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the South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
Long View Project hits a stalemate
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The Long View Project, dubbed one of the most unique and innovative conservation and housing projects in South Burlington, seems to have hit an impasse.
The project looks to conserve roughly 32 acres at 1720 and 1730 Spear St., next to the Great Swamp, which city leaders have identified as a top conservation priority for years. The project would also set aside 2.5 acres for 16 affordable homes in partnership with Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity.
Efforts to conserve the area has been in the works with the South Burlington Land Trust and property owners Northeast Agricultural Trust, a limited liability company owned by Tom Bellavance, since 2023. Bellavance’s wife, Janet, is on the South Burlington Land Trust’s board of directors.
However, the city council officially signaled its intent last September to move the work forward with a hefty $460,000 commitment in open space funds to support the project.
The sticking point came in December, when the Vermont
See LONG VIEW on page 13
Reflections
of...
News Year’s Eve fireworks cast their glow over Lake Champlain, marking the passage from last year to this one.
City denies a proposed Penny for Paths ballot amendment
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The South Burlington City Council on Monday shot down a proposed ballot question that would amend its Penny for Paths levy, which garners one cent on the tax rate to create new bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
The amendment would have
allowed the use of those proceeds for maintenance of existing paths and the question of expanding the tax’s use would have been brought before the voters on Town Meeting Day in March.
In August 2018, South Burlington residents voted to designate one penny on the tax rate, over ten years, for the creation of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure
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throughout the city.
When the city began collecting the tax in 2020, it brought in roughly $305,000 and this year will see about $420,000 in revenue. But the council last month posed the question in an effort to raise extra funds for repairs.
“The way that the capital improvement plan is right now, we would have about a $605,000
balance if we spend exactly as the capital improvement plan says,” Erica Quallen, the city’s director of capital projects, said Monday night. “By fiscal year 2032 the balance is fairly low. Zero.”
While council chair Tim Barritt and councilor Andrew Chalnick
See PENNY FOR PATHS on page 13
PHOTO BY GREG WARRINGTON
Vermont ranks 4th in nation for homelessness rate
BERLIN
As the number of people experiencing homelessness in Vermont continues to rise to record levels, the Green Mountain State’s per-capita rate of homelessness remains among the highest in the nation.
That’s according to a new analysis of the 2024 point-intime count, a coordinated, federally-mandated tally of unhoused people taken each January. The annual report on the count, which took place nearly a year ago, was released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development late last week.
The department found that about 53 out of every 10,000 Vermonters were unhoused when the count took place, putting Vermont fourth on the state-bystate list. In 2022 and 2023, it had the second-highest rate in the nation, a distinction that turned heads as Vermont’s homelessness crisis has grown more visible.
But Vermont’s shift in this oft-cited nationwide comparison shouldn’t necessarily be read as an indication of improvement locally, said Anne Sosin, a public health researcher at Dartmouth College who studies homelessness.
“I wouldn’t take it as a hopeful sign that it’s fourth instead of second,” Sosin said.
While Vermont’s homeless population rose 5% last year, to a record 3,458 people in January 2024, other states saw much more dramatic increases.
Catastrophic wildfires in Maui displaced thousands of people from their homes, the HUD report notes, with many sleeping in disaster emergency shel-
ters when the count took place in January. Hawaii saw an 87% rise in homelessness year-over-year, with 81 people per 10,000 residents recorded as unhoused — the highest rate in the nation. New York shared the same rate, which increased this year, in part, due to an influx of asylum seekers to New York City’s shelter system, according to the report.
Across the country, the annual tally registered the highest number of people experiencing homeless-
DIRECT CREMATION SERVICES
ness ever recorded since the pointin-time count began in 2007. Over 771,000 people nationwide were unhoused at the time of the count: a 18% rise from the 2023 count.
The “worsening national affordable housing crisis,” inflation, stagnating wages, and “the persisting effects of systemic racism have stretched homelessness services systems to their limits,” the report notes. And the end of pandemic-era supports, like the expanded child tax credit,
have also likely contributed to the national rise in homelessness, it says.
The point-in-time count figure is generally considered to be an undercount. HUD does not tally people who are doubling up with relatives or couch-surfing, and people who are unsheltered are often more difficult to find.
Even as the number of people experiencing homelessness has ticked up, the HUD analysis reflects that Vermont has done a
better job than most other states at keeping unhoused people indoors. Over 95% of Vermont’s homeless population was in some form of shelter as of January — either a traditional shelter, or a hotel or motel covered by an emergency housing voucher. Only neighboring New York had a higher rate of people in shelter, according to the report.
Still, the January tally recorded a jump in the number of people living unsheltered in Vermont from a year earlier. And observers expect the 2025 count, which will take place in a few weeks, will capture an even larger number of people sleeping outdoors or in their vehicles.
That’s because over 1,500 people were pushed out of the state’s motel voucher program this fall, after a series of cost-cutting measures went into effect. The program’s rules have since loosened for the winter, allowing some people to re-enter, though cold-weather access is more limited now than in previous years and both shelter space and motel rooms are scarce.
Already this winter, Burlington officials have observed more people living outside than this time last year, said Sarah Russell, the city’s special assistant to end homelessness. When the city opened an extreme cold-weather shelter for the weekend before Christmas — in part because the opening of its regular seasonal shelter has been delayed until the new year — “the number of folks that we saw there was huge,” Russell said. About 50 people showed up the first night, and 80
CHART BY ERIN PETENKO, VTDIGGER See HOMELESSNESS on
Act 250 board will address changes to state’s land use law
CARLY BERLIN VTDIGGER
Gov. Phil Scott has appointed the members of a new board that will administer Act 250, Vermont’s statewide development review law.
The new Land Use Review Board replaces the old Natural Resources Board, a shift mandated under Act 181, a major land-use reform law passed last year. That law takes steps to relax Act 250’s reach in existing downtowns and village centers across the state, and also lays the groundwork for extending Act 250’s protections in areas deemed ecologically sensitive.
But the new law also changes how Act 250 is administered. The Land Use Review Board is made up of five full-time members with relevant professional experience — a significant change from the former citizen-board structure. The new members have backgrounds in municipal and regional planning, environmental law and civil engineering. The review board will also play a key role in overseeing a years-long mapping process that will cement Act 250’s jurisdiction in the future. (Regional district offices still make permitting decisions on individual projects, however).
“Vermont faces a significant housing crisis and the work of this board will play a very important role in helping us address it, while protecting our beautiful landscape and environment,” Scott said in a statement announcing the appointments earlier this week. “I’m confident this board has the diverse expertise, work ethic, and passion to tackle the work that’s required in Act 181 while also forwarding common sense improvements to the law to further our shared goals.”
