The Charlotte News | June 30, 2016

Volume lVIII Number 24 The VoIce of The TowN Thursday, JuNe 30, 2016

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Charlotte News Charlotte’s award-winning community newspaper

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WHAT’S INSIDEA park and ride on Route 7 in Charlotte?, page 1TCN’s declaration of dedication, page 2Farm to Ballet is back, page 4Charlotte Farm Guide, page 8Fourth of July events around the region, page 18

Hello, Summer.

Food trucks and literary buffs at

Annual Charlotte Library Book SaleThe Charlotte Library Book Sale will

be on July 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Town Green.

Book worms will come hungry for literature, but those with hunger in the more traditional sense will be pleased with the food trucks scene. This year’s event will feature edibles from Vergennes Laundry—Pastries and baked goods; Northern Bayou’s Cold Brew—coffee and Miss Weinerz Donuts; Little Garden Market—Hot dogs and other goodies; Caja Madera Tacos; Luiza’s Homemade with Love—Pierogis; and Maple Blues—Southeast Asian delights.

The July used book sale is a longstand-ing Charlotte tradition, established by the Friends of The Charlotte Library in 1998. Proceeds from the event support the Charlotte Library.

VTrans to start reconstruction project on Route 7Travelers along Route 7 in Charlotte

from just south of the Ferry Road inter-section to the Charlotte/Ferrisburgh town line are about to notice some big changes. The Vermont Agency of Transportation is set to embark on a multi-year reconstruc-tion project that will transform the three-mile stretch of road beginning this July and continuing through 2018.

By widening the roadway to 12-foot

Vol. 58, no. 24June 30, 2016 Charlotte News

The CharlotteNewsVt.org

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

Roadside assistanceJosie Nelson (left) and Rachel Bergstein

(right) set up shop at the Corner of Ferry

Rd. and Wing's Point on June 17, selling

lemonade to raise money and aware-

ness for Celiac Disease. They were very

pleased that 35 people stopped during

their first day and they raised $118. The

autoimmune disorder, through which

ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the

small intestine, affects an estimated 1 in

100 people worldwide.

The two enterprising friends live with

the disease and are passionate about

helping others understand it, as two and

one-half million Americans are undi-

agnosed and are at risk for long-term

health complications. Here in Vermont,

a number of companies—including West

Meadow Farm Bakery, King Arthur Flour

and Against the Grain—make high-qual-

ity gluten-free products. Be sure to

stop for a refreshing pause at Josie and

Rachel’s lemonade stand, which will pop

up again sometime this summer! Learn

more at celiac.org.

Happy Fourth of July!!

Crossword & Sudoku 13 • Library News 14 • Senior Center News 16 • Community Events 18 • Around Town 19

Stop or go? Selectboard considers three

sites for a potential park and

ride in West Charlotte

Geeda SearfoorceTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

At the Selectboard meeting on Monday, June 27, community members

gathered to hear a presentation about a proposed park and ride facility that could have a dramatic effect on the structure and growth of the town of Charlotte.

Lucy Gibson from DuBois and King, a firm that provides planning, engineering and construction consultation, laid out the rationale employed in the study, which was initiated at the behest of the state Agency of Transportation. The criteria for analysis of seven potential sites put equal weight on economic considerations like ease of acquisition and development costs; loca-tion concerns like proximity to the inter-section of Route 7 and Ferry Road, safety and visibility; and site considerations like the impact on environmental resources.

Gibson reminded the crowd that this was a follow-up to a study done a year ago. Peter Keegan, from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission chimed in to provide context. “The State requested a revised report reflective of the need for a park and ride closer to Route 7. This is a statewide priority—to reduce traffic, be more efficient and lessen congestion. The state is looking at approx-imately one facility per year to be identi-fied and implemented.”

The report includes site plans for the three most advantageous locations, given the criteria used: the site of the former Steve’s Citgo at the intersection with Ferry Road (two iterations were proposed here), the site of the former Flea Market just south

Why do we pay

to play at the

Charlotte Beach?

Emma SlaterTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

While working at Charlotte Beach, attendants are often asked how

they discovered such a sweet job for the summer. Spending the day on the water-front of Lake Champlain, listening to children playing and watching the sun set across the Adirondacks sounds heav-enly to most Vermonters. However, beach attendants have other responsibilities behind the scenes and field more challeng-ing questions, such as, “Why do residents

have to pay to use public property?”The Town of Charlotte first began

charging a fee for beach parking during the 1970s when the beach was discov-ered as an excellent site for windsurfing. Windsurfers flooding into the swimming area created a safety issue, which was brought to the attention of the Selectboard when a windsurfer filed a lawsuit due to injury. Judy Tuttle approached the Selectboard about employing beach atten-dants to monitor the area.

“Having someone on site, as the beach became more and more popular, seemed like an obvious thing to do,” said Bill Fraser-Harris, chair of the Charlotte recre-ation commission.

Although the windsurfing craze has passed, the beach is still used for a variety of different activities including swim-ming, kayaking, picnicking, frisbee, disc

golf and tennis. The cost of a season beach pass is now $20 for residents and $40 for non-residents for the first car, and $5 for each car after. Day passes are also avail-able during the operating hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A beach attendant’s job includes clean-up of green spaces and maintenance of the bathhouse area. Keeping this area presentable for the town is an important customer service, according to recreation coordinator, Nicole Conley. It’s also a great summer work opportunity for local students who have limited options in the area. This season there are five Charlotte students employed at the beach. Conley also noted that the parking passes fund the annual installation and maintenance of the dock and rafts, which starts at $5,000.

Old Dock,

new crewPopular day trip destination is

bought by Burlington’s Daily

Planet owner

Geeda SearfoorceTHE CHARLOTTE NEWS

The Old Dock restaurant in Essex, NY, is under new ownership. Copey

Houghton, Whallons Bay summer resi-dent, and owner of Burlington’s Daily Planet restaurant, has purchased the popular waterfront eatery from Steve McKenna, the longtime owner who has been struggling with health issues.

After a busy time hustling to open for the season on Memorial Day weekend, business is humming. Clement weather and a buzz about the restaurant reboot have helped boaters, travelers and ferry passengers make their way to the bucolic spot this past month. My waitress, a server at the restaurant for 10 years, has noticed the difference already. “Usually it doesn’t

see Charlotte BeaCh, pAge 8

get really busy until July,” she said, “but this year June has been hopping!”

The town of Essex, Charlotte’s neigh-bor-on-the-lake, has been a popular day trip for community members for years. “My family has been going to the Old Dock for years,” said former Thompson’s

see route 7, pAge 6see old doCk, pAge 6

see Park & ride, pAge 5

Living in a constant state of wet and cold, subsisting off seal meat cooked over seal blubber, restraining mutinies, keeping morale high amongst 28 dispa-rate rough-men, making camp in gales on drifting ice in the Weddell Sea, sailing 800 miles in a glorified dinghy, ascending the heights of the South Georgian moun-tains in the middle of winter, starving and exhausted—the story of Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance crew baffles and awes as much as it does inspire.

Through all these trials of spirit, Shackleton later wrote that he and his crew had “reached the naked soul of man.”

As we put together the final edition of the 58th volume of your esteemed commu-nity newspaper, we can’t claim to have survived the journey of Shackleton’s crew, but we’ve certainly weathered a few diffi-culties. Through it all, we’ve been doing some reflecting on what the paper means to us and what we believe it can mean to the community.

Inspired by yet another year as proud partners with the Charlotte Library in the “Vermont Reads” program (more info on page 14), celebrating the 100th anniver-sary of Shackleton’s epic journey, in a way, we’ve been seeking to find “the naked soul

of The News.”Every other week, we explore local

stories of all sizes—from rail safety issues and school consolidation to lemonade stands and book sales. We edit and eke out all the information we can with the finite resources we have. We work with commu-nity organizations and build collabora-tions. We do everything in our power to be un-biased, truthful and accurate.

But what drives us? What do we believe that keeps us

coming back for the long hours and meagre rations?

What keeps our morale high? What takes us over the South Georgian

mountain of production every two weeks?What gets us through the 800-mile

journey from edition 1 to 24 each year?Recently, I asked our editorial team to

write a few lines about what “We believe” beyond our mission statement. The follow-ing is a compilation of some of them:

We believe that we come to know each other better and deeper when we read of the ideas, hopes, dreams, accomplish-ments, losses and joys of our neighbors and friends.

We believe in the power of community journalism and its role in holding public officials to account, engaging citizens on a local level and knotting together the fabric of a community in transition.

We believe that without community support—whether donating, writing, volunteering, editing, proofing, delivering or just reading—our archives would not be as rich as they are today, serving as a testament to our role in documenting and analyzing some of the largest changes in Charlotte’s history.

We believe the community “owns” The Charlotte News, as demonstrated by its many years of financial and volunteer support. We are its stewards, helping to preserve it for the next generation.

We believe we are a more power-ful institution as a nonprofit, however, we understand that financial pressure and advertising trends are making this endeavor more challenging—not just for us, but all newspapers around the country.

We believe this 58-year-old institution has historical and cultural value to the townspeople. We have a venerable place in Vermont history as the oldest nonprofit newspaper in the state and that should be cherished.

Shackleton is marked in history as one of the greats in the Heroic Age of Exploration. He has been described as foolhardy, brave, reckless, admirable and inspirational. We, The Charlotte News, it might be said, are working in the Heroic Age of Newsprint. Against the odds, we fight on and it’s only because of you that we continue to document the happenings and illuminate the unexplored corners of this town. Our own beliefs drive us—your belief in us enlivens our spirits of literary adventure and community engagement.

Where we fall in the spectrum of heroic endeavors, history will judge. But let it never be said we were uncertain in our purpose as a community newspaper.

To the board, staff, volunteers, donors, contributors and community-at-large—thank you for all you do.

The naked soul of The News

Alex BuntenEDITOR IN CHIEF

We will take our annual summer

break after this edition hits the

stands. Our next publication will

come out on July 28. The deadline

for the submission of columns will

be July 18. Letters to the Editor and

Around Town submissions will be

due July 25. Ads will be due July 22.

Time to kick back and enjoy

some summer fun!

2 • June 30, 2016 • The CharloTTe news

The Charlotte NewsThe Charlotte News is a nonprofit community- based newspaper dedicated to informing townspeople 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 happenings 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 encouraged. 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 domestic 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 Ferrisburgh, Ferrisburgh, Vergennes and Burlington. The Charlotte News relies on the generous financial contributions of its readers, subscriptions and advertising revenue to sustain its operations.

