Teen teachers
High school students dispense wisdom to their young counterparts
Page 8
Past resort Museum offers look at bygone ski hill hills that once dotted Vermont
Page 10
the South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
City council adopts budget for Town Meeting Day vote
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The South Burlington City Council has adopted the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget at $55.9 million and warned the March 4 Town Meeting Day vote.
The spending proposal comes in lower than the current year’s budget, but will still lead to a smaller-than-expected increase on the tax rate.
The bulk of the spending comes from the city’s proposed general fund budget — which includes all revenues and expenses related to day-to-day city operations. That $36.1 million represents a roughly 2.5 percent increase in spending over
the current year and comprises nearly 65 percent of the overall spending plan.
Other drivers in the budget include:
• Wastewater: $7.5 million
• Stormwater: $6.4 million
• Drinking water: $4.5 million
• Penny for Paths and Open Space Fund: $872,500
• Rental registry: $373,000. Projected taxes are expected to increase roughly 3.33 percent — significantly lower than what was originally projected in September. That means the average homeowner can anticipate a roughly $73 increase
City hires first climate manager
New staffer will help coordinate city’s green initiatives
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
South Burlington has been a local leader in combatting the damaging effects of climate change, from policy decisions to investing municipal dollars into climate actions. Now, officials have taken the next step of hiring the city’s first-ever climate manager.
Bettina Miguez, a South Burlington resident since 2019, will act as the city’s fingerprint in reducing its carbon footprint, overseeing climate action throughout all city initiatives across.
“To have a staff person who is coor-
dinating across departments and across subject areas is a big step for our community and a really exciting one,” Paul Conner, the city’s planning and zoning director, said. “We’ve been doing projects of many, many forms for years, and I think what Bettina’s position does is creates the opportunity to do it comprehensively and to do it in a holistic manner.”
It’s common for many cities and towns across the country to have some variation of this role within municipalities. For South Burlington, the budget for Miguez’s
See BUDGET on page 12 See CLIMATE MANAGER on page 12
COURTESY PHOTO
Isaac Shoulderblade puts the finishing touches on a beaded wood ring in his jewelry workshop located in the basement of his South Burlington home, paying homage to his Indigenous heritage. Story, page 2.
Jewelry artist mixes Indigenous culture and wearable craft
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Isaac Shoulderblade started making rings around the same time he lost his wedding band — for a fourth time.
Little did he know that the creative side hustle would garner thousands of likes on social media and roughly 900 sales since 2021.
Shoulderblade didn’t set out thinking the venture would bring him such success but instead started the small business with a much different goal in mind. What began as wood rings soon evolved as a way for him to pay homage to his Indigenous heritage and would, even later, act as a tool for him to bring the skill to others.
“I was like, I’ll just make my own rather than just buying off the internet,” he said, sitting on a couch in his South Burlington home as he slowly strung a needle and thread through a beaded design. “So, I looked up a bunch of YouTube videos on how to make wood rings, and started that process, which it was hard at first, but I did that for a good year.”
Shoulderblade’s story, in part, is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which arguably just about everyone in their tracks and forced a change in course. But for Shoulderblade, a global pandemic also came with a cancer diagnosis.
While surgery was able to stop the spread of the cancer, the unknowns pushed him and his family to return to Vermont, where his wife Daniela’s family also lives.
“We were in the unknowns of both COVID and then the cancer diagnosis, and we weren’t entirely sure what the future was like,” he said. “So, we figured we moved closer to home, be closer to family and so we moved up here to Vermont at the end of 2020.”
This was also the beginning of a new chapter for his wood rings. In its earliest inception, the concept began as a simple wood design and later evolved to be inlaid with a variation of braided sweet grass, turquoise, and beaded designs, all nods toward his Indigenous roots as an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe.
Shoulderblade, 33, grew up in foster care and was later adopted into a non-Indigenous family but was able to connect deeper with his heritage in college at Montana State University.
“In college, I was involved in the American Indian Council, and that was a great way to really connect with and embrace my identity as an Indigenous person,” he said. “I was able to go a few pow-wows and things like that. And in 2020, I decided that I wanted to start doing more things towards reconnecting with my culture.”
Cue the beadwork. The small beads are hand-strung meticulously together to create an intricate design that serves as a significant cultural expression. While some of his offerings include rings made entirely from the beads, some of his best-sellers combine both the beadwork and the wooden base.
The entire process for completing one ring can range anywhere from two to four hours, which includes cutting the ring core, crafting the infills like beads or different powders, and then throwing the wood on a lathe — a machine used to spin the unfished wood piece — to create the divot where the accents will sit.
The process is finished off with a glue that essentially hardens like resin.
Most of the creative magic happens in the earliest hours of the morning before most of the world is awake or late at night. Shoulderblade is, after all, a father of two and has a full-time job at
the University of Vermont as the college’s First Nation student and community empowerment coordinator working out of the College of Education and Social Services.
“I work with our Native American students, work on the programming, invite out Indigenous speakers, and essentially educate the campus and the community on Indigenous issues and things going on in Indian country.”
Since part of his role with the college has been focusing on how to connect Indigenous students to each other, teaching his beadwork skills has often been a way for him to make that relationship happen.
“I honestly didn’t know what
I was going to be doing with my future, especially when I started this,” he said. “I have always had this creative bone of wanting to create something that is unique as well as meaningful for people. Being able to pass on the knowledge that I’ve learned with our students has been special.”
He takes on roughly five to seven orders a month with his Etsy shop business, Shoulderblade Designs. In the summer months, as the college is on break, he can take on nearly double that.
While he has no intention, at this point, of expanding his small business, he said he will keep on keeping on as long as people ask for it.
“My wife laughs at me sometimes because when I make a mistake or something in the ring, I will ask her if she notices. She laughs because she doesn’t see it at all,” he said. “But one of the things I’ve learned, especially within Native beadwork and things like that, there are a lot of beadwork artists who will intentionally put a mistake in their work mainly to show that none of us are perfect. It’s just a uniqueness about the beadwork.”
COURTESY PHOTO
Vermont educators offered free personal finance grad course
Middle and high school educators can increase their financial literacy and personal finance teaching skills by attending a free, online, asynchronous graduate level course that will be available for 20 participants from March 3-April 25.
“Teachers who complete the training will have the confidence, skills and curriculum tools to be successful personal finance educators,” according to John Pelletier, director of the Center for Financial Literacy, which is offering the course through its Financial Literacy Academy.