The new board chair, Janet Hurley, currently serves as the assistant director and planning program manager for the Bennington County Regional Commission. Before that, she worked as a local planner throughout the state, in Manchester, South Burlington, Milton, and Westford, according to a press release from Scott’s office.
Since Act 250 was enacted in 1970, “it can certainly be credited with saving Vermont from rampant development,” Hurley said in an interview. “But it can also certainly be responsible for
the depth of our housing crisis, because the burden of Act 250 permitting — often duplicative, especially in our town and village centers — just made housing development that’s affordable much more difficult to achieve for so many years.”
In the past, new housing projects would trigger Act 250 review based on how large they were, and how many homes a developer had already built in a given area during a given timeframe. That system could in fact lead to the sprawl it was trying to prevent, prompting developers to avoid bumping up against Act 250 permitting by building “smaller scale, single family home development dispersed around our towns and villages,” Hurley said.
Act 181 shifts the permitting program toward “location-based jurisdiction,” meaning some areas of the state that already have robust local zoning review and water and wastewater infrastructure could be exempt from Act 250 altogether. That new system will take years to implement, though, and the transition will be one of the board’s primary tasks.
As that longer process plays out, lawmakers made temporary exemptions to Act 250 last year. They were designed to encourage dense housing in already-developed areas, and so far, the carve-outs appear to be working as intended. Hurley thinks loosening Act 250’s rules around housing will make a big difference.
make sure that we acknowledge those and that the projects, you know, do what they can to minimize them.”
“The housing crisis requires us to act swiftly, and that means a lot more housing, period.”
— Alex Weinhagen
To Weinhagen, Act 181’s goals were to reform statewide development review so that “it’s smarter, it works better, it’s applied consistently across the state and it’s only used when it’s needed — and not used in places where there’s adequate local level development review happening,” he said. The board will study whether appeals of Act 250 permits should be heard by the board itself – or continue to be heard in state environmental court. Legislators and administration officials hotly debated the issue last session, arguing over which option would in fact speed up lengthy appeal timelines, and ultimately directed the new board to assess it further.
“The market just can’t bear the cost of construction at this point, and so any relief to the financing of new housing development is going to be meaningful,” Hurley said.
Still, members of the board think Act 250 will continue to play an important role in years to come.
“The housing crisis requires us to act swiftly, and that means a lot more housing, period,” said Alex Weinhagen, current director of planning and zoning in Hinesburg and another new board member. “But larger projects have impacts, and the whole point of having a development review process is to
The other members of the new board include L. Brooke Dingledine, an environmental attorney in Randolph; Kirsten Sultan, an Act 250 district coordinator in the Northeast Kingdom with a background in engineering; and Sarah Hadd, a former local planner and current town manager for Fairfax, according to the press release.
The new board appointments took effect on Jan.1, and the board will begin its work on Jan. 27.
This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.
COURTESY PHOTOS
The new Land Use Review Board, clockwise from top: Kirsten Sultan, Alex Weinhagen, Brooke Dingledine, Janet Hurley, Sarah Hadd.
CRIME & COURTS
South Burlington Police Blotter: Dec. 23 - Jan. 6
Total incidents: 397
Traffic stops: 25
911 hangups: 11
Crashes: 31
Alarms: 20
Animal problems: 2
Arrests on warrants: 2
Simple assaults: 8
Agency assists: 25
Public assists: 13
Burglaries: 2
Directed patrols: 25
Disturbances: 10
Domestic disputes: 9
Field contacts: 10
Foot patrols: 30
Found/lost property: 7
Fraud: 6
Larceny: 17
Vehicle complaints: 6
Retail theft: 16
Stolen vehicle: 8
Suspicious events: 26
Threats: 5
Trespassing: 16
Unlawful mischief: 9
Welfare checks: 14
Arrests:
Kayla M. Palmer, 30, of Grand Isle, for careless and negligent driving, eluding police and violating conditions of release,
following investigation into a June 5 incident.
Dec. 21 at 1:42 p.m., Taylor M. Vuley, 27, of Colchester, for simple assault.
Dec. 23 at 7:34 p.m., John B. Walker, 73, of South Burlington, for driving under the influence of drugs.
Dec. 24 at 3:49 a.m., William J. Jarvis III, 41, of Morristown, for driving without consent and leaving the scene of a crash.
Dec. 24 at 2:39 p.m., Cindy L. Arnold, 47, of South Burlington, for retail theft.
Dec. 24 at 7 p.m., Julie L. Coolidge, 39, of Burlington, on an in-state warrant and for providing false information to police and resisting arrest.
Dec. 25 at 12:18 p.m., Jason P. Robinson, 46, of South Burlington, for first degree domestic assault in front of a child.
Dec. 25 at 8:06 p.m., Leanne Eve Dubois, 45, of South Burlington, for domestic assault.
Dec. 26 at 11:08 a.m., James A. Douglas, 35, of Colchester, on an in-state warrant.
Dec. 29 at 12:10 p.m., Callie-Lyn Dalley, 23, of Montpelier, on
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an in-state warrant.
Dec. 30 at 6:05 a.m., William T. Cole, 38, of Johnson, for first-degree arson and burglary (see related, this page).
Dec. 31 at 12:59 a.m., Nicholas S. White, 36, of Milton, for aggravated driving without consent.
Dec. 31 at Coty L. Duso, 31, of South Burlington, for simple assault and unlawful mischief (see related, page 5).
Jan. 2 at 2:58 p.m., Justin James Gaboriault, 36, of South Burlington, for simple assault.
Jan. 3 at 7:12 p.m., Erin F. Cronin, 37, of Essex Junction, for retail theft.
Jan. 5 at 12:08 a.m., Michael James Whalen, 49, of San Antonio, for simple assault and disorderly conduct.
Jan. 5 at 2:45 a.m., Christopher Hemingway Jr., 36, of South Burlington, for simple assault and criminal threatening.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Office and can be amended or dropped.
Man arrested for breaking into, trashing University Mall
TOMMY GARDNER STAFF WRITER
Police arrested a man suspected of breaking into South Burlington’s University Mall on the penultimate day of 2024, smashing at least one store window and lighting fire in the food court.
William Cole, 38, of Johnson, was arrested for burglary and arson following the Dec. 30 incident.
That morning, shortly after 6 a.m., South Burlington Police Department received a report that someone had broken into the mall and had caused significant damage to the interior of the mall. The reported damage included numerous retail stores and vendor kiosks throughout the mall.
When officers arrived, they were met by members of the South Burlington Fire Department who were already at the scene, tending to a small fire that was set in a garbage can in the food court. Firefighters pointed police toward sounds they had
heard near one of the stores, suspecting the man who caused the damage, later identified as Cole, was still in the mall.
Police say it appeared Cole had attempted to force his way into numerous retail shops, and was able to break the glass entrance of one of the stores to gain entry. They found Cole in a back room of one of the stores.
