South Burlington hockey team shuts out nearby rival skaters
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
A new bill passed last year meant to expand pre-charge and restorative justice practices throughout the entire state has some municipal leaders in Chittenden County sounding the alarm to the Legislature over ramifications the plan could pose.
The bill, Act 180, which is set to take effect in June, aims to expand pre-charge diversion and restorative justice practices throughout the state while also stabilizing funding and streamline oversight to ensure the program’s success.
Vermont has a long history with restorative justice practices. In South Burlington, those practices date back as far as 2010. For Josef Lavanway, executive director of the South Burlington Community Justice Center, restorative justice is much more a philosophy than a program.
“It’s a philosophy rooted in community, in repairing harm, in building that community, and supporting folks to not have similar situations happen in the future,”
See BILL on page 13
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The South Burlington school board has officially adopted next year’s budget, but the vote for the $71.5 million spending proposal was not unanimous among board
members, and the lengthy discussion ahead of its adoption proved painful for the entire community.
If approved at Town Meeting Day in March, the district will see the reduction of nearly 15 fulltime equivalent staff positions, along with the decimation of some
programs that some students have called “lifesaving.”
The $71.5 million budget includes a 7 percent increase over last year’s spending, largely indicative of a roughly 2.5 percent inflation rate and the state-mandated district contribu-
tions to employee health benefits programs, which are estimated to increase by more than 11 percent, or roughly $900,000.
According to a presentation
See SCHOOL BUDGET on page 12
COURTESY PHOTO
South Burlington’s delegation to the Vermont House of Representives started the new session last week. For a look into the first days, see page 2. From left, Reps. Brian Minier, Bridget Burkhardt, Kate Nugemt, Emilie Karsnow and Martin LaLonde.
Legislators share their first days of 2025 session
TOMMY GARDNER STAFF WRITER
Legislators serving South Burlington settled into their seats in the Vermont Statehouse last week to start the new legislative session. The vibe was generally convivial, as is typical in the early days, before the hard work really begins.
The election of House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, by secret ballot promised some drama, but even that 111-35 win over Rep. Laura Sibilia, I-Dover, proved less dramatic in the end.
Here’s a snapshot — and some snapshots — of the South Burlington delegation’s opening days, including how they voted in the Speaker election, if they shared.
Senators, Chittenden
Southeast district
Kesha Ram Hinsdale
D-Shelburne
Senate Majority Leader Committees: Member, Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs. Member, Senate Education.
Seat number: 8, between Sens. Lyons and Chittenden.
Contact: By email at kramhins dale@leg.state.vt.us.
Quotable: “I will be focused on economic growth, cost of living, and solving the education finance challenges we face.”
Thomas Chittenden
D-South Burlington Committees: Vice chair, Finance. Member, Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs.
Seat number: 9, in between Sen. Ram Hinsdale and Sen. Tanya Vyhosky, D-Essex.
Contact: by email at tchitten-
den@leg.state.vt.us.
Quotable: “I look forward to continuing the hard work of improving our education finance formula and I welcome the change for my morning committee to dive deeper into opportunities to grow Vermont’s economy, housing stock and opportunities to attract more people to want to live here, work here, stay here and thrive here in the Green Mountain State.”
Virginia “Ginny” Lyons D-Williston Committees: Chair, Finance. Member, Senate Appropriations. Third member of the Committee on Committees, which, along with the Lieutenant Governor and President Pro Tem, appoints each senator to standing, joint legislative, and or statewide committees. “I am the first woman to be elected to this position for a full biennium,”
A Fresh Start in 2025
Dreaming of a new home this year? Whether you’re buying or selling, I’m your
Lyons notes.
Seat number: 7, an aisle seat, with Sens. Ram Hinsdale and Chittenden right next to her.
Contact: By email at vlyons@ leg.state.vt.us.
Quotable: “Providing adequate resources for programs supporting Vermonters is critical. At the same time, property taxes, housing, health care and other costs challenge each of us. It is
critical that experienced legislators are there to work on these and other issues.”
South Burlington House members
Rep. Emilie Krasnow D-Chittenden-9 Committee: Ranking member
COURTESY
Tim Barritt announces fourth city council bid
Political Notebook
Tim Barritt
Tim Barritt has announced he is running for re-election to the South Burlington City Council, seeking a fourth term in the threeyear seat he first won in 2016.
“The previous three years have seen enormous growth in housing in City Center and O’Brien Hillside and demand for services from our City Center anchor, our library. Since I was elected chair of the council last year, I would like to continue working through our challenges of reacting to climate change, facilitating housing growth for all income levels, protecting open space vital resources and keeping the city budget acceptable to voters” Barritt, who has worked at IBM/ GlobalFoundries for over 43 years, said. “Our city plan was completed last year and it’s time to use that as a template for our future endeavors. Tax receipts are back up to pre-pandemic levels and we have robust grand list growth. We also have an opportunity to work with the school district to make infrastructure changes that help kids walk or bike to school.”
A resident of South Burlington for over 32 years, Barritt and his family first lived in the East Woods area and now reside in the Cider Mill neighborhood. His wife is a retired art teacher who has been leading the project to paint local utility boxes and murals throughout the city. Their son Sam works at a medical start-up in Cambridge, Mass. Their son Julian graduated from the University of Vermont and taught at South Burlington High School.
Prior to his time on the council, Barritt served on the library’s board of trustees and as chair of the development review board.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
continued from page 2
of House General and Housing. “Housing is intricately linked to nearly every aspect of life — economic security, health, and opportunity — and I am committed to tackling this critical challenge,” she said.
Seat number: 58, the same seat her late father once held, making her the third Krasnow to hold the seat. “Every day, I feel his presence guiding my work with integrity, honesty, and humor. I keep a picture of him in my desk as a reminder of his values and the example he set,” she said. To her left is Rep. Ela Chapin, D-East Montpelier; to her right is Rep. Alyssa Black, D-Essex.
Caucuses: Co-chair of the Working Vermonters Caucus. “I am committed to ensuring that all workers receive fair wages, benefits, and working conditions,” she said. “In the upcoming legislative session, I will continue to advocate for policies that empower workers and amplify their voices in the decisions that impact them.
Also, active participant in the Climate Solutions Caucus, Women’s Caucus, Future Caucus, Social Equity Caucus, and Older Vermonters Caucus.
page 7
Barritt supported the 2022 land development regulation changes that sought to protect environmentally sensitive land from over-development in the Southeast Quadrant.