The three-credit financial literacy course will cover saving and investing, credit reports and scores, credit cards and debt, managing risk, income and careers.
Pelletier notes that there is tremendous national momentum in personal finance education, and the center projects that 26 states — not including Vermont — will have a standalone personal finance course graduation requirement for public high school students by 2031. This is an increase from the 23 states identified in the Center’s December 2023 High School Report Card.
“That means that 57 percent of public high school graduates in our nation will have taken this course as a graduation mandate in the class 2031,” Pelletier said. “This is a big change from when I started the Center in 2010. At that time, only Utah and Missouri had this requirement.”
Pelletier said this momentum is not surprising, pointing to a national poll of
adults, 88 percent of whom said their state should require a semester- or year-long financial education course for graduation.
He said those results are nearly identical to those of a poll of Vermont adults the Center released in 2022 indicating that more than nine out of 10 Vermont residents believe personal finance education is an important subject that should be taught in high school.
“Vermont implemented the ‘JumpStart National Standards on K-12 Personal Finance Education’ a few years ago, so we have a tested standard for what every Vermont student should know about personal finance by kindergarten, 4th, 8th and 12th grades,” Pelletier said. “Qualified personal finance teachers are needed to meet these standards.”
Research by Next Gen Personal Finance indicates that 29 percent of Vermont high school students attend schools that require a standalone course in personal finance graduation requirement, according to Pelletier. The research notes that Vermont high schools have or are in the process of implementing this requirement, including South Burlington High School.
Twenty scholarships are available to Vermont educators only. You can apply online at tinyurl.com/wez267xp. The deadline to apply is Feb. 20. Scholarships will be awarded on a rolling admissions basis. For registration questions contact: cfl@champlain.edu.
Vermont to return $1.3 million of unclaimed property to its residents
KLARA BAUTERS VTDIGGER
This holiday season, thousands of Vermonters could find a surprise gift in their mailbox — money they didn’t even know was theirs.
Through the newly launched MoneyBack program, the state plans to return nearly $1.3 million in unclaimed property to more than 5,000 residents, using tax department data to verify their identities and addresses.
Unclaimed property refers to financial assets — such as forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, unused gift cards and other financial property — that have been turned over to the state for safekeeping until claimed by their rightful owner.
“While the MoneyBack program focuses on reuniting Vermonters with financial assets, the broader unclaimed property database includes a variety of items,” David Kunin, a spokesperson for the treasurer’s office, said in an email. “Occasionally, the treasurer’s office comes across more unique cases, such as family heirlooms or items from safe deposit boxes.”
Residents who want to check if they have unclaimed property can visit missingmoney.com.
Rehearsals begin Tuesday, February 4, 7-9 p.m. at South Burlington High School, 550 Dorset Street The first two are free...Come give it a try! Information/Registration: sbchorusvt.org • 802.846.4108
Vermonters eligible for the MoneyBack program can expect payouts ranging from $100 to $500. The state plans to notify recipients with a letter providing the exact amount they’re set to receive. Just a few days after receiving the letter, a check for the unclaimed property will arrive in the mail.
“As Vermonters face an affordability crisis, the MoneyBack Program is putting hard-earned money back into Vermonters’ pockets this holiday season,” state Treasurer Mike Pieciak said in a Wednesday press release.
The new program builds on a 2023 pilot program by Vermont’s tax department and the treasurer’s office that returned $75,000 to more than 300 Vermonters with mailed checks ranging from $200 to $225.
“During the pilot program, we used certified mail so we could closely track the accuracy of the addresses verified by the Tax Department and had a 99 percent delivery rate,” Kunin wrote. Any letters with an incorrect address will be returned, and the money will remain in unclaimed property for the owner to claim, he said.
Pieciak plans to continue to launch other proactive ways to return unclaimed property to state residents, according to the press release.
CRIME & COURTS
South Burlington Police Blotter: Jan. 13-20
Total reported incidents: 213
Arrests: 11
Traffic stops: 16
Crashes: 22
911 hang-ups: 5
Alarms: 11
Agency assists: 8
Public assists: 12
Directed patrols: 9
Disturbances: 5
Foot patrols: 10
Larcenies from vehicle: 8
Motor vehicle complaints: 8
Juvenile problems: 4
Retail thefts: 4
Mental health issues: 4
Suspicious events: 9
Threats: 4
Trespassing: 10
Welfare checks: 8
Arrests:
Mussa Issa, 21, of South Burlington, for aggravated sexual assault, voyeurism and domestic assault, following an investigation into a July 28 incident on Farrell Street.
Calley-Lyn Dalley, 23, of Montpelier, for retail theft, following an investigation into a Dec. 29 incident at the University Mall on Dorset Street.
Jan. 13 at 11:23 p.m., Edith I. Elekes, 33, of South Burlington, for felony unlawful mischief on
Williston Road.
Jan. 15 at 8:34 a.m., Christopher L. Labrie, 40, of Burlington, for petit larceny on Market Street.
Jan. 15 at 4:09 p.m., Harry B. Burns, 29, of Colchester, for violating conditions of release on Shelburne Road.
Jan. 16 at 7:06 a.m., Kevin J. Miller, 38, of Burlington, on an in-state arrest warrant on Oak Street.
Jan. 16 at 10:24 a.m., Marsha L. Callahan, 55, of Colchester, for felony retail theft at the University Mall.
Jan. 16 at 10:24 a.m., Benjamin Frederich, 39, of Burlington, for felony retail theft at the University Mall.
Jan. 16 at 11:15 a.m., Gregory T. Arnold, 38, of Alburgh, on an in-state warrant on Dorset Street.
Jan. 17 at 9:49 a.m., William T. Cole, 38, of Johnson, for violating conditions of release at the University Mall.
Jan. 17 at 5:40 p.m., an 18-year-old juvenile, no address listed, for unlawful trespass at the University Mall.
Note: Charges filed by police are subject to review by the Chittenden County State’s Attorney office and can be amended or dropped.
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South Burlington resident found guilty of aggravated sexual assault
TOMMY GARDNER STAFF WRITER
The Vermont Attorney General’s office announced Jan. 15 that a Chittenden County jury has found Cory Johnson, 38, of South Burlington, guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a toddler.
