Williston Observer

By Rachel Gill
Observer correspondent

On Sept. 5, Champlain Valley Union High School Board members had a lesson on “Life.”

Presented by Jim Clapp and Helen MacAndrews, two of the three staff members who run the CVU Life Program, the Life Program is a multi-year, credit-based (no grades) program to teach students basic skills through individualized or small group instruction.

“Often we see students despondent about high school because they have had failure and have never had an opportunity to be successful,” Clapp said. “Coming into our program they feel that it’s a doable process, they have advocates, a support system, and they know they will graduate because that’s a tradition.”

According to Clapp, the purpose of the presentation was to provide the board with a history of the program, where it is today, and a glimpse of the program’s future.

During the 2006-2007 school year, the program served 25 students, 12 of whom graduated. Currently, students are required to complete 25 assignments per week that are facilitated by two licensed teachers and one assistant.

During the presentation, Clapp and MacAndrews also brought portfolios of 2007 Life Program graduates, one of which belonged to a student whose parents met in the Life Program in the 1970s when the program started.

“We have some multigenerational successes in this program,” Clapp said. “I think there is an expectation of success once they are in the program.”

HOW IT WORKS

Through creating individual weekly contracts that list assignments and class activities, students earn weekly credit towards accumulating the credits they need to graduate from CVU.

“We help them to see that graduation is a possibility,” MacAndrews said. “Students are not forced into the program, and they know it’s a privilege to be in the program. We have a three strikes and you are out policy that works to maintain a positive classroom environment.”

MacAndrews said on average three students a year leave the program.

According to MacAndrews, students learn about the program through friends, house directors, teachers, or advisors. A meeting is scheduled to discuss the program, students fill out an application, get parent permission, and two letters of recommendation. Clapp and MacAndrews and other CVU staff meet to look over the list of applicants to determine which students to accept.

LIFE HISTORY

The Life Program is the oldest alternative high school program in the state. During the program’s first few years, it was a male-only program. After years of operating two separate programs, they were combined and moved into the same location at by the Carpenter Carse Library in Hinesburg.

When Clapp started working at CVU 11 years ago, he was a student teacher tutoring young people who had been kicked out of school. Eventually, he started transitioning them into the Life Program and at first he said he didn’t know what to expect.

“On the first day, I remember walking in and having students run up to me and say, ‘read this poem I wrote’ and they were just so excited that I knew it was a program I wanted to be part of,” Clapp said. “We have an open door policy for families and board members and any interested community members to come and experience the atmosphere.”

MacAndrews, who started working in the program four years ago, said one of the program’s strengths is the development of personal relationships.

“We really get to know our students and their families, they really come to trust us,” she said. “We also help them work out non-academic stuff as well and that helps them sit down and do their school work. We want to support them but also make sure they are making progress towards their diploma.”

Providing that support is something CVU board Chairwoman Jeanne Jensen said the board appreciates.

“I suspect you must really get involved in these students’ lives and that takes a lot of heart and we really appreciate you both putting yourselves out there for these students,” Jensen said.

BOARD BUSINESS

At the meeting, the board also approved its 2007-2008 work plan, and Jensen discussed board recruitment by encouraging members to start looking for replacements for those not running for the board next year. Sarita Austin of Williston announced she will not be running once her term expires in 2008.

Meg Hart-Smith, CVU board member and member of the facilities committee, provided an update on the CVU auditorium project.

The biggest setback to the project was the Legislature’s passing a moratorium on state construction aid. Previously, the state would contribute 30 percent to approved school construction projects. The moratorium has an exception for health and safety issues, for which the auditorium project may qualify.

Despite this setback, Hart-Smith said the Facilities Committee is continuing to move forward. According to her update, Fundraising Committee members will be speaking with prospective donors and community members to obtain their thoughts on the project. Hart-Smith also said she and Chittenden South Supervisory Union Chief Executive Officer Bob Mason are putting together a rationale packet for the CSSU community to explain the project. McMannon has scheduled a meeting with the Program Council to get feedback on private fundraising, donor recognition, and the potential impact on the school.

“I feel this is a good way to go in a very uncertain landscape,” Hart-Smith said. “Surveying with the community is a realistic way to see if people think we could fundraise a significant portion of this project’s cost and if it happens that we can, we want to be ready to jump.”

The next board meeting is Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. in CVU Room 102.

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Farmers report rising yields for feed and food

By Greg Elias
Observer staff

Mary Whitcomb walks between the towering stalks of her corn maze, proudly showing off their impressive height – 13 feet – and girth – thicker than saplings.

Whitcomb, of North Williston Cattle Co., and other local farmers are enjoying a bumper crop of corn this year, especially when compared to last year’s weather-stunted harvest.

Williston and Richmond farmers say this year’s crop will produce considerably more corn and feed, with estimated increases in yield ranging from 30-50 percent.

“Last year was a disaster,” said Dave Conant of Conant’s Riverside Farm, which straddles the Williston-Richmond town line along U.S. 2. “This year has been just about exactly the opposite.”

