The Charlotte News | August 13, 2015

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CCS’s New Administrators 1 Opportunity Awaits in Charlotte? 1Compost Kids Spread Knowledge 7

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A centennial celebrationJustine Morrison makes the USA 100K women’s team and will race in the world championships

Alex BuntenTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

Justine Morrison grew up in Charlotte and went to UVM. While at university she took a marathon training class but never thought she would even run one. The fact that she has recently been accepted to be on the USA 100K Team either shows that people can be fickle in their preferences or that running 100K can be really fun. It’s likely the former.

Justine ran her first 100K race (about 62 miles) in 2005. Ten years later, in November 2014, she ran the JFK 50 Mile in 7 hours and 9 minutes and just quali-fied under the USA Team cutoff time of 7 hours and 15 minutes. Only six female athletes are chosen each year to represent the USA 100K team.

“I was pretty far down the list and was completely surprised when I got the call this week,” Justine said via email. “My training this year has been focused on a marathon, but luckily I have a few more

weeks to get a couple longer runs in which should put me in good shape for race day…I hope.”

On September 12, she will fly with a small group of elite athletes to Winschoten, the Netherlands, and take part in the 2015 World Championships for 100K. She will be representing the USA, Vermont, and even her hometown of Charlotte. Justine is the daughter of Charlotte Selectboard Chair, Lane Morrison.

From her current home in Bethesda, Maryland, between daily runs and while the kids were napping, we caught up with Justine via email.

The Charlotte News: 100K is pretty far. Some people don’t even like to drive that far! When did you run your first and what was it like?

Justin Morrison: I first heard about ultramarathons while at UVM when I took a marathon training class. To be honest, I thought it sounded nuts and I didn’t think I would ever do one. Fast forward four years and I ran my first 50K trail race and it was awesome. Trail ultras are really like hiking in the woods all

Morrison continued on page 9

Principals continued on page 4

Selectboard continued on page 6

Vol. 58, no. 2August 13, 2015 Charlotte News

The TheCharloTTeNews.org

Vermont’s oldest nonprofit community newspaper, bringing you local news and views since 1958

CCS’s new lead principal wants to meet as many people as she can on the way to hav-ing an impact at the school

Brett SigurdsonTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

Outside of CCS, construction workers make a racket fixing the school’s roof,

providing the facility with much-needed repairs. Inside, the building is also receiv-ing a new look, though perhaps one not as obvious to the naked eye: the school’s administration has taken a new shape with new personnel.

As workers talk on scaffolding outside her new office, Barbara Anne Komons-Montroll moves around boxes yet to be unpacked. She’s been busy since begin-ning June 1, and the new lead principal at CCS is already taking steps to meet her first goal as the leader of the school: building relationships with students, fac-ulty, staff and community members.

Warm and friendly in person, Komons-

Montroll may be ideally suited for this kind of bridge-building at CCS. After all, she and CCS’s other new administrator, instructional leader Stephanie Sumner, enter their positions under some scru-tiny. When the school’s co-principals, Greg Marino and Audrey Boutaugh, both tendered resignations in February, a con-tingent of Charlotters, citing rising bud-get costs and a shrinking student body, urged the School Board to restructure the administration or risk defeat of the proposed $7.5 million budget at Town Meeting.

After the budget did fail, the board offered a kind of compromise: the school would keep two administrators, but rather than have co-principals to split oversight of the school’s K-8 grades, the school would hire one lead principal to oversee all grades and an instructional leader to focus on curriculum. The move cut rough-ly $28,000 from the budget, which passed on the second vote a month later, though

Opportunity awaits?A look at Charlotte Community Development and its efforts to bring vitality to the town


With its six acres of colorful flow-ers surrounding a striking, angular retail store, the Vermont Wildflower Farm on Route 7 has been a landmark in Charlotte since 1981. The wildflower path that cuts through the woods is a popular tourist stop in the summer, and the Seed Shop offers visitors a chance to buy over 100 seed varieties—the largest such supplier in the Northeast.

All of this gives Charlotte some mea-sure of status, not to mention a successful local business. But the town is in danger of losing the Vermont Wildflower Farm, whose business is booming at such a rate that owners Chris and Diana Borie need to expand beyond the means of their current property.

“We have completely outgrown the property as the business is growing at a tremendous rate,” explained Diana, add-ing, “We need a much larger tract of land.”

The Wildflower Farm property is now listed for sale. Once the building and land have sold, the Bories will begin looking at places that fit their need for a retail store, large warehouse and small events venue. It’s possible that the next site won’t be in Charlotte.

“Ideally, we would like to remain in Charlotte,” she said. “However, the reg-ulatory environment may play a role as it seems it is very strict and not open to new growth.”

Charlotters have heard this story before: local business wants to grow and stay local but comes up against zoning obsta-cles and decides to leave.

In 1995, for example, Charlotte-based Country Home Products wanted to expand its operation and turn what is now the Old Lantern into office space for 100 employees. The company withdrew its application after it was clear the project didn’t conform to zoning regulations. The company soon moved to Vergennes.

More recently, Dustin Glasscoe last year moved his Vermont Farm Table operation out of his Charlotte workshop to a 10,000 square-foot space in Bristol due to a lack of space to meet his increased business volume.

It’s a situation Diana Borie herself has seen before. “In my personal opinion, I have seen many folks come and go trying to establish some great business in the town, only to be turned down,” she said. “Charlotte is becoming ‘vacant’.”

“Charlotte needs to offer a reason for folks to come down to Charlotte,” she added, “whether it be for tourism, to sum-mer here or move here. Right now, there is virtually nothing to entice folks.”

However, there’s a group that has been working behind the scenes for the last year to do just that.

Beyond economic developmentAt Town Party this year, one of the

busiest tables beckoned attendees with a big sign asking if Charlotters would like to see the town have a restaurant/pub, gro-cery store, pharmacy, bakery, community meeting space or bookstore. A total of 74 people responded to the survey, with the majority—66 of respondents—choosing a

John HammerTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

The Selectboard meeting of August 10 began with the annual setting of the municipal tax rate. This year’s rate is based on a Grand List of $9,560,151.12. When the calculated surplus of $376.111 was factored in, and a five-percent cush-ion included, the municipal tax was cal-culated as 14.39 cents per $100 assessed property value. This is compared to last year’s municipal tax rate of 16.61.

Charlotte’s new wage administration plan has been the subject of the last three Selectboard meetings. Town Clerk/Treasurer Mary Mead questioned the plan beginning on July 27. Unable to get a hearing because of a full schedule at that meeting, she requested and got a dedicat-ed meeting on August 3.

Selectboard Chair Morrison opened that meeting with a summary of the plan, saying that it is written to recognize that a “job is a job” and that it was not designed as an incentive plan. “Everybody’s treat-ed fairly” according to the specific tasks for which they are responsible. He went on to outline the extensive efforts that the plan’s crafters had made to compare like tasks in seven Vermont towns and as reflected in a comprehensive document by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. One difficulty that arose was there is no commonalty between different towns’ tasks.

Mead’s principal point was that her two-person team performed all the finan-cial functions in the town. In other towns that were studied for comparison, more

Making a difference by making connections

CCS’s new lead principal, Barbara Anne Komons-Montroll, outside of the school. Photo: Brett SigurdSon

Selectboard sets tax rate, revisits wage policy

Development continued on page 11

2 • August 13, 2015 • the ChArlotte News

Voices

The Charlotte NewsThe Charlotte News is a nonprofit communi-

ty-based newspaper dedicated to informing towns-people of current events and issues. It serves as a forum for the free exchange of views of town residents and celebrates the people, places and hap-penings that make the Town of Charlotte unique.

Contributions in the form of articles, press releases and photographs pertaining to Charlotte-related people and events are accepted and encour-aged from all townspeople and interested individ-uals. For submission guidelines and deadlines, please visit our website or contact the editor at [email protected].

The Charlotte News is published in Charlotte by The Charlotte News, Inc., a Vermont domes-tic 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation. Distribution is made every other Thursday to all households and businesses in Charlotte and to more than 50 outlets in Shelburne, Hinesburg, North Fer-risburgh, Ferrisburgh and Vergennes. It relies on the generous financial contributions of its readers, subscriptions and advertising revenue to sustain its operations.

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Editor in chief: Alex BuntenAssistant editor: Brett SigurdsonContributing editors: Edd Merritt, Ruah SwennerfeltSummer intern : Lawrence DeeCopy editors: Beth Merritt, Leslie Botjer, Vince Crockenberg

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The Green Thumbs Summer Camp visits Philo Ridge Farm. For follow up and more

photos, see page 10.

Photo:tai Dinnan

contriButorS

nExt iSSuE dEadlinESNext publication date: Thursday, August 27

Contributions deadline: Monday, August 17 by 5 p.m.Advertising deadline: Friday, August 21 by 5 p.m.Letters due: Monday, August 24 by 10 a.m.

GO LOCAL!Support our advertisers of 2015

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DesignBauHeim BuildersBobbe Maynes—Coldwell Banker Hickok

& BoardmanBuccaneer FootballBuilding EnergyCamp Sangamon & Camp Betsy CoxCatamount Family CenterCentral Boiler, Inc.Champlain Valley CompostChamplain Valley Union High School BoardCharlotte Central School BoardCharlotte Children’s CenterCharlotte Family Health CenterCharlotte Little LeagueCharlotte Real EstateCharlotte Senior CenterChittenden Solid Waste DistrictChris vonTrapp—Coldwell Banker Hickok

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I’d like to tell you a story. It’s not too long, but it has an important point. And after all, we are a proud supporters of Vermont Reads this year, partnered with the Charlotte Library and the Senior Center, and we’ll be bringing you even more interesting local stories next issue. Here’s one to start us off. It’s a little dis-jointed due to tight deadlines, but I think you’ll like it. Lean in.

In February, I found an old postcard addressed to my dad. It was sent from Maine in September 2014, but the picture was of the Kennedy Brothers store in Charlotte. Perplexed, I thought Kennedy Brothers was in Vergennes.

When my broth-ers and I were kids, around the holidays we’d go to Kennedy Brothers in Vergennes to rifle through their wooden wares with a couple dollars of allowance money. I remember it well. The brick building seemed huge and the small shops spread throughout had such an amazing selection of do-dads to eat or play with.

After a little research, I found out that brothers Paul T. and John F. Kennedy (no relation I’m aware of to the late President Kennedy) originally started Green Mountain Wood Crafters on Old Route 7. They sold all manner of woodcraft (as the name might suggest) and other Vermonty

things like cheese, honey, maple products and souvenirs.

A devastating fire took the building in 1941, but they rebuilt in the same spot, according to Lillian Kennedy, the cur-rent co-owner with her husband, Robert Feuerstein. It’s a little hazy here, but at some point Paul and John moved their operation to Bristol for a stint before finally landing in the “little city on the falls.”

The connection here is a couple weeks ago we had a fundraiser on Thompson’s Point, and Lillian, directly related to the

founders of Kennedy Brothers, and Robert were there. Lillian’s family has spent sum-mers out on the Point since only tents were there.