Editorial [email protected] / 425-4949Editor in chief: Alex BuntenAssistant editor: Geeda SearfoorceContributing editors: John Hammer, Edd Merritt, Emma Slater, Ruah Swennerfelt Copy editors: Beth Merritt, Leslie Botjer, Vince Crockenberg, Carol Hanley

Business [email protected] / 343-0279Ad manager: Monica MarshallBusiness manager: Shanley Hinge

Board MembersPresident: Vince CrockenbergSecretary: John HammerTreasurer: Patrice MachavernBoard members: Bob Bloch, Carol Hanley, Gay Regan, Louisa Schibli

ContributorsBunky Bernstein, Bradley Carleton, Ashley Clark, Mary Recchia, Bill Schubart, Ruah Swennerfelt, Margaret Woodruff

Noun Project icons: James Keuning, Christian Mohr, Krista Quiroga

On the CoverMembers of the herd at Philo Ridge Farm take a moment in the June sunshine. Photo: Ed Pitcavage

Subscription InformationThe Charlotte News is delivered at no cost to all Charlotte residences. Effective May 1, 2016, we

will no longer offer bulk mail subscriptions.

Subscriptions are available for first-class deliv-

ery at $40 per calendar year.

Want a subscription? Please send a check payable to The Charlotte News, PO Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445.

PostmasterSend address changes to:The Charlotte NewsP.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445Telephone: 425-4949

Circulation: 3,000 copies per issue.Copyright © 2016 The Charlotte News, Inc.

Printed by Upper Valley Press.Member of the New England Newspaper and Press Association and the Vermont Press Association.

If you answered YES to any (or all) of these questions, The Charlotte News

wants YOU to be the next Outwater Intern. Be inspired to... • Explore local history• Meet new people• Learn about community journalism• Think outside the box

The Charlotte News is looking for a motivated, news-savvy fall semester intern with strong writing skills and a natural curiosity about the local area. Candidates should be creative, outgoing, dependable and comfortable in a fast-paced environ-ment. A driver’s license and access to a car

are highly desirable. This is a 10-15 hour per week posi-

tion that will start at the end of July and run through the end of December. Interns who finish their working commit-ments will be paid a modest stipend on a per issue basis. The position can be extended for suitable candidates. The position will be open until filled. Email a letter of motivation to Alex Bunten at [email protected].

Stipends for this internship were made possible by a generous donation from Alice D. Outwater, and in memory of her husband, John Outwater.

Are you passionate about learning? Do you enjoy writing?Are you interested in journalism?

***TCN writing

contest delayed The Charlotte News writing contest

will be extended into the fall to allow for wider participation. Later this summer we will publish a new deadline for submissions, using the same prompt, which can be found in the May 5 issue of The News or online at charlottenewsvt.org/2016/05/17/pens-at-the-ready.

To those who submitted entries, thank you for the effort you put into your stories, and we encourage you to rework and resubmit them in the fall.

***

Shackleton and a small crew leave Elephant Island bound for South Georgia after over a year trapped in the Weddell Sea. Photo: Creative Commons

Letters PoLicy: The Charlotte News welcomes signed letters

to the editor and commentaries on any subject of interest to the

community. To allow the publication of a diverse selection of

views in each issue, please limit letters to a 300 word max. and

commentaries to a 800 word max. Include your full name, town of

residence and phone number. The editors reserve the right to edit for

clarity, English usage and length or to publish submissions in full.

Have your say—email [email protected].

Commentary

New Age trigger warning: The following column contains information that may be troubling to people with heightened sensi-bilities and little real-world experience, or who suffer from “enhanced yuck factor syndrome.”

Biologists claim the only life-threaten-

ing fauna in Vermont are the endangered

timber rattlers making their homes in

Benson. Benson wasn’t my first choice

when I was looking for a home. It’s a nice

town, but until I began stacking wood

at age 24, I was even afraid of garter

snakes, which often confuse woodpiles

with condos. Even today, “slither shock”

still elicits an adrenalin discharge, but no

longer paralysis.

I went to a fairly low-rent summer camp

for a week on Lake Eden and, where I first

met leeches. We called them “bloodsuck-

ers.” There were so many that the camp

owner had a saltlick on the swimming dock

so we could rub salt on them, causing them

to disconnect, pucker up and fall back into

the water. I was middle-aged when I first

donated blood.

There were no ticks when I was young,

except from the grandfather clock in the

hall that didn’t keep time but made weird

mechanical noises and chimed at odd

hours. I first learned of ticks when a friend

told me a friend of his from Long Island

was suffering horribly from a new disease

called Lyme disease. I added both to my

middle-age catalog of fears.

I met my first tick many years later. It

had settled into my thigh. I felt an itch,

looked down and saw some tiny little legs

flailing in the air. I plucked it out, exam-

ined it and dropped it in the sink. It was a

harmless large tick. The next visitor landed

in the middle of my back and I couldn’t

reach it. My wife was away. That night, I

went to a party and a friend was there. I

asked her if she would accompany me into

the bathroom and remove my tick. We’re

closer friends now. Nashville capitalized

on the tick phenomenon with a hit single

titled “Ticks.” “I wanna check you for

ticks” is the new singles bar come-on.

Last week I was doing my annual cattail

harvest in our pond. I had never seen a

leech in there in the ten years since we dug

it. I was pulling cattails in about a foot of

murky water and felt the usual polliwogs

swimming around inside my swimming

trunks. Then I began to feel some light

stings and wondered if polliwogs had

evolved into carnivores. I kept at it until

I finished my harvest, swam around for a

bit, and then emerged and pulled off my

trunks to shake out the polliwogs. I gasped

when I saw a good thirty leeches squirm-

ing around in the bottom of the bathing

suit, the losers in a game of musical chairs

unable to find any open thigh space left to

attach to. I shook the losers out on the grass

and returned the polliwogs to the pond. I

then removed as many bloodsuckers as I

could reach and walked up to the house,

yelling for my patient wife’s help.

Standing naked on the lawn in a mooning

posture with my beloved picking slimy

hemovores off my nethers, our cheery

UPS driver drove up and almost careened

off into the vegetable garden. “Never been

mooned by a customer before,” he yelled

cheerily as he drove off after discretely

leaving a package in the driveway.

So when Vermarketers tout the lack of

dangerous fauna in Vermont, call me. I

grew up here. Most of them did not.

P.S. The deer ticks I remove after my

chainsaw forays into the woods prefer the

needle tracks left by the bloodsuckers, so

at least there’s less scar tissue.

Bill Schubart

Hinesburg

Bill Schubart is the author of many books, including The Lamoille Stories, and regularly writes for VPR.

Critters and full moons David Scherr for sure

editor, With the total number of candi-

dates entering the double digits in our

Chittenden County State Senate race, the

race is totally up in the air. I hope this letter

makes your choice simple when you vote

in the Democrat primary on August 9. I

wanted to let you know I will be voting for

David Scherr.

David, a lifelong Vermonter, works as an

attorney defending low-income Vermont

Vermonters. He understands the causes

and effects of poverty and has tangible

strategies for how to combat the roots of

this problem. He also understands and has

the experience to fight the affordability

crisis that plagues this county.

Vermonters need David Scherr if we

are going to deal with the factors that

have caused the median home price in

Chittenden County to rise 80 percent

over 15 years and made this county

home to the second-highest percent-

age of cost-burdened renters in New

England. David serves on the Vermont

Community Development Board and the

Chittenden County Regional Planning

Commission, and as result he knows how

to make Chittenden County affordable for

everyone.

So please join me in voting for David

Scherr on August 9.

Ashley Clark

Spear St.

Letters to the Editor

Enter The Charlotte News

Peter Coleman Photo Contest

The Charlotte News invites

amateur photographers of all

ages to enter its 11th Annual

Peter Coleman Photo Contest,

held in honor of the renowned

Charlotte photographer and

one-time editor of The News

who passed away in January

2006.

There are four categories this year:

“What’s hot in Charlotte,” “Animals,”

“Charlotte Faces” and “Charlotte

Landscapes.”

Please limit your entries to no more than

one per category with a maximum of three

photos per person.

The deadline for submissions is July

27. Winning photographs will be printed

in our August 11 issue and displayed at

Town Hall.

Send full-size, high-resolution .jpg files

directly to news@thecharlotte-

news.org with the subject line

“Photo Competition 2016.”

In the email, include a name

for each photo and a descrip-

tion of the subject/location and

the date taken along, with your

address, telephone number and

age if under 18.

Editor’s note: By submit-

ting a photograph you will be giving The Charlotte News permission to print it in the

paper, on its website and on its Facebook

page. Please obtain permission for publi-

cation from any person or the parents of

children photographed.

Here’s your

shot!

The CharloTTe News •JuNe 30, 2016 • 3

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We’re looking for youth athletes in grades 2 - 8 from the towns of Hinesburg, Charlotte, Shelburne, Williston and St. George. Join the team! Join the fun!

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The first of eight statewide perfor-mances of the Farm to Ballet Project will traipse across the green fields of Charlotte’s Philo Ridge Farm on July 16. Featuring 23 dancers and a string sextet playing Vivaldi, Farm to Ballet highlights Vermont’s agricultural and cultural bounty for the second year in a row.

Directed by Chatch Pregger, the full-length production takes place outdoors on farms throughout Vermont and rein-terprets classical ballet choreography to tell the story of a Vermont farm from spring to fall. The project, which cele-brates Vermont’s farming culture while expanding classical ballet’s audience, gives back to the community. Each of the eight host sites selects a nonprofit benefi-ciary to receive the proceeds raised by the show. Funds from Farm to Ballet at Philo Ridge Farm will benefit the Farm to Ballet Project itself.

A sold-out crowd of 350 people last August could attest to the richness of the work and its natural fit in a bucolic setting. “We were overwhelmed with the community response last year. Sharing our farm-raised products with community members from near and far on a beautiful summer evening is part of our vision for Philo Ridge Farm,” farm owner Diana McCargo said. “The Farm to Ballet Project is a vehicle for us to invite people to this historic Charlotte farm while supporting a creative arts initiative.”

Charlotte Hardie, Charlotte native and McCargo’s daughter, is one of the 23 dancers in the production. Hardie began taking dance classes in college. “Performing with the Farm to Ballet Project is a natural fit for me,” Hardie said. “It combines my love of dance with my passion for being outdoors and connecting with Vermont’s food and farm culture.”

On July 16, attendees are encouraged to come from 5 p.m. on to enjoy farm tours for every age and a farm-raised meal of pulled pork and Vietnamese chicken salad prepared by The Hindquarter. The perfor-mance starts at 6:30 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the performance will be cancelled. Visit philoridgefarm.com for updates. A limited number of tickets will be available at the farm on the day of the event.

Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance at farmtoballet.org/philo-ridge-farm.html.

Charlotte’s Philo Ridge Farm welcomes Farm to Ballet again on July 16

(Left) Charlotter and Farm to Ballet dancer, Charlotte Hardie as a lettuce leaf in the

2015 production at Philo Ridge Farm. Photo: Jonas Powell

BOOM!We’re dropping the mic on our 58th volume. Help us plug it

back in for volume 59! Look for our annual fundraising appeal in your mailbox in mid-July and give, please.

Help Vermont’s oldest nonprofit newspaper keep you connected to your town. Love local? Read local. And dig deep—every penny helps!

Want to give before mid-July? Send donations to The Friends of the Charlotte News, P.O. Box 211, Charlotte, VT 05445 or visit razoo.com/us/story/Friends-Of-The-Charlotte-News. We can’t do it without you!

