Issue #328
Plan to turn church into village community center gains momentum
The founding board of directors for the Saxtons River Community Building has been seeking public input and will soon incorporate as a nonprofit.
On Oct. 15, 37 people attended a meeting at Christ's Church to help shape the vision and direction of the Saxtons River Community Building. It was facilitated by Susan McMahon of the Windham Regional Commission. McMahon also led two Community Revitalization sessions in Saxtons River in 2014.
A heart for children
For one family, the life of David Tasgal left lasting and ultimately indelible connections with the violin and the joy of music
I never thought about David Tasgal's age before, but if I had to guess, I would have said early 60s, which is why I had originally dismissed the news that a 72-year-old man was struck on his bike in Greenfield on the afternoon of Oct. 12. David has been...
Chard deNiord, Vermont’s new Poet Laureate, reads at Putney Library
Vermont's incoming Poet Laureate, Chard deNiord, will give a reading at the Putney Public Library on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. He will read from his newest collection, Interstate, as well as other recent work, including his interviews with other notable American poets. Poet Jericho Brown says of...
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Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center presents ‘The Lost Circus’ at Forest of Mystery
As the leaves take on a golden and crimson hue, and the nights cool, the trails of Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center become alive with their Forest of Mystery on Oct. 23 and 24. Bonnyvale invites all to become part of their forest of mysteries as a circus troupe lost in time appears to mortals. A hundred years ago “The Ringmaster's Amazing Circus” travelled the world, delighting adult and child alike. Then the mischievous clown Mr. Giggles tricked his fellow performers...
Our prized asset
Vermont's environmental heritage has been defined over time, and today it is being tested or challenged by goals to have the state have 90 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050. A special recent report on VTDigger, “Tax breaks drive Vermont's solar gold rush,” indicates that solar developers have their eyes on Vermont due to these additional incentives. Can this expansion of solar, and even wind on our ridgelines, be compatible with articulated environmental and land-use goals? It...
Main Street Arts performs live musical revue Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at five local venues
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is a celebration of the life and art of one of the greatest French singer-songwriters of the 20th century. While Brel is not a household name in America, he is considered the songwriter/poet of his generation in the French-speaking world. Embodying the restlessness of the European youth in the 1950s and 1960s, Brel became famous for both the range of his music and his constant travel, believing that “one must...
Leland & Gray offers Refuse to Use program
This fall, students at Leland & Gray Middle and High School will be offered the chance to participate in the Refuse to Use Program. Refuse to Use, developed by Stratton Mountain Resort and West River Valley Thrives, provides substance use prevention education to teens, schools, and families paired with the offering of a healthy alternative to substance use – a highly discounted ski pass. Teens in Refuse to Use make a pledge to stay substance free by not consuming any...
Local authors present reading in West B
Suzanne d'Corsey and Charles Butterfield will read from their newly published works on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m., at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in West Brattleboro. The authors will autograph purchased books during refreshments following the reading. The event is free and open to the public. D'Corsey's novel, The Bonnie Road, is set in Scotland at St. Andrews. D'Corsey transposes the old ways of Scotland into the 20th century and discusses the ancient traditions and beliefs that still...
Welch wants more public input on VY decommissioning
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch is again demanding that Vermont residents and officials have more of a say in the decommissioning of Vermont Yankee. In a letter sent Oct. 14 to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the state's Democratic congressman complained that “the lack of meaningful stakeholder participation in decisions related to Vermont Yankee's decommissioning is unacceptable.” “It is essential that Vermonters have a seat at the table throughout this process,” Welch wrote. “The NRC has failed to substantively engage state...
Vermont Community Foundation arts funds award $111,700
The Vermont Arts Endowment Fund and the Concert Artists Fund, two component funds at the Vermont Community Foundation, announced that together they have awarded a total of $111,770 to 34 artists and arts organizations across the state. The Vermont Arts Endowment Fund awarded grants totaling $57,700 primarily to support the commissioning, creation, and presentation of new work or to assist Vermont artists wishing to take their work in new or different directions. Eleven awards were made to individual artists and...