As Nancy Wood passed around cop-ies of the first few issues of The News, Lillian noticed that the Kennedy Brothers was one of our first advertisers back in 1958 (see inset).

Because Kennedy Brothers will soon re-open after two years in reconstruction, Lillian thought it only prudent to advertise with us again (page 13) and continue our historical connection.

To make a long, tenuously connected story relatively short, all of the businesses in and around Charlotte help shape our community and build our collective his-tory. Without local business advertising (see list below) and generous donations from locals (donors listed in next issue), The Cha--rlotte News’s nonprofit mission

wouldn’t be possible. We are proud to serve our community and hope you will share your support and patronize the local businesses found in our pages.

And tell them you saw it in The News! For more about community business

developments, be sure to dig into Brett’s article on page 1. There’s a lot to think about there. Let us know what you think in a letter to the editor.

—Alex BuntenEditor in Chief

Tumbling through the history of Kennedy Brothers

(Above) The Kennedy Brothers have supported The Charlotte News since we started in 1958. Dorothy Anguish, café manager at the newly opened KB Café in the Kennedy Brothers, wears her Charlotte News hat everyday to work. (Left) A Kennedy Brothers adver-tisement from the fourth edition of The Charlotte News, August 29, 1958.

Vermont Reads at the Charlotte Library again

Margaret WoodruffCONTRIBUTOR

The Charlotte Library has organized the Vermont Reads program five times since 2007 thanks to the generous support of the Vermont Humanities Council. This year we have partnered with The Charlotte News and the Charlotte Senior Center to further develop our programming—building interest in read-ing, fostering community involvement and spreading local stories.

To get involved, pick up your copy of Salmon Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories at the library or the Charlotte Senior Center. Then join us for our storytelling adventure next week! And look out for more information in

The Charlotte News on August 27. Refreshments provided to keep us ener-

gized.For more information see the Vermont

Humanities website at vermonthumanities.org/vermont-reads/.

Monday, August 17, & Tuesday, August 18, 10 a.m. to noon. Charlotte and the Sea of Stories based upon Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Part I: Participants will read, discuss and digest Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

Wednesday, August 19, & Thursday, August 20, 10 a.m. to noon. Charlotte and the Sea of Stories, Part II: Gather around the wood stove and debate the issues of local and state interest as Charlotters did long ago; imagine what story you might tell.

Friday, August 21, 10 a.m. Charlotte and the Sea of Stories, Part III: “Charlotte and the Sea of Stories” presentations will take place at the end of the week at the Shelburne Museum. Visit the Tuckaway General Store for historical relevance, then gather in a

classroom to present.

Other prOgrammingThursday, August

20, 7:30 – 9 p.m. Book Discussion Group. Howard’s End. Join us for discussion and refreshments. Copies of the book are avail-able at the circulation desk.

Monday, August 24, 5:30 p.m. Kindergarten Library Card Party. It’s that time of the summer when all new kindergarteners receive their own library cards. Join us for snacks, fun and a chance to meet other new school pals.

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has started a renovation project at the Converse Bay Fishing Access Area (locally known as Cedar Beach) on Lake Champlain in Charlotte.

Construction activities began on August 10, but the ramp will remain open through the weekend of August 22 and 23. The boat ramp and entire access area will be closed beginning August 25 and remain closed until mid-October.

“The reconstruction of the Converse Bay Access Area will improve boat launching, offer more organized access and parking, and provide a public facil-ity that meets environmental and ADA

standards so that all recreationalists will be able to enjoy this area of Lake Champlain,” said Mike Wichrowski, facility and lands administrator with Vermont Fish & Wildlife.

When finished, the improved access area will feature a longer and deeper launch ramp, as well as ADA-accessible parking and a path down to the ramp and dock area. The improvements will also include green infrastructure upgrades to reduce storm water run-off into the lake.

While the Cedar Beach boat launch is closed, boaters can use the pub-lic access at Point Bay Marina on Thompson’s Point Road to launch larg-er boats and smaller craft. On Converse Bay, canoes, kayaks and other small craft can be launched at Deer Point at the public launch site between the rub-ble dock and the concrete dock, as well as at Whiskey Beach (more causally known as Dog Beach) off North Shore Road. On Town Farm Bay, canoes and kayaks can be launched at the public landing a quarter-mile down Lane’s Lane from the turn off Thompson’s Point Road. Parking at the Deer Point, Whiskey Bay and Lane’s Lane sites is quite limited.

Converse Bay Fishing Access Area to be closed for improvements

A sign at Cedar Beach warns boaters of upcoming repairs on the boat ramp. Photo: NaNcy Wood

The CharloTTe News • augusT 13, 2015 • 3

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Principalscontinued from page 1

by only 11 votes.Komons-Montroll, however, is

undaunted by the difficulty the board has experienced in passing a budget in recent years. As the principal of Doty Memorial School in Worcester, Vermont, she faced the kind of belt tightening that so many other schools around Vermont have faced.

“It’s a very important responsibility to find the best way to maximize the dollars that the town allots to the school to pro-vide the best education to the kids,” she said. “Finding that balance—I see that as paramount to my work.”

The key to striking this balance? Building relationships, Komons-Montroll explained. While at Doty, she attend-ed a community lunch at Worcester’s Town Hall every Wednesday to meet with townspeople to talk about school issues. At a Town Meeting there, she asked Doty students to speak to voters about how the education budget some townspeople were intent to vote down supports their learning, a move that won over several naysayers.

“It involves showing up, the per-son-to-person, a lot of listening,” she said. “I believe it’s really important to connect the school and the community.”

This personal approach to leading is emblematic of a passion for making positive changes in educational systems.

Komons-Montroll grew up in Yonkers, N.Y. She attended Dartmouth, where she majored in geography and education. Her professors embedded in her a sense of purpose to open high-quality educational opportunities for all.

“I strongly believe in public education,” she said. “I believe in its gifts and what it offers and helping improve its ability to meet the needs of every child. And there’s always room for improvement in how to meet the need for every child so they can be the best they can be.”

Upon gradua-tion, she taught first and second grade at Underhill ID School in Vermont. She briefly left public education to work on curriculum at the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center and at the YMCA in Burlington before returning to school to attain a masters in education leader-ship from UVM. After spending time as the regional director for Building Bright Futures, she became principal at Doty, a position she held for four years.

Throughout her education experiences, Komons-Montroll has been passionate

about how the system of education works, how teachers, staff, parents and the entire school system can have a positive influ-ence on a student. “Everything is connect-ed,” she said. “If everything is connected, it makes sense to look at it from a wider

view and knowing that one thing will impact everything else.”

In CCS, Komons-Montroll sees another opportunity to have a positive impact on a school, one closer to the Burlington home she shares with her husband and two chil-dren.

“This is a high-qual-ity school with high-caliber teach-ers, engaged parents and community,” said Komons-Montroll.

“It’s all very exciting.”As she gets acquainted

with CCS, one of the system-wide issues she has to contend with is how she and Sumner will construct the lead principal / instructional leader roles. Right now they’re developing it, building on the proposal that the School Board created but taking a strengths-based approach to cementing their roles. One thing is for sure, she and Sumner have hit it off.

“Barbara Anne and I have worked together beautifully so far,” said Sumner. “We have worked hard this summer to

carve out as much time together as pos-sible, and that time has felt very organic and energizing.”

For her part, Sumner is focused on con-necting with teachers. She will oversee the continuing implementation of Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Standards as well as personalized learning plans, efforts that will see her lending support to teachers implementing them in their lesson plans.

Said Sumner, “In the short-term, that means a lot of ‘on-the-ground’ support—being available to support teachers with their instruction and assessment and being a leader in the professional development needed to support them. It is essential that we work to find ways that better enable our teachers to focus on student learning in the face of many increasing demands on our time with students.”

For both Komons-Montroll and Sumner, the coming weeks and months are opportunities to make these relation-ships and more. Komons-Montroll has some ideas for making connections with Charlotters as she moves closer to the first day of classes. Until then, she said, she’s happy to have the opportunity to make a difference at CCS.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “I will grow and learn through this process. I see opportunities where I can grow myself, and I will grow with everybody here.”

Stephanie Sumner

Journalism is literature in a hurry.

Matthew Arnold

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Niche.com, in its 2015 rank-ings of American high schools, ranks Champlain Valley Union High School as the best public high school in Vermont and the 38th best—and third safest—high school in the United States.

In its academic ranking of CVU, Niche cited in particular the school’s high graduation and college atten-dance rates, its high ACT and SAT scores, and its unique Graduation Challenge requirement that “allows all seniors to dedicate much of their final year to a personalized research project.”

Niche was founded as a start-up company by Carnegie Mellon

University students in 2002 to help parents and professionals choose neighborhoods, colleges and K-12 schools. In rating K-12 schools, Niche uses information from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and College Navigator, databases maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences.

The rankings and methodolo-gy can be found at bestcolleges.com/features/best-high-schools-in-america.

CVU gets state and national honor

Position will be paid for without additional funding


CCS’s new administrative team has wasted little time in getting down to business.

Just over a month after starting, new lead principal Barbara Anne Komons-Montroll and instructional leader Stephanie Sumner asked the school board to consider hiring a full-time behavioral systems and response coordinator, something the school board met to discuss Aug. 6.

This is the second time the school board has considered the position this year. Former co-principals Greg Marino and Audrey Boutaugh requested the position during the budgeting process in January, though school board members ultimately denied the $46,700 request.

During budget discussions, Marino explained the position was necessary because the school was experiencing “an increase in intensity of student behaviors, and increase in complexity in the needs of some students and behaviors.” What’s more, CCS also has fewer full-time employees supporting students with behavioral issues than any school in CSSU, requiring the school to take a “platoon approach,” pulling teachers, administrators and counselors away from their primary responsibilities.

Student behavioral issues were given more clarity in May, when the school board received a report that showed since September 2014 CCS saw a 43-percent increase in referrals for behavioral issues. In the 2013-14 school year, the school saw a 16-percent uptick in referrals.

At the Aug. 6 School Board meeting, Komons-Montroll presented a decision packet that stated the position was needed to “meet the needs of the growing number of students with complex behavioral challenges,” while moving away from a potential over-reliance on paraeducators to meet behavioral challenges.

In the decision packet provided to the school board and four people at the meeting, Komons-Montroll noted the consequences of not approv-ing the position will be continued strain on the system while not meeting the emotional needs of the students.

Making the expenditure perhaps easier for the school board to back this time, Komons-Montroll proposed paying for the $45,000 position without any additional, un-budgeted funding.

According to her decision packet, roughly $36,000 allocated in the 2015-16 budget is redundant or unnecessary. Roughly $18,000 was allotted for Common Core materials that the school already has. The other $18,000 was earmarked for an unnecessary training expense. The final $9,000 would be saved from the resignation of a Spanish teacher.

The board did not take action on hiring the position at the Aug. 6 meeting. It will meet on Aug. 14 at 7:30 a.m. at CCS to vote on the matter.