Johnson was arrested in August 2020 after investigations conduct-
ed by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Attorney General’s office and the Department of Homeland Security. Investigators at the time said Johnson was found by police to be using the social networking site Kik, which police say is associated with sexual exploitation of children.
Last week’s verdict came after
a three-day jury trial. After the verdict, Judge Michael Kupersmith ordered Johnson be held pending sentencing. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The court ordered a pre-sentence investigation and a psychosexual report and will notify the parties with a future sentencing date.
South Burlington Fire Department beat
The South Burlington Fire Department recently responded to two house fires in less than a week and were able to put both out and minimize losses.
On Jan. 7, firefighters were dispatched to single-family home at 3065 Williston Road, arriving in under seven minutes, according
to the department logs. There were no signs of fire from the exterior of the building but found it when they entered the breezeway area. The fire was quickly brought under control and crews confirmed that the fire was contained to the room of origin.
There was no fire damage to the attached house or garage and the
occupant was able to return to the living portion of the home.
The incident was handled by 13 South Burlington Firefighters as well as personnel from the Vermont Air National Guard Fire Depart-
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COURTESY
Family of man run over by Shelburne officer sues town
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The family of a man who was killed in South Burlington in November after being struck by an on-duty Shelburne police officer driving a cruiser filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Town of Shelburne last week.
Sean Hayes, 38, of Burlington, was hit and killed near Fayette Drive by police sergeant Kyle Kapitanski, who was traveling southbound on Route 7 toward Shelburne in the early morning hours of Nov. 11.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Chittenden County Superior Court last Wednesday by attorney Brooks G. McArthur on behalf of Brenna Lassiter — Hayes’s sister and the administrator of his estate — alleges that Kapitanski violated his duty to Hayes by operating the cruiser in an “unsafe, unreasonable, careless, and negligent fashion” by failing to properly observe any bicyclists or pedestrians on the side of the road.
of the crash, it has since handed the investigation over to the Vermont State Police.
Adam Silverman, public information officer for the state police, said the department is in the final stages of its investigation and will be turning over the case shortly to the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s office for review and a determination on whether charges should be filed.
“I don’t have an exact timeline for when VSP will finalize the case, but I am expecting it to be within the next few days or weeks,” Silverman wrote. “How long the review from the state’s attorney’s office takes will be up to them.”
“How long the review from the state’s attorney’s office takes will be up to them.”
— Adam Silverman
Hayes’ death, the lawsuit alleges, is a “direct and proximate result of the negligence and wrongful acts and omissions,” of Kapitanski.
The lawsuit claims Hayes had been riding his bike with a trailer attached to the back of it near the intersection of Fayette Drive, but was off his bike, standing immediately next to the curb near a glass-enclosed bus stop, when he was struck and killed.
Kapitanski was driving in the farthest right lane of the four-lane highway and, according to the lawsuit, was the only driver in the area at the time of the incident.
The lawsuit alleges that Kapitanski did not come to an immediate stop after striking and killing Hayes.
He continued driving southbound a “significant distance,” reads the lawsuit, and “eventually applied his brakes before turning around and driving to the intersection of Fayette Drive where he activated his emergency lights and parked the police cruiser.”
Although South Burlington Police Department initially responded to the scene
FIRE DEPARTMENT
continued from page 4
ment and UVM Rescue. Saint Michael’s Fire Rescue provided coverage in South Burlington during the fire and responded to two other emergencies.
No one was injured in the fire, which was determined to be accidental, caused by a lithium-ion battery powered tool malfunction in the breezeway. The damage was estimated at $10,000.
While all aspects of the investigation, such as initial police reports or dashcam footage, are exempt from the state’s public records laws while charges remain pending, Silverman did say that relatives, represented by an attorney and through the legal process — such as subpoenas or conducting an independent investigation — might have access to materials that are not yet a matter of public record.
Defense lawyer McArthur did not return a request for comment. Shelburne town manager Matt Lawless and police chief Mike Thomas declined to comment regarding the lawsuit.
Thomas did say, however, that while Kapitanksi has been on paid administrative leave from the Shelburne Police Department as of Nov. 12, he has earned $20,853. Kapitanski, who has been with the department since 2022, has no prior disciplinary actions on file with the town, according to Thomas.
The lawsuit states that Hayes’ minor children have suffered and are entitled to damages related to the incident including “the loss of love, society, companionship and all related economic losses stemming therefrom.”
A GoFundMe created on Nov. 12, organized by family members, has raised just over $24,000 for funeral expenses, with the extra to be split between his two daughters for future needs.
“Sean was full of life, laughter, and kindness,” organizers wrote. “He would do anything for anybody that needed help.”
On Jan. 11, firefighters responded to a home at 80 Long Drive, again arriving within seven minutes. Firefighters found a light smoke condition and could hear wood burning within a wall around the wood stove pipe, which was quickly extinguished. There was only minor damage, and no one was injured. The fire was deemed accidental, caused by combustible materials being too close to a source of heat.
Twelve firefighters responded, aided again by the National Guard UVM Rescue, with St. Mike’s handling a call on backup.
OPINION
Housing production, affordability top issues this for session
and support.
From the House
Rep. Emilie Krasnow
As the 2025 legislative session begins, there’s a noticeable sense of change in the air. To borrow from David Bowie, “ch-ch-ch-changes” are happening all around us, and we’re at the start of what promises to be a transformative year.
I’m honored to be sworn in for my second term in the Vermont House of Representatives, and I want to thank the people of South Burlington for your continued trust
As we move forward, I remain committed to representing working Vermonters and ensuring your voices are heard in Montpelier. This year, I’m also excited to take on a new leadership role as ranking member of the House General and Housing committee. There’s a lot of work ahead, but I’m ready to tackle the challenges that matter most to Vermonters — especially housing.
Over the winter, I had the privilege of chairing the Landlord-Tenant Study Committee. We made
progress in understanding the challenges facing both tenants and landlords in Vermont, and we are committed to finding practical, balanced solutions.
The committee focused on modernizing landlord-tenant laws, reviewing the eviction process and evaluating whether existing policies are being applied appropriately. We also examined whether current notice periods and eviction timelines strike the right balance between the rights of both tenants and landlords.
Within the House General and Housing committee, one of our core areas of focus has been housing production.
Vermont is facing a significant affordability gap. We are examining the latest housing data and trends, including the growing gap between housing costs and median incomes. With input from a variety of stakeholders — private developers, non-profit housing organizations, regional planners and service providers — we are working to better understand the pressure on our housing market and explore potential solutions.