Deaccessioned instruments, parts offered to the public at Estey museum
Over the years, the Estey Organ Museum in Brattleboro has received a number of reed organs which are no longer needed for the museum's permanent collection. As a way to free up storage space, as well as pass some of these instruments on to those who would have a use for them, the museum is holding a Reed Organ Re-Homing Weekend on Oct. 24 and 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the museum on 108 Birge St. These instruments...
Meeting Waters Y celebrates Lights On Afterschool! program
Meeting Waters YMCA will join more than 10,000 organizations nationwide in hosting Lights On Afterschool! celebrations on Thursday, Oct. 22. Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool! is the only nationwide event celebrating after school programs and their role in the lives of children, families, and communities. Meeting Waters YMCA will host public celebrations at two of its six Y-ASPIRE sites - Brattleboro's Green Street School and Rockingham Central School. The Lights On Afterschool! events will take place between 4:30...
Pipeline opposition in New York state
Compressor Free Franklin (CFF), a grassroots group in Franklin, N.Y., has been working for two years to raise public awareness of the two pipelines, the Cabot-Williams Constitution and Kinder-Morgan NED, as well as a 30,000-hp compressor station that are proposed for our town. We can understand the concerns, and are delighted to hear that Massachusetts public officials have taken a stand. Our town Board of Selectmen has sidestepped the issue by taking no action. CFF has repeatedly asked for a...
Cochlear implant: learning to hear
Having had a musical education myself, I found Laura Stevenson's explanation of her adjustment to a cochlear implant very informative. What patience is required for a mother to help a child who has received a CI to learn to hear.
Around the Towns
Food distribution in Putney, Townshend On Thursday, Oct. 22, the Vermont Foodbank will team up with the Putney Foodshelf and Townshend Community Food Shelf and bring a truck of fresh produce and other non-perishable item to both towns. From 9 to 9:45 a.m., food will be distributed at Putney Meadows (the white building across from the Putney Co-op and Fire Station). From 1 to 2 p.m., there will be a food distribution at Grace Cottage Hospital, 185 Grafton Rd. (Route...
Milestones
Obituaries • Janice (Barber) Cominoli, 83, formerly of Townshend. Died Oct. 12 at Pine Heights in Brattleboro following a period of declining health. Wife of the late Charles E. Cominoli for nearly 32 years. Mother of Steven Cominoli and his wife, Mona, of Ware, Mass.; Marie Class of Columbus, Ohio; Linda Burdick and her husband, Fred, of Newfane; Karen Cromack and her husband, Wes, of Hinsdale, N.H.; and Brian Cominoli of Brattleboro. Sister of Marjorie Miller and her husband, Richard,
Our Place Empty Bowl dinner and auction set for Nov. 1
Tickets are now on sale for the 18th annual Empty Bowl dinner and auctions Sunday, Nov. 1, at Alyson's Orchard in Walpole, N.H., to benefit the food programs of Our Place Drop-in Center. The event gets under way at 5 p.m., and includes a soup supper featuring signature soups from local restaurants and chefs, and silent and live auctions, with auctioneer David Howell. Tickets are $35 each and are on sale at Village Square Booksellers in Bellows Falls, Galloway Real...
Entergy must disclose trust-fund use details
If Entergy wants to use the Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust fund for expenses such as property taxes, insurance, and emergency preparedness, it's going to have to tell the federal and state governments in advance. On Oct. 15, the federal Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruled that requiring Entergy to provide such specifics in its notifications “will afford Vermont an opportunity, if it chooses, to dispute a specific disbursement” from the Vernon plant's trust fund. The licensing board's decision is a...
Gun confiscation a true threat worth fighting
Michael Balamuth, not only do I think you are wrong, but history also proves you are wrong. First a disclaimer: I am the president of the Gun Owners of Vermont. As such, I am kind of an expert on firearms legislation. I am not a member of the National Rifle Association. You advocate “[u]niversal background checks for all gun transfers, including gun shows, private sales, and even gifts from one person to another.” Sorry, but if I want to give...