Cole was taken into custody without incident and transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center for treatment of the minor injuries he sustained during the break in.
Police say the extent of the damage is estimated in the thousands of dollars, but the final cost of the damages was still being collected and investigated as of press deadline.
Police say Cole has an extensive criminal history in Vermont that includes one felony conviction, four misdemeanor convictions and one assaultive crime conviction. Police say he has failed to appear in court six times.
Woman to serve 18 years for her part in husband’s shooting death
MIKE DONOGHUE CORRESPONDENT
Angela M. Auclair has been sentenced in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington to 18 years in prison for her part in a conspiracy to kill her estranged husband in Hinesburg more than five years ago.
Auclair, 52, pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to commit first degree murder and was sentenced to 35-years-to-life with all but 18 years suspended, including credit for about five years in custody.
Formerly of Williston, Auclair had moved to Bristol shortly before her December 2019 arrest.
The state agreed to dismiss other charges, including aiding in the commission of first-degree murder, obstruction of justice and two counts of violating her conditions of release.
Her son, Kory Lee George, 36, of Monkton, has been sentenced to 18-years-to-life for his part in the conspiracy to commit first-degree murder during the ambush shooting
in July 2019.
When George entered his guilty plea in September 2023, the court was told he was prepared to testify that his mother fired all the fatal shots. Initial reports had theorized Auclair was home when her husband was gunned down.
The victim, David Auclair, had tried to crawl under his pickup truck to get away from the shooting by his wife, according to prosecutors. He was shot 11 times, police say.
His bullet-riddled body was found July 11, 2019, at the LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest trailhead parking lot off Gilman Road in Hinesburg. He was lured to the scene for his execution through a pre-paid burner cellphone that was traced to a Milton store where George bought it, state police said.
David Auclair was the son of a well-known South Burlington family that operated a large farm on Vermont 116 (Hinesburg Road) near the Shelburne line.
As part of Angela Auclair’s probation terms, Judge John Pacht
directed her to have no contact with her son and his wife or members of the victim’s family, one of whom spoke at the sentencing on behalf of the family and said she doubted Auclair was sorry for the killing.
Pacht also ordered Angela Auclair to have no contact with her former boyfriend, John Turner, who is still facing two federal gun charges from the homicide case.
Those charges stem from a residential break-in that Turner and George allegedly helped execute while Angela and David Auclair were having dinner at a Colchester restaurant with the victim of the burglary.
The homicide investigation initially pointed to George as the apparent shooter, after he stole several firearms from a Colchester home the night before the fatal shooting.
Turner, 54, of Milton, reportedly dropped off George near the residence and returned a few minutes
Man neutralized by SB police who responded to NYE assault
TOMMY GARDNER STAFF WRITER
Police neutralized a man with a non-lethal weapon after the man allegedly assaulted a member of his family then confronted police, asking them to kill him.
Coty Duso, 31, of South Burlington, was arrested on New Years Eve shortly before the start of the new year, cited for felony assault and unlawful mischief charges.
According to South Burlington police, they received a report on Dec. 31 at 10:20 p.m. that a man later identified as Duso had assaulted a person on Country Club Drive, destroyed portions of the interior of the home, and had armed himself with a knife.
Responding officers were able to evacu-
AUCLAIR
continued from page 4
later to pick him up after he stole at least four firearms, Vermont State Police said.
The Auclairs were in a rocky marriage, and police said Angela Auclair had a romantic interest in Turner, who would visit their family home on Vermont 116 in Williston even when David Auclair was there.
Auclair and her son were headed for a rare joint trial in October 2023, but George entered a last-minute plea agreement a month earlier that required him to enter a guilty plea and promise to testify against his mother.
Auclair pleaded guilty last January to accessory to first degree murder and was scheduled to get the same sentence as her son, but last April she petitioned a judge to allow her to withdraw her guilty plea.
HOMELESSNESS
continued from page 2
the next.
“It’s just too cold for people to be living outside,” Russell said.
The HUD report does show signs of progress. Nationally, homelessness among veterans dropped 8% last year — to the lowest number on record, according to a HUD press release. That success can be chalked up to specific housing programs targeted at veterans, the report says, and is often lauded by homelessness advocates as a model for how to tackle homelessness among other groups.
“When there are more resources that are poured into, you know, housing supports for specific sub-populations of folks — the result of that is that it actually drives the numbers down,” Russell said.
The press release also notes several places that saw decreases in homelessness over the past year. Dallas saw its homelessness numbers drop after launching a new program to connect unsheltered people to long-term housing while closing encampments. Chester County, Penn., has seen a
ate the other people from the home, establish a perimeter and call for additional resources, preparing to establish communication with Duso.
Police say Duso then emerged from the house, smashing at least one window, armed with a large kitchen knife, acting emotional and asking the officers to kill him. When he refused to comply, police shot him with a non-lethal sponge round, effectively stopping him.
Duso was evaluated at University of Vermont Medical Center and lodged for lack of $500 bail.
Police urge people who are experiencing domestic violence to call the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence hotline at 800-228-7395.
She also wanted to fire her lawyer. George, a five-time felon, also was convicted separately in federal court for illegal possession of a firearm in connection with the homicide.
During the investigation, Vermont State Police detectives said they determined George was in illegal possession of two firearms — the stolen 9-mm Beretta used in the homicide and a stolen 12-gauge shotgun, records show.
George was sentenced to 89 months in federal prison on the gun count in November 2021. As part of the plea agreement, his federal sentence would run concurrently with his state time. He is currently serving his sentences at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.
nearly 60% drop in homelessness since 2019, after putting in place eviction prevention programs, expanding “housing first” training initiatives, increasing affordable housing groups, and providing fair housing education for migrant workers, according to the release.
When Vermont lawmakers kick off the 2025 legislative session next week, they will get their next chance to tackle the state’s homelessness problem. Their return comes after several deaths of people living outside that have captured the public’s attention in recent weeks.
“My question to Vermont legislators is: how are we going to keep the population experiencing homelessness alive while we make progress on solving homelessness as a state?” Sosin, the Dartmouth researcher, said.
This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.
OPINION
Working together to address Vermont’s affordability crisis
Guest Perspective
Amy Spear & Megan Sullivan
Each year, we at the Vermont Chamber of Commerce outline our legislative priorities with one focus in mind: creating the conditions to advance the Vermont economy. This year, our goals align closely with those voiced by Vermonters at the polls: addressing affordability, fostering economic growth and doing the hard work to solve Vermont’s toughest challenges.
Affordability is at the forefront of these challenges. Vermonters are grappling with rising costs, driven by demographic pressures and systemic issues in areas such as education finance spending, housing, and healthcare. Based on data compiled by the Vermont Futures Project, our state must add an average of 13,500 people to its workforce annually through 2035 to keep the economy thriving in the face of demographic shifts. Meanwhile, meeting current housing demand will require tripling Vermont’s housing output to produce 36,000 new units by 2029.