“I am proud that the federal courts and Supreme Court have turned away challenges to those LDRs. While changes in zoning have been ordered by Montpelier to increase density in areas served by sewer and water, we will still work to protect the Southeast Quadrant’s natural habitat blocks and forested areas,” he said.
Barritt also voted in favor of creating the rental registry to ensure that all rental housing units meet fire safety codes and to diminish the effects of short-term rentals on the housing shortage.
“We have a good council that wants to do good things for the city. I want to continue to engage in our work and seek input from residents. We are very lucky to have an excellent city manager and staff that furnish professional fire, ambulance, public works and zoning services for our residents,” Barritt said. “I enjoy working with them and always consider their counsel to be especially insightful. If elected, I will enjoy continuing that relationship.”
Tim Barritt
COURTESY PHOTO
Rep. Emilie Krasnow, D-South Burlington, at her, and her late father’s, House seat.
CRIME & COURTS
Vermont U.S. Attorney steps down, Trump to name successor
MIKE DONOGHUE CORRESPONDENT
Nikolas “Kolo” Kerest, the U.S. Attorney for Vermont for the past three years, submitted his resignation, effective Jan. 20.
Kerest told his office last week that he had sent his resignation to both outgoing President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Kerest, a Shelburne resident, has been a federal prosecutor for more than 14 years and was selected by Biden, a Democrat, for the political appointment three years ago.
Kerest has no immediate future professional plans.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher of Hinesburg will serve as the acting U.S. Attorney starting Jan. 20. Drescher has spent more than 22 years in the office handling both civil and criminal cases, including several high-profile prosecutions.
Drescher was a finalist to become a federal judge in Vermont last year, but the job went to public defender Mary Kay Lanthier of Orwell.
The post of U.S. Attorney is a
presidential appointment, and the office is filled as the political party changes at the White House.
President-elect Donald J. Trump, a Republican, will be responsible for finding a permanent replacement.
Kerest was the replacement for U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan, who was named by Trump in his first term as president.
Since the November election, Nolan’s name has been among a handful that have been floated to be the new federal prosecutor, but it is unknown if she would be interested in returning to the office.
When Kerest took over the office, it had 53 employees, including 26 lawyers.
Kerest was one of at least five Vermont lawyers interviewed by a local screening committee for the federal post in 2021. The others were assistant U.S. Attorneys Eugenia A.P. Cowles and Owen Foster, former assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Doherty, and prominent defense lawyer and former state prosecutor Brooks McArthur of Burlington.
The U.S. Attorney is the top-ranking federal law enforce-
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ment official in Vermont. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the state, including those related to firearms, narcotics, illegal immigration, exploitation of children and older adults, terrorism, public corruption and civil rights.
In civil cases, the office represents the United States and its agencies in affirmative fraud cases, defends the United States in civil cases, and collects debts owed to the government.
Kerest began as an assistant U.S Attorney in Vermont in 2010,
initially in the civil division, representing federal agencies in defensive and affirmative litigation. He served as the civil division chief from 2014-2019.
In 2019, he moved over to the criminal division, prosecuting a variety of cases, including drug trafficking and gun offenses, violent crime and immigration fraud.
He clerked for former Judge Fred I. Parker of Burlington when he sat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2000 to 2001.
Kerest majored in math as an undergraduate at Williams College and graduated from Cornell Law School in 2000.
Kerest’s wife of 24 years, Susannah, has been the development director and communications director at the King Street Youth Center. Both have been active in the Shelburne community.
Kerest, a runner, has been involved in coaching youth sports, while his wife has done stints on the Pierson Library Board and town Planning Commission. They have two children.
South Burlington Police Blotter: Jan. 6-13
Total reported incidents: 193
Arrests: 3
Traffic stops: 12
Crashes: 26
Alarms: 9
Animal problems: 5
Agency assists: 13
Public assists: 13
Disturbances: 6
Domestic disputes: 5
Foot patrols: 14
Juvenile problems: 5
Larceny: 8
Motor vehicle complaints: 8
Retail theft: 8
Suspicious events: 9
Welfare checks: 6
Arrests:
Jan. 4 at 12:08 p.m., Kevin Jerome Harris Jr., 30, Colchester, for simple assault and disorderly conduct.
Jan. 9 at 9:29 a.m., Tyler J. Partyka, 32, of Burlington,
for driving after criminal license suspension.
Jan. 11 at 10:23 a.m., Maxwell-Sebastian Dupaw, 34, of Winooski, was arrested on an in-state warrant.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Office and can be amended or dropped.
OPINION
Have questions about Long Project?
Here are a few answers to them
Guest Perspective
Sandy Dooley
The Long View project brings up numerous questions. Here are some of them, and some answers.
Is it wise stewardship of our tax dollars to spend $461,000 — $397,000 for conservation easement and $64,000 for property — to prevent the Long property, within the Great Swamp, from development?
For many, the answer is no, because the land is undevelopable as is. In fact, at the Dec. 13 Vermont Housing and Conservation Board meeting, a member stated, “Most of the acreage is self-conserving (emphasis added) as it is not buildable and if we were paying the fair market value for the parcel it wouldn’t be nearly as expensive and that the value in this project is because of the housing potential.”
Another board member, according to draft minutes of the meeting, expressed concerns with the amount of conservation funds, $175,000, being used for this project when land without housing is valued around $60,000.
Background: Vermont Housing and Conservation Board’s “transition zone” proposal gives the city flexibility to use 6.4 acres of the Long property for housing or other uses in the future. At the Jan. 6 city council meeting, the Northeast Agricultural Trust disclosed its condition that no housing ever be built on the 6.4 acres. In contrast, NEAT has not proposed any restriction on the use of the 2.7 acres of the Long property that the trust would continue to own.
Is it fair for the Northeast Agricultural Trust to impose this condition on the city when the trust’s 2.7 acres will have no restrictions and a likely market value of close to $1 million?
The answer is no.
The third question: what is the basis for Northeast Agricultural Trust’s condition that the Long project include no more than 16 housing units?
For some background, faced with the trust’s condition limiting housing to 16 homes, city councilors urged the trust to compromise — for example, by prohibiting any additional housing for 10 years. The trust replied “no,” and spoke about its discussions with neighbors.
To answer that third question, many infer from these remarks that the Northeast Agricultural Trust has a quid pro quo arrangement with neighbors that, “as long as no more than 16 homes can be built on the Long property, the neighbors will not oppose the development.”
It is not in the city’s best interest to
allow the South Burlington Land Trust, the Northeast Agricultural Trust and neighbors to dictate how city-owned land may be used.
