Williston Observer

By Michelle Edelbaum
Observer staff

Hannah Marshall, 11, is the youngest vendor at the Richmond Farmers’ Market, but what she lacks in age she makes up for in popularity.

On Friday afternoon there was a steady line of thirsty customers at the lemonade stand she runs with her brother Nick, 13. Hannah, wearing a pink T-shirt with the word “Chill” aptly emblazoned on the front, said the duo squeezes more than 75 cups of fresh lemonade on a sunny day.

The market, which doubled its revenue in the last two years, is abuzz with activity every Friday on sprawling Volunteers Green, said manager Carol Mader. When the market started 12 years ago, it was small and produce-focused. Today the market is packed with dozen of vendors and includes an afternoon and early evening of entertainment for the entire family, with musical performances and community events.

The market is a treat for the senses, too. The scent of ripe summer fruits and vegetables mix with delicious odors from prepared ethnic foods like samosas and egg rolls, tempting those who come with an empty stomach.

The colorful selection of artists’ wares includes hand-dyed textiles, hand-painted pottery and dried flower bouquets. Squeals and screams from the adjacent playground intermittently punctuate market talk about weather and recipes.

Parents like Shelly Underwood of Huntington bring their children to the market to play, meet friends, and to enjoy entertainment like Cranky Yankee’s Twyne rope-making demonstration.

The market is now so popular and the space so congested, that Mader is considering moving it to a larger location next year, which would ideally provide more space for vendors and parking. The small lot is always full on Fridays, and not just with Richmond residents.

The market draws residents from nearby towns such as Williston and Huntington. It also attracts visitors from other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, said Sonia Rivadeneira of Sonia’s Salsa, who sends her mild and medium-hot green tomatillo salsa to customers in those states.

With a waiting list for vendor space, Mader said she easily fills the market’s 20 spots every week. Many vendors have come to the market for years.

For example, Ted Sargeant, 78, of Still At It Farm, helped found the market and watched it grow.

“I think it’s a lot better we have entertainment every week. It draws people sort of like a festival,” Sargeant said. “It seems like every Friday afternoon we get a good turnout of local people here.”

Sargeant sells maple cream, his wife Joan’s homemade banana, zucchini and pumpkin breads, and organic vegetables from his Huntington farm.

The yellow cherry tomatoes, globular lemon cucumbers and purple and white speckled shelling beans are displayed attractively at his stand alongside green spinach and maroon beets. Sargeant judiciously sprays the vegetables with water so they don’t wilt during the hot afternoons. His generous samples of unusual produce, along with cooking suggestions, draw loyal customers and newcomers to his corner table all afternoon.

A few stands down, magenta and blue scarves stream from the umbrella that shades Jenny Hermenze’s table, laden with white, tangerine and indigo-colored T-shirts. Hermenze owns Bridge Street Dyeworks and has sold her vibrant Japanese stencil-dyed fabrics and clothing at the market for three years.

“It’s a really good outlet for my work,” said Hermenze. “I find it more worthwhile than the big craft shows because people get to know me and I get people who see something one week and by the next week they’ve decided to buy it.”

Hermenze, unlike some vendors, does not exhibit her goods at other farmers’ markets.

Alan Jones, president of the Richmond Area Business Association, said the Richmond market is an important venue for the more than 350 businesses in the town, many of which are home-based artisans, crafters and cooks.

“Part of the fabric of Richmond is the Farmers’ Market itself,” said Jones. “It is a staple business that we have. It draws people from fringe towns. Does it also help Main Street businesses? Yes.”

Craig Colburn of Richmond Beverage is one business owner who benefits from the market. Colburn said that he sees an influx in customers each Friday afternoon, which he attributes to the Richmond Farmers’ Market.

“People will go get greens and other things for dinner and then come in to get a bottle of wine to go with dinner,” Colburn said.

The market brings more than just business and visitors to Richmond, it cultivates a stronger town identity too, residents said.

“It’s a sense of community,” said Lynne Gavin of Richmond, who sells her handmade soaps and body care products at the market.

Gavin said that Richmond’s market has become a place to get together with family and friends.

“People can get together and talk and socialize, listen to music and buy produce, “ she said.

Heather Cristol of Richmond, who comes to the market most weeks with her two young children, agrees.

“All of the events at the green are what create a sense of community,” she said. “You see the same people and it’s a gathering spot.”

The Richmond Farmers’ Market takes place from 3-6:30 p.m. each Friday through Oct. 14 at Volunteer’s Green on Bridge Street in Richmond. For more information, call Mader at 434-5273.

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Town officials will not enforce ordinance violation

By Greg Elias
Observer staff

Town officials say they will not take issue with the soon-to-expire permit for temporary classrooms at Allen Brook School in Williston.

On Tuesday, the classrooms’ three-year permit runs out, meaning the structures will be in violation of town ordinance. But town officials say the school district is working in good faith to obtain a new permit, so fines or other measures — such as requiring dozens of students to vacate the structures — are not appropriate.

“They have applied (for a new permit), and they are clearly going to cooperate,” said Williston zoning administrator D.K. Johnston.

The town received a new site plan application for the classrooms, which are doublewide trailers converted for school use, late last week. The permit application was tardy in part because school officials did not begin the process soon enough to accommodate long lead times needed by the consultant that helps complete the paperwork.

Johnston has set the required public hearing on the application for Oct. 11. The hearing before the Development Review Board takes place at 7:45 p.m. at Town Hall.

Williston officials say that the town is treating the school district the same as any other person or organization that violates ordinances. By policy, they say the town first seeks to correct the violation. If polite requests don’t produce results, only then does the town consider enforcement measures.