For secondtime, school board discusses behavioral specialist hire

What do you think about this story and others? Send us a letter:

[email protected]


than two persons performed the same or equivalent functions. She concluded that the work she and her staff performed was not adequately recognized, and thus they were underpaid for what they did.

The upshot of the extended discussion on August 10 was that, as the plan now stands, “overall (all employees are) at equity, but some questions have come up.” These will be re-evaluated at a review on the one-year anniversary in January 2016.

Also discussed was the need for a griev-ance policy that would allow employees to resolve their concerns over pay poli-cies. Selectman Krasnow intends to craft a policy to resolve this shortcoming.

In another action, the Selectboard rec-ognized the fact that Christina Booher, the assistant town clerk/treasurer, had not been paid at the rate that was agreed when she was hired. Her pay was adjusted retroactively.

The remainder of the August 10 meet-ing was taken up by a number of admin-istrative actions. Among these was the approval for the use of the Charlotte Town Beach as the site of the finish for the second annual Lake Champlain Open Water Swim. The race will take place on the afternoon of Sunday, September 13. The weather delay date will be on

September 20.Stanley and Gayle Lane were granted

permission to drill a well on Thompson’s Point Lot 203 at 153 Lane’s Lane. Diane and David Nichols re-applied for and received a Charlotte Housing Trust grant for up to $20,000 to repair two dwellings at 3314 Spear Street. The aim of the Charlotte Housing Trust is to encourage and support the adaptation of town prop-erties for use as “perpetually affordable housing.” It should be noted that the landowner must match these funds.

The J.D. Powers Painting Co. was awarded a bid for painting the side offices and meeting rooms in the Town Hall. The contracted amount may not exceed $3,000 and is limited to labor only. In another town contract action the Selectboard approved the distribution of a request for bids to repair the concrete rail posts and curbing on Spear Street Bridge #14 over the LaPlatte River. Bids must be received by August 27.

Matt Krasnow noted that the radar speed cart had been actively deployed on South Greenbush Road. The Community Safety Committee will meet shortly to discuss other locations for deployment.

In a final action, the contract with Civil Engineering Associates was renewed to oversee the service agreement for the Thompson’s Point wastewater system. The contract is effective for the calendar year 2015.

The next regular Selectboard meeting will be held on August 24.

Selectboardcontinued from page 1


The Charlotte beatSome numbers from the Vermont State

Police and its work around the town

Compiled by: Alex Bunten

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You will have experience writing and strong layout and design skills. Working closely with the editor, you will help drive the success of our award-winning paper. Desirable qualities: flexible, curious and driv-en. This position is paid.

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be responsible for the content and images used on our website and social media. You should be creative, web savvy and be able to work in a team.

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CCS students give compost shed tour to UVM class

Usually older students help teach younger ones. On August 4 the tables turned, and a group of CCS students got the chance to show off their knowledge in science.

Former Alpha-6 students Courtney McDermott, Elyse Martin-Smith, Stella Martenis and Molly Rubin gave a tour of the CCS compost shed to the UVM Composting Ecology and Management class from the Department of Plant and Soil Science.

Students discussed the management of the shed during the school year and field-ed questions from the group, with support from Abby Foulk, community volunteer and coordinator of the sustainable project, and Christa Duthie-Fox, 6th grade CCS science teacher. Also present for the tour was Lake Champlain Waldorf School teacher, Rebekah Hopkinson.

“The students handled these ques-tions well,” Foulk said, “noting that the moisture, nitrogen and carbon levels of what they added weekly to each bin would change according to what kids

were served and didn’t eat that week. The constants were the use of leaves, manure bedding and wood shavings, but food was the variable.”

Foulk took the Plant and Soil Science course two summers ago to help her deter-mine the feasibility of building a compost shed on site. Duthie-Fox took the course last summer to help her pilot a Next Generation Science Standards curricu-lum. Her goal was to deliver deep content to her students while they worked with Foulk to operate and manage the shed throughout the school year. The UVM Composting Ecology and Management course is taught by Lynn Fang, a plant and soil science master’s degree student.

According to Foulk, the students were interested in this project because it involved learning about a real world prob-lem—overuse of landfills and resulting emissions—which they were helping to solve locally.

Next year the responsibility for keeping the compost shed working will fall to the incoming 6th graders.

The CCS compost shed got a visit from the UVM Department of Plant and Soil Science on August 4. Back row (from left): community member Abby Foulk, UVM undergraduate student Mike Clark, continuing education students Rachel Stein and Rose Garritan, CCS teacher Christa Duthie-Fox. Front row: CCS students Elyse Martin-Smith, Stella Martenis, Courtney McDermott and Molly Rubin, Waldorf School teacher Rebekah Hopkinson, UVM instructor Lynn Fang.


Farm to Ballet comes to Philo Ridge Farm, a benefit for the Vermont Land Trust

The Farm to Ballet Project is a dance endeavor intended to celebrate Vermont’s farming culture while expanding classical ballet’s audience. Philo Ridge Farm, a diversified farm in Charlotte, is excited to host the Farm to Ballet production on August 15, in a celebration of food, farms and the arts. Ticket proceeds will bene-fit the Vermont Land Trust’s Farmland Access Program, which provides farmers with opportunities to purchase or lease affordable farmland, helping to generate or expand agricultural businesses.

Philo Ridge Farm is located on the property of the old Foote Farm in Charlotte. Farm tours will be offered between 4 and 6 p.m. Bring a picnic blanket and enjoy a farm-raised pork dinner prepared by the Hindquarter Food Truck or wood-fired flatbread. Please bring cash—dinner is not included in your ticket reservation. The performance will begin at 6:15 p.m.

The project, directed by Chatch Pregger, is a full-length production that reinterprets classical ballet choreogra-phy to tell the story of a Vermont farm from spring to fall. The production starts with the geese returning for the spring, followed by the stages of planting, irri-gating, tending and then harvesting the farm’s produce. The farmer takes a detour from the crops to work with the animals and celebrate their contributions to local foods. The production wraps up with a celebratory farm-share pickup scene before the geese fly back south for the winter.

Charlotte Hardie, of Charlotte, is one of the dancers involved in the program. She began dancing at Colorado College and fell in love with the form.

Farm to Ballet will be performed throughout Vermont during the summer of 2015. The production is intended to be performed outside against the beauty of Vermont farms and their surrounding landscape.

More information is available at farm-toballet.org.

Forget the Bolshoi, head down to the Philo Ridge Farm

Megan Stearns of Burlington is one of several ballet dancers who will perform at Farm to Ballet at Charlotte’s Philo Ridge Farm. Photo: Courtesy

CorreCtion: Mark LeBarr is a wildlife biologist at Audubon Vermont. He is not the board chair as stated in our photo caption (July 30 issue, page 12). Also the photo used was not of a golden-winged warbler but rather of a common yellowthroat.

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Get Involved in the Town!

The Selectboard is looking for interested citizens to fill the following vacancies:

The following committees currently have unfilled seats:

• Lister—to be appointed until next town election• Planning Commission—1 vacancy with a term ending in

April 2018• Community Safety Committee—1 vacancy with a term end-

ing in April 2017• Recreation Commission—1 vacancy with a term ending in

April 2017• Design Review Committee—1 vacancy with a term ending

in April 2016• Charlotte Park & Wildlife Refuge Oversight Committee—1

vacancy

Interested applicants should contact Dean Bloch by email ([email protected]) or phone (425-3533) or stop by the office for more information.

On August 22 the Royal Savage Yacht Club and Point Bay Marina of Charlotte will host the third annual Diamond Island Regatta. Regatta entry is free, while proceeds raised through the sale of “swag bags” and donated items from local businesses will be donated to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.

The regatta is part of the Lake Champlain Championship Series, a summer-long series of races in which clubs from all over the Vermont and New York shores take part. Results will count towards toward the LCCS Cannon Series as well as the Championship Series. The event kicks off with a free breakfast and registration for racers at the RSYC tent starting at 8:30 a.m. The race starts at 11 a.m. with the awards ceremony and lobster fest commencing at 6 p.m.

The event includes separate classes

for boats flying spinnakers, mainsail and jib. All boats will sail the same course, chosen from several options on the day of the race, based on the wind direction and speed. The courses range in length from 6.6 to 13.8 nautical miles, from Charlotte and Essex, N.Y., in the north to Basin harbor in the south.

Visiting sailors are welcome to join the post-race festivities for the RSYC mem-ber price of $25 per person. Purchase of this admittance fee gets participants a whole lobster, steamers, corn and all the fixings.

Details and registration info for the regatta can be found at rsyc.org/dia-mond-island-regatta. Learn more about the LCCS at lcchampionshipseries.org.

To reserve your place for the lobster fest, please sign up by August 18 at the RSYC website: rsyc.org/shop.

Third annual Diamond Island Regatta returns to Charlotte

(Right) Last year, RSYC race director Wendy Friant presented the first-place trophy for Spinnaker A class to Bob Turnau, co-owner with Bill Fastiggi of Buffalo Theory, the first boat to finish overall in the Dia-mond Island Regatta.Photos: Courtesy

SEE IT? SNAP IT. SEND IT IN.

[email protected]

Setting Sail at DuskChris Falk submitted this photo of osprey at rest in their nest as the sun fell near the intersection of Ferry and Lake roads. Have a picture you’d to share with our readers? Send it to [email protected].

(Left) The ‘jib and main’ fleet starts during the Diamond Island Regatta last year.

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day. The pace and intensity is very slow and easy. I ran my first 100K in December 2005. It was in the mountains of Virginia and started at midnight in freezing temps. It was without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ll never forget it.

CN: Ultramarathons are popping up all over the country. What do you think is behind their relative popularity? Is 100K the new marathon?

JM: Yes, ultras are becoming very popular! Maybe people are realizing how fun it is to spend a day in the woods/mountains. Add in the challenge of a race and it’s so fun and exciting. It’s also a relatively easy and cheap way to stay fit and active.

When I was working in an office full time I couldn’t wait for a long run on the weekends just to spend time outside in the wilderness. At least that is what draws me to it; everyone has different reasons. I’m not sure it would be the new marathon, but maybe. There is an element of discom-fort to an ultra that some people will just not enjoy. But there is a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment about simply

moving your body from point A to B.

CN: How often do you train and what motivates you to get up and out each time?

JM: Right now I am running every day, but I don’t do a ton of miles, maybe 50-60 a week. I’ve always loved running and staying active so I’m generally pretty motivated. But nothing gets me pumped up to train like signing up for a race! I’m a competitive person so that helps.

CN: Do you have a favorite training route in Charlotte?

JM: Yes, I LOVE running in Charlotte. From my dad’s house on Lake Road, I turn right, head to Greenbush, take a left on Ferry Road down to the ferry, and Converse Bay Road back home. That is about 7 miles and one of the favorites. It has everything, some mountain and lake views, also both flats and hilly sections, even a little dirt road.

CN: As a nationally recognized athlete in this sport now, what advice would you give to someone that aspired to run or race 100K?

JM: What I’ve learned is that consistent training is the best way to get in shape. You have to listen to your body and build up mileage VERY slowly, but get that run in every day and it will pay off.

