ins cannot always be accommodated.
COURTESY PHOTO
Ahead of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week on Nov. 17-24, staff from Green Mountain Floral Supply, a family-run floral wholesaler in South Burlington, delivered fresh flower bouquets and five boxes of customer donated food items to South Burlington Food Shelf director Peter Carmolli and volunteers.
Bear ‘doctor’ brings magic to Teddy Bear Company
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Behind the plush toys and forever cuddle friends found at Vermont Teddy Bear Factory are hours of hand stitching and stuffing from a dedicated production department.
But who among them is responsible for fixing a broken bear and ensuring Vermont Teddy Bear’s lifetime warranty?
That would be Pamela Fay, better known as “Dr. Pam,” the factory’s resident “M.D. of bearology,” as the official certificate that sits over her desk at the “bear hospital” reads. Fay has been an employee of the
Vermont Teddy Bear production team for 28 years, moving up to the rank of doctor within the last three years.
The move was a natural fit. She has nearly mastered how every bear is built and manufactured, so learning how to fix and patch them was an obvious next step and one that seems to run in her blood.
“For some, it’s not just a bear, it’s a person, more or less. Even humans break sometimes.”
— Pamela Fay
“She is one of our most skilled colleagues and one of the few people who can do every step of making a bear, so it makes her the perfect bear doctor,” Cassandra Clayton, the company’s brand director, said.
Her office, located a short walk
behind the doors of the retail area, quite literally replicates a small hospital set-up, with patients filling the cubbies on the wall with all different ailments: kidney stones, broken bones, bee stings, dog bites — you name it, and Fay can likely fix it.
From 9 a.m. until noon, Monday through Friday, she works on roughly 10 patients a day, moving the joint press, stitching busted back seams, adding extra filling and replacing weathered paw pads — but not without a few Smarties from her secret candy stash under her desk to satisfy her sweet tooth.
Some around the factory argue she has a magic touch, but she would say that this is just something that makes her really happy. And it shows. Staff refer to her only as “Dr. Pam” and the moment her white doctor’s coat goes on every morning, that iden-
tity becomes a certain part of who she really is.
The process is simple. Loved teddy bears are sent from their family with a hospital admittance form that explains where exactly the injuries lie. Dr. Pam receives the packages sent to the hospital and gives each bear its own
patient wristband.
“They have their names and everything on the paperwork, so we all know them. It’s just like a real hospital that you or I go to … except a lot less hollering, and a
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PHOTO BY LIBERTY DARR
One bear in recovery after suffering a broken arm. He should be ready to head back home in about a week, said Dr. Pam.
VOTING
continued from page 1
but the committee said that’s not possible.
The city council, on a 4-1 vote, passed the resolution charging the charter committee to bring a recommendation back to the council by Nov. 4. But according to the committee, the work is still far from over.
The charter committee is unique in that it only meets when given a specific task. It was initially created in 2022 to explore different governance models and an expansion of the council and the South Burlington School Board.
But for committee members, the most recent charge is vastly different from the last.
“I see this as a pro-democracy step, moving in the direction of having more voices representative of our community. But there are a lot more questions,” member Kate Bailey said. “This law, if we were to change the charter, is going to directly impact the lives of folks who are not typically used to having their voices heard in government.”
approximately 1,450 legal-resident noncitizens of voting age, and 116 — 7 percent — registered to vote. In March 2024, 97 voted. Winooski has around 900 legal noncitizens and in the city’s three elections allowing all-resident voting, they have had 54, 25 and 16 people vote.
Montpelier has 18 noncitizens registered to vote and the three elections using all-resident voting had 5, 8, and 13 ballots cast.
All three clerks reported to the committee that their biggest problem is maintaining a separate voter checklist since they cannot enter the noncitizen voters into the statewide checklist system and must find manual ways to keep the list separate, which can be extensively time-consuming. Clerks also voiced concern about the need for extra workers at polling locations to monitor a separate check-in table to prevent noncitizen voters from receiving a state or federal ballot in elections that are not local.
TEDDY BEAR
continued from page 11
lot less expensive,” she joked.