“Whether it is a business or a school system, the goal is to seek compliance, not penalize people,” said Town Manager Rick McGuire.

He said the typical process for correcting a violation involves an informal phone call, then a letter. If the problem continues, the town can levy fines or take the violator to court.

But McGuire said imposing penalties is the last resort, in part because fines and court proceedings eat up staff time and cost the town money for legal representation.

The temporary classrooms house between 72 and 80 students. They were installed in 2002 to ease crowding at both Allen Brook and Williston Central schools.

At the time, the structures were considered a stopgap measure as the district mulled long-term solutions to rising enrollment. Williston School Board members vowed the temporary classrooms would be removed after no more than three years. The permit’s 2005 expiration date was imposed at the district’s request.

But the decade-long trend of enrollment growth in Williston has since reversed itself. Enrollment in the district has dropped by a handful of students in each of the past two school years. And as of the first day of school this year, enrollment was down by 39 students.

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By Marianne Apfelbaum
Observer staff

With a long, cold winter ahead, donations continue to be accepted at the Williston Observer for Hurricane Katrina victims who have relocated to the Williston area.

As reported in last week’s edition, 12 family members and friends from storm-ravaged New Orleans have relocated here and are trying to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings.

Audrey and Irving Trevigne, both 79, evacuated just hours before the storm with only the clothes on their backs. Currently staying in a small apartment in Maple Tree Place with their daughter, Ava Andrews, and her children, the couple hopes to move with the family to a larger apartment in the same complex.

Neighbors tried to make them feel at home with a Southern-style barbecue on Sunday night.

“There was jerk chicken, ribs, potato salad …lots of people came out and they really enjoyed it,” said Andrews. “They got to meet lots of people and are acclimating very well.”

One thing all the evacuees may not be prepared for are the harsh Vermont winters. The Trevignes, for example, are accustomed to year-round warm weather. They were surprised to learn that the temperatures often dip below zero in Vermont, and that galoshes aren’t enough to keep their feet warm in winter.

But the Williston community is pitching in to help, donating gift certificates for some of their basic needs. One donor gave a gift card to Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel so the evacuees can purchase the proper winter footwear. Other donations have included gift cards for Shaw’s and TJ Maxx, as well as donations of money and offers of blankets, quilts, clothing and even transportation to job interviews and appointments.

The donations will help the families get through the next few months as they wait to find out if they will receive any compensation for their homes and belongings from insurance companies.

The evacuees are trying to put their lives back together. The Blooms, whose son Kolby started first grade last week at Williston Central School, have found an apartment in Burlington. Danielle Bloom may have to put her son in the Burlington school system because of the commute.

Edwinn Bernard, who evacuated with his daughter, Amber, started a job this week as a security guard. He said Amber really likes Williston Central School. He is impressed with the quality of the school system and is still looking for permanent housing in Williston.

Those who would like to donate gift cards to the evacuees for the purchase of winter clothing, food, and household items may drop them off at the Williston Observer, which is acting as a collection point. The gift cards should be made out to “Hurricane Katrina Victims.”

The Observer’s office is located at 2141 Essex Road (Route 2A), next to Taft Corners Shopping Center. A receipt will be provided.

For more information, call Sierra Flynn at the Williston Observer at 872-9000.

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By Tom Gresham
Observer staff

Williston did not need to look far to find the newest member of its planning department.

Carrie Saviers Deegan starts work in early September as the town’s new environmental planner, replacing Lara DuMond, who vacated the post in July to attend graduate school.

Deegan currently works in Williston for the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District. A large part of her work is implementing water quality and stormwater grants in Chittenden County, and she has previously collaborated with Town Planner Lee Nellis on projects in Williston.

Nellis said the town received several strong candidates for the position, but Deegan’s resume stood out.

“She has a lot of great experience working with land conservation and a lot of great experience working in stormwater issues,” Nellis said. “She’s very bright, very personable and she had fantastic references.”
In addition, Nellis said, “the fact that she worked right here in Williston and was familiar with the town didn’t hurt.”

Deegan, a Richmond resident, has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Colgate University and a master’s degree in resources management and environmental studies from the University of British Columbia. She has worked at the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District since October of last year.

Previously, Deegan served as an adjunct professor at the Community College of Vermont for two years, teaching Introductory biology, botany, animal behavior and biodiversity. She was also a research supervisor for Green Street Scientific LLC in Forest Hills, N.Y., from 2001 to 2004.

Deegan volunteered extensively for the Nature Conservancy of Vermont between 2001 and 2003, earning the volunteer of the year award for the large number of hours she contributed at the organization’s preserves.

Other work-related experience included working as a project assistant on a project to catalogue and map mosses and liverworts of Vermont, as a biologist/bid coordinator at a New York company dealing with government contracts, as a research technician at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and as wetland technician/reimbursement coordinator for a Massachusetts business.

Deegan said she was impressed with the diversity of the ongoing projects in Williston. She mentioned the Sucker Brook restoration project, a recent wildlife habitat inventory, the town’s efforts to protect open space and the burgeoning trail network as particularly interesting topics to her.

“It’s a great next career step for me,” Deegan said. “I’m excited to get involved in some of the projects that are going on in Williston right now.”

Nellis said Deegan’s experience working on stormwater issues would be particularly valuable in her new post. She agreed, saying stormwater was “a huge deal for Vermont.”

In her current job, Deegan has been working on a rain garden at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. The garden, which is set in a depression, is designed to collect stormwater.

The environmental planner position was expanded from a 30-hour-a-week job to a 40-hour-a-week job on July 1. Among Deegan’s responsibilities will be grant writing and serving as a staff liaison for the Conservation Commission.

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