Justine Morrison at the Vermont City Marathon. She was recently accepted to the USA 100K Team and will compete at the World Championship 100K race, this year in Winschoten, the Netherlands, on September 12. Photo: Courtesy


Morrisoncontinued from page 1

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Puzzles


This week’s recipe is mine. I don’t know about your garden, but mine is filled with broccoli and tomatoes, and this recipe is a great way to use them!

Pasta with Broccoli and tomatoes

1 lb fresh broccoliSalt, to taste2 large ripe tomatoes½ lb spaghetti or penne pasta¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil2 garlic cloves, finely chopped½ tsp red pepper flakes6 Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered½ cup coarsely chopped parleyFreshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Cut broccoli into small flowerets with about an inch of stem. Peel the remaining stems and dice into small pieces.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and submerge tomatoes for about 10 seconds. Remove, peel and seed tomatoes: cut into large pieces. Add broccoli to boiling water and cook 3 – 4 minutes, until just tender. Remove and plunge into a basin of cold water to stop cooking and to retain the bright green color. Drain and set aside. Add the pasta to the boiling water and stir. While the pasta is cooking, warm oil in a skillet

with garlic and red pepper flakes. When hot, add tomatoes. Stir gently and cook for several minutes.

When pasta is just about done, return the broccoli to the water to warm, then pour pasta and broccoli into a colander. Transfer to a warm serving bowl. Add the tomato mixture, olives, parsley, black pepper to taste, and toss. Serve with plenty of the grated cheese. Serves 2 to 3 generously.

Send us one of your favorite recipes (one you’re willing to share): [email protected]. Be sure to add a little story about your recipe.

The Charlotte News Recipe Box

EditEd by Ruah SwEnnERfElt

Tai DinnanCONTRIBUTOR

Charlotte Green Thumbs Summer Camp wrapped up its second summer session on August 7. Organizers Tai Dinnan and Stacy Carter were very happy with how the program rolled out. The pictures also seem to show all of the children happy in their summer toil. Tai wrote in with so much enthusiasm, she nearly forgot to use a period:

“What a week! We ate SO many colors and flavors from the garden! We made quick work of gardening chores, made new friends, harvested a rainbow of veg-

gies, fruits and flowers from the garden, did lots of running and heavy lifting, watered the plants and ourselves, created wonderful garden journals with covers of paper we made ourselves, and cooked afternoon snacks enjoyed by all. We also had a wonderful trip to Philo Ridge Farm (formerly Fifth Fence Farm) where we petted and observed the sheep flock, col-lected duck eggs and visited the garden. We’d call that a success!”

You can read more about Charlotte Green Thumbs Summer Camp at Tai’s blog, growingstories.wordpress.com.

Green thumbs and warm memories

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PhotoS: tai dinnan/CouRtESy


restaurant/pub.This is no surprise to Mike Russell,

Dana Hanley or Karen Frost— three of the dozen or so Charlotte business owners, professionals and interested citi-zens who make up Charlotte Community Development (CCD), an independent group that has been working quietly for the last year to help make economic opportu-nities become a reality in Charlotte.

“The restaurant/pub idea is very popu-lar,” said Hanley, a professional planner and former Planning Commission mem-ber.

Russell, Hanley and Frost make up a subgroup of the CCD they’ve called “Building Community Momentum,” whose task is research and public out-reach, and they recently spoke to The Charlotte News about the group’s efforts.

According to Russell, CCD’s work was sparked by The News’s Charlotte’s Web series, which examined population and economic issues facing Charlotte as town officials work on a revision of the town plan. With only a few members, the then-unnamed group began talking with business owners in Charlotte and Chittenden County about how to make Charlotte more friendly for business own-ers and housing seekers.

The group’s work has become more focused since then. At Town Party, CCD members shared their three main prior-ities: 1) amending the town’s land use regulations, 2) pushing the town to adopt a wastewater ordinance and 3) attaining a Village Center Designation for the East and West villages.

All of these are projects or goals that have been worked on by prior commit-tees, but they haven’t been seen to com-pletion. For example, a 2011 Charlotte Wastewater Committee study urged the town to develop an ordinance for the West Village that would create a policy for wastewater use and growth. Yet town officials have not acted on the group’s recommendation, one reason for a dearth of activity in the West Village.

“In a way, our work is really easy because it’s really just reminding people we talked about this, we worked that out, we know how this works, we know what people want,” said Russell.

“The language in town plans going back until at least 1990 supports the con-centration of growth and activity in the two village centers,” added Hanley. “That is so clearly expressed in the Town Plan in several different areas that we feel it’s the kind of issue that has had so much community support over the decades that we’re just a group that’s trying to push it along in the right direction. We just want to help boards and commissions in the town and act as an independent adviso-ry group to help them in their decision making.”

All three point to several reasons why the town has not carried through on these initiatives: other town-wide prior-ities have shifted town officials’ atten-tions, elections and personnel changes on boards, a lack of follow-through on the part of boards. But now there seems to be some momentum among community members, says Frost.

“Over the years, it feels like there has been so much good work done and things have not come to fruition,” she said. “Demographics are changing, what peo-ple want is changing. We see places that are under-utilized and see what we can do to help them be more productively used.”

Providing certaintyIn early June, the CCD submitted

a packet of recommendations to the Planning Commission that offered a lev-el-headed critique of the town’s progress on economic development, as well as rec-ommendations for a path forward. They start with amending the town’s land use regulations, which Hanley describes as “conservative,” adding, “We could use some regulations that are a little more nimble in so far as attracting some good commercial development here.”

“Our progress toward meeting some critical goals of the [Town Plan] concern-ing commercial uses, has been halting at best,” according to the CCD, “and in some cases we are further from meeting them today than when the plan was initially adopted.”

The difficulty in establishing such busi-nesses isn’t from lack of demand—the CCD cites several surveys that indicate Charlotters want more businesses and services. Rather, according to the CCD, it’s “the difficulty in obtaining permits to establish businesses, in general, in Charlotte.”

The main issue stems from land use regulations that classify most commercial enterprises as “conditional use” rather than “permitted uses.” In the language of planning, a permitted use is allowed by right. A conditional use, however, is for projects that stand outside established zoning standards, requiring deliberation between planning officials. While this process gives towns greater flexibility, it also allows for more subjectivity from citizen planners, especially when it comes to addressing a common planning conun-drum in Charlotte: maintaining the char-acter of the town.

“If we can get rid of subjective assess-ments regarding the character of the area, the more the better,” said Hanley. “You just don’t have to do that if it’s a permitted use, and it’s more attractive to not have to go through that layer of review.”

The group is careful to point out that it’s not promoting growth out of scale with the town. Rather, the predominance of condi-tional uses in the town has hurt businesses in Charlotte already more than those that may want to come to Charlotte—effec-tively cutting off economic growth from within.

“I don’t want to give the impression that we think lots of outside money and outside developers need to come to Charlotte,” said Russell. “Some of the anecdotes we can tell you, almost all of them involve local businesses that have considered expanding in Charlotte and have decided that other towns are more attractive because the likelihood of getting approval is higher.”

In order to meet the Town Plan’s goal of a vibrant West Village, the CCD has recommended expanding the language of the land use regulations to allow more permitted uses, including retail space, a restaurant, inn, veterinary clinic, grocery store and financial institution.

But the CCD also sees a lot of poten-tial in the light industrial district on Ferry Road. Most of the two large buildings there are in “disrepair and not anywhere near fully occupied,” states the recom-mendations.

The measures and the changes the CCD proposed will add “clarity to the uses in the village commercial district and the West Charlotte village district that will make it easier for prospective businesses and developers to understand our regula-tions and attempt to come to town,” said Hanley.

“Businesses need certainty and they’re going to go where they can find certain-ty,” Russell added.

One important part of the group’s rec-ommendations is a more open adaptive- reuse policy, which would allow property

owners the flexibility to redesign homes and structures in the village to support business uses, some-thing that is currently a conditional use.

“That could open a world of opportuni-ty for small-business creation or expansion within the villages,” said Hanley.

At a Planning Commission meet-ing in July in which the CCD’s recom-mendations filled the agenda, Selectboard member Fritz Tegatz shared his concern that discontinuing conditional uses will dilute the town’s abil-ity to regulate devel-opment. However, Town Planning and Zoning Administrator Jeannine McCrumb noted that the shift from conditional use to permitted use would still require a site plan review—giving the town power in the planning process—but would make it easier to start a business in town.

Before any of these changes to the Land Use Regulations can be codified, Charlotters will have to vote on them, likely in November. Prior to that, voters will be able to voice their opinions in at least two public hearings, neither of which has been scheduled as of publication.

everything from wastewaterAt a Planning Commission meeting

in June, Dave Marshall, a CCD member who also served on the 2011 Charlotte Wastewater Committee with Hanley, explained that the town has the potential to triple its septic capacity in the West Village with some infrastructure invest-ment. With more septic capacity, the town could support a restaurant/pub and other businesses and homes.

But in order to get to this point, the CCD is urging a wastewater ordinance that would not only identify the projects town officials could encourage but also how much they would charge for use of town septic. That money could be used to pay for maintenance and upgrades to the system.

According to Russell, right now the next step is to have the Selectboard recon-stitute the wastewater group and make it a standing committee.

“Having that group formally in place, interacting with the Selectboard on a reg-ular basis, pushing this work along, is a critical part to that,” said Russell.

Wastewater is the single biggest resource that could encourage growth in the West Village, say CCD members. With an ordinance in place, it could pro-voke a bevy of activity.

“We really feel that the commercial service, the vitality of the village, is ripe and ready,” said Russell. “Because of the work of the wastewater committee there’s a clean line of sight from where we are now and where we think we could be.”

revitalizing the villagesIf growth is to be centered in the villag-

es, the CCD is urging the town to attain the state’s Village Center Designation. The program is meant to help towns revi-talize village centers through programs that help diversify a town’s economic development activities, improve public infrastructure, and promote development that meets housing needs while maintain-ing the historic settlement patterns of the community.

The designation—which Shelburne,

Hinesburg, Richmond and other Chittenden County towns have—comes with a list of benefits such as tax credits on improvements to buildings and houses within the designated areas, priority con-sideration for state grants and the potential for state assessment districts, which could “raise funds for both operating costs and capital expenses to support specific projects in the designated village center,” according to state documents.

“This effort isn’t to suburbanize Charlotte in any way that people would find objectionable,” said Hanley. “It’s to fortify our rural village. There are state programs that give incentives that we can avail ourselves of that will help us in our efforts.”

The town is now at work pursuing this designation. A state representative will visit the villages on August 20 at 5 p.m. to examine the boundaries of potentially designated areas. A presentation with the Planning Commission will follow at 7 p.m.

looking long termIf the Vermont Wildflower Farm leaves

Charlotte, Diana Borie will look back at her time in Charlotte fondly.

“We are sad to leave this particular property,” she said. “It is one of a kind, beautiful and has been our baby for 10 years. A lot of time and effort has gone into it.”

However, Russell has reached out to the Bories with ideas of where they could expand in Charlotte in an effort to keep their business local.