We also reviewed the “Report to the General Assembly on Affordable Housing Incentives,” which will help guide our next steps.
Addressing housing affordability will be a central focus for me this session. The fact is too many people in Vermont are struggling to find affordable housing. Whether it’s for young families, retirees, or workers, this is a problem that affects us all.
I’m committed to working with my colleagues to find solutions.
Alongside housing, I’ll also be introducing legislation on several other key issues, from supporting our veterans and firefighters to improving animal welfare and addressing sustainability in our education funding. I’ll continue to work across party lines to find common ground and advance meaningful solutions that benefit all Vermonters.
The best way I can represent you is by staying in touch. I’m always ready to hear your thoughts, concerns and ideas. Your feedback is invaluable in helping me do my job well.
I invite you to attend our
monthly forums to discuss what’s on the legislative agenda. These will be held on the fourth Monday of every month at 6 p.m. in the community room on the second floor of the South Burlington Public Library, with our next meeting on Monday, January 27. For those who cannot attend in person, a Zoom link will be available on the library’s event page.
Finally, I am honored to continue sitting in House seat 58, the same seat my late father once held. I’m now the third Krasnow to sit in this seat, and I carry with me the lessons he taught me about integrity, honesty, and humor. Every day, I feel his presence guiding my work, and I keep a picture of him in my desk as a reminder of his values and the example he set.
I look forward to continued conversations over the next two years. Please reach out anytime with ideas, questions, or concerns at ekrasnow@leg.state.vt.us.
Emilie Krasnow, a Democrat from South Burlington, serves the Chittenden-9 House district.
We all belong to the high anxiety society
In Musing
Carole Vasta Folley
I’d like to have less anxiety. Well, that and a trip to the moon. Wait a minute. Who am I kidding? There is no way I’d go to the moon. Do you know how anxious that would make me?
It takes an inordinate amount of time to worry. Doesn’t matter whether it’s feeling anxious about small things like the longevity of front teeth or catastrophic things like a six-miles-in-diameter asteroid hitting the earth again. Granted that happened 65 million years ago, but still, it’s on my mind.
Now I’m supposed to add selfhelp to the list? What happened to just regular help?
I’m not against DIY betterment. Believe me, I’m a self-help worrier…I mean, warrior. I’ve tried it all. At first, meditating went really well. I was best buds with Deepak Chopra until I learned he spends four hours meditating — each day. Plus, he does yoga morning and night, takes 10,000 steps daily and, wait for it, has written more than 95 books. I know self-help isn’t a competitive sport, but really Deepak, can you dial it back a notch?
Even if I had oodles of time for anxiety, don’t forget the secondary job that comes with it — all the tasks one should practice to lower their stress levels, like diaphragmatic breathing, calming imagery and muscle relaxation. Doesn’t anxiety know that I’m already busy spinning multiple plates of responsibility?
Keeping a gratitude journal is often recommended to people with anxiety. Unfortunately, turns out you don’t just keep the journal, you have to write in it.
Truth is, I have much to be grateful for, from the air I breathe to the food on my plate. And that’s not even including the abundance of love from family and friends. My gratitude lists are fantastic. I got so good at being
grateful, I appreciated the hair growing out of my husband’s ear. I know, it’s not a competition, but take that Deepak!
But here’s the thing: I’d write in that blasted gratitude journal every night and still felt anxious the next day. It did not lower my stress level. It just gave me another job to do.
That’s the thing about selfhelp; it’s just another way to feel bad about the things we’re not doing that we should be doing because we’re so busy doing all the other things we also should be doing. My apologies if my logic is difficult to follow.
If perhaps your body doesn’t know the feeling of anxiety, check your pulse. After all, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports 83 percent of employees have work-related stress. The American Psychological Association says more than three quarters of adults report symptoms of stress.
And that was in 2022. Last year, the APA reported 77 percent of adults worry about the future
Rep. Emilie Krasnow
Carole Vasta Folley
Democracy cannot exist without participation in the process
To the Editor:
Tim Wile is correct that it’s time for the school board to step up (“Time for South Burlington School Board to step up,” Dec. 26, 2024).
During my last year on the school board, there were many instances of board conduct that were troubling but not widely known. Last summer the board finished work on the 5th grade committee but met with the public only once. This happened despite calls from myself and administrators for more public involvement.
Board members have skipped executive sessions. Executive sessions take place after the open meeting, and usually last less than an hour, so they are not a big commitment. Despite that small time commitment, some board members have decided that it was not important enough for them to attend. Nobody takes attendance, but I recall at least two times in which board members left after the open session, and their reasons were not valid.
Board members have claimed, without evidence and without suggestions for improvement, that board meetings are too long. School board meetings take time, but not more than city council meetings or school board meetings in other districts.
With these instances of a lack of accountability adding up, one might want to blame the board or its members, but it is not the fault of anyone on the board. It is our fault: enterprising enough to read a letter to the editor and discuss our schools’ challenges, but not enough to look for solutions or decide to run for school board.
We have accepted board members creating chaos, driving other board members to quit early in their terms, disrespecting the general public, and approving maximalist contracts and budgets with no concern for those who pay for them. Uncontested candidates have become unaccountable board members.
Eight years ago, I ran for school board and was inspired by a sign in the Rick Marcotte Central School gym: “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
A thriving community needs people who are willing to do the work that makes it continue to thrive. Democracy cannot exist without participation from those who are governed by it.
Alex McHenry South Burlington
School budget protects education, addresses financial challenges
To the Editor:
of community and staff engagement, the Superintendent presented their recommended budget to the Board. Following a thorough review, the Board approved the budget number, and it has now been officially warned for a vote on March 4, 2025. While I cannot speak for the Board as a whole, I personally believe this budget works hard to protect students’ education while addressing the financial challenges many in our community face.
The FY26 budget of $71.5 million includes an 8.10 percent tax increase to keep important programs running and invest in our schools.
Key highlights of the budget:
• Protects key services: Keeps arts programs, multilingual support, and nursing services that are essential for student success.
• Investment in infrastructure: Maintains and improves school buildings to make sure they’re safe and effective for learning.
• Support all students: Provides more
help for special education to meet the needs of every student.
• Makes careful cuts: Reduces fewer than 15 staff positions and adjusts some educational and sports programs to save money.