Addressing this level of need is even more pressing given Vermont’s ranking as the third-highest state in the nation for tax collections per capita, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Property and individual income taxes remain Vermont’s largest sources of revenue, placing additional stress on families and businesses already struggling with limited housing options and rising costs. While band-aid solutions might feel appealing, real progress requires honest conversations, a shared commitment and a willingness to embrace compromise. We need solutions that tackle the root causes, not just the symptoms.
Last year’s success in modernizing Act 250 demonstrated how stakeholders with historically opposing sides commit to working together, and in doing so, real progress can be made, even when the process is challenging and compromises are required.
By remaining fully engaged and working through disagreements, participants honored diverse perspectives and paved the way for continued collaboration, providing a blueprint for how to accomplish meaningful change. This model of purposeful engagement — where people listen to different viewpoints, set aside rhetoric, and remain focused on shared goals — must be a cornerstone of how we move forward in Montpelier and beyond.
As we look ahead, whether in the Statehouse, the boardroom, or around the kitchen table, we must prioritize this spirit of cooperation to address our affordability crisis and build a stronger future for businesses and communities across the state.
The Vermont Chamber is committed to playing an active role in this process. We will advocate for thoughtful, data-driven policies that reduce costs, grow our economy, and create opportunities for all Vermonters.
Vermont’s challenges, from housing shortages to healthcare costs, do not rest on the shoulders of any one party, organization or community. Making meaningful reforms will require all stakeholders — legislators, administration officials, advocates, businesses and individuals — to engage in difficult conversations and embrace compromise. Only through a shared sense of responsibility and shared accountability for the outcomes can we create the conditions for inclusive and forward-thinking problem-solving. Blame and partisanship must give way to open-minded discussion and creative ideas that improve Vermonters’ lives.
As we begin the new legislative session, the Vermont Chamber calls on our leaders to remain engaged in discussions, continue the dialogue, and keep conversations focused on results. It’s time to move beyond rhetoric and engage in the real work of making Vermont more affordable and sustainable for all. By doing so, we can ensure our state’s economy remains vibrant, our communities remain livable and our future remains bright.
Amy Spear is president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Megan Sullivan is the Chamber’s Vice President of Government Affairs.
Lower ed tax rate hikes offer some relief, but not enough
Guest Perspective
Ben Kinsley
As a property taxpayer, I was relieved to see that the Dec. 1 letter from the Vermont tax commissioner did not warn of another double-digit tax increase. However, as a public policy advocate, that relief dissipated as I dug into the details.
While education spending is not projected to increase as steeply as it did last year, there is still $115 million in new education spending predicted from school districts. On top of that, there is $69 million in one-time funds that the Legislature used last year that will fall to property taxpayers this year. In total, that means $184 million in new pressure on taxes, or an 8 percent increase.
When compared to last year’s increase of $182 million in new spending, we realize there is no meaningful change. Yes, new spending is down this year, but the total increased liability for taxpayers is indistin-
guishable.
So, if the increase in total tax liability is the same, why are property taxes not up double digits again? There are a couple factors, but it mostly deals with economic drivers. First, there is a $33 million surplus that is projected from fiscal year 2025 as revenues from current taxes are higher than expected.
The second reason is that projected consumption tax revenues are up $21.9 million for 2026. Finally, a hefty 14.7 percent increase in property values that are not evenly distributed around the state will also help mitigate the increased tax burden on some households, unless you are one of the unlucky ones at the high end of the increasing grand list values. Additionally, new tax sources like the short-term rental surcharge and the cloud tax are part of the calculation this year and were not a factor last year. That artificially decreases pressure
See KINSLEY on page 7
COURTESY OF THE VERMONT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Paging Orson Welles: America faces crisis of information literacy
Guest Perspective
Walt Amses
I’m feeling nostalgic remembering when UFO sightings happened on dark, wooded country roads in places like New Hampshire as Barney and Betty Hill learned in September 1961 in what became known as the “Hill Abduction” incident. Their chilling account of being abducted by extraterrestrials near Lincoln as the “Old Man in the Mountain” looked on grimly, began with Betty noticing a point of light she initially thought was a falling star until it moved upward while growing bigger and brighter, flashing multicolored lights as it crossed the face of the full moon.
As the craft descended and the Hills realized it wasn’t an airliner heading for Burlington or Montreal, their lives took a dramatic and haunting turn that would remain the stuff of nightmares for the rest of their lives and many of ours as well. Their experience has, of course, never been corroborated, which is precisely why the
KINSLEY continued from page 6
on property taxes despite the appetite for spending.
While it is tempting to consider, in the context of last year, a 5.9 percent increase in Vermonter’s property tax bills a victory, when we reframe the context around what that means for the household budgets of our friends and neighbors, the story changes.
The U.S. inflation rate for the fourth quarter was 2.3 percent. Looking ahead to the third quarter of 2025, when property taxes would go into effect, it is projected to be the same. This means that the increased tax burden is 2.6 times higher than inflation, which is a strong indicator that incomes will not keep pace with this tax increase.
The average property tax bill in Vermont is $4,697 annually, which translates to another $277 that taxpayers can expect to shell out for the upcoming school year. That is more than a full week’s worth of groceries for a typical Vermont family. It’s also more than two months’ worth of electricity.
For a family that is not income-sensitized, the increase is even more pronounced. On a $500,000 home in South Burlington, for example, a family paying based on their property value instead of income could expect to see a $534 increase in their property tax bill next year.
As pointed out by Tom Pelham, Tom Pelham, a co-founder of Campaign for Vermont and former independent House representative, the reason we are in this mess to begin with is that we have consistently seen annual increases in education spending in the double digits over the last
“what ifs” still enthrall, sending shivers down our spines if we see a strange light on the nighttime snow or the cat’s head suddenly swivels toward the door as if she’s expecting visitors.
The mesmerizing power of the unknown and its ghastly possibilities has haunted us since rattling in the tall grass triggered the natural fight-or-flight response driven by a still primitive sympathetic nervous system. Depending on past experiences, our response to perceived threats, according to The Cleveland Clinic, may manifest in different ways. If an unexpected shower had ruined a picnic or two, we’d probably begin packing up the potato salad at the first hint of a cloud. If we shared the ecosystem with lions and tigers and bears, Oh My, our departure might be marked by more urgency.
When the Hills arrived at their destination, they had no explanation why the trip took seven hours — two or three longer
See AMSES on page 12
Letters to the Editor
When you’re in a hole, you stop digging
To the Editor:
The United States ran up more than $30.5 trillion in federal deficits between 1998 and 2024, and the national debt, which exceeds $36 trillion, is costing Americans $1.8 billion per day in interest payments. Dollars held in 1998 have been devalued to 51 cents today.