If he and the CCD are successful in helping pave the way for the Wildflower Farm to stay in Charlotte, it will be one of many victories they hope to have, starting with their three initiatives.

“These things we’re working on are in and of themselves a really big deal,” said Hanley. “If we can check these things off that would be really great.”

Until then, the members of the CCD will continue their efforts to work with the town, business owners—they’re hoping to schedule a monthly business breakfast in the coming months—and interested parties now and into the future.

“We see this as a long-term communi-ty development group,” said Frost. “We want to be a force for good for the fore-seeable future.”

What do you think about business devel-opments, or lack thereof, in Charlotte? Voice your support or concerns—submit a letter to the editor at [email protected]. The CCD can be contacted at [email protected].

The Vermont Wildflower Farm on Route 7 in Charlotte. The owners are looking to expand the facility elsewhere. Photo: News File Photo

Developmentcontinued from page 1



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Larry HamiltonCHARLOTTE TREE WARDEN

On June 19 in The Charlotte News I wrote about the Dutch elm disease’s (DED) lethal assault on our nation’s won-derful American elms. I also mentioned the new disease-resistant elms now being propagated and planted in a restoration movement. In our Roadside Shade Tree Restoration Project in Charlotte, we have included some of these new promising trees, mainly the “Princeton” elm, since we have so many sites characterized by poor drainage, and elms are adapted to that. One of our prize plantings was 13 elms planted in 2007 along the west side of Greenbush Road in front of the Old Lantern.

Around June 20 Deputy Tree Warden Sue Smith asked me if I had noticed the dying elms in front of the Old Lantern. I was thunderstruck, but it was true! One dead and three dying—confirmed as DED by the state tree health specialist and by Ralph Fitzgerald of Horsford’s Nursery

(see photo below). Now I and many others are puzzled since this is the first instance of trouble in Horsford’s long experience with the Princeton variety. The Nature Conservancy of Vermont is also con-cerned, since these have been a major component in their floodplain restoration program.

The trees were immediately cut down, thanks to Junior Lewis, our stalwart road commissioner, and burned in a safe place. Unfortunately, one of these (closest to the Old Lantern sign) had been gifted to Dick Weed as his “special birthday tree.” We will replace Dick’s tree and the others in the fall, possibly with swamp white oak. Stay tuned for further developments regarding the DDED (the Dreaded Dutch Elm Disease). Take-home message: “Resistant trees are not immune trees.”

Honoring/talking to treesScientists have now shown that trees

“talk” to each other. For instance, they will warn other trees of an insect or disease attack so that these other family

members can mount chemical defenses. Other social scientists have shown that people benefit in both mental and physical health by being close to trees. I am sure that there are real benefits from humans “talking” to trees.

In Melbourne, Australia, about 3,000 emails have been sent to individual trees in the last two years. This didn’t start out as an exercise in sentiment but a hard-headed attempt by the Melbourne City Council to manage an urban forest in decline—by 2009 as a result of drought, 40 percent of the 77,000 trees in Australia’s “garden city” were struggling or dying.

Sample messages reported by the city arborist:

“Dearest golden elm tree, I finally found you! I see you every day on my way to uni, but I had no idea of what kind of tree you are. You are the most beautiful tree in the city and I love you. It always makes me so happy to see you standing there minding your own business. I have to say, you have the most beautiful cano-py, and I love how the light green leaves

on your branches contrast with the dark-ness of your trunk. We really should have more trees of your kind in our city.”

“Stay awesome.” “Hugs!” “As I was leaving St. Mary’s College

today I was struck, not by a branch, but by your radiant beauty. You must get these messages all the time. You’re such an attractive tree.”

It may be of interest to know that a group 15 of otherwise normal Charlotters gathered around a tree during the Town Party, speaking to it, nourishing it with a drink or patting the stem. Annemie Curlin, a tree steward for the town, read a poem to honor this tree and all trees. She is also the artist who painted the tree of life banner hanging on the tree. This specimen is our Charlotte Millennium Tree, a bur oak, planted in 2000, so this is its 15th birthday from planting in this location. Now watch it thrive even more than it has until now.

Perhaps you have a tree or trees that could benefit from some personal TLC? You might feel better too.

A lament for the Old Lantern elms

Annemie Curlin leads a ceremony honoring Charlotte’s Millennium Tree during Town Party. Photo: Mike Yantachka

Deputy Tree Warden Sue Smith with two of the four disease-resistant elms that are dead or dying from Dutch elm disease. Photo: LarrY haMiLton

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Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is a non-native invasive wetland plant. We are fortunate that there is a biological control so we don’t have to wade into wetlands and pull out plants to control them. A beetle called the Galerucella beetle is being used effectively to control the growth of purple loosestrife. Beetles lay eggs on the plants and the larvae eat the plant.

Over the years, several beetle releases have happened around Charlotte. Some may recall the corner of Ferry Road

and Rt. 7 having tall purple loosestrife plants. Ditches in Charlotte were full of these plants. It is now pretty much under control.

There are two spots in Charlotte where purple loosestrife has been growing recently. One location is the wetland area in the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge. The other is a wetland in Williams Woods that can be seen from Greenbush Road.

Ryan Crehan of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service brought us purple loose-strife plants on which the Galerucella bee-tles were already multiplying and eating the plants. How did they raise these bee-tles? The plant is dug in the wild in early spring, potted and grown in a greenhouse.

Then beetles are captured from areas where they were previously released and placed on the greenhouse plants. To keep them from roaming, bug netting is placed around the individual potted plants.

These plants were delivered to our sites. Jenny Cole from the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge and Susan Tucker, steward for The Nature Conservancy’s Williams Woods, were eager to learn about this process and help place the potted plants in the purple loosestrife-in-vaded wetlands.

Ten potted plants were carried into the center of the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge. We nestled the potted plants among the wetland plants and removed the netting so the beetles could move onto the purple loosestrife plants at the site. Ryan recorded the placement of each plant with his GPS. Seven potted plants were placed in the wetland at Williams Woods.

As we were placing the plants we noticed a wide variety of native plants such as Joe Pye weed, touch-me-not, cat-tails and goldenrod. As the beetles eat the non-native invasives these will diminish and the native plants will have more space to flourish.

Sometimes it is hard to be grateful for what you don’t see! We can thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or helping to keep purple loosestrife from being a dominant feature in our wetlands.

Beetle helps control invasive plant in Charlotte

Volunteers help to net the purple loosetrife on which the Galerucella beetles were already multiplying and eating the plants. The beetles act as a type of biocontrol against the invasive plant. Photo: SuSan Smith

CorreCtion: The photo caption of Jen Cole and Sue Smith on page 7 of the July 30 issue was wrong. Jen and Sue were placing purple loosestrife plants that were carrying a biocontrol among the already-present pur-ple loosestrife plants in the refuge and in Williams Woods.

Poultry owners encouraged to

prepare for HPAIVermont’s State veterinarian, Dr.

Kristin Haas, is encouraging poultry own-ers to prepare for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which is expected to impact the East Coast in the fall of this year or spring of 2016. While the HPAI outbreak has not yet been identified in Vermont, poultry producers should be familiar with the disease, how it is spread, and preparedness efforts that they can engage in now.

Risk factors for the disease include:• Poultry housed outside• Ponds or other water-fowl attrac-

tants on the farm• Debris located close to poultry

areas• Introduction of poultry from other

farms without a quarantine period• Lack of personal protective equip-

ment such as dedicated coveralls and boots

• Sharing of equipment between farms.

Poultry owners should familiarize themselves with signs of illness in their birds and call the State Veterinarian’s Office if the following symptoms are seen: nasal discharge, difficulty breath-ing, lethargy, a drop in egg production or sudden death. It is important to keep logs of poultry imports, exports and visitors on the farm to determine the source of an outbreak.

Bird owners are encouraged to report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to State officials, either through the Vermont Agency of Agriculture at (802)828-2421 or through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593. Visit agriculture.ver-mont.gov/animal_health for more infor-mation.

Hills Point Lake Shore Nestled in a nicely landscaped private piece of property overlooking Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks is a comfortable, thoughtfully designed one-level home with expansion potential. This property has a three-season lake front porch for sunset viewing, a three-bedroom wing, fireplace in living room, hardwood floors, 2nd fireplace, workshop and ample storage in the lower level. $800,300

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Summer Point, Ferrisburgh This turn-of-the-century Waterfront Cottage located on the shores of Lake Champlain is nearby the Basin Harbor Club, convenient for dining, golf, or tennis. Currently a seasonal property, the 3-bedroom cottage has an open floor plan with a vista of lake, mountains, and sunsets, well equipped kitchen, several sitting areas and a gas stove for those cool evenings. A unique lakeside flagstone patio includes stairs to the lake, dock and a special storage area. A separate and fun guest house is ideal for family gatherings. $799,000

Cedar Beach Lake ShoreWhat a perfect home from which to watch the sunrise over the lake and the boating activity in Converse Bay. Fish or swim off your dock in the summer, cross-country ski through the trails in the winter. This property is a unique 3-bedroom, 2-bath home with a fieldstone fireplace as a focal point. Perfect for year round or a weekend getaway. 280 feet of lake shore and 3.96 acres of land and a winding driveway ending at a little slice of heaven. $599,000

Boater’s ParadiseEnjoy the summer at Lane’s Lane in a comfortable 2 bed-room cottage with Lake Champlain as your playground. Water ski off your dock, take your boat out fishing, or go for a swim. The cottage has screened and enclosed porch-es. What fun to sit at the kitchen counter on diner stools or cozy up to the wood stove on a cool summer evening. The large side lawn is perfect for badminton or frisbee. Let your summer begin. $264,900

Chris von Trapp, REALTOR®

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Sports

Edd MerrittSports Roundup

Richard Lowery III captures his first the Devil’s Bowl Aug. 1. Photo: Courtesy

Free Press top 15 high school sporting teams should have been “top 17”

A couple of weeks ago the Burlington Free Press named the top 15 high school sports teams, including four from CVU. What it failed to mention (and what coach Amy deGroot graciously pointed out) was that women’s tennis should have been included. This writer agrees and would also add Redhawk women’s basketball to the list. The tennis team has won its divisional title six of the last eight years and appeared in every one of the state finals over that time. Kathy Joseph, an upcoming senior, won the individual singles’ title the past two years and was a finalist as a freshman. Her younger sister is not far behind her. Both tennis and basketball contribute to CVU’s dom-inance in athletics in Vermont. What was formerly “soccer central” has grown into “sports hub.”

Swimming championships show off Charlotte talent

Two weeks ago in White River Junction, the Barringer sisters competed in the top division of the Burlington Tennis Club’s swimming team at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center. Twins Lucy and Celi each swam a number of races, as indi-viduals and as members of relay teams. In all, five divisions of 20 teams and 774 swimmers competed. Luci won two free-style sprints for 11- and 12-year-olds at 50 and 100 yards. She placed 11th in the 50-yard butterfly and 3rd at 100 yards. As a member of the 200-yard freestyle relay team along with her sister, Celi, the team placed fourth with Luci swimming the anchor lap, a position she also swam for the Tennis Club’s 200 yard medley-relay team that finished third behind the EDGE and the Vermont Swim Team. Celi swam

three individual events, placing 8th in the 200-yard freestyle, 13th in the 100-yard backstroke and 23rd in the 100-yard individual medley. The Burlington Tennis Club team placed third overall in Division I behind the EDGE and the Town of Essex teams. Until 2014, the Tennis Club had won eight consecutive state champion-ships. The daughters of Hoyt Barringer, the twins will be 7th graders at Charlotte

Central School in the fall.