From there Dr. Pam works to fix the stitching or replace the broken limb — something that’s almost second nature to her since she’s spent decades manufacturing the toys from their early beginnings — with miscellaneous pieces of furred fabric and stuffing.
On any given day, observing Fay is like watching a real doctor at work. Apart from her own expert seamstress skills, she remains careful and dedicated, knowing that each bear that comes to her is loved deeply by someone from around the globe.
“For some, it’s not just a bear, it’s a person, more or less. Even humans break sometimes,” Fay said, letting out a jovial laugh as she fixed the back seam on one bear who had suffered a particularly rough attack from the family dog. In line with the company’s lifetime guarantee policy, if there is something that Fay can’t fix — which happens rarely — the company sends a bear of the same make and model back to the family. But Fay said she keeps the older bears for a while, just in case the family requests them back, and partially because she said it’s diffi-
PUBLIC HEARING SOUTH BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD
The South Burlington Development Review Board will hold a public hearing in the South Burlington City Hall Auditorium, 180 Market Street, South Burlington, Vermont, or online or by phone, on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 7:00 P.M. to consider the following:
Final plat application #SD-24-19 of Beta Technologies, Inc., to subdivide a previously approved master plan for a 344,000 sf manufacturing and office building, a 37,800 sf office and retail building, a 15,600 sf commercial building, and a 85,000 sf flight instruction and airport use building on 40.43 acres. The amendment consists of subdividing two lot of 17.83 ac (Lot 1) and 2.85 ac (Lot 2) for the purpose of leasing the lots to Beta Technologies. The project does not involve land development, 154 Davinci Drive.
Board members will be participating in person. Applicants and members of the public may participate in person or remotely either by interactive online meeting or by telephone: Interactive Online Meeting (audio & video): https://zoom.us/join By Telephone (audio only): (646) 931-3860 Meeting ID: 843 1201 1397
A copy of the application is available for public inspection by emailing Marla Keene, Development Review Planner, mkeene@southburlingtonvt.gov. November 15, 2024
cult to just throw them away.
The Bear Hospital has been an important part of Vermont Teddy Bear’s operation since its beginnings in the 1980s. Before Fay there was Dr. Nancy, who worked for the business for 37 years, before passing the doctor baton off to Fay three years ago.
More than anything, this job helps maintain a certain childlike spirit and imagination in Fay — and those around her — as she reads the personalized notes attached to each form and the many personalized letters she receives daily, all of which are tacked up on different walls in her office and remind her just what makes the job of a teddy bear doctor so special.
“It makes me happy. It’s a happy place because you’re making other people happy, you know? I sometimes can’t believe how important these bears are to people, but they certainly are,” she said, holding tightly to a bear that was undergoing surgery.
BLOTTER
continued from page 4
Nov. 7 at 8:41 p.m., Ross Kuntzelmann, 36, of Cambridge, was arrested for stalking on Williston Road.
Nov. 7 at 9:06 p.m., Joselyn E. Chambers, 42, no address provided, was arrested for retail theft on Dorset Street.
Nov. 9 at 8:58 a.m., James D. Comi, 26, of Burlington, was arrested for domestic assault on Obrien Farm Road.
Nov. 9 at 2:23 p.m., Justin P.
She explained that in other processes, the committee had time to garner more public input through surveys, public outreach and hearings. With such a tight timeline, the committee is hardpressed to find enough information to make a thoughtful recommendation.
Anne LaLonde, chair of the committee, said that members met twice over the past two months, first to dial down on the process and also to compile questions from each committee member about the topic.
“We started a list, and there was a really long list,” she said. “It was clear that people were uncomfortable at that first meeting with a tight timeframe.”
Data compiled by the committee so far showed that in the three other cities in Vermont that have adopted similar charter changes — Montpelier, Winooski and Burlington — there are a slew of behind-the-scenes complexities.
According to preliminary data provided by city clerks to the committee, Burlington has
The cost also varies greatly if the city has interpreters, the committee reported. For example, Winooski pays $3,000 for interpreters and has ballots prepared in 14 languages, which cost the city another $2,900.