The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board’s “transition zone” is founded on its assessment that 6.4 acres of the property are, at least in part, suitable for housing.
Is NEAT’s condition that no housing be allowed there the equivalent of a request for spot zoning?
The answer: Yes. In essence, NEAT is asking the city council to put 6.4 acres in Natural Resource Protection zoning when the land does not qualify for this classification. This benefits only the Northeast Agricultural Trust and the neighbors; it does not promote the best interests of the city and is analogous to spot zoning.
Is NEAT’s assertion accurate that the City Council had agreed to the condition to limit housing to 16 units?
Answer: No. The city council’s Sept. 9, 2024, letter to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board includes the condition that the project “build no fewer than 16” permanently affordable homeownership homes. The city council set a floor, not a ceiling.
Is councilor Laurie Smith’s assertion accurate, that the Long family proposed to build only high-priced McMansions?
Answer: No. The Long family’s 49-unit proposal included six single-family homes, 21 carriage homes, six duplex units and 16 multifamily units, including five units of affordable housing, according to Alan Long’s Feb. 12, 2021, letter to the development review board. Just six of the 49 units might have been McMansions.
Was South Burlington Land Trust’s assertion at the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board’s December board meeting correct that the City’s Southeast Quadrant includes no affordable housing?
Answer: No. South Village includes 26 affordable homes: 17 homeownerships — four not completed — and nine rentals.
Why did Councilor Andrew Chalnick, an abutting land owner, on Jan. 6, reverse his prior decision and recuse himself from the Long project?
Answer: Chalnick’s earlier refusal to recuse himself was allowed under the city’s conflict of interest policy. A new State law supersedes the city’s policy and requires any interested party to recuse themselves. Councilor Chalnick’s action to recuse himself was legally required.
Sandy Dooley is a 50-plus-year resident of South Burlington. She is vice chair of the city’s housing committee. These views are her own and do not represent any position of the committee.
You hit the trifecta, MAGA, and it’s your country now
Guest Perspective
Walt Amses
First and foremost, I want to congratulate my MAGA adversaries on their sweeping victory in November. No landslide but you still managed to run the table, taking control of the presidency and both houses of Congress.
Your team fought long, hard and dirty to make America great again mainly by “owning the libs,” presumably a worthy goal. Whether it’ll be enough to pay
the rent or buy a house, manage monthly bills, put food on the table or provide a better life for your kids is still debatable.
Slogans, no matter how catchy, don’t necessarily translate to viable policy initiatives. And the giddy joy of owning us may fade dramatically when you realize we’re not especially marketable and begin depreciating the moment we leave the showroom.
But, just for the sake of argument, let’s explore some of the implications of your big win after the heady exuberance fades away
Letters to the Editor
like an inch of snow on a sunny March afternoon.
The first priority of the “promises made, promises kept” public relations scenario, facilitated by the reemergence from the shadows of Stephen Miller to set the ship right, will be deporting the 12 million or so “illegals” running rampant throughout the country eating dogs and cats while stealing jobs rightfully yours.
I’ll bet you can’t wait to begin picking fruits and vegetables under a blazing sun, emptying bedpans and changing Depends
in nursing homes and working the slaughterhouse disassembly line for $7.25 an hour.
You’re likely thrilled Joe Biden has gone the way of the passenger pigeon and will no longer be redirecting disaster funding from hurricane victims in North Carolina to the Haitian immigrants and get that money headed in your direction where it belongs — after expenses, of course, which might be a little more than you expected.
and denounces those poisonous vaccine mandates.
The MAHA movement is about the freedom to “do your own research” and ignore the deep state medical establishment’s so called “science.” If red staters want to die at twice the rate of the rest of the country in the next pandemic, that’s their right.
School district urged to keep Japanese program
To the Editor:
Once again, South Burlington High School finds itself in its perennial struggle over what programs and services can be eliminated in order to get a budget passed. How tragic it is that educational opportunities that have been thoughtfully developed over decades to provide high-quality, enlightening experiences to our community’s youth fall victim to the budget axe.
This year’s proposed budget eliminates the Japanese language program, which has been offered for more than 20 years and has brought national and international recognition to the school.
Hundreds of students have
benefited over the years from their exposure to this non-western language and culture. The Japanese language program students regularly communicate with their sister-school students in Otaru, Japan (see related, page 8). Many of them have traveled to Japan and experienced truly unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime interactions with Japanese young people and have hosted Japanese students on their visits to Vermont.
As a result of studying Japanese language and culture, these fortunate students come away with an enhanced view of the world that helps combat notions of racism, xenophobia, and ethnocentrism, and contributes in some small way to world peace and understanding.
A program that provides our South Burlington students with
experiences that help mold them into open minded, sophisticated, global citizens should not be cut. South Burlington High School is one of the finest secondary schools in our state, and the Japanese program has been a jewel in its crown that sets it apart from run-of-the-mill high schools and makes it shine.
Let us hope and pray that the administrators of the South Burlington school system will recognize the value provided by the Japanese language program at SBHS and find a way to keep it.
Daniel W Evans, South Burlington.
Evans is associate professor emeritus of applied linguistics at Saint Michael’s College.
Estimates on the price of such a relocation range from $300 billion up front to nearly $1 trillion over a decade, stemming from expenditures on detention facilities and staffing to ensure security and safety as well as the complex logistics of an endeavor of this magnitude.
Not to worry though, MAGA, I’m sure a chunk of that cash will be headed your way, as long as you have substantial investments in privately owned prisons or detention centers where migrants will be warehoused as they await their ultimate fate.
No detention centers? No problem. We’ll just build ‘em and make some favored contractors fabulously wealthy in the process. Capitalism at its best.
After Jan. 20, we’ll finally have a government based on biblical teachings as the founders intended — except for the traitorous Thomas Jefferson, who in his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association declared, “When the American people accepted the establishment clause (of the Constitution) they built a wall of separation between church and state.”
Unfortunately, though, when Christian nationalism determines the law of the land, we’re gonna have to dump Jesus too.
Feed the hungry? Heal the sick? Damn the rich? The son of God would certainly monkey wrench the Project 25 agenda, being the wokest dude in history, even woker than Oprah.
Nope. There’s no place for either Thomas Jefferson or Jesus Christ in the MAGAverse going forward. They’ll be methodically excised from history books like the Civil War, or revised like January 6th, which as we’ve learned in the last four years was nothing more than a “a day of love.”