New Hampshire gains another Shrine Football victory

Castleton University sta-dium saw New Hampshire extend its dominance over Vermont in the 62nd annual Shrine Maple Sugar Twin State football game. This year it looked as though

Vermont might have a chance for victo-ry, pulling a third-quarter lead behind a fourth-down touchdown pass and a stin-gy defense. New Hampshire, however, spliced in some fancy plays and pulled away for a 27-12 win before over 4,000 fans. CVU graduate Sam Lewis, an offen-sive lineman, represented the Redhawks for Vermont. Hartford High’s halfback, John Bielicki, led the Green Mountaineers with 74 yards on 14 carries, his longest a 20-yard run.

Lowrey wins first raceRookie racecar driver Richard Lowrey

III is following in his father’s footsteps on local road tracks, as well as another Redhawk, Dillon Machavern, who has traveled from the East to the Midwest and back recently. Lowrey captured his first career victory in West Haven, Vermont, at the Devil’s Bowl on a 30-lap late model feature. Following behind the leader for 27 laps, Ritchie passed him to take the lead and the race by outrunning Steve Miller to the finish.


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The end of August and the beginning of September mark the most colorful

changes of the seasons. The fairs and field days have passed, and families are languishing in the last of summer’s free-dom. The dog days of August exhale the last breath of summer heat, and the eve-nings begin to soften with cooler breezes from the northwest. Tomatoes ripen into bright reds and yel-lows. Peppers display the heat of the summer sun and turn bright yel-low, green and red.

Yet the changes in our backyards pale in comparison to the intensity of the woods and waters.

Squirrels, with their mouths chock-full of ripening acorns, can be heard chipping off the husks in the canopy of oaks. In the distance, a thwap-bap-bap-bap-bap echoes through the undergrowth as a par-tridge beats his wings against his chest. I like to call them “partridge” even though they are technically Bonassus umbellus, or ruffed grouse. I do it just to irritate the gentry.

Families of turkeys, with their poults running to keep up with the hens, dart across dirt roads and dine on the late afternoon hatch of insects and grubs. The poults are pint-sized and tawny brown, and still learning the ropes from the hens.

In the mountain streams, the water temperatures begin to drop from a series of cool evenings, and the brook trout adapt their colors with extraordinarily bright orange fins tipped in white, their flanks

dotted in blue, red and green. They are imitating nature’s beauty to stimulate their spawning run.

Against the far edge of a field, sitting like a Buddha on her haunches, a black bear munches on blackberries while her cubs roll in the second-cut hayfield. They bat at one another, mock fighting and wrestling as if their summer would never end.

Whitetail deer tiptoe out to shaded openings on the edge of another field, test-

ing the moist grasses as the sun sets over the Adirondacks. A doe and her now mature fawns flick their tails from side to side, asking if it is okay to step out into the field a bit fur-ther. They look back over their shoulders at something still in the trees.

As the last glim-mer of sunlight slips below the tree line, he steps out—his head high and ears twitching. He lifts his nose into the air and breathes in deeply. The fra-grance of ripe apples tantalizes him and

he stretches his neck further forward. As he does, the last glint of sunlight catches his tines. They glow a polished russet brown. Eight distinct branches rise off of his main beam. The two brow tines in the center are at least eight inches high. The symmetry of the rack is punctuated only by the width of the spread.

He is the dominant buck in this area. Two others step out behind him with beautiful but lesser racks. They will hope to overthrow the monarch before breeding season.

As the light begins to fade, a distant

honking grows. In just a few seconds, Canada geese are flying over at treetop height, wings cupped and heads craning from side to side, scanning the bay for a landing zone on the leeward side of the breakwater. Feet down and moaning, they pitch into the bay to roost for the night.

The light continues to filter into a helio-horizon and finally fades into the murky mountains to the west.

September 1 is the opening day of res-ident Canada goose season. Lest anyone not understand the proliferation of these majestic fowl, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, in an attempt to manage the overpopulation of these birds, has chosen to open the season before Labor Day and increase the bag limit from five birds per day to eight per day for 25 days.

No hunter ever expects to be able to hunt all 25 days, and it is a rarity that a few can actually shoot a limit of birds on any day.

Ethical hunters will appreciate this and

honor the animal by taking only what they can use to sustain and nurture their family and friends.

If you’re lucky, and you happen to be at Spear’s Store in East Charlotte after a successful hunt, you may be able to try our tamari-marinated smoked goose breast.

A hunters cheer to all! Autumn’s boun-ty has arrived!

Bradley Carleton is executive director of Sacred Hunter.org, a nonprofit that seeks to educate the public on the spiritual connection of man to nature and raises funds for Traditions Outdoor Mentoring.org, which mentors at-risk young men in outdoor pursuits.

A brook trout caught in Stowe shows it’s autumn colors. Editor’s note: Unfortunately this page is in black and white, but I assure you the spots on the fish are a wonderful green, yellow and orange. Photo: Bradley Carelton

The end of summer, autumn’s bounty

Against the far edge of a field, sitting

like a Buddha on her haunches, a black bear munches on blackber-ries while her cubs roll in the second-cut hay-field. They bat at one

another, mock fighting and wrestling as if their

summer would never end. What do you think about this

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Justine Dee MS, PTCONTRIBUTOR

You notice a small ache in you back after weeding the garden or mowing the lawn. It’s not a bad pain, and you ignore the symptoms expecting them to go away with a day or two of rest. Instead you wake up the next day unable to move. The pain shoots across your back and perhaps down your leg. It hurts to sit, bend over or sneeze. You think something must be seriously wrong, requiring strong medica-tions and special diagnostic testing. When you see your doctor they tell you to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen, use ice and keep moving. They must be joking, right?

No. Instead they are following rec-ommended and appropriate guidelines established by the American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians. These guidelines use available scientific evidence to help clinicians evaluate and manage acute and chronic low-back pain. Well-established guidelines for “routine” nonspecific low-back pain stress conser-vative management. Although your pain does not feel “routine,” the majority of cases will improve with this conservative care. Typical healing time frames are between six weeks and three months, with an individual seeing weekly improvement in overall function and in pain levels.

Low-back pain can be a one-time

event, it can be episodic, occurring every couple of months, or it can be chronic, where you have daily pain. Recurrent back pain is a big prob-lem. When patients with a first-time episode of back pain were followed for a year, two-thirds of them reported addition-al episodes of back pain during that 12-month period. Many of these patients will go on and have chronic problems. This is costly in many ways. Businesses are less productive if work-ers are out with injuries. Workers lose wages, which affects home finances. Chronic pain can hinder a person’s ability to see friends, take care of their family, perform usual daily tasks and engage in recreation-al hobbies. Depression and anxiety from an inability to manage home and life roles can further affect the person’s back pain—depression, fatigue and chronic pain are linked.

At this time, we can’t predict who will go on to develop chronic low-back pain. The consensus in the medical community is to try and minimize this progression. Patient education regarding pain control, body mechanics, ergonomics, specific exercise and general conditioning can help patients resume their usual activities sooner and with less pain.

Special imaging is not recommended for routine low-back pain. With improvements in imaging technol-ogy, you would think that it is easy to observe a pathology in the spine, link it to the patient’s pain and then quickly come up with a fix. This is not the case. Low-back pain can

develop in a person without any changes in the radiographic (X-ray) appearance of the spine, and people with moderate to severe back pain can have entirely normal MRI and CT findings. Conversely, several studies have reported that people who have no back pain or sciatica can have abnormal imaging results showing evi-dence of herniated or bulging discs, disc degeneration, degeneration and enlarge-ment of the spine facet joints and nerve root compression. In many cases, then, imaging may not be helpful in determin-ing a cause or a treatment for your back pain.

If you do have back pain, my recom-mendation is that you see your doctor, take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and see a physical therapist. Although you may not feel like moving when your back hurts, not moving can make conditions worse. Immobility and deconditioning can have detrimental effects on muscles and joints, perversely making it harder to move freely and without pain. Physical therapists can teach patients safe ways to move, minimizing pain and improving overall function while allowing tissues to heal and swelling to subside.

A study published in “Spine,” a medi-cal journal, in 2012 found that early rather than later referral to physical therapy in patients with back pain was associated with reduced health-care costs: patients who received PT needed fewer MD visits and fewer spinal injections, less spine sur-gery, and less use of opioid medications to manage the back pain.

Back pain is scary and really hurts. When we hurt, the tendency is to not move, and to rest. In the case of nonspe-cific low-back pain, this is not the best strategy. Try taking short walks and use ice on the painful area. Avoid repeated bending and twisting activities that stress the spine. See your medical provider for advice. Understanding what you can do to minimize symptoms and improve move-ment will help the healing process and get you back to your daily life faster.

Justine Dee, an orthopedic clinical spe-cialist, treats clients at Dee Physical Therapy in South Burlington, VT, and also teaches full time in the physical therapy program at the University of Vermont. She lives in Charlotte.

Get back to moving after back pain

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Very Merry Theatre Presents

Performers from Charlotte’s Very Merry Theatre on August 4 performed “The Sound of Music” on the Town Green in Charlotte.

The Very Merry Theatre is a theater arts company owned and operated by Executive Director Don Wright. It originally got its start as a summer camp opportunity for kids in Charlotte and Burlington. Over the years, however, the theater has developed into much more, having established itself at the 333 Stage Performing Arts Center in the Old North End of Burlington, while also touring around northwestern Vermont visiting schools during the school year. During the summer the Very Merry Theatre group travels from park to park performing theater out of its portable stage wagon.

Shows performed by the Very Merry Theatre are mainly selected from the classics with a few tweaks made here and there to the length and content of the script/performance.

Kids from the age of 5–18 are welcome to participate, with opportunities ranging from performing and singing, to set design, costume and makeup work. All children are welcome regardless of their experience with theater, as the mission of the Very Merry Theatre is to create fun, healthy opportunities for children to practice the art and build their self-confidence.

For information on performance dates, volunteering, sponsorship or getting your child involved, visit verymerrytheatre.org.

The Sound of Music

Actors and actresses from the Very Merry Theatre’s production of “The Sound of Music” perform at the Charlotte Library on August 4.

Words and pictures by Lawrence Dee

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by Mary Recchia, Activities Coordinator

Charlotte Senior Center The Café Menu

Monday, augusT 17

Tomato/squash/red pepper gratinGreen salad deluxeBlissful blueberries

Wednesday, augusT 19

Kefta (grilled Moroccan beef patties) Moroccan carrot and chickpea saladHomemade dessert

Monday, augusT 24

Corn chowderKale saladBreadDessert surprise

Wednesday, augusT 26

The other taco saladHomemade dessert

Senior Luncheons are held

every Wednesday at noon. Reservations are necessary in advance and can be made by calling the Senior Center at 425-6345. Our Monday lunch is served beginning at 11:30 a.m., and reservations are not required.