“Farming is a profession of

hope”

—Brian Brett


C H I T T E N D E NS ol id Waste Distr ic t WWW.CSWD.NET

sou

p

170 native and edible trees planted along the LaPlatte River

This spring, the Vermont River Conservancy planted 170 trees and shrubs at the Albert’s Way neighborhood on the LaPlatte River and Mud Hollow Brook in Charlotte.

“Our goal is to see this land support a beautiful park-like area for the residents to enjoy and the increased ecological benefit of mature riparian trees, abundant wildlife and healthy rivers,” said Lydia Menendez Parker from the Vermont River Conservancy.

Once a frequently flooded farm surrounded by actively adjusting rivers, this 3.6-acre parcel was generously donated by Gertrude Jordan in 2011 to the Vermont River Conservancy (VRC) and the Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity to provide affordable housing and conserved river lands. The river corridor

easement held by VRC prohibits channel management and development alongside the river and requires a vegetated buffer on the riverbanks.

The tree planting was funded through a Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife Watershed Grant to improve the ecological and recreational values of conserved land within Albert’s Way. VRC worked with landowners to develop a site design that included a berry patch, edible fruit trees, a pollinator garden, a mown path to improve river access, seating areas and native trees in the buffer area along riverbank.

Since residents also expressed concern over poison parsnip, VRC is working with residents to better manage this invasive species.

“It has been fun to see how excited the neighborhood kids were to plant trees and learn about tree identification,” said VRC’s AmeriCorps member Elizabeth Gribkoff. “I hope planting trees and watching them grow up will create strong connec-tions with this beautiful piece of land.”

Information is available at vermontriv-erconservancy.org or by calling VRC at 229-0820.

of it and a site behind Town Hall. The costs for each are, respectively, $1,458,000 (both plans would cost the same), $518,000, and $550,000. The costs associated with the former Citgo, which is privately owned, include a $700,000 purchase price. The other two potential locations are town owned.

Gibson displayed draft designs of a park and ride facility, which includes a paved lot of 60 spaces with room for expansion of up to approximately 148 and an entrance and egress that allows for buses to loop through the site. Other features include a small shelter, adequate solar-powered lighting, bicycle parking, an LED-display of real-time bus arrival and departure informa-tion and construction elements that miti-gate storm runoff to meet environmental regulations.

Gibson and Keegan both stressed the need for lessening the inconvenience and

delay for through travelers on Route 7 while also support-ing town growth. “It’s important to the state that the facility be in keeping with the town’s plan and vision,” Keegan said.

But the reaction from the crowd was dubious. Community member Dave Marshall said, “One possibil-ity with this is that Charlotte is being picked on to alle-viate traffic congestion in Shelburne.” Others voiced substantial concerns over the sites’ proximity to wetlands and potential adverse effect on nearby trails. One Charlotter bemoaned the lack of a police force to adequately ensure security at a type of facility that, in other parts of the state, often sees cars parked for days on end. Another spoke to the potential of a park and ride

to damage the commercial growth of the town rather than encourage it. “We don’t want that to be the entrance to our town,” she said. “No one will stop here.”

Selectboard member Jacob Spell was curious why the Charlotte train station off of Ferry Road didn’t make the final cut. “It’s ideally suited to transform into such a facility,” he said, “and it could become a part of enhanced commuter rail service in the future.”

Within the next two months, the Agency of Transportation will reach out to the Selectboard to get feedback about the analysis and move ahead with planning. Because the closest existing park and ride facility south of Burlington is just outside of Vergennes, a location near or in Charlotte is a high priority for the state as it attempts to solve transportation challenges and build for the future.

More information about the study, including images of the plans can be found at http://goo.gl/sGMRVL. Contact: [email protected]

Park & ridecontinued from page 1


Katie Manges

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Route 7continued from page 1

old dock

continued from page 1

A view from the Old Dock restaurant just across the lake from Charlotte in Essex, NY. The longtime local favorite was purchased and re-opened by the owner of Burlington’s Daily Planet. Happy diners can get a view of the Green Mountains to the east before hopping the ferry or continuing through the bucolic hamlet.

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Publication date: Aug. 11Columns/Features deadline: Aug. 1Letters due: Aug. 8Ads deAdline: Aug. 5

Publication date: Aug. 25Columns/features deadline: Aug. 15Letters due: Aug. 22

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travel lanes and 8-foot shoulders, VTrans will ensure consistency with the major-ity of the US 7 corridor. Reconstruction includes drainage improvements, building detours, removing the existing pavement along with underlying select materials, and replacing the roadway with new select materials and four layers of new pavement.

Good news for bicyclists and pedestrians

Improvements to existing culverts along the three-mile stretch are also planned. Crews will remove and replace several aging culverts with new concrete box culverts, one of which will serve as a recre-ational facility underpass near the Lower Old Town Trail. This underpass will enable bicyclists and pedestrians to connect from Greenbush Road west to Mt. Philo State Park and is a critical piece of the Charlotte Town Link Trail.

Two-way traffic will be maintained throughout the duration of the project, except for brief transition periods when traffic is being shifted into a new pattern. The contractor is anticipating complet-ing the first mile from the Charlotte/Ferrisburgh town line north to State Park Road this year. Although the contract completion is scheduled for 2018, the focus for 2017 will be to complete the recon-struction of the remaining two miles by the end of the year. The project will shut down during the winter from approxi-mately mid-December through mid-April. Crews will return in the spring of 2018 to complete landscaping installation and other related activities. For more informa-tion, contact Project Coordinator Francine Perkins of FRF Enterprises at 479-6994 or visit roadworkupdates.com.


Point resident Ruthie Nye, who fondly remembers evenings spent in the late 1970s taking her family’s 1955 Chris Craft out for aquatic adventures after dinner. “So much tomfoolery!” she said.

Everyday adventure is a recurring theme among those who have enjoyed the 30-minute ride on the Lake Champlain Ferry from Charlotte. “I used to take my grandchildren over there,” said Charlotter Ruah Swennerfelt. “It was just like an adventure. It’s an inexpensive excursion and everyone loves it.” A sand box, filled with toy trucks and shovels, sits on the restaurant’s side deck for children to play while family members enjoy the view of the Green Mountains across Lake Champlain.

The menu, populated with American summer fare like burgers, salads and fish n’ chips, has a few regionally inspired items like lobster poutine. A full complement of beer, wine and house cocktails are avail-able to quench alfresco diners’ thirst. “Mr. Houghton—Copey—is already making some great changes,” my waitress said. “New menu additions are coming soon, but we’ll always keep some old favorites going for sure.”

A recent sunny Friday attested to the appeal and accessibility of the restaurant. Though many tables were full of happily chatting families and couples, there was space enough to enjoy the view. Long wooden tables can accommodate larger groups and smaller tables perch under umbrellas or in full sun.

The restaurant itself is described as an old favorite by any who have gazed out over its railing at the idyllic splendor of a Vermont summer day. And the efforts to re-open the restaurant this season, despite

the uncertainty caused by its former owner’s health concerns, are a testament to the tight-knit willingness of a community to come together. Announcing the good news of Houghton’s purchase and the staff and patrons’ support, the McKenna family posted on the Old Dock’s Facebook’s page, “We would like to sincerely thank every-one for their kind messages, offers of help, prayers and get well wishes. Without your help, the Old Dock would not have opened. This truly is a fabulous community.”

Ruthie Nye agrees, and feels the mutual support of the two communities that are separated by a lake but united by it, too. “It takes a village,” she said. “Or in this case, two! It’s such a good place, and I think we’re all grateful that it can keep going.”

To keep up with restaurant updates, visit facebook.com/Old-Dock-Restaurant-112356458790961 or to book a table, call 518-963-4232. To plan an excur-sion and confirm ferry schedules and rates, visit ferries.com.

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Diggin’ in the dirtExploring the roots of food self-sufficiency in Charlotte

Ruah SwennerfeltCONTRIBUTOR

I have a satisfying morning routine of roaming in my

backyard to observe the growth, changes and abundance I find. I may pick a juicy strawberry, delight over the opening of a new flower or squeak with distress over something new the bunnies or the chipmunks have eaten. That morning tradition helps me feel rooted to the land I’m caring for. It helps me feel grounded and helps me begin my day in gratitude. My food feeds my body and my flowers feed my soul.

But growing our own vege-tables and fruits isn’t an easy task. It takes a lot of work spring, summer and fall. There’s the planting of the seeds indoors, preparing the beds for trans-plants and direct seeding, continuously weeding (and sometimes watering), harvest-ing, putting up and, best of all, eating! Why do I do it? I could just hop in the car to buy my food from local vendors or from the supermarket. But I wouldn’t feel the sun on my back as I dig my fingers into the soil to pick carrots, potatoes or beets. I wouldn’t get the taste of a fresh tomato picked from the vine. And I wouldn’t have the satis-faction of putting up my food and taking it out with delight for a winter’s meal.

I asked two other home gardeners why they also choose

to spend time working in their backyards. Hillary Maraham, who lives just down the road from me in East Charlotte, was an ornamental gardener long before she was a vegetable gardener. She saw it as creating a painting in the landscape.

“Coming from the perspective of an architect, which focuses on permanence,” Hillary said, “I saw that gardens had flexibility. When I first came to Vermont, part of coming here was the need to have an interaction with the landscape. I started with ornamentals. Then wanted to be more self-sufficient. Now I have almost no patience for ornamen-tal gardening.”

She said that edible garden-ing feels satisfying and that the planting of a small seed is incredible. “The rows of vegeta-bles, with all their textures and with intermittent flowers are so beautiful,” she said. “I just love it. I’m intrigued with the aesthet-ics of the garden. Sometimes the lettuces look so beautiful I hesi-tate to pick them. But then they begin to bolt, and I know I have to eat them.”

Hillary grows more food than her family can eat and donates the excess to the Food Shelf and processes much of it to serve at the Waldorf High School lunches. A lot of her garden is timed for heavy production in late August and September, to harvest for the food programs.

“I’m definitely intrigued with the aesthetics of the garden—the textures and intermittent flowers. For me it’s the deeper satisfaction of growing food. I feel like it completely shifts my consciousness. I can’t think of anything more satisfying than that.” She says that the work is sometimes like being a gerbil on a wheel—it’s a never-ending task—going out every morning to weed and tend the beds.

Christie Garrett lives in West Charlotte and has a beau-tiful garden with raised beds supported by stonewalls. It brings to mind gardens of old Europe. She feels that connect-ing to the land is important and grounding. “It connects me to the changes in the seasons, the cycles of the moon. In one season you see the span of life from birth through growing and dying. It gives me a deeper perspective of it all. What a joy it is to go out and pick the fruits of the garden. I used to tell my chil-dren, ‘You’ll never taste fresher broccoli than this.’”

