Williston Observer

By Michelle Edelbaum
Observer staff

Town officials and contractors are working hard to keep the cost of the new police and fire stations within budget.

It’s a difficult time for the project because those involved are scrutinizing everything in the plans to make sure that the buildings come in on budget, said Alan Brown, a project manager/architect at Dore and Whittier.

“The project is over budget and we’re working to bring it back under budget,” Brown said.

“It’s always going to be a struggle; on every project it’s a struggle to stay within the budget,” said Town Manager Rick McGuire. “This project will come in on budget, but the budget is tight.”

McGuire and Brown said that it’s normal to wrestle with unexpected costs during a project’s preliminary stages. The budget for the public safety project is $6.8 million; voters approved $6.3 million in bond funding last year. The remaining $500,000 will come from the municipal budget reserves.

Complicating the effort to keep costs down are projected price increases for building materials because of Hurricane Katrina and changes in state building codes.

“It is better to be doing this now than later,” Brown said. “Otherwise you would go out to bid and find out that you’re over budget. Now we’re doing it before we finish design. We don’t have to spend a lot of time designing something that we can’t afford.”

Everything would be considered when figuring out how to stay within budget, including structural materials, exterior and interior design and mechanical systems, said project manager Tom Barden of Barden Consulting and Design Services.

“There are probably thousands of things that will get cut out in this process,” McGuire said. “Our goal is to maintain the facilities that serve the program goals of each department and end up with quality construction so that you’re not sacrificing quality.”

For example, choices will include whether the structure of the building should be steel, wood, concrete or a combination of materials, Barden said. Also under consideration are using slate or shingles on the roof and using masonry or concrete clapboard siding on the exterior.

The new fire station will be built on the former Mahan property on U.S. Route 2, land now owned by the town. Demolition of farm buildings on the site could occur as early as Sept. 29, said Public Works Director Neil Boyden. The Williston Fire Department is doing chainsaw training on the site and may do fire training in October.

The new police station will be built at the current fire station location next to Town Hall in Williston Village. The town had originally planned to convert the fire station into a police facility.

But it has since been decided to instead demolish the existing fire station and build a police station from the ground up. The change is expected to save $224,000.

Williston Police Chief Ozzie Glidden said other changes to the police station plans include moving a bathroom to reduce plumbing and using painted concrete floors instead of carpet in some areas. A carport was scrapped because it would be too expensive.

Nothing that addresses a functional need has been cut, McGuire said. Some areas had to be scaled back, but were not eliminated, said Fire Chief Ken Morton. For example, the area where the fire trucks are parked was moved to save space.

Morton is hoping that the overall design of the building will not be compromised.

“We designed a building that meets our needs and we don’t want to give up any of it,” said Morton. “We designed a functional building, not a frivolous building. We need to and expect that we will be able to keep it within the budget.”

McGuire said the project would stay on budget, even if it meant scaling back plans.

Lucas Jenson, chairman of the Public Safety Building Committee, said that the planned multiple uses in the fire station, such as the training and community meeting spaces, are appealing. “I would hate to see something like that disappear,” Jenson said.

The project needs approvals from the town’s Historic Preservation Committee, the Design Advisory committee, and the Development Review Board. The project also needs to win approval under the state’s Act 250 land-use law.

Brown said the design team would make decisions within the next several weeks and arrive at a final plan. Barden said that the project is still on schedule.

The design phase will end this month and construction design will begin in October, he said. The project is slated to go to bid in January, subcontractors will be selected in February and construction will begin in May.

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By Marianne Apfelbaum
Observer staff

Just as adults have been horrified and saddened by news of the conditions facing victims of Hurricane Katrina, so too have children, who may also feel frightened and confused after viewing scenes of death and destruction they do not fully understand.

“I watched the news and it made me upset,” said Kelcey Lamphere, 13, of Williston. “It looked hectic and there was lots of confusion about getting help to people.”

Kelcey and her friend Sarah Thompson, 12, decided to funnel their fears and frustrations into positive action. They established Katrina Relief of Williston to empower other children, and adults, to help as well.

The Wildflower Circle residents began last week by spending three hours baking batches of brownies, which they offered for sale around their neighborhood. They’ve already raised $62 and are taking their efforts a step further this week by coordinating a bake sale in Williston Central School’s Voyager House.