Please look for the new fall program of

activities as an insert in the next issue of The Charlotte News. Until then, we close out our summer days with these additional offerings to the regular weekly schedule.

Our 10th Annual Charlotte Senior Center Community Art Show will hang in the great room for the month of September and is open to all “creative spirits,” 50 years or older, in our community. Registration forms with spe-cific details are on the table in the front foyer with an August 21 deadline for submission. As always, a reception will be held for the artists, friends and relatives on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 1 p.m.

Join Hank Kaestner on Wednesday morn-ing, Aug. 19, for another Birding Expedition as we try to record 100 species of birds in one year! Meet at the center a little before 9 a.m. so we can carpool together to the location Hank has scouted for spectacular bird watch-ing. Please register for this event so if we have to change the date due to bird migration or weather, we can call you. No fee.

We hope you can join us to celebrate the lazy, hazy days of summer at our Annual BBQ on Friday, Aug. 21, beginning at 5 p.m. Bring your family and friends for a great time. Rain or shine, the party will begin with appe-tizers at 5 p.m. and dinner “hot off the grill” at 6. Registration required. Fee: $12 per person.


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A Taste of Summmer

Lawrence DeeTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

It’s Monday afternoon at La Villa Bistro & Pizzeria. Co-owner and front of the house manager Jill Spell takes pickup orders and welcomes new customers. Her husband and head chef, Adam Spell, talks with his kitchen staff about the new spe-cials for the night, as well as what ingredi-ents and produce are in stock. Soft Italian jazz plays over the speakers in the warmly

lit interior of the dining room. The red and yellow walls are decorated with artwork and bottles of wine, cultivating the rustic Italian bistro atmosphere that La Villa has maintained since its origins back in 1995. The Spells moved to Charlotte shortly after opening La Villa, where they still currently live with their two children.

As customers begin to file in for din-ner, the room starts to buzz with excited conversation and blissful laughter. Over this hum of excitement, Adam walks me through the menu and fills me in on the hot-ticket items of the summer, “The fettuccine Bolognese and Misty Knoll bourbon glazed chicken are flying off the shelf right now. Our pizza Provencal has always been popular.”

“Although we do have our popular items,” Adam says, “being in the restau-rant business is about finding new ways to add depth and other dimensions to the menu and restaurant itself. A few years ago we expanded into the space next to our restaurant, opening our very own wine retail outlet, Enoteca. Not only that but last fall we started to make our own gelato.”

Jill later explained that, as they were looking for areas where La Villa could expand and broaden its horizons, adding gelato to the menu just seemed to make sense. “We were thinking of doing frozen yogurt; however, we wanted to keep the focus on an Italian-influenced dessert, and with gelato being a much healthier alternative to ice cream and other des-serts, we began to research recipes and secrets to making a high-quality gelato.” After almost a year, the gelato menu now consists of up to 15 different flavors, including Oreo cookie, raspberry, and salted caramel.

“Our plan is to turn Enoteca into both an outlet for fine boutique wines, as well as a gelato shop. Customers will be able to watch the entire process of the gelato being made, from the ingredients being mixed and spun right in front of their eyes, all the way up to their favorite flavor being placed in a container and brought home for the rest of the family to

enjoy,” said Adam as we walked through the adjacent building.

La Villa has also taken a step into the catering world, booking almost every weekend this summer for family par-ties and weddings around the greater Chittenden County. “We just recently catered a nonprofit event tied to the Maritime Festival in Burlington called, ‘Stand Up for the Lake,’ which was a huge success for us,” said Adam.

La Villa also features a 35-person pri-vate dining room, which has been used for a wide variety of events, including wed-ding rehearsals and graduation parties.

“Over the years we’ve had our regulars. Families who come time and time again. We’ve seen their kids grow up right here in front our eyes. Being able to offer them a memorable experience to celebrate their children’s high school or college grad-uation has been a truly special part of owning the restaurant for us,” explained Adam as he looked out the front win-dows of the now 20-year-old restaurant.

For Adam and Jill, La Villa has become a second home, spending a majority of their time working towards developing and maintaining the success which La Villa has seen over the past two decades. This dedication to fine Italian cuisine, along with the warm feeling that overcomes anyone who walks through the door, helps contribute to La Villa’s

consistent customer basis as new faces, as well as old, continue to return, hungry for more.

The Italian job

The staff at La Villa cooks up fresh Italian dishes like pizza from scratch. Photo: Courtesythe sCooP

What: La Villa Bistro & Pizzeria

When it’s open: La Villa is open seven days a week for din-ner from 4 – 9 p.m. and Monday through Saturday for lunch from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

What you’re eating: Adam recommends the fettuccine Bolognese and Misty Knoll bourbon glazed chicken. Pizza Provencal is also a classic choice.

What you’re drinking: Your favorite boutique wine from “Enoteca,” right next door. La Villa also has a variety of local Vermont beers on tap and in bot-tles, including Switchback, Otter Creek, and Citizen Cider.

What you’re doing: Listening to smooth jazz in a rustic Italian bistro atmosphere, enjoying a pizza and glass of vino with your loved ones.

Where to find it: 3762 Shelburne Rd, Shelburne (in the plaza where Showtime used to be, for those who need historical ref-erence points)

More [email protected]


Community EventsCharlotte Meetings

August 13–27

Selectboard: August 24, 7 p.m.Planning Commission: August 20, 7 p.m.CCS School Board: August 14, 7:30 a.m.CVU School Board: NoneZoning Board: August 19, 7 p.m.Conservation Commission: August 25, 7 p.m.

Meeting times are subject to change. Check the town website for more info: charlottevt.org

have your sayLOCAL GOVERNMENT

| Selectboard MeMberS | Chair, Lane Morrison, 425-2495 Matthew Krasnow, 922-2153Carrie Spear, 425-4444Jacob Spell, 425-6548Fritz Tegatz, 425-5564

Selectboard Regular Meetings are usually at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. If you would like to bring an issue to the attention of the Selectboard, contact the board chair or admin-istrator Dean Bloch at 425-3071, ext. 205.

| ccS School board |Chair, Mark McDermott, 425-4860Vice Chair Erik Beal, 425-2140 Kristin Wright, 425-5105Clyde Baldwin, 425-3366Susan Nostrand, 425-4999

| cVU School board-charlotte |Lorna Jimerson, [email protected] Richardson, [email protected]

| Planning coMMiSSion |Administrator, Jeannine McCrumb,425-3071; [email protected], Jeffrey McDonald, 425-4429 Vice Chair, Peter JoslinMembers: Gerald Bouchard, Paul Landler, Linda Radimer, Donna Stearns, Marty Illick

| Vt goVernMent |vt senate (Chittenden distriCt)Tim Ashe, D/P-Burlington, 318-0903, [email protected] Baruth, D-Burlington, 503-5266, [email protected] “Ginny” Lyons, D-Williston, 863-6129, [email protected] Sirotkin, D-South Burlington, 999-4360, [email protected] Snelling, R-Hinesburg, 482-4382, [email protected] Zuckerman, P/D/W-Hinesburg, 598-1986, [email protected]

verMont house

Mike Yantachka, D-Charlotte, 425-3960, [email protected]

| US goVernMent |us senators

Patrick Leahy, 863-2525, leahy.senate.govBernie Sanders, 862-0697, sanders.senate.gov

us CongressMan

Peter Welch, 652-2450, welch.house.gov

Calendar Compiled by ruah Swennerfelt

Send your eventS to [email protected]

with event in the SubjeCt line.

Regular Church Services

SATURDAYSSt. Jude Catholic Church, Mass,

Hinesburg, 4:30 p.m.

SUNDAYSCommunity Alliance Church,

Hinesburg, Gathering Place, 9 a.m.,

Sunday School, 9 a.m., Worship, 10:15

a.m. Information: 482-2132.

Charlotte Congregational Church,

Worship, 10 a.m., Sunday School, 10

a.m. Information: 425-3176.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mass, 8

a.m. and 11 a.m. Information: 425-

2637.

St. Jude Catholic Church, Mass,

Hinesburg, 9:30 a.m. Information: 482-

2290.

North Ferrisburgh United Methodist

Church, Hollow Road, Worship,

10 a.m., Sunday School, 9:45 a.m.

Information: 425-2770.

Cross Roads Chapel, Ferrisburgh

Ctr. Rt. 7, Sunday Worship 10 a.m.

Information: 425-3625.

Assembly of God Christian Center,

Routes 7 and 22A, Ferrisburgh, Sunday

worship, 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Sunday

School, 9 a.m. Information: 877-3903.

All Souls Interfaith Gathering, 291

Bostwick Farm Road, Shelburne.

Sunday Service 9 a.m., Evensong

Service 5 p.m. 985-3819

Trinity Episcopal Church, 5171

Shelburne Rd., Shelburne, 8:00 a.m.

Holy Eucharist, 9:15 - 10:15 a.m.

“Space for Grace” (educational hour),

10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist (with child

care and Sunday School). 985-2269.

Charlotte events(or featuring a

Charlotter)august 13

thurSday

ART EXHIBIT: Charlotte’s Susan Raber Bray’s ceramics will be exhibited August 12 – 19 in ArtStream: Artists of Frog Hollow Traveling Exhibit. 85 Church St, Burlington. Info: froghollow.org.

EDITOR’S PICK—DEMO: Grab a disc and watch it fly from tee to hole. Come by the Charlotte Beach Friday evening at 6 p.m. for a demonstration of disc golf—the newest and prospectively best year-round addition to our Charlotte Beach recreation area in years. Richard Steele—the man responsible for clearing the nine-hole course—and John Sudarsky of the Vermont Disc Golf Association will show us how it’s played and the discs used in this exciting game. With contributions from community members to date, we’re now over one-third of the way to a completed year-round nine-hole course. Info: [email protected].

august 15 Saturday

DINNER: Celebrate vibrant Vermont farms with Adam’s Berry Farm and the Intervale Center! Join us at the berry farm for a family-style dinner cooked by Chef Phillip Clayton of Guild Tavern, featuring ingredients sourced from farms that the Intervale Center has incubated or assisted with business planning. Dessert will be prepared by Andrew LeStourgeon of Little Sweets at Hen of the Wood. And, of course, there will be berries! $50/ticket includes dinner, drinks, and dessert. All proceeds benefit the Intervale Center’s work sustaining farms, land and people. Six to 9 p.m. at Adam’s Berry Farm, 985 Bingham Brook Rd, Charlotte. Info/tickets: goo.gl/Bmx49q, 802-578-9093.