She said that ever since she and her husband were no longer living in apartments she’s had a garden. “Digging and plant-ing are my favorites. I love to feel the texture of the soil.” Her daughter gave her special garden gloves this year that still allow her to feel the soil without getting her fingers too dirty. She loves getting the garden started and appreciates when she can see the architecture of the plants before they meld together in their growth. Maintaining and harvesting are less pure plea-sure. Christie plants flowers among the vegetables because of their beauty and loves having cut flowers in her house. She has been learning how to work with colors, which has enriched her understanding of nature and appreciation of color and form.

I could see in both women the delight on their faces as they expressed their love of the land, the beauty of the gardens and the connection to the food cycles. I feel the same way. We’re sisters of the home garden, and I’m sure there are many more of you in your Charlotte backyards, revel-ing in the summer splendor.

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A mother and child are winding their way through the meat aisle at Price Chopper

supermarket. “Mom, where does our food come from?” asks the girl, looking at the packet of ground beef in the cart.

“Good question!” says the mother, proud of her daughter for considering the origin of what she eats. “That meat came from far away, but other options are avail-able from farms nearby.”

Those nearby farms are abundant in Charlotte, our hometown that has deep roots in the agricultural soil of our state’s economy. Our neighbors to the south have made a wonderful guide to Addison Country farms called The Acorn Guide, which lists a handful of Charlotte farming

enterprises. We thought we might try to fill it out and help support local. Nobody like “food miles” so why not buy from within the borders of your own town?!

The Charlotte News, in advance of our month-long summer hiatus, has put together this supplement to offer a glance at the hard-working folks who make our community what it is. We’re more than a bedroom community, more than the hot seat for education policy quarrels. We’re a community built from the earnest, sweaty

brows of people who love the land so much they work it.

Whatever part of the political spectrum you put “Vermont values” on, no one in this fair state—flatlander transplant or seventh gen woodchuck—can deny our dependence on and love of a good farm. We’re proud of our farmers, and we thank them every time we bite into a juicy blue-berry, crisp radish or delicious grass-fed burger that was cultivated with care right down the road.

This parking pass system is designed to be a zero budget item, and reflects the town’s interest in a “pay to play” approach to funding.

“The town is leaning in the direction of a fee for service model,” said Fraser-Harris. “People who use the beach pay a small fee to maintain the quality of services that are provided.” This means that residents who choose not to use the beach are not charged for seasonal amenities, and that non-resi-dents, such as large groups from New York and Canada, help pay to maintain the prop-erty as well. Of the first car passes sold this season, about 17% were purchased by non-residents.

This is the key difference between Charlotte Beach and other local areas like Shelburne Beach. In Shelburne, a season pass costs $25.00 for the first car and $5.00 for each car after, with a discount for seniors. Unlike Charlotte, Shelburne Beach was a privately owned property donated to the town with a stipulation that it is to be used only by residents. Charlotte Beach was purchased using public funds, a noteworthy difference, according to Fraser-Harris. “We do try to model ourselves a little after Shelburne from a service perspective,” he said, “but the public has to realize that they are a completely separate form of ownership and management.”

Although each town has slightly differ-ent policies to fit their management goals, the pass system in Charlotte is consistent other local beaches. Charlotte residents and their friends from across the lake are fortunate to be able enjoy a beautiful slice of shoreline, and expanding opportunities for recreation on the green.

Charlotte BeaChcontinued from page 1

All farms

A dA m ' s B e r ry F A r m | est. 2001 | Adam Hausmann | 985 Bingham Brook Road | 802-578-9093 | [email protected] | adamsberryfarm.comProducts: Certified organic strawberries, summer raspberries, blueberries, currants, gooseberries, kiwis, farm made popsicles, berry sorbets, jams, vinegars and frozen berriesAvailable: PYO, wholesale and farmers markets

B ry n m e A d ow | Elysabethe (Libby) James | 3960 Spear Street | 425-5570 | [email protected] | brynmeadowfarm.comProducts: Heritage sheep, turkeys (Bourbon Red, Slate, Holland White), standard and Bantam Buff cochin chickens, and Blue Cochin BantamsAvailable: Farm direct and onlineNB: Also a B&B and art studio

C e r es G A r de n | W.L. Shriner | 1503 Ferry Road | [email protected] | ceresgarden.netProducts: Mixed organic vegetables and culinary herbsAvailable: Commercially

C hA r l es r u s se l l F A r m | Charles Russell | 142 Windswept Lane | 425-4757 | [email protected]

C hA r lot t e B e r ry F A r m | est. 1980 | Russ and Melissa Beatty | 4702 Ethan Allen Highway | 425-3652 | [email protected] | charlotteberryvt.comProducts: Strawberries, blueberries, black raspberries, raspberries, pumpkins, Vermont maple syrup, Vermont honey, T-shirts, refreshments, baked goods (scones, pies, bars, and crisps), creemees, blueberry lemonade and jamsAvailable: PYO, farm direct

C hA r lot t e V i l l AG e w i n e ry | est. 2000 | William Pelkey | 3968 Greenbush Road | 425-4599 | [email protected] | charlottevillagewinery.comProducts: Vermont-made boutique wines made from fruit and grapesAvailable: Farm direct and online

C y ru s G . P r i n G l e F A r m | est. 2012 | Michael Russell | 2577 Lake Road | 802-777-8757 | [email protected]: Currants (black)Available: Farm direct

A guide to the agricultural landscape of Charlotte, Vermont

great and small8 • June 30, 2016 • The CharloTTe news

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E l Ev E n A cr E F A r m | 2044 Prindle Road | 425-3484 | [email protected] |

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Products: Botanics and fresh and dried herbs

Available: Farm direct

O l d H O m Es t E A d c At t l E F A r m A n d r i d i n g s tA bl Es | est. 2000 | Chris and Becky Fortin | 2737

Lake Road | 425-3846 | [email protected]

Products: Beef and vegetables

Available: Farm direct

g r Ey l A i n E F A r m | est. 2013 | Mike Kirk | 553 Garen Road | 802-349-4994 |

[email protected] | greylainefarm.com

Products: Pasture-raised lamb, pork and eggs

Available: Farm direct, online, and see website for list of stores

K i m bA l l b rO O K F A r m | est. 2001 | John De Vos III (JD) and Cheryl De Vos |

2263 Greenbush Road | Ferrisburgh | 482-6455 | [email protected] |

kimballbrookfarm.com

Products: Whole Milk, Skim Milk, 1% & 2% Milk, Creams, Half & Half, Chocolate

Milk, Maple Milk, Iced Cappuccino Mocha & Coffee flavors, buttermilk, butter and

Iced Teas (Black Sweet & Unsweet Teas and Green Sweet & Unsweet Teas)

Available: Stores across Vermont and New England. See website for list of places.

NB: Although located in N. Ferrrisburgh, they have nearly 1,000 acres in Charlotte.

l A bE rg E b rOt H E rs d A i ry | est. 1943 | Amie and Mark Laberge | 1904 Lime Kiln Road |

985-8827

Products: Beef horse hay, mulch, sweet corn (commercial soy beans)

Available: Commercially

NB: They farm the land on Mt Philo Rd. from the Shelburne line all the way to Mcguire

Pent Rd.

When Act 64—the Vermont Clean

Water Act—was signed into law in June

2015, the Agency of Agriculture updated

key rules, which were in place since 1995,

to further reduce the impact of agricul-

ture on water quality across the state. The

resulting RAPs—Required Agricultural

Practices—regulate farms in order to

protect water quality, and have been

re-written to a higher level of performance.

The impact on small- and large-scale farms

is significant and could create an addi-

tional economic burden due to changes in

soil sampling frequency, number of animal

units and gross farm income.

The last opportunity to provide input

into the new regulations is fast approach-

ing, as the public comment period ends on

July 7.

Visit agriculture.vermont.gov/

water-quality/regulations/rap to learn

more. Send us a letter to the editor or

comment on our Facebook page and let us

know what you think.

Are you infavor or against the legis-

lation? Will it help our hinder your work

as a farmer in Charlotte? Email news@

thecharlottenews.org.

Cleaner water, healthier farms – Act 64 in brief

(Above) Roelof Boumans and his help, Dave, harvest garlic on Windy Corners Farm.

Photo: Alex Bunten (Top far right) A farm hand at Philo Ridge Farm takes care of

some weeds. Photo: Emma Slater (Above middle) The Laberge Farm, now run by the

Laberge brothers, Amie and Mark, is one of the oldest farms in town. Photo: Alex

Bunten (Opposite left) A new combine at work at Nitty Gritty Grain Farm. Photo:

Courtesy of Catherine Kenyon (Opposite right) An escaped calf at Philo Ridge Farm.

Photo: Emma Slater


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M i s k e l l ' s P r e M i u M O rg a n i c s | est. 1982 | David Miskell | 718 Greenbush Road | 425-3959 | [email protected] | Organic Kale, greens, chard, Romaine lettuce, basilAvailable: Intervale Food Hub, Farmers to You, City Market Deli, Skinny Pancake, commercially

M t . P h i lO F a r M & V i n eya r d | 5507 Ethan Allen Highway | 802-488-4293 | [email protected] | facebook.com/Mt-Philo-Farm-Vineyard-141897695861101/ Products: Northern varietal grapes used in producing vinegars and wines for Shelburne VineyardAvailable: Sold under brand name, NuMondo, and online.

n i ch O ls F O d de r F a r M | est. 1971 | Dave Nichols | 138 Morningside Drive | 425-3047 | [email protected] Products: Horse hay and straw

Available: Farm direct NB: Dave bought the farm when he was 22. Diane Nichols said, “Can you imagine buying a farm when you’re 22?”

n i t t y g r i t t y g r a i n c O M Pa n y O F V e r M O n t | est. 2008 | Tom Kenyon | 4571 Lake Road | 425-4544 | [email protected] | nittygrittygrain.comProducts: Certified organic, Vermont-grown wheat, flour, and cornmealsAvailable: Stores across Vermont and online

n O r d i c F a r M s | Clark Hindsdale III | 1211 Ethan Allen Highway | 425-6455 | [email protected] Products: Dairy (commercial)Available: Comercially

P a r a d i s O F a r M /P a r a d i s O F a r M c O F F e e | est. 2010 | Stephen Colangeli | 2969 Lake Road | 802-343-3423 | [email protected] | paradi-sofarm.comProducts: Vermont Figs, fig trees, turmeric, ginger, winter greens, farm roasted coffee, online coffee CSAAvailable: Farm direct, Middlebury Coop, Richmond Farmers Market, seasonal bike delivery of coffee to Charlotte residents

P e l k ey ' s B lue Be r r i es | William Pelkey | 3968 Greenbush Road | 425-3281 | facebook.com/pelkeysblueberries/Products: Blueberries, pies, jam, creemees Available: PYO, farm direct

P h i lO r i d g e F a r M | est. 2012 | Diana McCargo and Peter Swift (owners); Ed Pitcavage (manager) | 2766 Mt. Philo Road | 802-539-2912 | [email protected] | philoridgefarm.comProducts: A variety of produce, herbs, flowers, pasture-raised meat and wool Available: farm direct and online

In our town, when the hay is on the ground and the weatherman predicts rain, there’s no fiddling with an equipment breakdown. Dairyman Robert L. Mack Jr. has called fellow Charlotte native and renowned mechanic Justin R. Bora. The baler is up-and-running again, quickly. Mack and Bora were raised and continue to reside on Greenbush Road. Photo: Stephen Brooks


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S ha k ey G ro u n d | est. 2008 | Drew and Brittany Slabaugh | 319 Converse Bay Road | 802-377-5127 | [email protected] | shakeygroundfarm.comProducts: Strawberries, kale, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, garlic, zucchini, scal-lions, squash, chard, asparagus, herbs, and wool, fiber, pelts, and honey productsAvailable: Farm direct and online

S h e l bur n e o rcha r d S | est. 1959 | Nick Cowles | 216 Orchard Road, Shelburne | 985-2753 | [email protected] | shel-burneorchards.comProducts: Apples, peaches, pears, table grapes, pumpkins, plums, sour cherries, apple cider, cider donuts, ginger cider, Ginger Jack, cider vinegar, apple brandyAvailable: Farm directNB: Nick has three acres in Charlotte. He says of the trees planted there, “they always act different. They never do what I want them to...and they argue a lot!”