“We’ll have the bake sale Friday, and also be putting out boxes for donations of water, clothes, nonperishable food and daily essentials like toothpaste and toothbrushes,” said Kelcey.

The duo are also hoping to put donation boxes at various other locations, including the Williston Central and Allen Brook school offices and the town library, “so people all over town can donate,” explained Kelcey. Their goal, said Thompson, is to raise at least $150 and bring the money and other donations to the Red Cross for distribution to the hurricane-affected areas.

For Kelcey, the disaster has become even more personal. Her father, Bryan, is a technical sergeant with the Vermont Air National Guard, and is now on standby for possible deployment to the hurricane-stricken area to assist with relief efforts.

Local animal lovers have also assisted with the relief effort, including Cassie Green, 10, of Williston. With the help of her mother, Susie, she has been going door-to-door collecting donations for the Humane Society to help animal victims of the hurricane.

“There are lots of people donating for humans, so I thought it was a good idea to help animals, too,” said Cassie. She has collected more than $100 so far, and hopes to set up donation boxes at Williston schools this week.

Both groups have set a limit of two weeks to collect donations.

Those who want more information on helping animal victims can call Susie Green at 878-4511. For more information on Katrina Relief of Williston, contact Kelcey Lamphere at 872-8875.

Those who wish to donate can also do so directly through the American Red Cross or the Humane Society of Greater Burlington.

The Selectboard, at its Aug. 22 meeting, agreed that the zoning ordinances should be amended to allow for an electronic scoreboard, but did not agree on whether advertising should be permitted on the scoreboard and on fences surrounding the field.

“The good thing is we’re going to have a scoreboard,” Healy said. “Whether there will be good news down the road as far as whether or not the Little League can be self-sufficient, we’ll have to see.”

The estimated cost of the scoreboard is $5,000. Coca-Cola has offered to pay for the scoreboard if a portion of it is devoted to advertising one of its products.

A Williston health club, Sports & Fitness Edge, has also offered to buy a scoreboard, but the business said it would not require its logo or advertisement to be placed on it. The town also considered paying for the scoreboard, a motion that is currently tabled.

The Little League wants to sell banners with sponsor advertising, which would hang on outfield fences, to generate revenue. Healey said the revenue would offset expenses, which include uniforms, field maintenance and equipment. The Little League would split the revenue from the sales of the advertisements with the town. Healey said the town’s portion of the revenue could be used for field maintenance.

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Selectboard not scheduled to make decision until 2006

By Michelle Edelbaum
Observer Staff

The Williston Little League will probably have to wait until next year before learning if it can use an electronic scoreboard and place advertising on outfield fences.

The Planning Commission, which is required to hold a public hearing on proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance that would allow the scoreboard, won’t likely discuss the issue until November, Town Manager Rick McGuire said. The Planning Commission is busy with updating the town’s comprehensive plan through the end of October, said Chairwoman Judy Sassorossi. That means that the public hearing on the zoning changes cannot be held until December. The commission would then make a recommendation to the Selectboard in January, McGuire said.

The field where the Little League plays is located in the town’s historic district. Current zoning does not allow an electronic scoreboard or advertising on signs, so the rules would have to be amended to accommodate the Little League’s proposal.

Little League board member Mike Healey said waiting until January or February will make it tough for the league to plan for the next season. The league would like to have a scoreboard ready at the beginning of April. He said it takes 10–12 weeks to order and install a scoreboard.

But Healy said he understands that the months-long timeline is unavoidable.

“I think that it’s part of the process we have to go through. I’m just going to go to the public hearing, whenever it is, and plead our case,” Healey said.

As part of its review, the Planning Commission will look at other communities’ sign ordinances and it will consider alternatives to advertising in order to recognize sponsors. Sassorossi said any changes to the zoning ordinance would apply to the entire town, including public fields at Brennan Woods and Rossignol Park.

“What gets lost is that we can’t make a rule that just applies to this Little League field,” Sassorossi said. “We can’t make rules for one entity. The rules have to apply evenly to all.”