Along with clerical complexities, all-resident voting in the three cities has incited legal challenges over the years. Most recently, Montpelier’s charter change was upheld by the Vermont Supreme Court in January 2023, which ruled that the change did not violate the Vermont Constitution. In Winooski, a similar challenge was dismissed by the Chittenden Superior Court last December.
Burlington’s charter change is the latest to be challenged and litigation in Superior Court is ongoing, although that case is specifically challenging whether a vote on a school budget is solely a local issue due to the way education is funded in Vermont.
But Bailey, who was formerly chair of the South Burlington
See VOTING on page 13
Distiso, 31, of South Burlington, was arrested on an in-state warrant on Shelburne Road.
Nov. 10 at 4:32 p.m., Barile D. Tornwini, 51, of South Burlington, was arrested for domestic assault on Brand Farm Drive.
Nov. 10 at 6:34 p.m., Kevin R. Daily, 73, of South Burlington, was arrested for domestic assault on Forest Street.
Untimely deaths: Nov. 5 at 1:38 p.m., police responded to Lime Kiln Road for the death of Edward Melen Jr., 75, of South Burlington. The medical examiner’s office is determining cause and manner of death.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Office and can be amended or dropped.
PHOTO BY LIBERTY DARR
Dr. Pam in her trusty white lab coat ready to start a day of surgeries. On the docket was fixing a broken leg, stitching a dog bite and remedying a nasty bee sting.
Peter, ‘Looks like we’re going to do it,’” Luzzatto said. “That was five years ago.”
Now, it’s hard to imagine the space without the hustle and bustle seen on the days the shelf is open. On an unusually busy Friday last week, Carmolli and his team of roughly eight dedicated volunteers were busy unpacking their bus full of food — 1,760 pounds — and other goodies from Trader Joe’s.
Everyone took to their places without thought. Some were unloading, others were weighing each box of food and then deconstructing each empty box after items were emptied. Kathy Agel, a volunteer of two years, was busy sorting the massive donation of hot dog rolls, loaves of sourdough and other specialty breads, including gluten-free options, in a rack in the middle of the building.
“This is the fun part on Friday,” she said, letting out a laugh as she quickly stacked each roll in its designated place.
Much like Agel’s happy demeanor, there is a unique comradery among all the volunteers that creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere as customers begin filing in.
By 9:30 a.m., the seats in the waiting area were filled with familiar faces and Carmolli was dashing around the space, greeting each customer, and signing them in, but the majority already knew him. And Carmolli knew them as well, most of the time
VOTING
continued from page 12
School Board, explained that there is always a tug of war between local and state control when it comes to school budgets.
“It is on the local ballot, and you are making decisions that are going to impact your local taxes and it’s going to impact the kids in your district,” she said. “When I think about all-resident voting, I think of how, directly or indirectly, folks who are not citizens are paying taxes; they’re contributing to our economy, and they’re sending their kids to schools.”
Although the committee made no recommendation this month, it will continue the work over the next several months and ultimately bring a recommendation to the council, which will either choose to take up the recommendation or not.
“It just feels like the kind of issue that I want to be really intentional and hold carefully because I want it to foster community and democracy and engagement, and not foster fear and otherness in our community,” Bailey said.
on a first-name basis. He somehow remembers something about every customer — one loves sardines, and another is allergic to gluten.
“I try to know all the customers, but there are 1,300. If I can call them by name it helps,” Carmolli, the food shelf’s director, said. “I want all our volunteers to be the personification of love and kindness.”
Each volunteer acts as a designated shopper for each customer, helping them sort through the racks and giving them instructions on how many of each item they can take. Like Carmolli, each volunteer, many of whom can speak multiple languages, has their own relationships with different customers.
“Where’s Linda?” one customer asked as she prepared to shop with a different volunteer. Carmolli explained that Linda, a regular volunteer, was out for the day but would be back next week.
The nonprofit Faith Influenced Leaders provides oversight and governance as the food shelf’s fiscal agent and Luzzatto acts as a liaison between the two groups. But as he puts it, Carmolli is the glue that holds the entire place together.
“People love working for him. He’s a caring person. He’s well known. He’s held us together. It’s really been good,” Luzzatto, who has lived in South Burlington for seven years, said.