Your support matters. Losing programs like Japanese language, Big Picture, instructional coaches, counselors, and some JV sports would be a significant loss for our students and community. These difficult cuts were necessary to manage rising costs, reduced state funding, and the depletion of $3 million in reserve funds. Without these changes, the tax increase would have been significantly higher.
I understand that an 8.10 percent tax increase is a lot, especially for families already struggling with rising housing costs and tight budgets. However, I believe this budget strikes a necessary balance. With-
School choice students tour High School campus
Out-of-town school choice students visited South Burlington High School to shadow student ambassadors and learn about the school. They met with guidance counselors and administrative staff after a day of touring the school and seeing classes, including engineering, which piqued a few student’ interest. School choice students make up approximately 20 percent of SBHS.
Social Justice Union visits Marcotte for MLK Day
The South Burlington High School Social Justice Union visited elementary schools, including Rick Marcotte Central School, to talk about the message of Martin Luther King Jr.
Tuttle students share stories of other cultures
Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School students presented their final presentation on “World Regions and Cultures,” including Japan, France, Sudan, Hawaii, New York and even Vermont. Students and families rotated through the displays and assessed their classmate’s presentations while snacking on local fare from each region.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Above, Burlington High School’s Social Justice Union talks to Rick Marcotte Central School kids. Below, Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School students and their presentations on foods from various other cultures. Bottom, school choice students tour Burlington High School.
Shelburne Museum camp registration next week
Shelburne Museum’s summer camp registration begins next week. The camps offer children ages 4-15 carefully crafted camp programs that are a playground for budding artists, offering a mix of inspiration and self-discovery.
Advance registration for museum members: opens at noon Tuesday, Jan. 28 and closes 11 a.m. Friday, Jan, 31.
General Registration opens at noon on Jan. 31.
For more information, contact Sara Wolfson, School and Youth Programs Educator, at education@shelburnemuseum.org or 802-985-0922.
UVM presents Discover Engineering Day for teens
A free day-long event hosted by Vermont 4-H and the University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences will expose young people to different engineering fields and career opportunities.
Discover Engineering Day is Feb. 22 from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on the UVM campus.
Students in grades 5-12 are invited to participate to learn about engineering, build skills through hands-on workshops and network with college students, professors and industry professionals.
The deadline to register is Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. To register and for more information, go.uvm. edu/2025.
The event kicks off with an engineering scavenger hunt involving interactive exhibits that showcase various types of engineering and career pathways. Afternoon workshops will focus on a range of topics including Python programming, robotics, bridge design, cartilage construction, lift and force and renewable energy, among others.
The annual Discover Engineering Day is sponsored by the Lola and George Aiken Fund as part of National Engineering Week, Feb. 16-22.
Weeklong event addresses damages of winter salting
Salt prematurely ages roads and bridges and degrades freshwater lakes, streams and drinking water. Just a teaspoon of salt permanently pollutes five gallons
of water.
COMMUNITY
Lake Champlain Sea Grant and UVM Extension are partnering with organizations across the country to elevate the conversations around winter salt pollution and reduction solutions during Winter Salt Week, Jan. 27-31. More information, wintersaltweek.org.
There will be a free interactive webinar for business owners and managers in the Lake Champlain basin on Jan. 27 from noon-1 p.m., with information on the impacts of salting on the environment and practical tips to reduce salt use on business properties while maintaining public safety.
To register, go.uvm.edu/businesssaltwebinar2025.
Also, for those interested in learning how salt impacts waterways and trying their hand at being a scientist, Lake Champlain Sea Grant and UVM Extension will host two learning tables on Jan. 28.
The first will be held at the Aiken Center Solarium, 81 Carrigan Dr., Burlington, from 12 to
Community Notes
1 p.m. The second will be at the Burlington Beer Company, 180 Flynn Ave., Burlington, from 4-6 p.m.
“We know that salting roads, parking lots, sidewalks and other surfaces during winter is impacting our waterways and the environment,” Kristine Stepenuck, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, said. “To protect our freshwater for future generations, we need to act now to reduce our use of salt.”
Annual ag conference explores crop practices
Field crop growers looking to enhance their operations using cover crops and no-till practices will benefit from attending the No-Till and Cover Crop Conference on Feb. 13, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in South Burlington from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., with registration open at 8 am.
The annual conference features speakers from several states and Canada who will present information on a range of topics to help farmers build resil-
Student Milestones
Several South Burlington students received academic honors for the fall semester. Their colleges sent the news along to the newspaper.
The following South Burlington students received academic honors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: Emily Bloom, School of Nursing, dean’s honor list; Andrew Stein, School of Business, dean’s list; Grace Stein, College of Letters and Science, dean’s list.
Ava Goyette of South Burlington, a sophomore majoring in civil engineering, was named a Presidential Scholar for the Fall 2024 semester at Clarkson University.
Savannah Werner of South Burlington was named to Lasell University Fall 2024 Dean’s List.
Miranda Hayes, of South Burlington was named to the
Fall 2024 dean’s list at Roger Williams University.
Ayoob Musanovic, a marketing major from South Burlington, was named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2024 semester at Western Connecticut State University.
The following South Burlington students were named to the Dean’s List at Saint Michael’s College for the Fall 2024 semester: Daniel R. McCaffrey, Jacob Martinez, Ana Sofia Mendes, Kailey E. Palmer, Alece T. Staley, Samantha M. Adams, Bennett W. Bridges, Miles A. Jackson, Ava E. Laroche, Nora J. O’Grady, Evan F. Richardson, D’Niaya E. Settles, Kayla A. Stern.
South Burlington students Stella Holmes, Caitlin Lyford-Byrne and Caitlin Lyford-Byrne were named to the Curry College dean’s list.
iency into their cropping systems.
Speakers include Rafiq Islam, Ohio State University, who will explain the impact no-till practices and cover crops have on soil health, crop productivity and food quality. Odette Ménard, a Quebec soil and water conservation expert, will discuss soil health and compaction, while John Wallace, Pennsylvania State University, will cover weed control in no-till and cover crops.
Several University of Vermont
Extension researchers will speak, including Juan Alvez, Joshua Faulkner and Shawn Lucas on UVM soil and water research; Heather Darby and Steve Dwinell from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets on current research on neonics; and UVM Extension’s Jeff Sanders and Scott Magnan on precision agricultural management. Fee: $75 or $50 for students. More information, go.uvm. edu/2025ntcc.