President Ronald Reagan said, “We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.”
The big spenders in Washington must realize that when you are in a hole, you stop digging, reduce debt, prioritize spending and restore fiscal sanity in our country.
Frank Mazur
South Burlington
Boom!
Trump a threat to democracy, it’s time to enact Article 14
To the Editor:
We all know and remember about January 6, 2021, and what President Trump did. That now-convicted felon is unfit to serve as president. Article 14 of the United States Constitution says it clearly.
I am calling on a Vermont Democrats to call, write and email Sens. Sanders and Welch and Rep. Balint to get the Democrats in Congress and President Biden to enact Article 14. It is a matter of national security and Trump is a threat to democracy.
Scott
Miller South Burlington
five years — a total spending increase of 30 percent between 2019 and 2024.
Federal funds and the growth in sales taxes have masked this skyrocketing spending, but it’s now catching up with us in the form of higher property taxes. Fixing this propensity for spending requires structural reform that introduces more accountability and transparency into our education funding system. We spend the second most per student out of any state in the country, yet our results are far from second best.
What we have is a distribution of resources problem. The resources we have are not making it to the right places to improve — or even maintain — outcomes for students. Educators, administrators and policymakers have been constantly distracted by new shiny objects.
The good news is that this is fixable if policymakers set a laser-focus on the common outcomes we all want — improved test scores, post-secondary readiness, college placement — and create the incentives to hit them and empower folks on the ground to strive for greatness. Today, too many of the incentives are misplaced, which leads to disproportionately high spending and declining outcomes. I hope legislators are up to the task.
Ben Kinsley has over a decade of non-profit experience shaping public policy in education, elections and ethics. He currently serves as the interim executive director for Campaign for Vermont, a non-partisan advocacy group seeking to grow the state’s middle class.
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Invest in community
Local construction company hires new project supers
Neagley & Chase Construction of South Burlington has hired Todd Boucher and Dan Pulinski as project superintendents.
Both U.S. Army veterans, Boucher comes to the firm after more than four years as a project superintendent with a full-service construction firm in Massachusetts. Pulinski’s previous experience includes more than five years as a project superintendent in Colorado and an engineer officer with the U.S. Army in Fort Drum, N.Y.
Boucher graduated from Norwich University in 2015. He lives in Salisbury, N.H. Pulinski graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology in 2016 and lives in Burlington.
The construction company specializes in commercial construction for various industries, including multi-family housing, food and beverage, manufacturing, education, water and wastewater, health care and office buildings.
“In this competitive job market, we are incredibly fortunate to find experienced, talented individuals like Todd and Dan who arrive at our firm with established track records in commercial construction,” Rob Higgins, vice president of Neagley & Chase Construction, said. “They have both hit the ground running, and their expertise has already proven helpful.”
Community Notes
Library hosts neighbor event for newcomers
The South Burlington Public Library would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new neighbors on Market Street.
Join fellow South Burlington newcomers at the library on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. for a fun and cozy event to meet the community and explore the library.
The library is located at 180 Market Street.
What to expect:
• Free hot chocolate
• Play games and connect with others
• Participate in a scavenger hunt with prizes
All are welcome. Learn more at southburlingtonlibrary.org.
The Library is ADA accessible bur patrons are asked to call (802) 846-4140 in advance if special services are required.
Since its grand opening on July 23, 2021, thousands of visitors have crossed the library threshold. In the first year, over 1,800 new library cards were issued to the public.
Cathedral
hosts pancake breakfast
The Cathedral’s Bishop DeGoesbriand Council will serve a pancake breakfast in the parish hall, 29 Allen St., Burlington, on Sunday, Jan. 12, from 9-11:30 a.m.
Feast on all your favorites: blueberry pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, French toast and more. Coffee, juice and real maple syrup are included.
The cost is $10 per person, $5 for kids and $ 25 per family of four. Take-out containers available.
Fire department, library present safety storytime
Michelle Collins, a firefighter and advanced emergency medical technician will offer a fire safety storytime at the South Burlington Public Library.
The South Burlington firefighter’s talk will be held Saturday, Jan. 11, at 10 a.m.
SoBu Business Association
$8,750 to food shelf
South Burlington Business Association member businesses have collectively donated $8,750 to the South Burlington Food Shelf through the annual Food Shelf Initiative.
The association stated the contribution underscores its members’ commitment to supporting the local community and addressing food insecurity, noting
the food shelf “plays a crucial role in ensuring that no one in the community goes hungry.” The funds raised by SBBA members will help the food shelf purchase essential food items, expand its outreach efforts and continue serving individuals and families facing food insecurity in the South Burlington area.
For more information about the association and its initiatives, visit sbbabiz.com or contact Julie Beatty at SBBABiz@gmail.com.
Shelburne Age Well hosts two luncheons
St. Catherine of Siena and Age Well are teaming up to offer luncheons on Tuesday, Jan. 14, and Tuesday, Jan. 21, for anyone 60 or older in the St. Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St., in Shelburne.
The check-in time is 11:30 and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation.
The menu for Jan. 14 is a pork chop with pineapple sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, green and black beans, wheat bread and pears. The deadline to register is Jan. 8
The menu for Jan. 21 is macaroni and cheese, green beans, stewed tomatoes, wheat roll and an apple. The deadline to register is Jan. 15.
Contact Molly BonGiorno, nutrition coordinator at 802-6625283 or mbongiorno@agewellvt. org
Tickets are also available at the Age Well Office, 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210, Colchester.
Restaurant tickets will be available for distribution for a suggested $5 donation.
Choral Chameleon brings pair of Middlebury shows
The New York-based ensemble Choral Chameleon brings its rich harmonies and adventurous programming back to Middlebury’s Mahaney Arts Center this month for two very different choral experiences: a traditional choral concert on Saturday, Jan. 18, and a free “choral installation” on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The Mahaney Arts Center is located on the Middlebury College campus, at 72 Porter Field Road.
The Jan. 18 concert will kick off a weeklong campus residency with a program titled “Control” in the Mahaney Arts Center’s Robison Hall. The music will explore the timeless and complex relationship between parents and children, and the eternal push and pull between generations — bound by love, yet separated by perspec-
COURTESY PHOTO
New York-based ensemble Choral Chameleon is bringing two very different programs this month to Middlebury College.
OUTDOORS
Bark helps the trees weather the winter
The Outside Story
Catherine Wessel
When I think about winter survival, my mind first goes to wildlife: field mice curling up in nests, chickadees flocking to bird feeders, and amphibians burrowing into the mud.
Rarely do I think about the adaptations of our northern species that can’t grow thicker fur, fluff up their feathers, or go underground. Trees, for instance, face the same freezing temperatures, wet weather, and harsh winds, all with the added challenge of not being able to move.