When the Planning Commission takes up the issue, it will discuss how to word a public hearing notice and what public comment to consider, Sassorossi said. After holding the hearing, the commission will draft revisions to the ordinance based on the information gathered from the public and other towns, then report back to the Selectboard.

“Nobody wants the kids to suffer,” Sassorossi said. “We want the kids to be proud of their field, but we want to be proud of our community, too, and that’s an important life lesson for our kids.”

The Selectboard, at its Aug. 22 meeting, agreed that the zoning ordinances should be amended to allow for an electronic scoreboard, but did not agree on whether advertising should be permitted on the scoreboard and on fences surrounding the field.

“The good thing is we’re going to have a scoreboard,” Healy said. “Whether there will be good news down the road as far as whether or not the Little League can be self-sufficient, we’ll have to see.”

The estimated cost of the scoreboard is $5,000. Coca-Cola has offered to pay for the scoreboard if a portion of it is devoted to advertising one of its products.

A Williston health club, Sports & Fitness Edge, has also offered to buy a scoreboard, but the business said it would not require its logo or advertisement to be placed on it. The town also considered paying for the scoreboard, a motion that is currently tabled.

The Little League wants to sell banners with sponsor advertising, which would hang on outfield fences, to generate revenue. Healey said the revenue would offset expenses, which include uniforms, field maintenance and equipment. The Little League would split the revenue from the sales of the advertisements with the town. Healey said the town’s portion of the revenue could be used for field maintenance.

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Increasing ‘drive-offs’ parallel steep price hikes

By Michelle Edelbaum
Observer Staff

An increasing number of gasoline thefts in Williston and across the state may translate into higher prices for consumers.

With the price topping $3 per gallon, gasoline thefts, often referred to as “drive-offs,” squeeze profit margins and force station owners to carefully monitor pumps.

“I’m sure the price of gas tends to turn honest people the other way,” said Joe Marriott, manager of the Short Stop Mobil at Taft Corners.

Marriott said that five customers in the past week filled their tanks and did not pay before fleeing the station. Three of the thefts happened on the same day.

That’s more than usual for the station, which usually has one or two incidents per week, Marriott said. The value of gasoline thefts ranged from $7 to more than $50.

Officer Jason Brownfield responded to many of the recent reports of drive-offs. “I can’t really say why they’re doing it,” he said. “Could I guess it’s because gas prices are so high? Yeah.”

“I think that people do it as a matter of economics,” said Shane Sweet, executive vice president and director of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association.

Sweet said he heard from Vermont gas station owners that drive-offs are up and fuel volume is down. With profit margins for station owners at less than 10 percent and credit card companies receiving a 2-3 percent service fee on each transaction, Sweet said station owners have to sell a lot of gas and convenience store items to make up for the profits they lose in drive-offs. Many stations are also being allocated less fuel than they previously received, complicating the situation, Sweet said.

“This is a cents per gallon over cost business,” he said. “In a drive-off market, retailers get squeezed just like consumers do. If you’re going to survive, you can’t sustain taking drive-offs and not pass that on to customers at some point.”

In response to the increased number of thefts, Marriott has added staffing and advised employees to be more alert.

“We have to be more vigilant and have two people on at all times,” Marriott said. “We’re watching the pumps really closely.”

Other gas stations are responding similarly, said Marriott, pointing to a Colchester station that has one employee whose sole task is to monitors the pumps.

Allen Lemieux of Clark’s Sunoco in Williston, said when prices rose at the end of August he had several drive-offs, but since requiring prepayment on several pumps there haven’t been any more thefts.

Sweet said he approached the Vermont Attorney General’s Office about having all stations require prepayment after hearing from a colleague that all gasoline customers in Illinois must pay before pumping.

“There’s no theft, period, if you prepay and then pump, versus pump and hopefully get paid,” Sweet said.

He acknowledged that requiring prepayment could pose a problem for gas station owners who have older pumps without credit card readers. It is also inconvenient for customers who want transactions to be as quick as possible.

In addition to insisting on prepayment, Sweet said that some stations have installed video surveillance equipment.

Marriott said employees at his station are trying to ensure thieves are apprehended, providing a description of the vehicle and driver and a license plate number to police. Unfortunately, he said, the plates don’t always match the vehicle, making it difficult for police to apprehend suspects, said Marriott.

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