Museum exhibit remembers ‘lost’ northern ski hills
PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
Before gondolas, parabolic skis and slope-side condos, skiers in Vermont found their fix on farmland hills with rope tows powered by old truck engines.
After World War II – when the 10th Mountain Division returned home as celebrities, casting a spell of ski mania throughout the nation and particularly New England, where many of them were from – everybody wanted to ski, and hundreds of rope tow operations emerged in Vermont.
Nearly all of them are gone now, their traces hidden beneath new forests and buildings, but a new exhibit at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum is seeking to bring memories of them back to life.
“Searching for Vermont’s Lost Ski Areas” opened at the museum last month. The main attraction is an eight-foot-tall map of Vermont that identifies nearly 200 lost ski areas throughout the state.
The rest of the exhibit spans the entire first floor of the museum and features era-specific ski gear, historic photos and vast information about the lost ski areas, sectioned off by region.
Nestled in the Green Mountains, these towns became hubs for skiing in Vermont, but the exhibit also reveals a smaller ski scene in Chittenden County, where towns like Charlotte, Hinesburg, South Burlington, Williston and Winooski all had ski areas that are gone today.
Research for the exhibit began over 20 years ago when Meredith Scott, a curator and former director for the museum, began traveling the state seeking information on lost ski areas she’d heard about. This led her to county fairs, town archives and countless interviews with locals who remember skiing at the early resorts of Vermont.
Poppy Gall, curator of “Searching for Vermont’s Lost Ski Areas” and co-chair of the museum’s board, picked up the research two years ago and began shaping information the museum already had for display.
The museum has since discovered nine additional resorts. Part one of the exhibit, which focused on ski areas in the bottom half of Vermont, showed last year. Part two, the current exhibit, includes the top half, culminating two decades of research conducted by the museum.
“I think when people visit the exhibit, they are mostly amazed by the sheer number of resorts there used to be,” Gall said. “I tell them that Vermonters have always been skiing crazy. It’s just the industry that changed around them.”
Many Vermonters, equipped with wooden planks for skis and strong forearms, learned to ski at these hills. Someone would fire up the tow in the morning and families could ski all day — and night in some cases — for free or next to nothing.
“They were community centers, really,” said Gall. “It’s like the community swimming pool in the summer, you know, they had the rope tow in the winter. Parents dropped their kids off in the morning or after school. There were some adults around to kind of supervise, and the kids just skied all day.”
COURTESY PHOTO / GORDON MILLER
Above: A historic photo depicts North Country ski hill in Hyde Park, operating recently enough to make it to the color photo era.
Below: Part two, the current exhibit, includes the top half of Vermont, culminating two decades of research conducted by the museum.
COURTESY PHOTO
Joining the South Burlington Boys Basketball Hall of Fame this year are Dave “Scooter” Lapointe, class of 1987 and Evan Parker, class of 2020 (5th and 6th from the left, respectively). Pictured with them are other Hall of Fame members and South Burlington basketball coaches.
LETTERS continued from page 7
out it, deeper cuts could harm the students and families who need support the most.
Even with these challenges, I remain proud of what this budget achieves. By supporting it, you are investing in our students, their future, and the strength of South Burlington.
Learn More by visiting sbschools.net/page/budget-fy26. Advocate for reform by contacting your state representatives to ask for better education funding and cost controls. And don’t forget to vote on March 4. Every vote makes a difference.
Thank you for considering your vote on this important decision.
Chris Trombly
South Burlington Trombly is a South Burlington school board member.
Restore athletics programs cut from school budget
To the Edior:
On Wednesday, Jan. 8, the South Burlington School Board voted to adopt a $71.5 million school budget for FY26, that includes cuts to staffing and services but also amounts to a 7.06 percent budget increase requiring an 8.1 percent homestead tax rate increase.
This proposed budget is full of hard choices, but there is one cut that provides only minimal budgetary savings — 0.2 percent of the overall budget — but would lead to significant negative impacts that will be severely felt by students and families throughout our community: a $140,358 dollar reduction in athletics that will cut the junior varsity football, fall cheer, gymnastics, and JV boys’ soccer, basketball and baseball programs, as well as reduce funding for night games, uniforms,
Wolves skaters go thrice as nice on ice
LAUREN READ CORRESPONDENT
Boys’ ice hockey
South Burlington 5, Essex 1: South Burlington won its third game in a row, beating Essex in convincing fashion on Saturday.
Christian Butler had two goals and two points for the Wolves, who moved to 6-3 with the win.
Lucas Van Mullen added two goals and an assist, while Hayden Nelson also tallied.
Indoor track and field
At the Division I indoor throwing state championships, one South Burlington athlete was able to finish in the top three. Megan Roberts finished third in the D-I girls shot put competition.
Wrestling
equipment and supplies.
Most of the sports programs that are being cut are “entry level” teams that are predominantly filled by freshmen. A close read of the approved budget shows that, besides eliminating Japanese language instruction, the only actual program elimination are these cuts to athletics.
And yet, numerous studies have shown that participation in high school sports leads to positive benefits for students, such as lower chances of dropping out, higher GPA, greater likelihood of attending college, and physical and emotional well-being. These benefits are especially important for freshmen. Participation in sports can help them find community and identity as they transition into a more challenging academic and social environment.
The board’s vote to adopt this budget came only two days after it was released and was narrowly approved after limited public comment and over the objections of two out of five board members. The adopted budget has now been warned for the vote on March 4.
However, our city charter requires the board to submit a copy of the approved budget to a steering committee by Jan. 17, and the steering committee must get its feedback to the board by Jan. 28.
The steering committee and board meet on Jan. 22 at 4 and 6 p.m., respectively, to discuss the budget, with opportunities for public comment. If you do not support these reductions in athletics, please show up and make your opinion heard. It may be too late to influence the outcome of the first budget vote, but it is important to go on record, especially if additional budget votes are needed.
Oliver Pierson
South Burlington
in the 106-pount weight class and Orion Hoffer finished fourth in the 144-pound weight class for the Wolves.
Boys’ basketball
Champlain Valley 42, South Burlington 38: South Burlington saw its four-game win streak snapped with a loss to Champlain Valley on Friday.
The two teams were tied at 35 with under two minutes to play, but CVU hit a big three-pointer to take the lead and the win.
Deng Aguek had 19 points to lead South Burlington, who fell to 6-5.