S to n y l oa m F a r m | est. 2005 | Dave Quickel | 2755 Hinesburg Road | 802-238-0255 |

[email protected] | stony-loamfarm.comProducts: A variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowersAvailable: Farm direct, CSA

t w i n o a kS d a i ry F a r m | est. 1944 | Joe Bean | 277 Bean Road | 425-2340 Products: Dairy, horse hay, corn silageAvailable: Commercially

u n i t y F a r m | est. 2012 | Cathy Wells | 200 Higbee Road | 914-703-1328 | [email protected] | unityfarmvt.comProducts: Greens year-round, spinach, chard, kale, salad mix, Asian greens, flowers, draft horse rides.NB: Due to medical issues, greens and flowers won’t be available this year. They will be back in 2017. Check website for updates.

V e r m o n t w i l d F low e r F a r m | est. 1981 | Chris and Diana Bore | 3488 Ethan Allen Highway | 425-3641 | [email protected] | vermontwildflowerfarm.comProducts: Wildflower and grass seed, peren-nials, bulbs, vegetables, herbs and gardening suppliesAvailable: Farm direct and online

V i n eG a r r i d G e F a r m | est. 2000 | The Smith Family | 264 Vineyard View Drive Street | 425-5588 | [email protected] | vinegarridge-farm.comProducts: Registered Border Leicester, Shetland, and Lincoln sheep, crossbred produc-tion sheep; freezer lambs/meat, breeding stock, pets, beef, eggs, layer pullets, wool blankets, and raw fleeceAvailable: Farm DirectNB: Formerly known as the Smith Family Farm

w i n dy c o r n e rS F a r m | est. 2002 | Tiny Sikkes and Roelof Boumans | 4685 Greenbush Road | windycorners.info Products: Occasionally offering goat’s milk, garlic, flowers, eggsAvailable: Farm DirectNB: The repeated theft of their signage has hampered business.

Don’t see your farm here?Summer in Charlotte is glorious, brief and borderline frantic for

farmers. Catching up with everyone in town in order to make this guide comprehensive proved tricky as deadline loomed. Please forgive

any omissions and errors. If you want to be included in or taken out of this guide in the future,

please send an email to [email protected] and we’ll happily change or correct any of the listed information.

Now go make hay while the sun shines!

In our town, when the hay is on the ground and the weatherman predicts rain, there’s no fiddling with an equipment breakdown. Dairyman Robert L. Mack Jr. has called fellow Charlotte native and renowned mechanic Justin R. Bora. The baler is up-and-running again, quickly. Mack and Bora were raised and continue to reside on Greenbush Road. Photo: Stephen Brooks



Edd MerrittSports Roundup

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SD Ireland American Legion baseball team has a couple of familiar names

CVU standout ball players Andrew Bortnick and Sam Mikell are continuing their seasons this summer playing for the SD Ireland-sponsored American Legion baseball team. So far, Ireland stands at 4 wins, 3 losses and (unusual in baseball) a tie. In that tie, Mikell pitched four innings, allowing no runs. Bortnick was the hitter for the team when it topped Stowe 9-3 several days earlier. He hit two out of three times at the plate, one being a double, and had two RBIs.

Bortnick and Mikell also contribute to Twin-State series

Vermont and New Hampshire continued their close Twin-State Baseball series, splitting a doubleheader by a single run in each game. After losing 6-5 in the opener,

On fair chase and stereotyping hunters

Bradley CarletonCONTRIBUTOR

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not an accomplished bass fisherman. I know that the intense explosion of a largemouth on a popper in the weeds is as dramatic as anything you might experience in the outdoor world, but with so many different pursuits it is truly difficult to master them all.

Guys (and gals) who consistently shoot big-racked bucks are rarely fly fishers. Turkey hunters and ice fishermen are often two different breeds. Those who take the journey down to the Merrimac River for stripers or bluefish are not commonly the same people who prefer to hunt squirrels or hares in the winter.

Here in Vermont, we are blessed with so many options to hunt and fish that even the catch and release trout fishermen often snub those who choose to eat what they catch. We all have our passions. Mine is

waterfowling for ducks and geese. I started fly fishing when I was just eight years old—too young to appreciate the intricate details of a handsome tight looped back cast and too innocent to know that it wasn’t appropriate to take all the fish out of one pool when I figured out what fly was working.

I’ve heard it said that the difference between laws and ethics is that ethics are something we practice when we know no one is looking. It is the decision not to take a shot at a duck that might be a mallard/black hybrid when you know the limit on mallards is four birds, and the limit on black ducks is one, and you’ve already got one black duck in the bag. Ethics is knowing that the limit on brook trout is 12 per day, but choosing to only take enough for tonight’s dinner. It is the definition and implementation of “Fair Chase,” as described by Jim Posewitz in his book by the same name, which we are given at the end of a Hunter’s Education Course.

Fair chase means that the animal has a reasonable chance of escape and that the choice to pull a trigger is one that is an action laden with respect for the animal.

This year the Vermont Fish & Wildlife passed a law that allows hunters over 50 years of age to use a crossbow to hunt deer.

This is a good law because many men and women whose bodies may no longer be able to pull a 50 pound draw compound or recurve bow, may use a crossbow that loads a shorter arrow (called a “bolt”) using mechanical drawing devices. This is a bad law in that it may increase the number of poachers that can now shoot a crossbow through the window of their vehicle without making a sound like that of a rifle. It will take greater judgmental restraint for someone who seeks to take the “easy way” to shoot a deer.

My thought is that if you’re not working hard for your shot (with the exception of the luck that sometimes happens when you’re in the right spot at the right time), if you haven’t done your scouting, haven’t managed to sneak into the perfect hide, patterned your prey and learned about its habits, you’re not hunting. You’re just shooting to brag about it.

Contrary to public belief, most hunters are very ethical, considerate stewards of the land and the habitat. They are the

greatest conservationists in the entire population. The Pittman Robertson tax on all firearms, ammunition and license sales has saved the white-tailed deer, wild turkey and wood ducks from near extinc-tion. Since its inception in 1937, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service claims that it has raised over $2 billion which it returns to each state for habitat restoration and conservation.

In 1937, during one of worst droughts in the Midwest, Ducks Unlimited was founded. This organization has managed to conserve 5,239,393 acres of land in the U.S. and another 8 million acres in Canada and Mexico. Ducks Unlimited has over 603,000 adult members and 44,954 youth members who annually raise money for further habitat restoration. From 2014 to 2015, members raised over $238 million to fund habitat and restoration projects. Only 3% of this money went to administration.

My point is this; the next time you see a hunter, don’t stereotype him or her as one of those Elmer Fudd characters—ignorant, gun-toting, law-breaking, low-lifes. We know that they are out there. We know who they are.

Just as terrorists are not all from one religion, neither are outdoorsmen all from the Wild West.

Bradley Carleton is Executive Director of Sacred Hunter.org, a non-profit 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.

played at Lyndon State College, Vermont came back in the second game thanks to strong relief pitching from Redhawk Andrew Bortnick, who gained the 2-1 win. Sam Mikell’s single drove in one of the Green Mountain State’s runs, and Bortnick scored on an error.

CVU’s Tyler Marshall named “Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year”

Winning the three races he entered in the Vermont State Meet for Division I schools, Redhawk junior Tyler Marshall was named the Gatorade Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year in conjunction with USA Today. Tyler led CVU to its first state championship, winning the 800 meter, 1,500 meter and 3,000 meter runs. His seasonal-best time at 3,000 meters placed him 83rd in the country.

Despite a losing record, the CVU

softball team placed four of its members in the “Honorable Mention” category. They are Reilly Brown, Natalie Gagnon, Lila Ottinger and Claire Potter.

In baseball Andrew Bortnick was selected as a first-team pitcher with team-mates Tanner Smith at second base, and outfielders Jacob Griggs and Jack Dugan and pitcher Liam Reiner on the second team. Sam Mikell and Chris O’Brien were voted honorable mention.

Richard Lowrey booms on Thunder Road

One of Charlotte’s young racecar driv-ers, Richard Lowrey III, has been driving the Thunder Road Track, and he placed 21st in the Late Model Stock Division at Casella Night June 19. His father, Richard Jr., also races late models.

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Puzzles

“Independence? That’s middle class blasphemy. We are all

dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth.

—George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Across1. Monroe's successor6. Yammers10. "Hamlet" has five14. Storyteller15. Unsightly16. Binary17. High enders20. Fifth-century scourge21. Border monitors (abbr.)22. Absorbed, as a cost23. Caesar's meal starters?26. Bach composition28. ___-l'Eglise, France31. E or G, e.g.32. International language33. ___-time low34. "Seize ___!"35. Arctic jacket38. High enders42. ___-proof43. Caviar source44. Afflict45. Gathered dust46. Black gold47. Dutch pottery city49. 1940s-60s world leader51. Dorm room staple53. "We ___ the World"54. Dash56. Plaudits60. High enders64. 1952 Olympics host65. Home, informally66. Heart chambers67. Western or Buy68. Arabic miracle69. Leather whip

Down1. Eastern pooh-bah2. "Dang!"3. Common contraction4. Fashionable5. Funeral slabs6. Pursue relentlessly7. "Give it ___!"8. Disheveled9. Harmonize10. Play title word11. Relating to a steward12. Spoonful, say13. Cold shower?18. Spicy stew19. Corn dish24. Like, with "to"25. Mark for misconduct27. Aroma28. Truth29. Scat queen, to friends30. Hinged dredgers34. "And I Love ___" (1964 tune)35. Mature36. "___ I care!"37. Early European39. Bandy words40. Hoaxes41. Lady Macbeth, e.g.46. Fish hawk47. Strip of potency48. Crude stone artifact49. Bigwig50. Clear, as a disk52. "Andy Capp" cartoonist Smythe55. "Empedocles on ___" (Matthew Arnold poem)57. City on the Yamuna River58. Dilute59. Alone61. Auction offering62. ___ Today63. Utmost

Crossword and sudoku by Myles Mellor.answers to our puzzles Can be found near the Classifieds.