Public: area needs more bike lanes, mass transit
Area residents urged the state Transportation Board to provide more consistently marked and maintained bike lanes throughout the Connecticut River valley, and they urged access to public transportation for poor and rural residents. In the first of six public meetings across the state this fall, the board met with residents Oct. 14 at the behest of the Agency of Transportation (AOT). Last year, the board met at college campuses with millennials. This year, the AOT tasked the board with determining...
An unreasonable, but terribly powerful, fear
I am so grateful for this commentary, which names the unreasonable, but terribly powerful, fear - of a tyrannical government actually disarming citizens - behind so many opponents of gun-safety laws.
Gas plant in Vernon would be a backward step
There hasn't been a big fossil-fuel-burning plant in the area yet, and a gas plant in Vernon would cross a threshold into the past. Maximizing efficiency and output at the old, existing Vernon Dam hydroelectric plant would be a big first step to boosting clean energy. A nice solar facility and small-to mid-scale vertical axis wind turbine array would be great. Winds funnel nicely down that part of the river valley; it's a perfect spot for harvesting wind, water, and...
How about solar?
Certainly, Vermont should not be adding a dirty-fossil-fuel plant! How about a solar facility with non-toxic aqueous battery storage instead? Keep moving forward. Don't backslide!
Dummerston briefs
Big cable gets yanked DUMMERSTON - During the Roads Report at the Sept. 30 regular Selectboard meeting, Board member Jerelyn Wilson noted the recent removal of the large cable at the West River swimming hole. The town has been trying to remove it for years because it presents a possible hazard to swimmers but, in the past, nobody was able to locate the cable's point of origin. Last month, Road Foreman Lee Chamberlin and his crew successfully dug out the...
In Brattleboro, a winter shelter keeps its home for one final season
The uncertainty surrounding the location of this year's seasonal nighttime shelter has been resolved. At least for this year. Groundworks Collaborative will open the ninth annual Seasonal Overflow Shelter (SOS) on Nov. 15 at the First Baptist Church at 190 Main St. It's likely to be the last winter that the Baptist Church will house the SOS. The emergency winter shelter will provide warm and safe sleeping space for homeless community members. Dinner will be served nightly. According to Groundworks'
Selectboard briefs
Budget discussions underway ROCKINGHAM - The fiscal 2016 budget was discussed by the board at its Oct. 6 meeting, specifically noting a large zoning wage payout of vacation time to departed zoning administrator Ellen Howard. Municipal Manager Willis D. Stearns II told the board that $60,000 slated as matching funds for a grant that did not come through would be reallocated to road repair on several roads in Rockingham. Fire truck replacements needed ROCKINGHAM - Municipal Manager Willis D. Stearns...
$500,000 awarded for brownfields cleanup
The Windham Regional Commission recently received $500,000 in supplemental funding to recapitalize the Windham Region Brownfields Reuse Initiative (WRBRI) Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). This funding was recently awarded from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to 31 successful RLF grantees as part of approximately $13.2 million in supplemental funding to help transform communities by cleaning up contaminated brownfields properties. “These funds – granted to communities who have already achieved success in their work to clean up and redevelop brownfields –
Compass School praised in state approval process
Compass School recently was once again awarded a five-year state approval by the State Board of Education. This rigorous process from the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) requires the school to review and report on the quality of each element of the educational program. AOE officials then visit the school to evaluate the school's program and give feedback on school quality. In addition to being impressed by the new Compass building and facilities, AOE officials praised Compass for its wide...
Sanity in gun laws will make our kids safer
Thanks, Michael Balamuth, for your commentary. Your ideas will bring out the fear and paranoia of the less than 20 percent of our society that does not support universal background checks. When I was in my late teens, I owned a rifle. I was immature, not educated in any kind of gun safety, and had an addiction to alcohol. But for some whiff of grace, I didn't hurt myself or another person. Now, I volunteer for GunSense VT. We are...
New volunteer disaster recovery organization seeks members
Disasters take many guises: the floods of Tropical Storm Irene, the flames that gutted the Brooks House, or the 2008 ice storm that left some homes in Windham County without electricity for two weeks. People are used to seeing the professionals when disasters happen. Fire, police, and ambulance personnel, and state and federal agencies are trained, and funded, to know what to do when the world turns upside down. They quench the flames, bandage the wounded, bring comfort to the...