I’m sure you’re ecstatic about the J6 Prison Choir being pardoned “on day one,” free to spread the love, perhaps near a federal facility, post office or government building in your neighborhood.
We’re also going to be a nation in physically fine fettle beginning in just a few short weeks: MAGA, meet MAHA — the Make America Healthy Again initiative that promotes raw, unpasteurized milk
In the future, you’ll be able to ignore the lie that raw milk drinkers are 840 times more likely to contract a food borne illness; you’ll be free to believe whatever anti-vaccine rhetoric and Covid conspiracy theories you like; and without government intrusion, telling you can’t benefit from medicines designed for barnyard animals or injecting cleaning fluids, you can live your life in freedom, however short it may be.
I’ve got to admit I’m a little envious, MAGA. While I’m still struggling to put this new normal into some kind of palatable perspective, you can anticipate a future where all unpleasant history is wiped clean and new narratives of American Exceptionalism will emerge. You’ll only hear the news you want to hear, no more far-left lunatics “fact checking” every statement looking for misinformation, propaganda or outright lies. Freedom is in the air; you can almost smell it.
Even Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, is falling into line, announcing earlier this week that it would effectively end its fact-checking, originally designed to filter out the propaganda that permeates cyberspace, and instead rely on its users to police false or misleading information.
The company, according to global policy chief Joel Kaplan wants to “undo the mission creep that made the rules too restrictive and prone to over-enforcement.” As we’ve learned — or soon will — over-enforcement of information accuracy is a vile restriction of free speech.
In these next few, heady years, our American exceptionalism may very well blossom into a new era of American territorial expansionism — call it MAGAfest Destiny — as we consider absorbing Canada as our 51st state “through economic force;” purchasing Greenland for “national security reasons” despite it not being for sale; and refusing to rule out military force in retaking the Panama Canal.
You hit the trifecta, MAGA and it’s your country now: total control; no one to interfere; no one to rock the boat; and no one else to blame if it goes off the rails. I wish you luck.
Walt Amses lives in North Calais.
Above
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
continued from page 3
Speaker vote: Jill Krowinski. “While I believe in the need for change, I also believe that change must be built on a strong foundation. Right now, we need stability and experience. This was not the time for uncertainty or experimentation. We needed someone who could guide us through these tough times with wisdom and sound judgment. As many of you know, I’m an independent thinker. I don’t follow the party line without question, and I take these decisions seriously. I voted for Jill Krowinski for Speaker. She is a leader who approaches every challenge with an open mind and a focus on practical solutions.”
Contact: By email at ekrasnow@leg.state.vt.us.
Rep. Bridget Burkhardt
D-Chittenden-8
Committee: Ways and Means. “I am very happy with my assignment both because I have the opportunity to work with very experienced, thoughtful legislators, and because much of our committee work will focus on education finance, which is one of the issues that drove me to run for the Legislature,” she said.
Caucus: Women’s caucus, Climate Solutions caucus, at least so far.
Seat number: 8. Rep. David
months).
Yacovone, D-Morristown sits to the right; Rep. Kevin “Coach” Christie, D-White River Junction, is on the left.
Speaker vote: Krowinski
Contact: By email at bburkhardt@leg.state.vt.us.
Rep. Brian Minier D-Chittenden-11
Committee: Member, Corrections and Institutions. A change from his last committee, Education. “At first I was disappointed — I served on House Ed last term, was on the South Burlington school board before that, and have generally worked hard to learn a lot about education in general and ed finance in particular,” he said. “That said, there is already a good rapport among the members of my new committee, and it seems somehow apropos that I serve on Corrections given that the women’s facility is walking distance from my house. I’m now looking forward to learning about a whole new set of issues.”
Caucus: Not a member of any, but plans to attend Rural and Labor caucuses “because I think what I learn there could affect my thinking.”
Seat number: 143, with Rep. Nugent to the right and Rep. Dan Noyes, D-Wolcott, to the left.
Speaker vote: Did not
disclose. “I was pleased that there was competition, and I think the secret ballot may encourage more of that,” he said. “I am impressed by Laura Sibilia, but I think having Jill Krowinski return to the helm will serve us well. They’re both terrific leaders, and I am grateful to both.”
Contact: By email at bminier@leg.state.vt.us. South Burlington lawmakers will also be holding monthly forums at the public library and, “beginning in a couple weeks I plan to try an occasional coffee hour/office hour/whatever you want to call it.”
Martin LaLonde
D-Chittenden-12 (did not answer questions by press deadline, but we will include them online at otherpapersbvt.com if possible)
Committee: Chair, Judiciary
Seat number: 137
Contact: By email at mlalonde@leg.state.vt.us.
Kate Nugent
D-Chittenden-10 (also did not answer by press deadline)
Committee: Member, Government Operations and Military Affairs
Seat number: 144
Contact: By email at knugent@leg.state.vt.us
COURTESY PHOTOS
Above left: Rep. Martin LaLonde, D-South Burlington, last week during the first few days of the new legislative session. LaLonde is, once again, chair of the House judiciary committee.
right: Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale with her family at the Statehouse last week. With her are her mother, Michelle Jacobson, a new South Burlington resident, and kids, Mira (21 months) and Wesley (4
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
Get your Phil with book reading at SB library
Everyone is excited for Punxsutawney Phil’s big day — except for him. Phil is terrified to perform his duties on Groundhog Day, but with the help of his sister and some delicious pancakes, Phil learns to face his fears.
Vermont author illustrator
Liza Woodruff will present her new picture book, “Phil’s Big Day: A Groundhog Story” at the South Burlington Public Library, located at 180 Market Street, on Saturday, Feb. 1. Time is to be determined, so check the library website, southburlingtonlibrary. org.
Woodruff will read from her new book and participants will eat Phil’s favorite food: pancakes. Flying Pig Bookstore will have books available for purchase and signing at the event.
South Burlington Land Trust donates to ag group
The South Burlington Land Trust board of directors recently presented a check for $10,000 to Corie Pierce, one of the founders of The Agrihood Collective, to support the group’s efforts to preserve open land in South Burlington.
In thanking the land trust, Corie said the trust “has been a strong partner from the beginning of this initiative, and they are at the root of this endeavor.”
The Agrihood Collective is a Vermont nonprofit founded by neighboring farmers and food business owners whose mission is to strengthen local food production through a nonprofit ownership model of shared lands and infrastructure. This collective model of land stewardship addresses the needs of farmers, land-based educators, food entrepreneurs, communities and the ecosystems in which they are embedded. Supporting The Agrihood Collective directly aligns with the SBLT’s mission to preserve open lands, wildlife habitats, natural resources and farmlands that make South Burlington unique.