Puzzles in 2016 have been underwritten by

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include a raptor visit from the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, a CSI camp for grades 4 – 8 and sports challenge camps for grades K – 2 and 3 and up. Don’t miss our night at the ballpark on Saturday, August 6. Tickets available at the circulation desk.

Summer Reading Story Time. Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m., July 5 through July 26. Drop in for stories, songs and crafts all geared to moving and grooving to our summer reading theme. Suitable for children ages 3 – 5 with or without parent or caregiver.

CSI Camp at the Library. July 11 – 13

from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Delve into crime scene inves-tigation and foren-sic science in this three-day camp. A visit from FBI agents included! For grades 4 – 8. Registration required.

Vermont Reads at the Charlotte Library. We still have copies of

The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition. Stop by the Senior Center or Library to get your very own book and join us on the lake for the following related program:

Shipwreck Tour of Lake Champlain. Tuesday, July 5 at 9:30 a.m. Explore a shipwreck—without getting wet! Did you know that there are over 300 historic shipwrecks at the bottom of Lake Champlain? A robotic camera sends back real-time video to an on-board monitor for an eye-opening

glimpse into the world of maritime archae-ology and the search for the Endurance. Limited seating available. Please call the library for details.

Friends of the Charlotte Library Annual Book Sale. Sunday, July 10, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. This year the Charlotte Library will be holding its annual book sale under a tent on the Town Green. Browse and buy from the terrific titles on display and enjoy fabulous food from the vendors on the

green.Book donations will

be gratefully accepted from June 22 until July 7. Appointments can be made to drop off larger donations prior to the official drop off dates if you have a special situation (house on the market for example). Please call Nan Mason (425-2588) or Beth Merritt (425-2191) to discuss. Many thanks for past and future support,

which helps to keep our library all that it can be!

Upcoming at the Charlotte Library

Margaret WoodruffCONTRIBUTOR

Summer Reading @ The Library: “On Your Mark, Get Set…Read!” Check out our full menu of programs listed at charlottepubliclibrary.org. Highlights


Your hands, your germs, and you

Bunky Bernstein, M.D., ret.CONTRIBUTOR

Last fall, we were in New York City, heading for the airport. We took the subway to Grand Central Station to pick up the JFK shuttle. The subway stop was two floors below street level. A wide stair-case ascended.

Carrying our luggage, we reached out for the hand rail by the stairs. The thought occurred to me: “Should I touch that hand-rail?” Would you touch that handrail? In an informal survey, a third of my Facebook friends who responded said, “No way.”

Considering the current political scene, one might conclude that Americans are a pretty phobic lot. Politicians capitalize on the fear of terrorist attack, while statisti-cally Americans are far more likely to be harmed in a neighborhood shooting. Returning to my subway survey, was I seeing a realistic health safety concern or a phobic fear of contagion?

Perhaps few of us encounter the New York subway regularly, but most of us visit

supermarkets. By the door is the dispenser of alcohol wipes. There is no doubt of the effectiveness of alcohol hand-cleaner in certain circumstances. “The Berkley Wellness Newsletter” noted in 2014 that office workers who used hand-sanitizers at least five times a day were less likely to get sick than those who casually washed their hands. And families that used hand-sanitizers routinely had 60 percent fewer GI infections.

Do you reach for the sterilizer pads before you touch the handle of the grocery cart? Do you disinfect your hands before leaving the store? Should you? Bacteria and yeast can live on surfaces for up to four months, but flu and cold viruses are transmitted in droplets through air, so cleaning the supermarket cart with an alcohol wipe will not prevent the most common contagious conditions. Let’s look at germs, hands and disease.

The human body is home to more than 10,000 species of microorganisms—bacteria, yeasts, protozoa, viruses. The genes of these bugs outnumber our own DNA by 100 to 1. Carried predominately on the skin, in the mouth and gut, this personal community of germs is called your microbiome. The microbiome is affected by organisms in foods you eat, air you breathe, surfaces you touch, people around you, pets in your household.

The microbiome is an important factor in health, and balance among the various microorganisms maintains a defense against the dangerous germs among them. The balance is disturbed when bacteria are killed indiscriminately by antibiotic drugs, alcohol solutions and antibacterial soap.

Scientists believe that a healthy collection of inner germs may help prevent or moderate certain autoimmune and allergic diseases. Reporting in the Journal Pediatrics in 2015, Hesselman

and others concluded that hand-washing (vs. machine-washing) of dishes, along with eating a diet rich in fermented foods like yogurt and food brought directly from farms, reduced the risk of childhood asthma and allergy. Taking in more microorganisms from the environment seems to combat the increase in allergic diseases common in affluent, increasingly “clean” societies since the latter half of the twentieth century.

Hospital studies have found that hand-washing is critical to reduce the spread of infection among patients. However, when staff wash their hands frequently, the balance of skin organisms is disturbed, and cultures, when positive, are more often associated with dangerous bacteria.

Other studies found that hospital rooms supplied by internal ventilation systems had a higher percentage of pathogenic bacteria than those supplied by outdoor air with a balance of various organisms. When your mother told you to go play outside, she may have been practicing good medicine.

To get back to the question of the Grand Central staircase: “Should you touch the

railing?” My personal answer to the latter would

be “Yes.” In general, a healthy person with a normally functioning immune system will unlikely be harmed by casual exposure to most pathogens. This does not hold for people with immunity weakened by chronic disease, steroid therapy or some cancer chemotherapy. For most of us, exposure to our neighbors, to foreign cities with unfamiliar microbiota, to pets and to the outdoors is a good thing because it augments our personal microbiomes.

Although I wouldn’t wash my hands after petting the dog or receiving one of his doggie kisses, the Center for Disease Control recommends hand-washing before, during and after preparing food; before eating; before and after caring for someone who is sick; after using the toilet; after changing diapers; after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing; after touch-ing an animal or animal waste or pet food or treats; after touching garbage. When necessary, I believe that plain soap and water with vigorous scrubbing to remove surface grime conducted in a common sense manner (i.e., no need for compulsive hand sterilizing) is the best prescription.

Raking a “Louie liberal” over the coals

“For we’re sweatin’ in the hole suckin’ down the devil’s dust, just to keep the fires a-blazin down the coal town road”

—Allistair McGilvery

I take grief nearly every day as I walk into Spear’s Corner Store to get my news-paper. The gang at the table often greets me as one of a handful of “Louie liberal” voters in East Charlotte. Comments reached new negative highs the other day, though, when I was told that not only was I too liberal for my own good but that I had left my truck idling in the parking lot and wasn’t that a non-liberal thing to do—carbon monoxide and all? And by the way, Edd, “Can you say President Trump?”

Although I’m prepared to be politically bashed, I try not to argue back—it’s usually four against one, and I do need to stay long enough to buy my coffee.

Last week, the minute I stepped to the counter, I was greeted by Robert Mack saying that he was very disappointed in Obama’s unwillingness to boost the coal-mining economy in West Virginia. I gave him my usual smile and nod and headed back to the truck, where I

contemplated what he had said, thinking isn’t coal soon to be a thing of the past, one of worst blights on our landscape? And wouldn’t it be right for places like West Virginia or Wyoming, where it has been central to the state economy for many generations, to realize that, whoops, we need to start educating our current and future generations in ways to limit coal production and produce energy from renewable sources—sorta “Coal Over Beethoven?”

Now, please don’t forget that I live across the street from one of the largest solar panel displays in Charlotte. We also own a camp in Eden, not far from the mountain-top windmills of Lowell’s Kingdom Community Wind project. And, although I acknowledge the right of others to oppose both these forms of power generation, I do not view the alter-nate power sources to be noisy, unwanted intrusions on the landscape that I can’t open my windows to or whose generation noise causes me great physical discom-fort. But then, I lived several years on an ambulance route in New York City where sirens would put windmills to shame.

I feel we have to look into the future rather than the past in this regard. Every year as I plant Charlotte Land Trust posters that state “This land is conserved forever,” I twinge at using the word “forever” for fear of not knowing what that means. My gut says that, in all likelihood, solar panels and wind turbines are not “forever” items either. A new source will develop, and their future will probably undergo scrutiny just as coal and natural gas are today. But that doesn’t mean we should abandon them for the present, knowing that something else will come along. By the same token, we have to recognize that

OutTakes Commentary by Edd Merritt

continued on page 17


Senior Center News

Mary RecchiaCONTRIBUTOR

Welcome aboard! Explore a shipwreck without getting wet! On Tuesday, July 5, meet Martha and Joe Barton-Rivera at the Center to carpool to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum for a Shipwreck Tour. Did you know that there are over 300 historic shipwrecks at the bottom of Lake Champlain? Take a tour boat to the site of one of these wooden wrecks and go for a “dive” using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). This robotic camera sends back real-time video to an on-board monitor as the vessel’s dramatic story is shared. We will gather at the Center and carpool to the museum where we will meet our tour guide for the one-hour trip. Afterward, feel free to eat the bag lunch you brought or grab a bite at the Red Mill Restaurant and plan to spend the afternoon strolling the grounds since your ticket includes admission to the museum. Don’t miss this incredible expe-rience! Registration required. Maximum: 25. Fee: $15.

Adventures in Acrylic with Lynn Cummings will run on Tuesday mornings from 9:15–12:15. Dates: July 12, 19, and 26. We’ll explore the wonderful and versa-tile world of acrylic paints and acrylic mediums, using them in many different ways in a supportive and creative environ-ment. You’ll learn how to use fluid acrylic paints so that your paintings have the

spontaneous look of watercolor but with very intense color. You’ll use heavy body acrylics to create works that look textured and 3D, like oils. Trying out several acrylic mediums with your paints will give you additional tools to create varied surfaces with different looks. You’ll have so much fun you’ll wonder why you didn’t try this before! Please register early and be sure to ask for the materials list. Questions: [email protected]. Registration required. Fee: $72.

Affectionately known as the tubing capital of Vermont, "The Stockbridge Yacht Club," as the locals call it, has the finest Tubing on the White River. For $15 you get a tube and a shuttle up the river; then you are on your own for the three mile float down the river that takes about two hours. Slow enough to just sit back and watch the world go by. The water is no more than a couple of feet deep, and the bottom of the river is crystal clear. Enjoy summer in full swing at one of Vermont’s natural playgrounds on Tuesday, July 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You should be able to swim and be physically agile for the tubing. Life jackets are available on request; water shoes are required. Pack a bag lunch to enjoy at the end of the trip on the “shore” with fellow tubers. Reservations required. Weather dependent. We will carpool from the Senior Center. Fee: $15.

Hank Kaestner will lead another Birding Expedition on Wednesday, July

13, at 9 a.m. as we try to beat last year’s total by recording 101 species of birds in one year! Please meet at the Center so we can carpool together to the location Hank has scouted for spectacular bird watching. Good views are guaranteed through Hank’s "Oh my God" telescope. Register for this event so we can call you if we have to change the date due to bird migration or weather. Registration required. No fee.