Gymnastics
The South Burlington wrestling team traveled to Vergennes for the annual Vergennes tournament and came out 12th out of 24 teams.
Sam Zuchman was third place
South Burlington 105.0, Harwood 66.25: The South Burlington gymnastics team grabbed a win over Harwood in a meet at the Central Vermont Gymnastics Academy on Friday.
Kelsey Adams led the way for the Wolves, placing first place in the all-around competition. Adams finished first in the beam, third in
the bars and third in the vault.
Julia Vandernat earned first place in the vault, second in the mean and third in the floor exercise.
Girls’ basketball
Essex 52, South Burlington 42: South Burlington fell to Essex on Thursday to drop to 0-6 on the season.
Tori Griffin had 21 points to lead the way for the Wolves.
Alpine skiing
The South Burlington alpine ski team competed the Skilton Classic at Mad River Glen on Tuesday. The Wolves came in third place in the boys’ competition.
For the boys, Dylan Karpinski was third, Jackson Rothman was ninth, Sam Harm came in 15th, Jesse Poor finished 17th and Russell Rothman was 19th to place five skiers in the top 20.
On the girls’ side, Katie McNeill finished in 15th place and Mira Epstein came in 16th for the Wolves.
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BUDGET
continued from page 1
in property taxes over last year, while the average condo owner could see an increase up to $50, according to city officials.
The budget, city manager Jessie Baker said, maintains the city’s current level of services while also maximizing property tax revenue by aggressively budgeting for things like the local option tax.
The spending plan also 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.
“You have 75 percent of the budget between public works, police and fire, public safety, and then a quarter spent on all of the backbone organizations, like the library and parks and rec, planning and zoning, and community development and the city clerk’s office,” Baker told the community last week.
What the budget doesn’t include, Baker explained, is any funding for a proposed recreation center, a city green or new funds to support the city’s cemeteries, nor does it fund current or future recommendations for the city’s Safe Routes to School Task Force.
When the council held its public hearing Jan. 13 on the proposed budget, only one lone resident, Wendell Coleman, took to the microphone to chat with councilors. His message is arguably what has been on everyone’s mind this budget season: “I’ll just point out the obvious, you are competing with the same tax base that the school system is.”
Baker told councilors and constituents that the city’s focus this year was to maintain a level service spending plan that doesn’t overburden taxpayers up against the city’s school budget.
“I would just like to echo that really amazing job by the city staff to bring us down to this 3.3 rate, given that we started at 7 percent,” councilor Mike Scanlan said. “This is not the only year they’ve done this. They did this last year as well. So, I think we also just need to be mindful of the discussions we have to have going forward and how we basically addressed what will probably be an annual challenge.”
The city will hold a steering committee meeting with the school district on Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. and a presentation to voters on March 3 at 6:30 p.m. before the annual vote on March 4.
CLIMATE MANAGER
continued from page 1
salary was introduced in the city’s spending plan presented to voters on Town Meeting Day last year. Other investments like climate consulting work and capital improvements related to weatherization were also included.
“One of the huge ways the city has made investments in addressing climate change to date is those capital projects for our organization,” city manager Jessie Baker said. “So, hybrid police vehicles of our buildings, solar panels, those things that make our organization as climate resilient as we can.”
Miguez comes to the role with almost a lifetime of work in the environmental field. She hails originally from Uruguay and holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering and a master’s degree in soil science. Since working in the field of environmental consulting for years, Miguez has had her hands in the dirt, so to speak, for most of her life.
She can clearly recall a time when the wheels for her passion really began turning. With both of her parents in the engineering world, her love for the technical aspects of environmental work came relatively easily to her. But her realization of how these built environments can affect both human and natural environments started with a middle school science club.
“We did a water quality test in some of my town’s streams,” she said, a soft smile spreading across her face as she reminisced on what has brought her to this new role. “And that was definitely what really got me started, because it wasn’t just, ‘Oh, these streams are degraded.’ It was ‘These streams are degraded and there are people living next to these streams.’ It was the whole picture around it and how it is a two-way street: how we treat our environment, is going to be what sustains us later.”
With the skill set needed for the new role already in her toolbelt, she said she applied for the job to get back into policy and government. Doing the work on a municipal level highlights, in a more tangible way, the human component that plays into environmental discussions.
“I thought it could be a good way to get back to that, and also be involved in the community,” she said, noting the strong civic engagement that people in Vermont tend to have. “People go to meetings, they’re involved, they’re engaged. It’s wonderful. I hadn’t had that anywhere I’ve lived before.”
When the position opened in August, Baker said the city staff team was “positively overwhelmed,” receiving 50 applicants for the position. Through several rounds of the hiring process, Miguez was always at the top of the city’s candidate list.
From the city’s 2022 Climate Action plan to transportation initiatives and changing land use regulations, climate resiliency and action remains the basis for a slew of moving parts across the city’s evolution, but Baker noted that Miguez’s role will look at putting plans into action.
“The next six months to a year’s worth of work is really figuring out what’s going to have the biggest bang for the buck first, and then hopefully leveraging outside dollars into the city to do those,” Baker said.
That’s also the reason the new position is in the city manager’s office as opposed to an area like planning and zoning or public works. The work, Baker noted, will reach city-wide, across all departments and communities.
While she spent most of her first week learning names and familiarizing herself with city documents and priorities, Miguez said it’s most likely that her first major task will be updating all the Climate Action Plan’s metrics to see how the city’s been evolving and the progress that’s been made so far.
And she noted, her door — metaphorically — is always open.
“I would love to be perceived as an approachable person, that you can just come and talk to me,” she said. “When I’m out and I’m seeing things, I want to talk to people about how they are moving around, especially because transportation is one of the biggest issues we have in terms of climate, but also anything else.”
COURTESY PHOTO
From left, city manager Jessie Baker, climate director Bettina Miguez and planning director Paul Conner.
Frost Quakes: The groans of Old Man Winter
The Outside Story
Colby Galliher
As the winter sun set on Feb. 3, 2023, the Caribou, Maine branch of the National Weather Service was flooded with reports of seismic activity.
James Sinko, the office’s hydrology program manager, recounted Mainers calling in from across the state’s Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Washington counties to describe homes and buildings trembling and deep rumbles emanating from beneath their feet. The previous two months had been warm and rainy, and a fast-moving cold front that day led to temperatures “15-30 degrees below zero, falling at rates of 2-3 degrees every 30 minutes in some locations,” Sinko recalled.