One way trees endure winter is through adaptations in their bark. With the deciduous leaves long gone, the winter forest has been laid bare, giving us the perfect conditions to attune ourselves to the strategies of tree bark.
Paper birch (Betula papyrifera) is one of the most familiar characters on a walk in the winter woods. Its distinctive bright white, straight trunk stands out against the blue sky on clear days and is easily distinguished by its bark that peels off in horizontal curls.
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) also have light-colored bark and can thrive at this northern edge. Some species with light bark have the added advantage of bark that can photosynthesize in winter; aspen and paper birch are notable for this ability. Multiple adaptations ensure that trees are well prepared to survive the northern winters.
American beech (Fagus grandifolia) can also photosynthesize through its bark, although it doesn’t grow as far north as these other species. Its range extends from Florida to Quebec and into the Midwest.
Though it may be counterintuitive, the bark reflects heat and prevents the tree from warming up too much, protecting it against damage from changes in temperature.
When healthy, it has smooth, unbroken gray bark, and can live to 400 years old. Beechnuts provide important mast for a variety of wildlife species and were once the primary food source for the now extinct passenger pigeon. The thin bark on American beech can photosynthesize, even in temperatures below freezing, giving the beech a bump in energy to help sustain it through this season.
It is also one of our northernmost hardwoods. Ranging across Canada and the northern United States, and occasionally found as far south as North Carolina, the paper birch is notable for surviving nearly to the tree line in the arctic, a place where few hardwoods can reach. Part of its success lies in its white bark: though it may be counterintuitive, the bark reflects heat and prevents the tree from warming up too much, protecting it against damage from changes in temperature.
This adaptation is especially important in winter, when fluctuations are extreme between dark, cold nights and sunny days with no cover. Regulating temperature is essential for avoiding injury, such as sunscald and frost cracks, and this adaptation is so effective that arborists sometimes wrap light-colored material around planted trees that have dark bark to protect them.
Although this adaptation helps the tree throughout winter, photosynthesis through bark becomes most active in the “vernal window,” the shoulder season between winter and spring, after snowmelt and before leaf-out, when trees need energy for new growth.
While thicker bark on many tree species prevents sunlight from reaching the photosynthesizing cork skin, this bark offers a different benefit by protecting and insulating the tree from temperature changes. Michael Wojtech, author of Bark, refers to the thick platelike bark of the eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) as “radiator fins.” These blocky sections of bark increase surface area for air to move around, distributing heat and maintaining even temperatures. Because hemlocks retain their needles all winter, little sunlight reaches bark anyway, so this adaptation serves this tree well. Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) has similarly thick and furrowed bark.
With the distraction of other growing things gone for the season, winter is an ideal time to turn our attention to tree bark and admire not only the great variety of subtle colors and textures, but also to ponder how these qualities facilitate different strategies for surviving the winter.
On your next walk through the winter woods, you may notice the shreddy bark of hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), the great diamond ridges of white ash (Fraxinus americana), and the burnt potato chip bark of black cherry (Prunus serotina). How do each of these types of bark help the trees?
Catherine Wessel is the assistant editor at Northern Woodlands. 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.
PHOTO BY DEBORAH J. BENOIT
Showy cape primrose might be your next favorite houseplant
DEBORAH J. BENOIT
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT EXTENSION
Streptocarpus are commonly known as cape primrose, but don’t confuse them with the common primrose (Primula vulgaris), a perennial plant that you may have grown outdoors at home. While the two share some physical similarities, their care requirements are quite different.
The common primrose in your garden is hardy in United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 4-8. Streptocarpus, on the other hand, are hardy in zones 9-11, so in cooler climates like ours they won’t survive yearround outdoors.
Streptocarpus are native to tropical regions in southern Africa, where they grow in wooded areas in the mountains. They prefer warmer temperatures and moderate or indirect light. While you could grow this plant outdoors in warmer weather, be sure to bring it indoors before temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Like many other tropical perennials, Streptocarpus are marketed as houseplants. They’re related to African violets and thrive with similar care and conditions. They are easy to grow and can provide colorful blossoms, even during the cold winter months.
Because they don’t require bright light, they’re ideal for
growing near a sunny window. Just be sure to avoid a direct southern exposure because strong sunlight can damage the leaves.
Don’t allow the soil to dry out completely. Likewise, don’t overwater. Water when the top layer of soil is dry, and avoid getting water on the leaves. Feed with a flowering plant fertilizer, or one intended for African violets, according to package directions.
Remove damaged leaves and faded flowers and stems as needed. Leaves also can be trimmed to remove minor damage.
Streptocarpus are compact plants. The long, velvety, green leaves grow in a rosette with trumpet-shaped flowers rising above the leaves. Flower colors include shades of red, purple, blue, white, yellow and variegated combinations. This houseplant can put on a flowery show for months at a time.
Mature plants grow to between 6-12 inches high and from 18-30 inches in diameter, depending on the variety. They will do well in a 5- or 6-inch pot.
Repot when the plant fills its container. Choose a light, well-draining potting mix such as one intended for African violets.
At that time, plants with multiple crowns can be divided. Separate the crowns by gently easing them apart and potting each section individually.
Like African violets, streptocarpus can also be propagated from a leaf though the method is a bit different. Prepare a small seed-starting tray with a light, soilless potting mix that has been moistened. Select a healthy leaf. You can either trim off a 2-inch piece of leaf while still on the plant or harvest the entire leaf and cut it into 2-inch sections.
Draw a furrow in the potting mix and place each section into the potting mix with the lower cut edge beneath the surface. Firm the soil around the leaf section.
Place the container in a plastic bag or under a clear cover and put it in a warm, well-lit spot in indirect light. Open the container to allow excess humidity to escape or add water if needed.
Over the next four to six weeks, tiny plantlets should form along leaf at the soil surface. Be patient and allow them to form leaves and roots before separating from the mother leaf. When ready, put them into 2-inch starter pots.
With their easy care and long-lasting, showy display of flowers, streptocarpus may become your new favorite plant in your indoor garden.
Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension Master Gardener from North Adams, Massachusetts, who is part of the Bennington County Chapter.
Streptocarpus, also known as cape primrose, is an attractive houseplant that is easy to grow and easy to propagate. To propagate streptocarpus leaves, the first step is to cut each leaf into two-inch sections.
continued from page 7
than the 178-mile drive should have taken — what ufologists referred to as “missing time.” They remembered almost nothing of the estimated 35 miles of highway between Lincoln and Ashland except the image of a fiery orb sitting on the ground, which they both for some reason assumed must have been the moon, which had set much earlier in the evening.
It was through individual hypnosis the frightening details emerged. The couple recalled having been taken aboard the craft
ing occupants. Less than dignified bodily probes ensued. Alien beings spoke and mumbled in languages impossible to understand. And glowing eyes coming closer and closer.