Sail by ferry to Essex for a Mid-day

Concert and Lunch on Thursday morn-ing, July 28. We will meet at the Senior Center at 10 and go together to board the 10:30 Charlotte ferry. The scheduled concert is Dr. William Tortolano, organist, with violin and cello accompaniment. It is a one block walk to the Essex Community Church, with the concert starting at 11:30 a.m. and lasting about 45 minutes. Admission is by donation and much appre-ciated. Afterward you can visit the unusual shops in town for a bit and stop in at one of the local eateries for a bite to eat before returning to Charlotte via ferry by 4 p.m. Registration required. Fee: Lunch money and $7.50 for the round-trip ferry ride.

For those planning ahead, An

Artist’s Three-Day Outdoor

Intensive, with internationally acclaimed visiting artist Angela Manno, will be held on August 16 and 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (with one-hour lunch break) and August 18 from 9 a.m. to noon.

For the third year in a row, Angela

will return to teach at the Center. This three-day, intensive workshop, “Capture Radiant Color and Light in Your Work,” formerly concentrating on the pastel medium, is now open to practitioners in other media as well. Whether you are an oil painter, watercolorist or pastellist, you will learn or sharpen your skills in capturing radiant color and light in the tradition of landscape painting that Claude Monet used to create his impressionistic masterpieces. Students will practice and learn the secret to approaching subjects in changing light, how to simplify the landscape into basic masses and develop the ability to see the full spectrum of color. Open to beginning through advanced students. Classes are taught in pastel, and beginners will work in pastel. Those proficient in other media are most welcome. Plenty of individual instruction will be given, ending with critique in a supportive atmosphere. Registration required. Fee: $150.

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(Above) Al Martin gives his passengers a bit of lake history over a mega-phone. (Left)

Boaters enjoying a brief stop for lunch at the Red Mill, Basin Harbor.


You know better than anyone, Vermont faces a number of serious challenges in the coming years. The next Governor will need to act quickly and decisively to reverse the dangerous course we are currently on in order to bring state spending under control, stop the inexorable rise in property taxes, fix our chaotic health care system, and clean up our waterways. As you head to the voting booth to choose our state’s next Governor, you deserve to know exactly how each candidate proposes to address the issues. You deserve a clear plan of action and expect that your candidate will have the fortitude to follow through.

I joined this race because I didn’t see a candidate who offered a clear commitment to the types of ideas that I think are necessary to put Vermont on a better path. For the past five years I have been out listening to you, carefully studying the problems you face, and researching and developing thoughtful solutions. I had hoped to build consensus for action through non-partisan advocacy; I had hoped that another candidate would step forward who was committed to the hard work of leading Vermont in a New Direction. But seeing no such candidate, I stepped forward.

I formally launched my campaign on October 19, 2015, nine months ago, and have enjoyed every minute of it. My conversations with voters confirm my belief that they are eager for a candidate with specific policy ideas and the conviction to pursue them without equivocation. My website lays out clear, comprehensive policy ideas, and I share them wherever I go. Visit www.LismanForVermont.com for more information and email me at [email protected] if you have questions.

My opponent Lt. Governor Phil Scott, on the other hand, rarely demonstrates firmly held beliefs in any fashion. Rather than standing up for clear principles, he has taken shelter in the political safety of ambiguity, calling for ‘further study’ or ‘seeing both sides’ of the issue. Rather than stand up for you, he has lingered among political insiders as a member of Governor Shumlin’s inner cabinet.

On the vital issues of health care and health insurance, Phil Scott offered no resistance to Governor Shumlin’s single payer plan. In 2012, he said the “single payer system may be the answer”1, then in 2014 said he didn’t “have enough information to know whether it works here in Vermont”2. But he could never bring himself to simply say: No – that’s a bad idea! He has been silent on the All Payer Model (single-payer by another name). And on Vermont Health Connect, the health exchange, Phil Scott stood at Shumlin’s side when the exchange failed to launch. For three years he watched as the state squandered $300 million of taxpayer money on a technology platform that never worked. Only now, with the 2016 election before him, has he said he would pull the plug on the health exchange.

Whether it’s health care, education quality or property tax reform, ethics standards or state spending – the story is the same – Phil Scott goes along to get along, while you get stuck with the bill.

By all accounts, Phil Scott is a nice guy. He gets along just fine with his pals in government. But leadership means putting principles over popularity. It means doing what is right for Vermonters even if that makes his friends and colleagues uncomfortable in the State House.

Instead of standing by Governor Shumlin, Lt. Gov. Phil Scott should have resigned from the cabinet and advocated for a different direction. Let’s face it, this 16-year career politician has been more concerned with cultivating his brand of likeability than he has studying the issues and making the tough choices that you expect of your elected officials.

In my long career in business, I built relationships with many of my colleagues, but our success as a team was not a function of whether they liked me or not, but rather their appreciating my management capabilities. By laying out a clear strategic direction, and giving employees honest and fair feedback – even if it was sometimes uncomfortable – I established a culture of transparency, trust and a shared sense of purpose.

I am committed to doing the same as your Governor. I will listen to you, be straightforward with you and fight for you. Don’t be content with political platitudes. Voters deserve better than they have been getting from their elected officials. You deserve to know exactly what a candidate believes and to expect some durable conviction behind those positions. I urge you to join me in calling for Phil Scott to join me in a series of public debates, so you can decide for yourself which one of us can best lead Vermont to a better, more prosperous future. I’m ready to lead Vermont in a New Direction and I ask for your vote on August 9, 2016.

Sincerely,

Bruce LismanRepublican Candidate for Governor of Vermont

Leading Vermont in a New Direction

Bruce Lisman is a native Vermonter, and Republican candidate for Governor of Vermont.

1 Phil Scott, wcax.com, 07/29/12 2 Phil Scott, vermontwatchdog.org, 01/10/14

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states like Wyoming, which built an entire economy around non-renewable sources, are falling apart. The New York Times of June 20 reports that Robert Godby, an energy economist and professor at the University of Wyoming, estimates that the state could lose up to 10,000 jobs related to the coal industry in the coming years. As a result, we need to get more creative with our learning objectives, teaching to the future, not to the past.

Here is probably where my bias shows. Regardless of the subject matter, e.g., history, Latin, literature, science, technol-ogy, you name it, we should apply these disciplines to what lies ahead for mankind (and that may include learning how to learn). I believe learning is crucial for the generation of young people growing up in parts of the country that are undergoing large changes in the ways in which people earn their livings. They are no longer going to be able to hop out their back door and into the mines because the mines won’t exist, and that is probably a good thing. I’m reminded of driving through

Sudbury, Ontario, an oasis in a desert of nickel mines whose excavation created a nearly total loss of native vegetation in the landscape around the city. Price, not prop-erty, eventually reduced the devastation of the land.

We’re headed to Martha’s Vineyard this week, and it will be interesting to hear where the controversy over wind gener-ation in Nantucket Sound stands. Do the windmills clog the ship channels and ferry routes, or do they stand far enough away to generate needed resources?

Also, let’s not forget that people are the primary cause of the need for energy. Check the gas-hog market at CCS some afternoon at pickup time. Try to get through Shelburne with the 18-wheeler flock heading north.

I admit that one of my clear memories from childhood is shoveling coal. Every train had a coal car, and my grandfather’s friend would invite me to ride in the engine for the 30 miles across southern Minnesota on the way to visit my grandparents and help stoke the boiler. I thought I was the hottest thing on two legs, but then, the cows breathing my exhaust couldn’t tell me otherwise.

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Check yourself...before ticks wreck your health!

A friendly reminder from the good people at The Charlotte News to check for ticks daily this season.

Because you don’t have the time for Lyme! (disease, that is...)


Community Events

Do you have a Charlotte event or an event close by that features a Charlotter? Send description, date, time and cost to Ruah Swennerfelt at [email protected]. If it’s a public event, share what’s happening with your neighbors!

Upcoming pUblic meetings

Selectboard: July 14, 7 p.m.Planning Comm.: June 30, 6 p.m.; July 7, 7 p.m.Agency of Transportation special meeting about Rte. 7 construction: July 5, 6:30 - 8 p.m.Energy: July 13, 7 p.m.Recreation: July 12, 6 p.m.Trails: July 12, 7 p.m.

We make every effort to give correct meeting times, however they are subject to change. Check the town website for more info: charlottevt.org.

Have yoUr say

| 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 Clerk, Jeff Martin, 425-4319 Kristin Wright, 425-5105Susan Nostrand, 425-4999

| cVU School board-charlotte |

Lorna Jimerson, [email protected] Jaunich, [email protected]

| Planning coMMiSSion |

Zoning Administrator & Deputy Health Officer, Joe Rheaume,[email protected] Planner, Daryl Benoit, [email protected], Jeffrey McDonald, 425-4429 Vice Chair, Peter JoslinMembers: Gerald Bouchard, Paul Landler, Charlie Pughe, 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] Snelling, R-Hinesburg, 482-4382, [email protected] Sirotkin, D-South Burlington, 999-4360, [email protected] Zuckerman, P/D/W-Hinesburg, 598-1986, [email protected]

vermont HoUse

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

| U.S. goVernMent |

U.s. senators

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

Us congressman

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

Events in Charlotte or including a Charlotter

tUesday, JUly 5

PUBLIC MEETING: Public Informational Meeting for Charlotte FEGC-019-4(20) (U.S. Route 7 reconstruction). The Vermont Agency of Transportation hosts this meeting to present the public with an overview of the project. There will be a question and answer period following the presentation. Charlotte Town Hall. 6:30–8 p.m. Info: Francine Perkins, Project Outreach Coordinator, 802-479-6994.

sUnday, JUly 10

OPEN HOUSE: Charlotte’s Historic Schoolhouse on the Town Green will be open for a look around and lemonade from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (Note: this is the day of the library book sale, which will be held 10 a.m.–3 p.m. and the schoolhouse is right next door.) Learn more about the schoolhouse watch a video that shows the reconstruction of the building and view the stories of some of the students who attended classes there. The schoolhouse dates back to 1850 and is part of Charlotte’s farming heritage.

BOOK SALE: The annual Charlotte Library Book Sale. A wonderful chance to stock up on some year-round reading material. This year’s event takes place on the Town Green. When you’ve sated your book appetite, grab some breakfast or lunch from one of the several food vendors. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Info: Shanley Hinge, [email protected].

satUrday, JUly 16

DANCE PERFORMANCE: Farm to Ballet at Philo Ridge Farm. 2766 Mt Philo Road. Doors open 5 p.m. Show at 6:30 p.m. Dinner available for purchase. General admission is $16.50. Children 12 and under are free, but must have a ticket. Tickets: farmtoballet.org/philo-ridge-farm.html. In the event of inclement weather, the performance will be cancelled. Info: philoridgefarm.com.

monday, JUly 18

PICNIC: Grange Summer Picnic. The Charlotte Grange invites everyone to attend the annual summer picnic at the Charlotte Town Beach, Lake Road. 6:30 p.m. Hot dogs and beverages provided. Please bring a dish to share. (Rain location is the Charlotte Grange Hall on Spear Street) Info: Dorothy Hill, 425-4140.