Carmolli has over two decades of experience working with Meals on Wheels and was appointed to the committee by Faith Influenced Leader president Patrick Leduc two years before the shelf opened.
He has created a “judgment-free” atmosphere at the food shelf in the past five years.
Some of the food shelf’s dedicated volunteers after a busy Friday morning helping customers.
“There’s no them and us,” Carmolli said. “It’s all of us. We’re all one slip away from eating at the food shelf.”
But aside from the customers, Carmolli puts a lot of care into the environment he creates for the volunteers, too, and spends a lot of his free time cultivating meaningful relationships with them, which ultimately influences the level of service brought to each customer.
“These are some of my best friends in the world,” Steve Wehmeyer, volunteer of the shelf since 2020, said.
Carmolli explained that when the team opened the food shelf five years ago, they thought perhaps 200 to 250 households
PUBLIC WORKS
INVITATION TO BID
Dorset Street Pavement Rehabilitation - South Burlington, VT
The City of South Burlington is accepting sealed bids for the Dorset Street Pavement Rehabilitation (Aspen Drive to Kennedy Drive) project. Bids will ONLY be received and accepted via online electronic bid service through https://www.questcdn.com until 11:00 AM, December 6, 2024, local time.
Project Description: Pavement rehabilitation is anticipated to consist of a 2” cold plane, leveling course, and a 2” Superpave wearing course. Other improvements will include catch basin repairs & grate adjustments, driveway apron repair including curb removal, curb ramp improvements, and durable pavement markings. Existing curbing, sidewalk, and median islands are anticipated to remain, unless otherwise noted. A new midblock pedestrian crossing with a refuge island and overhead lighting will also be constructed.
Bid Documents: Complete digital Bidding Documents may be obtained or at the website of Hoyle Tanner, www.hoyletanner.com by clicking the Bid Portal Tab and selecting the above referenced project. You must set up your membership with QuestCDN and pay a download fee of $50 before downloading the Bidding Documents. To set up your free membership using Hoyle Tanner’s Bid Portal, click Download Bid Documents, then JOIN or go to QuestCDN, www.questcdn.com, input eBid Doc number 9397241. If you need assistance setting up your membership registration, downloading, or working with the digital project information, please contact QuestCDN at (952) 233- 1632 or info@questcdn.com.
Contract Completion Date: The Contract shall be substantially completed on or before August 22, 2025. Final completion shall be on or before September 19, 2025.
Questions: During the advertisement phase of this project all questions shall be addressed solely to Stephen Haas, shaas@hoyletanner.com, 603-460-5168.
in South Burlington would need services. But the team has far exceeded those numbers, serving more than 1,300 households and more than 3,150 different people since being open. Last week alone the team served 78 customers, four of whom were new.
The team is now looking for a new building, as it has outgrown its current home at 356 Dorset St.
The adage, “it takes a village” is particularly true for the entire South Burlington food shelf team, and for most of the volunteers,
this is just what neighbors are supposed to do.
“When we look at what we’re facing in the world, go local. Fix the problems that are right in your neighborhood,” Wehmeyer said. “It’s South Burlington, we’re supposed to be an affluent neighborhood, but our customers live here. They’re our neighbors. They’re our friends. If they have to make the decision to turn the heat on or put food on the table, that’s not OK and we need to step up.”
HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR
JOIN OUR TEAM: The City of South Burlington seeks a strategic and visionary Human Resources Director to lead our HR initiatives and foster a vibrant workplace culture. This dedicated HR professional will champion our workforce, support our leaders, and further our mission of community servant leadership. Come help us make a difference and shape the future!
WHAT YOU WILL DO: As the Human Resources Director, you will be the driving force behind our HR policies, procedures and strategies. You will: (1) Develop/implement policies that promote equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. (2) Oversee recruitment, retention, and professional development programs. (3) Partner with city leadership to align HR practices with strategic goals. (4) Foster a culture of continuous improvement and employee engagement.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field required, plus a minimum of five years of experience in human resources leadership and administration, preferably in a municipal setting. Certification as a Human Resources Professional (SHRM, HRI or similar) preferred.