Barney explained: “All I see are these eyes. I’m not even afraid that they’re not connected to a body. They’re just there.”
The Hill’s terrifying experience spawned a series of books, movies and television shows in the middle of the cold war, prompting debunkers to claim sightings were “misperceptions,” and Cold War
were extraterrestrial craft on a mission to save humankind from an atomic war.
The Air Force’s “Project Bluebook” spent 17 years collecting, analyzing and reporting on thousands of sightings with “no evidence of extraterrestrial vehicles,” which did nothing to quell our fear of the vast universe, not to mention Russia.
Irrational fear is on the rise again with numerous reported sightings of flying objects over New Jersey, most of which were identified as either commercial or
aircraft or helicopters. While some official explanations were more hilarious than conspiratorial, MAGA lost its mind anyway, social media clutched its pearls, and no one seemed to realize Jersey’s status as the most densely populated state might realistically mean a single object could easily generate hundreds of calls.
One government spokesman may have contributed to the panic by suggesting early on that the objects were difficult to track, especially when “they turned the lights off,” prompting concern over
ing if all an enemy aircraft need do to become virtually undetectable was flick the switch. Complicating matters is the fact that drones are not playthings of the fabulously wealthy; you can buy a credible drone with sufficient blinking lights to terrorize the neighbors for under $50.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported over 383,000 commercial drones were registered in the U.S. to go along with another 392,000 recreational drones, generating revenue of $1.4 billion. Not an alien invasion by any stretch but certainly fertile ground for conspiracy theories generated by the usual suspects.
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Even King Donald weighed in, taking time from sequestration at Mar-a-Lago and having his ass kissed by shameless tech toadies and basking in the misinterpreted “honor” of joining Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Putin, Adolph Hitler and Ayatollah Khomeini as Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year.”
While the president-elect offered that “something strange is going on and for some reason they (the government?) don’t want to tell the people,” he left the brunt of the heavy lifting to MAGA minions, always at the ready to spread the gospel.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, posting on the oxymoronic “Truth Social,” volunteered her services in unintentionally threatening syntax: “I’ll shoot the drones down myself along with every other red-blooded, freedom-loving American if they try to tell us all to stay inside, stay home, shelter in place FOR OUR SAFETY from the drones, there is no way in hell I will comply with that bullshit.” Greene prefers batshit.
Staunchly MAGA Roseanne Barr cites “Project Blue Beam,” a 1990s theory originated by Canadian journalist Serge Monast and frequently touted by Alex Jones that warns of a government initiative to fake an alien invasion to abolish religion and install a new world order — or something like that. State Sen. Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania posting on X from a galaxy far, far away, shared a photo captioned “breaking news … crashed drone retrieved from water … taken to undisclosed location for further investigation.”
The “further investigation” determined Mastriano’s hair was ablaze over a prop from the Star Wars franchise, prompting the Texas Observer’s Steven Monacelli to point out America’s real problem: “Our nation is facing a crisis of information literacy.” Barney and Betty Hill are likely out there somewhere. Laughing at us.
Walt Amses is a Vermont-based writer.
LONG VIEW
continued from page 1
Housing and Conservation Board awarded a grant of $175,000 to complete the acquisition of the property. A new condition in the grant agreement has proved contentious and may hinder the project moving forward. It states that approximately 6.2 acres of the property will be conserved as a “transition zone” that leaves open the possibility for future affordable housing development or other appropriate community uses.
“The additional 6.2 acres has probably been the issue that’s been most contentious for people,” Gus Seelig, executive director of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, told the council Monday night. “Our concern in the draft resolution was to make sure, because there really isn’t a site plan for the Habitat lot, that if we needed a little bit more land in order to accommodate 16 homes that that could be done.”
But the city council took no concrete action Monday night other than councilor Andrew Chalnick, who owns land that directly abuts the property, recusing himself from the conversation over a conflict of interest. While he had chosen not to recuse himself in previous conversations despite some public outcry, he cited a new state ethics policy for the change in his decision.
“In good conscience, I believed and continued to believe that I can act fairly objectively and in the public interest in respect to the Long View matter, and that under the prior policy, I didn’t have any conflict that required a recusal,” he said. “However, under this new state-mandated policy, a council’s belief is no longer relevant.”
While the new VHCB grant stipulation poses a problem for some of the partners in the project, the project has stirred some backlash since its inception. Councilor support for the project has not been unanimous since the beginning — Mike Scanlan voted no on the project — and neither has community support.
Residents have cited a lack of transparency over the use of open space funds to buy the property, specifically a property located within one of the city’s wealthiest enclaves.
Voters established the Open Space and Conservation Fund in 2000, levying one cent on the tax rate for the conservation and acquisition of open spaces. In the years that followed, voters approved widening and modifying the scope of the fund to include the acquisition of lands for recreation and for maintenance and enhancement of the city’s parks.
In the years since this fund was established, the city has acquired, conserved or participated in a partnership to purchase eight prop-
erties totaling over 635 acres. Six properties are in the city’s southeast quadrant, the southernmost portion of the city bordering Hinesburg and Williston, which constitutes the largest undeveloped part of South Burlington with some of the most expensive real estate in Vermont.
“We are putting in a large chunk of money to this project, and I thought it was only incumbent upon us to maximize the affordable housing aspects of it, to make this for the city a win-win, given the different needs of the community,” Scanlan said. “I had urged that we include language that said we will strive to go beyond 16 (affordable homes).”
Scanlan noted that another reason for voting no from the beginning was he believes the city deviated from its standard procedures for purchasing land, which, in turn, has created consternation among the community.
“This was done against the backdrop of the open funds having so far exclusively been used only to purchase land in the southeast quadrant,” he said.
Councilor Elizabeth Fitzgerald, who voted a “cautious yes” for the project initially, also voiced support for the VHCB resolution language which she says could provide flexibility in the future as needs for the city shift.
“To me, that is a hallmark of what we need to be looking for in terms of future needs of generations that we can’t even anticipate right now,” she said.
The council hit an inflection point in the two-year-long project Monday night as discussions over flexibility for future uses of the property were debated among both the landowner and city councilors. Bellavance, the property owner, told the council that while he is committed to the project and its four partners, the language in the new stipulation, as it stands now, would not allow the project to move forward.
“I’ve never had this happen before, where a developer is saying to an elected body, go or no go, like this,” city manager Jessie Baker said. “This is incredibly bizarre to me. But if that’s what the landowner is saying to you, then I think it’s a really unfair position to put elected officials in.”
Since no concrete vote was taken on the part of the council, it remains unclear what exactly the next steps are for the door to remain open, but it’s likely that negotiations for a path forward will continue in the coming weeks.
“What I’m reacting to is giving (the council), giving us, as staff, the ability and time to put together a good recommendation for them to be able to say yes to,” Baker said.