The donation will help The Agrihood Collective meet a deadline to secure enough funds to preserve 360 acres of rural land in the southeast area of South Burlington. Rosanne Greco, the President of the SBLT said, “Open space is valuable to everyone in the community no matter
where they live. Having the ability to locally grow healthy nutritious food will become critical in coming years because of the damage being done to our soils from industrial farming and climate change.”
Japanese language learners write to their sister school
From the very first week of the new year, South Burlington High School Japanese program students have been delighted with the Japanese treats and greeting cards they have received from their sister school in Japan.
This is an annual tradition that has been faithfully maintained over nearly two decades between the Otaru Futaba High School students and the South Burlington Japanese program students.
Every year, all the Japanese program students create holiday cards with traditional Japanese expressions and illustrations such as popular anime characters or the animal of the zodiac for the year — the snake for 2025, for example. Some students actually know the people who sent the holiday cards since they met in Japan and/ or Vermont during The International Exchange program.
In recent years, the Dream Project program students at our sister school and South Burlington Japanese program students have shared Padlet to exchange messages or videos periodically. Although they live in an era of high-speed technology where they can communicate instantly to the other side of globe, sending and receiving handwritten messages or one-of-a-kind hand-made holiday cards ignites their hearts and more tightly connects.
“The students from both countries often compliment their counterparts on their neat handwriting or expressions in their native languages as they receive them,”
COURTESY PHOTOS
Above: The South Burlington Land Trust recently presented a $10,000 donation to the Agrihood Collective.
Below: South Burlington high School’s second-year Japanese language students, from left: Sean Sweeny, Jimmy Jia, Jackson Nagle, and Emmy Collins.
COMMUNITY NOTES
continued from page 8
instructor Sinyoung Ra Evans said. “Their genuine appreciation is a true stepping stone on their path toward becoming global citizens.
Sign-ups open for state chess championships
The 38th annual Vermont State Scholastic Chess Championships will be held Saturday, March 29 at Lamoille Union High School in Hyde Park.
This is the selection tournament for Vermont’s nominees to the national Denker, Haring, Barber and Rockefeller Invitationals and is open to Vermont students in grades K-12. Participants must be Vermont residents or be enrolled in a Vermont public or private school — resident home school students are eligible. Chessboards, pieces, and clocks will be provided. No prior tournament experience necessary. High school and 8th grade sections will be U.S. Chess Federation-rated. Sections for grades K-7 will be unrated.
Individual and team prizes will be awarded. All players must pre-register for the event. No walkins allowed. Registration closes March 23 but may close prior to then due to space limitations.
Online registration only. Complete rules and registration information at vermontchess.org.
Shelburne Age Well February Luncheons
St. Catherine of Siena and Age Well are teaming up to offer two luncheons, Feb. 11 and Feb. 18, for anyone 60 or older, at the St. Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church Street, Shelburne. Check-in time is 11:30 a.m. and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation.
Feb. 11 menu: wheat spaghetti with meatballs, marinara and parmesan cheese, spinach, wheat roll, mandarin oranges in orange Jell-o and milk.
Feb. 18 menu: Swedish meatballs with sauce, rotini noodles, sliced carrots, green beans, wheat
dinner roll, pineapple tidbits and milk.
Deadline to register is six days before each meal.
For more information, contact Molly BonGiorno, nutrition coordinator, at 802-662-5283 or mbongiorno@agewellvt.org.
Tickets are also available at the Age Well Office: 875 Roosevelt Highway, Ste. 210; Colchester. Restaurant tickets will be available for distribution for a suggested $5 donation.
Me2
Chorus holds music rehearsals every week
Rehearsals for the new Me2 Chorus take place on Wednesdays through Feb. 26 at Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St., under the direction of conductor Stefanie Weigand. Rehearsals start at 7 p.m.
Singers of all experience levels are encouraged to check out the inclusive, supportive environment, making great music together to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness.
COURTEST PHOTO
The Faith United Methodist Church hosts weekly chorus rehearsals that are open to anyone who likes to sing.
Wolves winter teams provide glimpses of sports season ahead
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Nordic skiing
Coach: Matt Gordon
Returnees: Boys: Odin Cloutier, junior. Girls: Sydney Rumsey, junior.
Newcomers: Boys: James Langan, first year. Girls: Asher Phillips, first year.
Outlook: South Burlington will be looking to take advantage of this year’s experienced roster to improve on its performance last season. The Wolves will rely on their top returning skiers, Cloutier and Rumsey, who will lead their respective teams as the season gets going.
“We have a young but experienced team this year, nearly all of whom have raced for multiple years already,” Gordon said. “Building on that experience to develop advanced skills will be key to our training this year.”
South Burlington will also look to get some of the newer skiers out on the snow this season for some varsity experience.
“Our main goal is to keep enjoying all the snow we’ve been getting,” Gordon said. “Prioritizing getting in as much skiing as possible will maximize fun and athletic performance for all our athletes.”
Up next: Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Sleepy Hollow, after press deadline
Indoor track and field
Coaches: Jamie Hayes and Dennis Akey
Last year: Girls: Fourth in the Division I state championship. Boys: Eighth in the Division I state championship.
Outlook: South Burlington will be looking to improve on last year’s results in the Division I state championship meet. On the girls’ side, there is a strong core of distance runners that will look to lead the Wolves.
On the boys’ side, the team is young but could look to make some noise in the relay events. Both the boys’ and girls’ groups will look to come together in a short season and aims to set as many personal records as they can.
Cheerleading
Coach: Lynn Kynoch
Last year: Third place at the Division I state championships
Newcomers: Braelynne Bushey, base, first year; Larabella Goncalves, flyer, first year; Jaelyn Henault, base, first year; Karmen Werner, base, first year.
Outlook: The South Burlington cheerleading team is looking to rebuild after a third-place finish in the Division I finals last year. The Wolves are looking to gel as a team as the season opens and looking toward a win at their home competition on Feb. 1.
South Burlington will then be looking to win the state title on Feb. 15th and qualify for New Englands, which is held in March.
“We just need to put the right combinations together. I feel once that happens, we will be competitive and successful,” Kynoch said. “This team is very committed and wants to win. They have the drive to make that happen.”
Opener: Saturday, Jan. 18, at South Burlington.
Gymnastics
Coach: Hope Watson
Last year: 11th at the Division I state championships.