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great

a burden to bear.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

The News is taking its annual summer break

beginning June 30. We’ll be back in your mailbox on July 28. See you at the Town

Beach Party!

satUrday, JUly 16

EVENT: Soccer Tournament benefit. This event is to honor Stefan Pierson and others we have lost, or who are courageously living with cancer, and to provide funds so our foundation can help local young adult cancer patients (18-26) by providing resources to pursue activities cut short by cancer and its treatments. The tournament will host competitive 7 vs. 7 games for U10-12 Boys, U10-12 Girls, U14-16 Boys, U14-16 Girls, Adult Competitive and Adult Fun. Invitational Metro Division I High School Alumni games at night. University of Vermont Virtue Field Athletic Complex. 8 a.m.–9 p.m. $15 per player, $150 per team, $250 per Alumni Team. Info: conquertheday.org.

satUrday, JUly 23

CONFERENCE: League of Vermont Writers’ Biennial Writers Meet Agents Summer Conference. Registration fee for the conference, which includes lunch, is $125.00 for League of Vermont Writers members. The non-members fee is $155. Registration after July 15 will be $135 for members and $165 for non-members. DoubleTree Hotel on Williston Road in South Burlington. Info: leagueofvermontwriters.org.

Charlotte Community Beach Party and PotlucksatUrday, JUly 16

4 - 8 p.m.Free admission and parking with potluck dish. (If no potluck dish, please consider a $5 donation.) Free Misty Knoll chicken & Fat Cow Farm burger BBQ, Stony Loam Farm salad and Adams Berry Farm dessert. Live music with the Mystic Party Band. Activities include Outdoor Gear Exchange Stand-up Paddleboards, Suncommon Solar Bouncy House, Volleyball, Tennis, Soccer, Petanque Playground, Disc golf demo, Horseshoes and Pickleball. Please NO DOGS and no trash: Carry-in/Carry-out. BYO drinks, utensils and plates. (Rain date is July 17.) Info: Bill Fraser-Harris, [email protected].

Independence Day activities in the region

sUnday, JUly 3

Burlington: Music at Perkins Pier and Waterfront Park from 5 – 9:30 p.m. Don Marcotte Biplane Airshow 8:30 – 8:45 p.m. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

Bristol: Ball Park. Food, Crafts, Games and Fireworks. 6 p.m. Info: bristol4th.com.

Ferrisburgh: Music by the Bessette Jazz Quartet and fireworks by Basin Harbor Club. 6:30 p.m. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Rain date July 5. Info: lcmm.org.

Vergennes: Fireworks at Vergennes High School. 9:30 pm.

monday, JUly 4

Hinesburg: Parade at 11 a.m. beginning at Hinesburg Community School, Fireworks at 9:30 pm.

Shelburne: Fourth of July Chicken BBQ and Auction. United Methodist Church. 30 Church Street. 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Bristol: 10:30 a.m. parade, followed by music and food.

Williston: 10 a.m. parade along Williston Road from Johnson Lane to Old Stage Road. Activities, music, vendors and fireworks at Allen Brook School. 7 – 9 p.m. Info: town.williston.vt.us.

Other Area EventssatUrday, JUly 9

FUNDRAISER: Motorcycle ride to benefit Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, a year-round camp for children with cancer. BBQ lunch, door prizes and a 50/50 raffle! All participants receive a T-shirt and commemorative pin or patch. The registration fee is $50 per rider and $75 for rider and passenger. To register, volunteer or become a sponsor: Lindsay Longe, 802-372-5863 or [email protected]. Info: takumta.org.


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 [email protected].

Professional GardeninG: Need some help with your gardens—weeding, mulching, deadheading? Experienced, professional, reliable and hard working- “Sunnyside Gardeners” is now accepting new clients. Call Emily at 864-3268. [59-2]

Mt. Philo inn—A unique hotel sit-uated at the base of Mt. Philo State Park with stunning panoramic views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Spacious 3 bedroom suites with 2 bathrooms and a complete kitchen. Thoughtfully designed for casual ele-gance. Privacy, space, tranquility. Bigger on the inside. MtPhiloInn.com, 425-3335.

Since 1977, lafayette PaintinG inc. has been providing the best interior and exterior painting services available. Let our experts transform your space. Call us at 863-5397 and see our work, references and more at LafayettePaintingInc.com.

Affordable Heat with a MaxiM outdoor Wood Pellet furnace by Central Boiler. Burns wood pellets. Boivin Farm Supply 475-4000.

interior and exterior PaintinG: If you’re looking for quality painting with regular or low VOC paints and very reasonable rates, call John McCaffrey at 999-0963 or 338-1331 or 877-2172. [58-24]

redstone: Affordable small office spaces available on Ferry Rd. Starting at $250.00 including all utilities. For more informa-tion or to schedule a tour call 658-7400.

Green Mountain habitat for huManity’s ReStore, located in Williston on Route 2A/Essex Road, is taking dona-tions of gently used furniture, garage-sale leftovers, appliances, art work, tools and other items for re-sale. The ReStore will pick up what you want to donate and will re-sell it in order to build decent homes for local needy and working families, and you will receive a tax-donation receipt for your contribution. Call the store at 857-5296. Check vermonthabitat.org on line for the list of items the store will accept.

ClassifiedsCongratulations

Around Town

Sympathy

to Beatrice Woodruff who earned place-ment on the Colby College dean’s list for the spring semester of 2015-2016. Beatrice is a first-year student and the daughter of Margaret and Charles Woodruff of Charlotte. She graduated from CVU and was one of 452 students (24 percent of the student body at Colby) who earned place-ment on the list.

to former Charlotte resident and founder of NRG, designers of renewable energy products, David Blittersdorf, who was invited to be a member of a panel speaking on “Energy and Climate Change – Visions for a Path Forward,” sponsored by the Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury. David and three others will give their views on what the transition to renewable energy may actually entail at the Center on July 7, starting at 6 p.m. The other speakers come from Biomass Energy Resource Center, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation and Solar Works, Inc. The talk will accompany an exhibition titled “Portraits in Action: Pioneers in Renewable Energy, Environmental Conservation, and Land-Use Planning.”

is extended to family and friends of Madeline Matte of Danville, Vermont, who passed away June 16 at the age of 91. Madeline was born in Charlotte, one of 11 children of Ezra and Rose (Lavalette) Curtis. Her surviving family in Charlotte includes her sister, Shirley LaBerge. There will be no calling hours prior to the funeral.

is extended to family and friends of Charles Allmon who passed away at his home in Kihei, Hawaii, last fall at the age of 94. Charles was a summer resident of Thompson’s Point for many years, spending the majority of his work years as an investment educator. He and his wife, Gwen, made a gift of 60 acres to the Mount Philo State Park in 2010. The family asks that those interested in making donations in Charles’ name consider doing so to the Mountain Bible Church in Livingston, Montana, or to the Children’s Home in Helena, Montana.

Send us your news! [email protected]

As the Charlotte local volunteer fire crew will tell you, it’s hard work at the fire station. A fully outfitted fire fighter with coat, pants, oxygen tank and helmet is carrying around 80-100 extra pounds of equipment.

And our neighbors to the south know this all too well. In a show of appreciation on June 22, the North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Church cooked a “Thank You Barbeque” for Ferrisburgh volunteer fire fighters. Charlotte’s own Peter Curler was one of the many hands manning the grills at the event on Old Hollow Road.

Bob Jenkins, the retired fire chief who served with the department for over 54 years, could not remember anyone

ever doing this for the Ferrisburgh Fire Fighters.

Pastor Kim Hornung-Marcy opened the event with a special thanks to all the fire fighters gathered for the many hours of training and service they give to Ferrisburgh and neighboring towns. They often also help Charlotte with calls.

The Ferrisburgh Fire Fighters is a dedicated group of about 40 people. Cadets can begin training at age 14. When a call comes in, all volunteers respond. That means four to 40 people show up for a call depending on the time of day. Neighboring fire-fighting groups support the Ferrisburgh Fire Fighters as well. They often see one to seven calls a week.

Fire crew in N. Ferrisburgh gets a thank you BBQ

Announcement of Seguin Bridge reconstructionThe Seguin Covered Bridge (above), located at the north end of Roscoe Road, will soon be undergoing significant repair. The project will replace components of the bridge that have significant insect damage and rot. The work will require complete closure of the bridge, probably starting the week of June 20. Re-opening is planned for November 18. There will not be a temporary bridge installed in its place. Detour signs will direct drivers to alternate routes. The Town is paying 2.5% of the project; state and federal funds will pay for the remainder. For more details, see The Charlotte News article from June 16. Please call or e-mail Dean Bloch, Town Administrator, with any questions: 425-3071 ext. 5; [email protected].

Special education records Notice is hereby given that the Chittenden South Supervisory Union, Charlotte Central School intends to destroy the special education records of all students who exited from any special education program during the 2010-2011 school year that were developed to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) at Charlotte Central School. This notice is in compliance with Federal, State and local policies.

A parent, legal guardian or student (18 years old or older) may request records prior to destruction by contacting the Student Support Services Office at 425-6656 by July 31, 2016. If no student, parent or guardian responds to this public notice prior to or by July 31, 2016, the school district will assume consent to

destroy the entire record specific to the student. You will be required to produce identification or provide verification data to acquire these records.

Destruction of these records will begin on August 3, 2016.

Announcement of Request for Bids For Cleaning the Charlotte Town Hall/Town OfficeThe Town of Charlotte has issued a request for bids for cleaning the Town Hall/Town Office. A copy of the request for bids can be obtained from the town web-site, :www.charlottevt.org, or by stopping by the Town Office, or by calling/e-mailingcontacting Town Administrator Dean Bloch, Town Administrator, at 425-3071 ext. 5, or at [email protected]. Bids are due by July 20, 2016, at 3:00 p.m.

Notices

Charlotte’s own all-star CVU basketball coach Ute Otley (above left) directed 98

girls in grades 4 – 9 at the CVU girls’ basketball camp from June 20-24. Current

CVU basketball players served as counselors and among the award-winning partic-

ipants were Charlotters Celeste Slauterbeck (Spirit Award), Maryn Askew and Quinn

Boardman (All-Stars). (Above center) Quinn Boardman of Charlotte drives to the basket

during skill work in the afternoon. Swish!

Hoops Huzzah!

Volume lVIII Number 24 The VoIce of The TowN Thursday, JuNe 30, 2016

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Charlotte News Charlotte’s award-winning community newspaper

The

A Local Design-Build Contracting Company

Certified Passive House Builder

www.bauheim.com802-922-1191

WHAT’S INSIDEA park and ride on Route 7 in Charlotte?, page 1TCN’s declaration of dedication, page 2Farm to Ballet is back, page 4Charlotte Farm Guide, page 8Fourth of July events around the region, page 18

Hello, Summer.

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The Charlotte News | June 30, 2016