SALARY RANGE: $100,000-$110,000 (annually)
APPLY NOW: Please submit your on-line application, resume and cover letter by November 25, 2024. Learn more: governmentjobs .com/careers/southburlington. The City of South Burlington is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
PHOTO BY LIBERTY DARR
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For 12 summers, my Vermont colleagues and I offered guidance to high school student and teacher teams who conducted research on streams as part of a National Science Foundation program. These teams received training in July, and for the rest of the summer and early autumn, employed their new skills by taking water samples and flow measurements and making observations about aquatic macroinvertebrate populations. They also took note of the size and abundance of fallen logs in the water.
I remember students expressing curiosity about this last measurement. Why, they asked, should we bother to note the presence of logs in the water? A good way to answer that question is to consider the historical practice of clearing and straightening streams and the damage it has caused.
People have often regarded streams as primarily drainage features: ways for rainfall to efficiently exit the landscape. From this perspective, a meandering stream needs fixing. In our region, for the past several centuries, people have “improved” streams by straightening them, removing wood and other obstructions, armoring banks with riprap, and, where streams approach roads or other busy areas, diverting water into under ground pipes.
that many watersheds have less capacity to
absorb and slow water than they previouslybanks and cuts into streambeds. Trapped within these deeply incised channels, water
can’t spread into upland landscapes and instead rushes downhill. After heavy rains, the downstream impacts can be devastating. Excess surface water can rapidly build into powerful floods, capable of damaging homes, roads, and other infrastructure.
Torrential floods disrupt aquatic life but straightened and cleared streams harm aquatic ecosystems in other ways, as well. We learn in grade school that a wavy line between two points is longer than a straight line; for the same reason, a meandering stream holds more water and offers more space for habitat than a straight one can.
Straight, monotonous flows offer poor living conditions for many species. For example, many species of fish require slow eddies, backwaters, pools, or rocky riffles for food, shelter and reproduction. Many insect larvae, as well as young amphibians, require pools and submerged shelters where they can hide and feed.
As in forests, in streams, messiness is good. By slowing a stream’s main flow, logs can push water up over banks into soil, and eventually help straightened streams return to more natural, meandering paths through the landscape. This change reduces flooding downstream and sets the stage for more diverse aquatic habitats.
As the upstream sides of logs — especially those with branches still attached — accumulate fallen leaves and other debris, these surfaces offer shelter and food for macroinvertebrates and other organisms. Some fallen trees form partial dams, and with these, deep, substantial pools and sand bars. In a complex underwater habitat of submerged branches and trunks, piled sand and other features, macroinvertebrates and fish can take shelter in areas of slack water.
Wood also serves as a filter, removing gravel, sand, and silt from the water column. Sediments and organic materials that accumulate among branches on stream beds store nutrients that might otherwise contribute to
downstream eutrophication. In this way, the presence of wood in streams helps protect downstream lakes from algal and cyanobacteria blooms.
Submerged wood is also important as a direct food source. More than 20 different species of aquatic invertebrates in our region rely directly on wood for food. These so called “miners” tunnel into underwater logs and branches, consuming wood as they go. They include the larvae of beetles, mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies and true flies, and collectively play a critical role in the aquatic food web.
So, why document logs in streams? Because the presence of wood in the water is a key indicator of stream health. Wood is so important to aquatic systems that stream restoration practitioners often focus on adding wood features to heal damaged waterways. Although this work requires expert planning and permits — no one reading this should rush out to drop logs into stream — there are ways all of us can help to promote natural restoration. We can avoid the temptation to “clean up” stream banks, and allow trees, broken branches, and leaves to accumulate in water naturally. We can also encourage friends and family to reconsider the old aesthetic preference for straight, fast-flowing streams, and distinguish between true trash and natural debris.
By all means remove tires and abandoned shopping carts from your neighborhood stream, but when given the choice, let sleeping logs lie.
Declan McCabe teaches biology at Saint Michael’s College and is the author of “Turning Stones: Discovering the Life of Water” (Down East Books, 2024). 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.
ILLUSTRATION BY ADELAIDE MURPHY TYROL