South Burlington 8, Champlain Valley 0: South Burlington won its second game in a row, beating Champlain Valley in high school boys’ hockey on Saturday.
Jack Kelly and Christian Butley each had two goals for the Wolves, who moved to 5-3. Lucas Van Mullen had a goal and five assists for South Burlington, while Henry Poquette (two assists), Cameron Poor and Drew Dougherty each scored a goal.
Lynkin Poirier stopped 18 shots to earn the shutout.
Girls’ basketball
Brattleboro 43, South Burlington 35: The South Burlington girls’ basketball fell to Brattleboro on Saturday and fell to 1-4 in the standings.
Julia Hungerford led the Wolves with 13 points and Tori Griffin chipped in with 10 points.
The team earned its first win of the season on Thursday, beating Enosburg 37-34 in overtime.
Naysa Bush and Tori Griffin
each hit a basket with under two minutes left in overtime to give the Wolves the win. Lexi Paquette had 20 points to lead South Burlington and Bush finished with six points.
Boys’ basketball
South Burlington 63, Essex 42: South Burlington won its third game in a row, beating Essex
63-42 on Friday in high school boys’ basketball. Paul Comba had 19 points for the Wolves, including five three-pointers, while Oli Avdibegovic chipped in with 13 points. Deng Aguek netted nine points and Kai Davidson added eight points. South Burlington moved to 5-4 with the win.
PHOTOS BY AL FREY
South Burlington senior forward Ava Hershberg moves the puck around a Champlain Valley defender in Saturday’s 8-0 shutout. Below, the girls celebrate after one of their many goals.
Area school data breached in cybersecurity attack
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Superintendents at South Burlington School and Champlain Valley School districts notified parents and staff last week that data at both districts was compromised due to a cybersecurity breach of PowerSchool, a national information software used by nearly half of Vermont school districts.
According to a PowerSchool media relations spokesperson Chelsea Le, the company became aware on Dec. 28 of a potential cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain PowerSchool SIS information through one of the community-focused customer
portals, PowerSource.
“PowerSchool is not experiencing, nor expects to experience, any operational disruption and continues to provide services as normal to our customers,” Le wrote in an email.
As soon as the company learned of the incident, Le said, the team engaged cybersecurity response protocols and mobilized a cross-functional response team, including senior leadership and third-party cybersecurity experts.
While not all school districts that use PowerSchool may not have been subject to the data breach, superintendent of CVSD Adam Bunting told families on Jan. 8 that the district’s own information
technology and data departments confirmed that student, faculty and staff data was, in fact, part of the information that was compromised.
“Most Vermont schools also had their data compromised,” he wrote.
South Burlington superintendent Violet Nichols sent a similar message to the community last Wednesday.
“We have been in constant contact with PowerSchool today to ascertain how our district was affected,” she wrote. “We do not know the extent of this breach at this time but rest assured that our data team is working to provide a clearer picture of this incident.”
Bunting told families that the Vermont Agency of Education
Superintendent renewal stirs concern
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
As budget discussions remain front and center for the South Burlington School District community, some residents have raised concerns over the lack of transparency in Superintendent Violet Nichols’ contract renewal process.
The new three-year contract ends June 30, 2028, and was signed by board chair Chelsea Tillinghast on Nov. 20, although it’s unclear when the board made the official action to renew the contract.
According to the contract, Nichols’ base pay starts at $216,693, but that number is subject to increase by 3.5 percent annually until 2027, plus an additional 2-to-4 percent, depending on annual performance evaluations.
Nichols’ initial three-year contract, which she signed in
2022, had a base pay of $179,000 and included similar annual and performance evaluation pay increases.
A public records request this week to the district seeking all staff salaries as of October did not include data for Nichols as of press deadline.
For comparison, Nichols’ predecessor, David Young, in his final three-year contract and 11th year as superintendent, received a base pay of $173,498. That contract did not stipulate annual increases, instead noting it is the sole discretion of the school board to issue any raises after any performance evaluations.
In an email, Tillinghast said Nichols’ formal evaluation is conducted annually and includes feedback from every board member. She said typical evaluation topics include board commu-
is actively working with PowerSchool to determine the next steps and assess the damage the breach may have caused.
“We understand that the situation is concerning and will keep you informed as we learn more,” he wrote.
In the meantime, both school district’s information technology
Newcomers: Natalie Cadence, first year; Trusha Patel, first year; Julia Vandernat, first year.
and data teams have been working to determine the extent of the incident.
“PowerSchool is committed to protecting the security and integrity of our applications,” Le wrote. “We take our responsibility to protect student data privacy and act responsibly as data processors extremely seriously.”
nication, vision, leadership, strategy, management, communications, state and federal regulations, goals from the board, and space for additional comments
There are opportunities for the board to meet in executive session, both with and without the superintendent present, to discuss these evaluation points.
Professional goals for the superintendent are outlined by the board each October.
At a board meeting last June, the board officially approved Nichols’ performance evaluation and each member, in their own way, thanked her for her service to the district.
While meeting minutes for the Nov. 6 board meeting indicate that the board discussed Nich-
See SUPERINTENDENT on page 13
Outlook: After finishing 11th in last year’s Division I state championship meet, South Burlington is looking to establish strong routines for each event as the athletes look to build up to the finals this season.
The Wolves will also have three gymnasts who expect to compete in the all-around competitions — Vandernat, Frazier and Adams — and all three could set the tone in each meet.
“As the season unfolds, the coaching staff and gymnasts are focused on developing and enhancing their skills, aiming for continuous growth and improvement throughout the winter season,” Watson said. “The South Burlington gymnastics team is poised for an exciting season ahead.”
Up next: Friday, Jan. 17, at Harwood.
Bowling
Coach: Kevin Murakami and George Rooney
Returnees: Bella Guernsey,
senior; Griff Preska, senior; Owen McGrath, sophomore; Vi Barney, junior.
Newcomers: William McGrath, eight grade; Tanner Allen, sophomore; Adrian Dean, sophomore; Kaleb Roach, junior; Dejan Stankovic, sophomore.
Outlook: The South Burlington bowling team will be in rebuilding mode this season after advancing to the state finals last year. The team will rely on four returning bowlers — Guernsey, Preska, McGrath and Barney — to lead the group this season.
The Wolves will also have some help after entering a member-to-member agreement with Colchester. Allen, Dean, Roach and Stankovic could help move the team forward.