Village approves non-resident parking fee
Village Trustees approved on Oct. 13 an $80 per vehicle non-resident annual overnight parking fee. This was an issue held over from the September Joint Board meeting. Municipal Manager Willis D. Stearns II told Trustees that setting parking fees was a joint town/village policy, and that the Rockingham Selectboard previously approved the change. Currently, non-residents also have the option to pay a monthly fee of $10. Non-resident parking permits are currently registered to a single vehicle, and can't be used...
Taking it all in
Political debates are more interesting with a crowd. People clapping and cheering - and even the hisses and heckles that punctuated the first Democratic presidential debate on Oct. 13 - raised the more-than-two-hour broadcast to a communal experience. Two venues in town hosted showings. The Windham County Democrats partnered with the Latchis Theatre to stream the event, broadcast by CNN. Up the street and around the corner, McNeill's Brewery at 90 Elliot St. also played the debate on its large...
One-size-fits-all solution won't work for our schools
Feeling compelled to do something about education costs in Vermont, legislators passed a poorly considered, last-minute bill that will result in fewer educational opportunities while doing nothing to reduce taxes. This bill is flawed in numerous ways, most notably in its inflexible disregard of the unique circumstances of different districts, schools, and regions. Act 46 provides significant financial incentives for districts to consolidate. But it stipulates that these consolidated districts meet highly restrictive criteria, including that the combined districts must...
Spreading out the duty
The first time Gayle Marie Weitz, co-founder of Artrageus1 Arts Collective, visited Brattleboro with her husband Nick Biddle, she knew she wanted to stay. Their daughter had attended Northfield Mount Hermon School, and when the couple came to the area for her graduation, they took a side-trip to Brattleboro. “Our plan was to retire to Vermont and open an art shop,” Weitz said. “It was instant attraction for me,” Weitz said. “What I felt immediately coming into Brattleboro, especially for...
Vernon officials caught between state, Entergy on tax issue
The Vermont Department of Taxes recently informed town listers that they must add Vermont Yankee to the town's grand list for calendar year 2015. This means that according to the state, Entergy, VY's parent company, must fork over $2 million, which will make its way into the state's education fund. Though they ultimately billed the utility - and Entergy, for its part, is mulling its options over the matter - town officials are not happy, and they feel that the...
Our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fix our schools
A discussion with far-reaching implications is happening at school board and community meetings across Vermont right now. The discussion, required by this past Legislative session's Act 46 - “the Unification Act” - is about things we all hold very dear: our children, our communities, and our future. In terms of public participation, this discussion still seems to be flying under the radar. As a state, we have had some challenges with our education system prior to Act 46. The state...
Why Angela Davis’s message matters
Three black women - Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors - created Black Lives Matter in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Many believe that that if Zimmerman had been held legally accountable, our nation would have gone a long way toward making good on its “post-racial” promises. Speaking before a packed auditorium at Keene State College on Sept. 30, scholar and activist Angela Davis argued that the assumption of black guilt...
Head of Vermont Chamber warns of tax impacts
When describing the Vermont Chamber of Commerce's lobbying efforts, Betsy Bishop employs the standard devices - pie charts, anecdotes, and a few “offense” and “defense” football analogies. But the chamber's president also has a relatively new tool, and it's got no pictures or brightly colored graphs. Instead, it's a dense, still-expanding document running to nearly three pages and featuring more than 50 bullet points detailing taxes, fees, and mandates that have been imposed recently on Vermont residents and businesses -
Williamsville nonprofit wants to buy conserved land
For decades, The Manitou Project has been offering a chance to reconnect with nature on more than 200 forested, conserved acres in the village of Williamsville. The organization asks visitors “to be still, to quiet the everyday mind.” But leaders of the nonprofit are about to enter a busy time as they kick off a fundraising campaign to purchase the land they've been managing. Beyond acquiring real estate, the goal is to expand Manitou's offerings – including completion of a...