PERFORMANCE AND DINNER: Farm to Ballet at Philo Ridge Farm: a benefit for the Vermont Land Trust. The Farm to Ballet Project is a dance project that celebrates Vermont’s farming culture while expanding classical ballet’s audience. Philo Ridge Farm is located on the property of the old Foote Farm in Charlotte. Farm tours will be offered from 4 to 6 p.m. Bring a picnic blanket and enjoy a farm-raised pork dinner, prepared by the Hindquarter Food Truck, or wood-fired flatbread. Please bring cash—dinner is not included in your ticket reservation. Performance begins at 6:15 p.m. 2766 Mt. Philo Road, Charlotte. Tickets: philoridge.eventbrite.com.

august 16 Sunday

EVENT: Rokeby Museum Pie & Ice Cream Social, 1 to 4 p.m. Grab a friend and head to the Rokeby Museum for music, chat—and pie! This great tradition features homemade pies of every type—plain or a la mode—served in the museum’s shady back

yard. Proceeds support the Museum’s work, so have a second piece! Info: [email protected].

august 17–21monday–friday

EVENT: Charlotte Reads Salmon Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Pick up a copy of the book beforehand at the library or the Charlotte Senior Center. Free. Info: 425-3864 or [email protected].

Monday, August 17, & Tuesday, August 18, 10 a.m. to noon at the Charlotte Library: Charlotte and the Sea of Stories, Part I: Participants will read, discuss and digest Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

Wednesday, August 19, & Thursday, August 20, 10 a.m. to noon at the library: Charlotte and the Sea of Stories, Part II: Gather around the wood stove and debate the issues of local and state interest as Charlotters did long ago; imagine what story you might tell.

Friday, August 21, time 10 a.m. Charlotte and the Sea of Stories, Part III: “Charlotte and the Sea of Stories” presentations will take place at the end of the week at the Shelburne Museum. Visit the Tuckaway General Store for historical relevance, then gather in a classroom to present.

august 22Saturday

SAILING: Diamond Island Regatta benefits Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Many of the top sailors and fastest boats on Lake Champlain will be taking part in the third-annual Diamond Island Regatta, hosted by the Royal Savage Yacht Club (RSYC) and Point Bay Marina, 1401 Thompson’s Point Rd., Charlotte. Breakfast starts at 8:30 a.m., registration from 8:30–9:30 a.m. and a skippers meeting at 9:30 a.m. The race begins at 11 a.m. Awards ceremony at RSYC Lobster Fest at 6 p.m. Registration: rsyc.org/diamond-island-regatta/

august 27 thurSday

EDITOR’S PICK—CONCERT: Paige Thibault, 14, a recent graduate of CCS, will perform an hour-long set of original music with vocals and piano accompaniment at Radio Bean, 8 North Winooski Ave, Burlington. It’s her “first real gig” so come and support this budding artist as she shares what she loves most—music. 7–8 p.m. Free.

A Japanese beetle has a colorful lunch on the corner of Lake and Ferry road. photo: ChriS falk


The Charlotte News classifieds: Reach your friends and neighbors for only $7 per issue (payment must be sent before issue date). Please limit your ad to 35 words or fewer and send it to The Charlotte News Classifieds, P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 or email us [email protected].

New at the Mt. Philo Inn: Overnight accommodations, spacious 2-3 bedroom suites available by the day, week or month. Adjacent to Mt. Philo State Park, with panoramic views of Lake Champlain. Each "wing" in the historic inn has a private entrance, full kitchen, laundry and porch. MtPhiloInn.com, 425-3335.

Since 1977, Lafayette Painting inc. has been providing the best interior

painting service available. Let our experts transform your space. Call us at 863-5397 and see our work, references and more at LafayettePaintingInc.com

Need a yard service or exterior paint-ing? Call PLeasant VaLLey LandscaPing for quotes at 425-3737.

Redstone Affordable small office spaces available on Ferry Rd. Starting at $250.00 including all utilities. For more

information or to schedule a tour call 802-658-7400.

MaxiM outdooR Wood PeLLet fuRnace by Central Boiler adapts to existing heating systems & heats with renewable wood pellets. Boivin Farm Supply 802-475-4007

indePendent contRactoR special-izing in Interior/Exterior Painting, Taping, Drywall and Remodeling (light

duty carpentry, flooring etc.) Discounts available for booking winter jobs ahead. Kris Rushford. 802-377-9559. [email protected]

Visit Essex, NY, Saturday, Aug. 1st, 10am-4pm - rain or shine. 36th Annual “Town-wide Market Day.” 50+ exhibi-tors. Art, collectibles, farm stands, straw-berry shortcake, music, food, more! Half price ferry 10am-12 -”walk-ons” only. (518) 963-7494.

Classifieds

Congratulations

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Str8ts Solution Sudoku Solution

REQUEST FOR BIDSTown of Charlotte

Project DescriptionExterior painting of the Charlotte Town Hall.

Please see the Specifications below. The Town would like the project to be completed in 2015; however, bids to undertake the project in 2016 are welcome. Bid may be submitted for both 2015 and 2016.

Deadline for Bid Submission: Thursday August 27, 2015 @ 4:00 PM. Please see below for bid submission information.

Bid Opening: Thursday August 27, 2015 @ 4:00 PM at the Charlotte Town Hall

SpecificationsSiding and trim preparation is to be completed

without pressure washing.Bare spots are to be primed.Two topcoats of mid-grade latex above contrac-

tor grade are to be applied by brush or Lin

Complete RFP: The complete Request for Bid is available at the Town Office and at the town webs-site: www.charlottevt.org.

Town ContactQuestions may be directed to Dean Bloch, Town

Administrator at 425-3071 ext. 5 or [email protected].

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGON PROPOSED

TOWN CHARTERTOWN OF CHARLOTTE

The Selectboard of the Town of Charlotte here-by gives notice that a public hearing will be held on September 14, 2015 beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Charlotte Town Office, 159 Ferry Road, Charlotte, Vermont, to consider adoption of a Charter for the Town of Charlotte, which contains the following sections:

Section 1: Corporate ExistenceSection 2: General Provisions

Section 3: Adoption of Annual Budget and Budget Related Articles

Section 4: SeparabilitySection 5: Amendment

Section 6:Effective Date

The Charter in its entirety is available for inspec-tion at the Charlotte Town Office during regular office hours, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Charter is also available for review on the Town’s website at charlottevt.org.

to Genia and Robert Curler of Charlotte who had a son, Levi Gibson Curler, on June 16.

to Vicky and Donald Morgan of Charlotte who had a son, Matthew Donald Morgan, on June 17.

to William Kiernan, a student at

Union College, Schenectady, New York, who earned placement on the dean’s list for the spring semester, 2015. Kiernan will be a junior in the fall and is majoring in psychology.

to John “Jack” Heaslip, who was incorrectly referred to as James in our July 30 issue. Jack not only received a degree from the University of Rhode Island in mechanical engineering but also in German. Jack will be returning to ZF Friedrichshafen AG in Germany in October to begin a 15-month trainee program.

to Greg Beldock, CEO of Bullrock Corp. in Shelburne, who has entered into partnership with Deutsche-Eco, a leading German solar company, to create Bullrock-Deutsche-Eco Solar. The newly formed company recently completed installation of the largest solar carport in New England for the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven located in Woodbridge, Connecticut.

to Erick Crockenberg and Tad Cooke who continue to receive positive press on their modification plans and fundraising efforts for the New Moran project on the Burlington waterfront. Their latest report contained estimates of rental charges for clients at $19.94 per square foot in the market and office sections of the complex and $14.41 per square foot for the Turbine Hall conference space. The developers plan to relay on five sources of funding according to a July 30 Free Press article. These are federal tax credits, charita-ble donations, tax incentive financing, low-interest loans and tenant fit-up cap-ital.

is extended to family and friends of Barbara Boyd of Shelburne who passed away July 28 at the age of 84. Originally from New Jersey, she and her husband moved to the Charlotte area in 1995 to be near her daughter who lives in Williston. Barbara was an active member of the Charlotte Congregational Church. The family asks that, in lieu of

flowers, donations in her memory go to KidSafe Collaborative, 45 Kilbourn Street, Burlington, VT 05401.

is extended to family and friends of Dora Mills of Port Charlotte, Fl., who passed away July 19 at the age of 66. Her surviving family includes her cousin Peter Trono of Charlotte. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory be made to the Humane Society, SPCA or the American Heart Association.

is extended to family and friends of Michael Mahe, chef and owner of five restaurants in the Chittenden south and Addison County area. Michael began the Starry Night Café in North Ferrisburgh in 1999. Later he went on to found the Black Sheep Bistro, Park Squeeze, the Bobcat Café and the Bearded Frog. His most recent start was the Lobby in Middlebury in 2014. All his restaurants are known for their fine foods.

is extended to family and friends of James Henry Lane of Essex Junction who passed away August 7 at the age of 74. James was the son of Henry James Lane and Marion W. Lane of Charlotte, and he was a long-time Charlotte resident, driving a school bus for Chittenden South School Union from 1998 until 2014. He volunteered at Charlotte Fire & Rescue and was treasurer of the Masonic Lodge in

Charlotte. His surviving family includes his son John Henry Lane and John’s wife, Linda, along with their children, Samantha and Thomas. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.

is extended to family and friends of Kimball Blanchard of Burlington who passed away July 22 at the age of 94. His surviving family includes his sister-in-law Marianne Blanchard and niece Francesca Blanchard. The family suggests those wishing to make a memorial gift consider doing so to the South Hero Land Trust, P.O. Box 455, South Hero, VT 05486 or to Local Motion at Executive Director, Local Motion, 1 Steele Street, #103, Burlington, VT 05401.

coRRection: In the wedding announcement for Matt Nola and Wanda Handel (July 30 issue), who were married on Wright’s Mountain in Bradford, Vermont, we made it sound as though the mountain was Vermont’s highest peak as opposed to being Bradford’s highest peak. Rick Brokaw was quick to point it out to us, and we apologize to Mansfield, Camel’s Hump and other mighty peaks.

coRRection: In our July 30 issue, Linda Foote’s obituary was edited to include only surviving members of her family living in Charlotte. We apologize if this seemed say she is only survived by them. Linda is survived by her husband, John Foote, of Hinesburg; daughters, Christy Foote of Charlotte and Johanna Foote of Chicago, Ill.; granddaughter Morgan Boss of Charlotte; two brothers, Arthur Denton and wife, Kristi, of Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Kenneth Denton and wife, Marcia, of Cabot; and several nieces and a nephew. Thank you to Nancy Savins for bringing this to our attention.

Congratulations to Faith Thompson of Hands & Heart Farm in Charlotte, who received the Supreme Ewe award with her Border Leicester, “Smiley,” at the youth show at the Addison County Fair and Field Days. During the open show the next day, Smiley was designated as the Supreme Ewe again while competing against 17 other breeds of sheep. Smiley also placed with Best Fleece during this same show. Faith is an upcoming 12th grader at the Lake Champlain Waldorf High School. Photo: Courtesy

Volume lVIII Number 2 The VoIce of The TowN Thursday, augusT 13, 2015

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CCS’s New Administrators 1

Opportunity Awaits in Charlotte? 1

Compost Kids Spread Knowledge 7

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The Charlotte News | August 13, 2015