“We showed last year that with the right work ethic and a strong desire to perform we could match any team in the league,” the South Burlington coaches said in an email. “While our newest bowlers are truly rookies in every sense of the word, they are showing an ability to respond to coaching and have already made great improvements.”
Up next: Saturday, January 20.
SCHOOL BUDGET
continued from page 1
given to the community Wednesday night, nearly 75 percent of the budget is allocated to salaries and benefits to the district’s employees, including a nearly 4-percent pay increase for superintendent Violet Nichols.
Her compensation package is outlined in her three-year renewal contract, which the board officially signed in November (See related story, page 11).
The school’s current budget, slightly over $68 million, passed after two other proposed budgets failed last year. The associated tax increase of 8.18 percent is the second lowest tax rate increase in Chittenden County, behind Winooski, which saw a 42-percent tax rate decrease. Other neighboring towns throughout the county saw increases of up to, and even greater than, 14 percent.
The district last year was able to leverage $3.2 million from its budget surplus to keep the tax increases well below 10 percent. Without that surplus money, though, the budget would have seen a nearly 15 percent tax increase. But this year, without any extra funds, the district is having to face even sharper cuts than it did last year.
While the district has control over major aspects of the budget, there are a number of factors that remain outside of local officials’ hands. Factors like the common level of appraisal — or real estate inflation — yield and pupil weights all play a major role in the state’s education financing formula and ultimately play an even bigger role in the tax rates residents will be paying.
To make matters even more complicated, the official yield number — a major factor in the education funding formula —
isn’t even officially set by the Legislature until late spring. In this case, that means the projected 8.1 percent increase in taxes associated with the newly adopted $71.5 million budget isn’t a final number and is subject to change.
The board received a glimmer of hope in December when the state’s tax commissioner predicted the yield at a much more favorable number than what early budget modeling was predicting. And although the city’s common level of appraisal number dropped significantly, it was not as dramatic as previously thought.
“We all sense that the housing market in South Burlington is still very tight,” school district director of operations and finance Tim Jarvis said.
The district has also been negatively affected by a shift in the state’s education funding formula known as Act 127. The law, while meant to better equalize education, updated the state’s equalized pupil-weighting system and gave more “value” to students from lower-income families, English language learners, students from low-population districts and small schools in sparsely populated districts.
This year, the South Burlington School District’s pupil weights, based on the new methodology, dropped 66 points over last year, causing a negative impact for tax rates, although that number is also subject to change.
Deep cuts
With the district pressed between a rock — a difficult budgetary framework — and a hard place — trying to adopt a budget voters will approve while preserving programming — the end result didn’t come without a
The final number of deer taken in Vermont’s 2024 hunting seasons will not be available for a few more weeks, but the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says the final tally will be a little over 17,200 deer. Those deer will provide approximately 3.4 million servings of local venison. The buck harvest will be a little over 9,200, which will be down from 2023 and the previous three-year average of 9,533. The final antlerless deer harvest will be around 8,000, which will be up from the previous three-year average of 7,188. The primary goal of Vermont’s deer management strategy is to keep the deer herd stable, healthy and in balance with available habitat. “Maintaining an appropriate number of deer on the landscape ensures deer and the habitats that support them remain in good condition and productive,” Nick Fortin, the Fish and Wildlife department’s deer project leader, said. The 2024 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report with final numbers will be on the department website in early March.
slew of painful discussions.
Cuts outlined in the adopted budget include the reduction of 15 full-time equivalent positions — including instructional coaches and classroom teachers — a $140,000 reduction in athletics, the Big Picture Program — an independent learning program — and the Japanese language program.
Roughly a dozen residents, teachers and students took to the mic on Wednesday night to caution the board against the proposed budget. While some gave emotional accounts about
what the loss of these programs could result for students, others, like the co-presidents of the South Burlington Educators Association, were blunter in their approach.
“Unfortunately, the SBEA cannot and will not support this budget,” Beth Adreon, co-president of the association said.
“With 1.3 percent of cuts coming from administration (and) central office and 90 percent coming from student-facing positions, we do not believe these budget cuts promote equity aligned with legal requirements or meet our (policy goals).”
Noah Everett, the other co-president of the association, echoed, “It’s not that you have to cut, it’s about how it’s happening. That is our critique and why we can’t support it.”
For students in the Big Picture program, like Kay Rose, the loss of the program only can mean one thing: South Burlington is condemned to “another decade of generalized education that suits few and holds back many.”
“With the loss of Big Picture is the loss of a loving, safe and strong community that has the power to change the way the world looks at learning forever,” Rose said. “We are your future.”
Three in, two out
When it came time for a vote to adopt the new spending plan, two board members — Chris Trombly and Karen Van Gilder, the board’s newest member, who was appointed in November — voted against it.
“I started the morning very different,” Trombly said. “I was like, ‘All right, I’m good with this. We’ve seen this a couple times.’ It just was very impactful hearing from folks and talking with folks.”
Van Gilder said being on the board for such a short time hasn’t allowed her to fully understand the depths of the budget conversations so far. Not to mention, she said, “I’m not sure that the community understands exactly what’s being discussed right now at large.
COURTESY PHOTO
BILL
continued from page 1
Lavanway said.
South Burlington’s Community Justice Center is conveniently located within the same compound as the police station, which, in ways, mirrors how closely officers are continually working with the two employees at the center to efficiently resolve any criminal cases before they hit the court system.
The idea, which heightened during the pandemic as the court dealt – and continues to deal — with a massive backlog in court cases, was to move cases for low-level crime cases out of the court system and offer a different course of restoration and action for offenders and victims.
“When you think about the current backlog at district court and the inefficiencies that we’re seeing in the criminal legal system, these cases aren’t touching that,” Chief of South Burlington Police Shawn Burke said.
The new law essentially shifted funding for these services and pre-charge diversion, which has historically been paid through grants with the Department of Corrections, to the Attorney General’s office, in an effort to provide better structure for the program.
Additionally, the new legislation mandates the attorney general’s office to examine how to better streamline the administration of the pre-charge diversion program through one main entity in the county. Burke said this has been a stumbling block for leaders and law enforcement as the county has four community justice centers — in Essex, South Burlington, Williston and Burlington.
While the funding source has shifted, there have been no secured appropriations yet to fund the program from the Legislature. This year, South Burlington was forced to fund the Community Justice Center with just over $40,000 out of its general fund budget to make up for the loss in funding.
“And that’s where we’ve hit a little bit of a stumbling block here
SUPERINTENDENT
continued from page 11
ols’ contract in executive session, the board took no official action in the session, or at least, did not come out of the closed session to announce any decisions.