Annual Chili Contest set for Saturday
The hearty smells of chili will waft through the air Saturday, Oct. 24, as the Saxtons River Rec hosts its annual chili contest, from noon to 2 p.m., on Main Street. For a $5 fee, participants are entitled to endless samples of the chili entries, cornbread to cleanse their palates, and a ballot to choose their favorites in the individual and business categories. Proceeds benefit the Recreation Department and its youth soccer program. Businesses and individuals may register to participate...
Twin Valley secures top seed for boys’ soccer playoffs
The Twin Valley boys' soccer game with Windsor on Oct. 14 had the feel of a dress rehearsal for the postseason. A cold, blustery night on the lumpy, bumpy, and chewed-up turf of Hayford Field. A big crowd for Senior Night. A tough opponent that held the Wildcats scoreless for the first 55 minutes of the game. All these elements were present, and the Wildcats performed almost flawlessly in dispatching the Yellowjackets, 3-0. “That was the message to them before...
A performance with bite
When Shoot the Moon presents a beloved (if chilling) classic Halloween tale, Dracula, the old becomes new and the new is actually old. A group of actors is continuing its annual Halloween-themed performance series with a dramatic adaptation of the time-honored Dracula. But this familiar story will get a fresh spin in the new adaptation of the classic Bram Stoker novel by the production's director, Joshua Moyse. On Oct. 23 and 24, and Oct. 29 through 31, at 7:30 p.m.,
Police seek missing girl from Brattleboro
The Brattleboro Police Department is attempting to locate a missing girl. Police say she is Opal Robinson, 15, of Brattleboro, and that the last communication her family had with Robinson was on the afternoon of Oct. 16. In a Facebook post written on Oct. 20, her grandmother, Jeannie Ayer of St. Johnsbury, wrote there is evidence that Robinson is out of state. “I just want her to be safe,” Ayer wrote. Police say that anyone having any information on Robinson's...
Tony Barrand, Keith Murphy to perform benefit concert for Friends of Brooks Library
Renowned folk musicians Tony Barrand and Keith Murphy will perform a benefit concert for the Friends of Brooks Memorial Library in the Main Reading Room of the library, 224 Main St., on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. Barrand and Murphy will feature songs and ballads composed by James Atwood and family members during the mid-19th century in West Dover. The Atwood collection includes dramatic ballads, romantic and funny songs about domestic life and marriage, and children's songs. Tony and...
Donations open doors for hospital
Two women were honored Oct. 13 at separate ribbon-cutting ceremonies at Grace Cottage. The husband of Sheila B. Friedli and the family of Catherine N. Stratton provided the funds to create a new hospital entrance and reception area. Both donations were made in thanks for the care their loved ones received at Grace Cottage over many years and at the end of their lives. “We are so pleased that the Friedli and Stratton families have stepped forward to fund the...
Flute player Gary Stroutsos comes to Stone Church Arts
Gary Stroutsos, who plays flutes from around the world, brings music traditions from the Zuni, Navajo, and Salish peoples to his film, Remembering the Songs: Native American Flute Music, which will be screened on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. He will also perform world flute music drawn from traditional cultures, accompanied by Eugene Friesen on cello on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. Both events take place at Immanuel Episcopal Church, 20 Church St., the stone church on the...
Heating locally
Armed with $1.6 million in grant funding, clean-energy advocates are extolling the benefits of converting Windham County's schools and municipal buildings to “advanced” wood heat. So far, they've had a fairly receptive audience: 15 educational and governmental entities have signed agreements to have their buildings assessed for wood heat, and $75,000 has been awarded to assist a Brattleboro elementary school with tweaking its new system. But the work is taking time, and it's not clear how soon the interested school...
Educational harvest
The students at NewBrook Elementary got to play games in the sun, make pizza, pretend to be bees, harvest cilantro seeds, and fashion corn husk dolls last Friday, Oct. 16, at the school's second annual Farm and Field Day. Principal Scotty Tabachnick said that this school-wide outdoor learning fair was focused on local farm and food education. Community educators operated eight learning stations. The entire student body was divided into mixed-age groups that rotated through the stations. Each group was...