SoBu municipal budget hearing set for Jan. 13
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
While municipalities across the state grapple with tough decisions this budget season, South Burlington’s city leaders have been hard at work to present a budget to the community that puts affordability at the forefront while also maintaining the city’s daily operations
Although city manager Jessie Baker originally projected a 7 percent increase in municipal tax rates to the council in September, city staffers have been able to cut that in half, landing on a budget that looks to have a tax rate impact closer to 3.33 percent.
The proposed $36.1 million general fund budget, which includes all revenues and expenses relat-
PENNY FOR PATHS
continued from page 1
agreed that putting the question out to voters would be in the best interest of the city to keep pace with repair work, other councilors thought the effort was rushed and wouldn’t give voters enough time to learn what they would be voting on.
“I think the objective is to finish our network, and we don’t yet have a real sense of what that is going to entail, and I think it would be premature to put this to the ballot,” councilor Mike Scanlan said. “I’ll be more comfortable a year later or something when we’ve had an opportunity to have the active transportation plan that we will see in February. Next year we’ll know more about some other business developments.”
Councilor Laurie Smith agreed the amendment would ultimately go against what residents initially voted on in 2018.
Bob Britt, a South Burlington resident and member of the group
ed to day-to-day city operations, represents a roughly 2.5 percent increase in spending over last year’s $35.5 million budget.
“You guys have knocked it this year,” councilor Laurie Smith said to Baker and her team Monday night.
The budget accounts for increased permit and electrical inspection fees along with an increase in ambulance billing.
The council also opted to fund all climate related capital improvement projects this year with $244,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“It just reinforces how, going forward this year, how much thoughtful discussion we’re going to have to have, because we’ll be confronting this challenge every year,” councilor Mike Scanlan said.
“So, thank you again for finding some savings and bringing some fees up to sort of current standards.”
The city council will hold a public hearing Jan. 13 to hear from voters about the budget. The city council is also anticipated to formally adopt and warn the vote at that same meeting.
“I know we’ll vote on this at the next meeting, but for all voters who are watching or here tonight to understand that this is a very, I think, lean but productive budget,” council chair Tim Barritt said. “So, when you go to the voting booth on March 5, please pay attention to the municipal budget for what it is and for how much work has been put into it and for what it produces for the city and for our long-term plans and our city plan.”
that rallied around the original Penny for Path program, agreed that the language of the original tax was intentionally restrictive in only including new infrastructure. This new amendment, he said, would be like “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
“When I and others worked to approve the Penny for Path ballot initiative back in 2018 it was the result of frustration with getting city councils to fund any new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure over a number of years, even though the bicycle and pedestrian committee, through public meetings, had heard from residents their desire for over 65 new shared use, paths, sidewalks and crosswalks for safety, recreation and transportation purposes,” Britt said. “The council at the time was unable or unwilling to fund this public demand for these capital projects.”
The motion to put the question to voters ultimately failed on a 2-3 straw poll.
“I hear a can kicking down road,” Barritt said, holding his hand to his ear. “When you build an asset, it always is going to have maintenance and maintenance costs are ongoing forever. It would have been better if it had said, say, five or 10 percent for maintenance and 90 percent for brand new construction so that the tail is finally keeping up to date with the tree roots that grow underneath the bike paths.”
ROOMMATES
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FILE PHOTO
South Burlington’s Long View project has hit an obstacle amid efforts to conserve 32 acres of the land off Spear Street.
kemer49@yahoo.com
Piano Lessons
Piano and Composition Lessons Give the gift of music-making Basic, intermediate - children, teens, adults National Keyboard Arts Curriculum References, scholarships available Edward Darling, So. Burlington edwardjohndarling@gmail.com • 802-318-7030
On the gridiron
Wolves sports teams resume action after holiday break
points, while Deng Aguek had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Oli Avdibegovic grabbed 11 rebounds for the team.
Boys’ hockey
Rutland 3, South Burlington 2: South Burlington surrendered three goals in the third period to fall to Rutland in high school boys’ hockey on Saturday.
Hayden Nelson and Jack Kelly each had a goal for the Wolves. Lynkin Poirier made 18 saves in goal.
The Wolves also fell on Monday, Dec. 30, to North Country, 3-2, in overtime.
Trey Smith and Harrison Poquette each had a goal in the effort, but North Country found the winner in extra time. Alex Chagnon stopped 20 shots in the loss.
Boys’ basketball
South Burlington 58, Mount Mansfield 43: South Burlington outscored Mount Mansfield 16-5 in the second quarter to pull away and gain a victory on Friday.
Paul Comba paced the Wolves with 19
COMMUNITY NOTES
continued from page 9
tive. Featuring original choral works and arrangements by composers including Bela Bartók, Michael McGlynn, John Corigliano, Manuel de Falla, Duncan Sheik, and Janet Jackson, this evening of choral music examines the deeply nuanced bond between those who raise us and those we raise. This concert will also be streamed.
Then on Jan. 22, Choral Chameleon will transform the Mahaney Arts Center into a creative choral installation, with singers throughout the building. This world premiere of the new work “I Am” was written for Middlebury by Choral Chameleon’s founder and artistic director Vince Peterson, with a libretto by Ryan Bauer-Walsh.
Choral Chameleon’s Director of Education and Touring, Ronnie Romano has gathered together a group of students and community singers who will perform alongside the guest artists. Audiences will move through the MAC at their own pace,
It was a rebound win for South Burlington, which fell to Rice on Monday, Dec. 30.
In that game, the Wolves had a 31-27 lead at halftime but were outscored 24-14 in the third quarter by the Green Knights. Aguek had 25 points in a losing effort to lead South Burlington, while Comba added 16 points.
Girls’ basketball
Colchester 37, South Burlington 34: Colchester scored on a three-point play with just 10 seconds to go to pull away from South Burlington for a girls’ basketball win on Monday, Dec. 30.
Tori Griffin had 20 points for South Burlington and Lexi Paquette added 10 points.
Anya Davis scored two points and hit the ensuing free throw to complete the threepoint play and get the win for the Lakers.
discovering music as they go, and creating their own unique musical experience. This event is free and open to all.
The Jan. 18 concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $25 for the general public, $20 for Middlebury faculty/staff and alumni, $10 for youth, and $5 for Middlebury College students. This concert will also be streamed ($15 regular, $5 Middlebury College students).
Vermont Teddy Bear Factory presents Bernie Mitten creator
Come buy a copy of the book “Bernie’s Mitten Maker” book, or have your book signed by author Jen Ellis, at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory and Retail Store, at 6655 Shelburne Road, Jan. 25, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
More information, vermontteddybear. com/pages/vermont-teddy-bear-events.
The Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School football squad recently took part in the Vermont flag football championship. The team representing Tuttle went undefeated, defeating teams from the Chittenden Flag League and Stowe.