A pair of recent letters to the school board, signed by five South Burlington families with students in the district raised concerns over the superintendent’s evaluation and renewal process, have gone unanswered and ring a similar tune to the concerns that were raised during Nichols’ appointment as permanent superintendent in 2022 “When the current superinten-
in Chittenden County in terms of trying to establish a strategy in order to keep all of our centers functioning in a way that best serves our communities,” Burke said.
The South Burlington Community Justice Center also serves agencies like the Shelburne Police Department, the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department and the Vermont State Police, and annually handles roughly 100 cases with some referrals from these departments.
According to a letter signed by municipal leaders, police chiefs, and community justice directors in Colchester, Essex, Richmond, Shelburne, South Burlington and Williston and sent to the state’s Attorney General’s office and local legislators, the community justice centers that service those towns have, since the fall of 2019, successfully closed 1,234 cases between them.
“When you talk about those numbers in aggregate, the relief that we’re providing the criminal legal system, frankly, we’re leveraging a better process to resolve this disorder in the community as well as reduce recidivism,” Burke said.
The letter, in part, emphasizes that years ago, communities were asked to lead the way on providing restorative practices at the local level, and in more ways than one, South Burlington and its neighbors have optimized this regional efficiency in recent years.
“This was the right decision. We have met that challenge and, as a result, our cultures and practices have changed,” the letter states.
To shift the program away from direct local control “feels like we are being punished for our success,” they wrote. “How can we continue to modernize and advance how we provide public safety services if critical tools are taken away from us?”
As South Burlington city manager Jessie Baker puts it, keeping the work that communi-
ty justice centers do as close to police departments as possible is integral to this program’s success.
“The officers believe in this process,” Burke said. “They don’t see it as a slap on the wrist. They know when their cases come up here, people that successfully complete their contracts have really put in the work, and it’s far easier to go downtown and pay a nominal fine for some of these crimes.”
But the synergy between the police department and the community justice center has been a work in progress, since there were initially some firm nonbelievers in the process, he said.
Leaders of the manager-organized communities have directly asked that the state recommend retaining the current organizational structure and fund each of the centers to continue to provide restorative practices to Chittenden County. But, if that is not possible, they are asking to enable two sites to be funded.
“We, as the leaders of the manager-led communities, commit to working together over the next year to build one ‘streamlined’ administrative site as the lead and contracted agency in a manager-led community.”
South Burlington House Rep. Martin LaLonde — chair of the House Committee on Judiciary — sponsored Act 180 as his focus on the backlogged court system began to grow.
The need to find equity and a more structured framework for pre-charge diversion across the state is ultimately the basis for the entire bill, he said. And, while no funding for the new framework has been secured, historical funding for the program also had its own set of uncertainties.
“I’ve heard from the folks (who) are very concerned about not getting funding currently, but they never had assured funding under the way it was being run, which was really kind of ad hoc,” LaLonde said.
He noted that while he is not on the appropriations committee, he is confident the Legislature will be able to fund the program and he plans to advocate for it this legislative session.
“The key is that we’re very focused on making sure that those community justice centers will continue to do their work locally, and we want to have this ability
in the funding for that work,” he said. “There’s a transition right now, and there’s uncertainty, and that definitely makes people nervous, and I can understand that, but the intent is to strengthen this program statewide, to give it more structure and to have some accountability for how those funds are being used through the collecting of data.”
INVITATION TO BID
MARKET STREET AND HINESBURG ROAD SIGNAL - SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT
The City of South Burlington is accepting sealed bids for the Market Street and Hinesburg Road Signal project. Bids will ONLY be received and accepted in person at the South Burlington Department of Public Works at 104 Landfill Road, South Burlington, VT 05403 until 2:00 P.M., February 13, 2025, local time, at which time the sealed bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at said location.
Project Description: Work performed under this project includes the installation of a new traffic signal system including mast arm poles, signal heads, a controller cabinet, and related equipment at the intersection of Market Street and Hinesburg Road (VT 116).
Bid Documents: Complete digital Bidding Documents may be obtained from the design engineers, VHB, by contacting Chrystie Jean at cjean@vhb.com or by phone at (802) 497-6113. A copy of the plans and specifications are available for viewing by appointment only at the South Burlington DPW Offices. To schedule, contact Erica Quallen at equallen@southburlingtonvt.gov or by phone at (802) 658-7961, ext. 6115.
Contract Completion Date: The Final Completion Date for this contract shall be on or before October 31, 2025.
Questions: During the advertisement phase of this project, all questions shall be addressed to Daneil Peck, VHB Project Manager, at dpeck@vhb.com with email copy to Erica Quallen at equallen@southburlingtonvt.gov.
VERMONT
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION GRANT
CITY OF SOUTH BURLINGTON - PUBLIC HEARING FEBRUARY 3, 2025, 7 P.M.
The City of South Burlington received $1,000,000 from the State of Vermont for a VCDP Implementation Grant under the Vermont Community Development Program.
FOR SALE
dent was hired, the appointment lacked process and transparency,” the families wrote. “The decision was made behind closed doors and did not include any input from the broader school community. This makes it even more important that the contract review is handled thoughtfully and transparently this time around.”
Answers to Tillinghast regarding when exactly the board officially approved the new contract and compensation package have not been answered by press deadline.
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A public hearing will be held on Monday, February 3, 2025, at or after 7 p.m. at the South Burlington City Hall, 180 Market Street, South Burlington, VT, virtually at https://zoom.us/j/99172766910 or by telephone at (929) 205-6099, Meeting ID: 991 7276 6910 and Passcode: 503326.
The purpose of the public hearing is to obtain the views of citizens on community development, to furnish information concerning the range of community development activities that have been undertaken under this program, and to give affected citizens the opportunity to examine a statement of the use of these funds. The VCDP Funds received have been used to accomplish the following activities:
Development of 94 new mixed-income apartments in two separate 47-unit buildings located at 418 and 438 O’Brien Farm Road in South Burlington (the “Development”). Each building includes 4 stories of apartments with parking underneath.
Information on this project may be obtained at South Burlington City Hall, 180 Market Street, South Burlington, VT, and may be viewed during the weekday hours of 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Should you require any special accommodations, please call Paul Conner at South Burlington City Hall, 802-846-4106. For the hearing impaired please call (TTY) #1‐800‐253-0191.
South Burlington City Council
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Piano Lessons
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(Translation services are available)
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