These conditions set the stage for a series of frost quakes, a rare phenomenon some meteorologists and hydrologists also refer to as “cryoseisms.” Unlike earthquakes, which are caused by shifting tectonic plates, frost quakes arise when specific meteorological and hydrological factors coincide.
These unusual seismic events occur when a rapid drop in air temperatures dramatically decreases the temperature of waterlogged soil, typically after rain or a thaw.
“Water in the soil freezes and expands more rapidly than the soil particles can adjust. This causes a sudden rupture of the ice in the soil, generally in the coldest part of the night,” Henry Berry, senior geologist at the Maine Geological Society, said. “The release of pressure can cause effects similar to those of true earthquakes, especially explosive noises and high-frequency shaking.”
Frost quakes tend to affect small areas and are more common in certain landscapes than others. They are “generally very localized events,” explained Berry. “In one study where (detection) instruments were set up near each other, cryoseisms were felt and heard in several houses, but not in nearby houses only a few hundred feet away.”
Frost quakes are more likely in open areas, rather than wooded ones, as nighttime temperatures in fields and meadows, which lack the vegetative cover that can trap heat, tend to dip lower than in forests.
While powerful earthquakes can generate catastrophe, frost quakes generally leave behind little evidence of their occurrence.
Louise Fode, warning coordination meteorologist at National Weather Service in Caribou, said that although her office receives reports of frost quakes once or twice a winter, the reports have never included accounts of frost quake-related damage.
Berry noted that most frost quakes are so subtle that they fail to register on conventional detection instruments. However, he said that when frost quakes are more powerful, “long cracks in the ground or in pavement have been found, where the frozen ground snapped.” Sinko added that frost quakes “can sometimes alter underground drainage passages.”
Still, even when conditions seem ripe for frost quakes, they remain rare.
“Cryoseisms require a particular set of conditions, which don’t happen every year,” Berry said.
But, he added, “when the conditions are right, they can come in a bunch,” as Sinko witnessed in northern Maine in February 2023.
Climate change is making New England winters milder, but rising temperatures may not mean fewer frost quakes. Snowpack insulates soil, keeping it warmer than the air. With “little to no snow on the ground,” as happens more often in a warmer world, soil temperatures crash, according to Sinko.
Without a snow barrier, water in the soil is more likely to freeze quickly when air temperatures drop. Inconsistent snowpack over
the winter months could thus lead to more frost quakes. And even amid a pattern of higher temperatures, winter in the Northeast will still feature spells of frigid weather.
“Frost quakes occur during sudden cold events, which can still happen in a warming climate,” Sinko said.
Fode concurred: “Even with warming winters, it will be quite a while before we have winters with no rapid freezing events, so I would anticipate we’ll continue to get reports of frost quakes.”
If a spate of warm and wet days gives way to a harsh cold spell this
season, pay close attention to the ground beneath your feet — you may bear witness to a rare seismic phenomenon.
Colby Galliher is a writer who calls the woods, meadows, and rivers of New England home. To learn more about his work, visit colbygalliher.com. 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.
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SKI HILLS
continued from page 10
Seven resorts popped up in Chittenden County after World War II, including three in Charlotte, one in Hinesburg, one in South Burlington and the rest near Williston.
While researching resorts in Charlotte, Gall stumbled upon a group of locals who drink coffee together once a week at the Old Brick Store.
“They’d all been living in Charlotte since the ‘70s and were such a wealth of information,” said Gall.
The conversations even led to a new lost resort in Charlotte, Barber Hill, the only remnant of which is a concrete block where an old car was set up to power the resort’s rope tow.
Most of the rope tows in Chittenden County were similarly cobbled together using old car parts — engines as a power source, wheels to guide the rope and a pile of old metal nearby in case anything broke.
The Hinesburg Ski Association, a rope tow that ran from the mid-60s to the early ‘70s, was powered by a brute of an engine. It ran so hot that the hood of the car was
IN MUSING
continued from page 6
of our nation and 73 percent worry about the economy.
Listen, no one I know is stress-free — hang on, do I need new friends?
I will not list reasons for feeling anxious; just watch the news. But be careful about the commercials. They use anxiety to get us to buy stuff like security blankets, meditation apps, a blanket that puts out fires, wi-fi security cameras, weighted blankets. I notice blankets are a big deal, which makes me worry I do not have enough of them.
For me, an evening glass of wine soothes my brow and lowers my shoulders. Somehow, it makes room for clearer thinking along with taking the time to just “be” outside of all the “to-dos,” But then the Surgeon General comes in with an advisory saying alcohol raises the risk of cancer.
As if I didn’t have enough to worry about. Previously, moderate drinking was okay. We were even told it could be good
always open and there were cans of oil on standby to cool it down. The car doubled as a warming hut.
Ropes were also essential. Mickey Cochran, founder of the nearby Cochran’s Ski Area, which began as a rope tow, became renowned for this ability to fix ropes by splicing threads. He repaired countless ropes throughout the state and helped keep smaller tows running.
“They didn’t think too hard about these machines,” said Gall. “The thinking was, ‘just get them up the hill.’”
Eventually, the hills started closing as insurance rates increased and the state began policing the safety of rope tows. The persistent development of I-89 also closed a few operations, including one in South Burlington.
Still, the memories remain.
“What I love most about this project is all the different stories people have about the lost resorts,” said Gall. “They’re treasures and I’m glad to see those stories live on.”
for you. At my age, that’s like moving the finish line while I’m pouring my Cabernet. To help us, author and sociologist Martha Beck wrote a book titled “Beyond Anxiety,” noting, “We live in an epidemic of anxiety.” So why then did she subtitle her book, “Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life’s Purpose.” Gee, Martha, thanks for raising the stakes. Now I have to find my purpose AND get rid of my fear, dread and uneasiness.
What I really need is a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for anxiety. Something that would lift away built-up worries, remove fretfulness from nooks and crannies — you know, just clean stubborn stress away. It doesn’t even have to do a perfect job. I’m okay with a stain of worry. I can tolerate that. I’m just looking for a little less anxiety.
Carole Vasta Folley is an award-winning columnist and playwright. Visit carolevf.com.
COURTEY PHOTO
A historic photo depicts the Samoset Country Club practice hill in Morristown, which operated in the 1930s.