Sunny, warm weather with just enough rain to keep soil damp provided the perfect conditions for a superb corn crop, farmers say. They are growing taller, bushier plants that produce more ears of sweet, juicy corn or more feed for their cattle.

Lorenzo Whitcomb, Mary’s husband, said he expects this year’s crop to produce about 26-28 tons of feed. Last year’s crop – the Whitcombs grow only “cow corn” used exclusively for feed – produced roughly 18-20 tons.

Other farmers report similarly good corn crops. Conant figures his yield could be up 50 percent. He said it might be the best crop he’s seen in more than a decade.

Ashley Farr, co-owner of the Farr farm on Huntington Road in Richmond, suffered through flooded fields last year. This year, he thinks his corn yield will jump about 35 percent.

In addition to plenty of feed, North Williston Cattle Co. this year has produced a particularly good corn maze, which opens this weekend.

Mary Whitcomb said a corn variety named “Big Bubba” produced stalks so thick and high that they form virtual walls. Last year, she said, those walls were considerably smaller.

With much of the corn yet to be harvested, precise numbers for this year’s crop are not available. But Kelly Loftus, spokeswoman for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, said preliminary reports indicate farmers are producing an “excellent” corn crop this year.

A total of 1,000 acres on about 200 farms are cultivated for corn in Vermont, Loftus said.

Corn is a key crop for farmers. In addition to selling ears through farm markets and grocery stores, farmers use chopped-up corn to feed cows and other livestock.

A good crop holds down the price of feed for farmers who don’t grow enough corn to nourish their livestock. A below-par crop drives up feed prices, which can hurt farmers’ bottom lines.

“If you don’t have corn to feed cows, then they won’t produce milk,” said Mary Whitcomb. “And milk prices are really good for farmers right now.”

Last year, weeks of wet weather in May and June led to Vermont being declared a primary natural disaster area by the federal government, making farmers eligible for low-interest emergency loans. The state provided $8.9 million in emergency aid to farmers.

Flooding forced Riverside Farm to reseed dozens of acres of cornfields, at a cost of $100 an acre. Other farmers also saw their corn crops stunted by the unfavorable weather.

Farr said last year was rough for him, too, although “compared to folks in Addison and Franklin counties, we didn’t have it too bad.”

Last year, Vermont farmers produced a total of 96,000 pounds of corn. That was about average, Loftus said, although she acknowledged the data might not accurately reflect the travails of individual farmers.

“Last year was about average,” Loftus said. “We do expect it to be more this year.”

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Observer staff report

A pair of meetings next month will give the public yet another chance to weigh in on the long-delayed Circumferential Highway.

Each session will be held on Thursday, Oct. 4. The first runs from 1-4 p.m. at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. The second takes place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Williston Central School.

The meetings are designed to gather input on a draft Environmental Impact Statement released last month. The EIS considers 11 road-building alternatives.

“The hearings are an opportunity for the public to comment on the Circ-Williston Draft EIS,” said Neale Lunderville, secretary of the Agency of Transportation, in a news release. “We will record everyone’s comments and comments will be addressed in the final EIS.”

Public officials will be given the first opportunity to speak at each session, followed by citizens in the order they sign in. To give everyone a chance to speak, oral statements will be limited to 5 minutes. Written statements of any length can be submitted at the hearing and at anytime until Nov. 8.

Both facilities are ADA accessible. Interpreters for the hearing impaired will be provided. Anyone requiring special assistance can call Jim Purdy at 1-800-735-8999, ext. 7435 to discuss additional needs.

Written comments on the EIS can be submitted by mail or e-mail. Comments can be sent to: Mr. Kenneth R. Sikora, Environmental Program Manager, Federal Highway Administration Region 1, P.O. Box 568, Montpelier, Vt. 05601. Comments also can be sent via e-mail to [email protected] or sent by fax to (802) 828-4424.

Written comments also can be sent by mail to Mr. Kenneth Robie, Project Manager, Vermont Agency of Transportation, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, Vt. 05633. Comments can be e-mailed to [email protected], or faxed to (802) 828-2437.

Comments also can be submitted through the project Web site at www.circeis.org.

As originally conceived more than 30 years ago, the Circ was a 16-mile highway running from Interstate 89 in Williston to Vermont 127 in Colchester. The Essex Junction segment of the highway opened in 2003.

Legal disputes over the remaining segments held up construction until 2004, when ground was broken on the Williston stretch. But construction was halted soon after it began when a federal judge ruled the Circ could not proceed until a new EIS was completed.

Since then, numerous public hearings have been held and the list of options narrowed down from dozens of possibilities to the current alternatives, which can be grouped into three broad categories: a limited-access highway or a boulevard along the originally planned Circ route; widening Vermont Route 2A to three or four lanes through Williston and Essex, replacing some intersections with roundabouts; or constructing a hybrid that uses parts of each approach.

The draft EIS analyzes the impact of each road-building alternative, looking at each option’s effect on traffic, the environment and the economy.

Reading the study, however, poses a challenge for citizens who want to be well-informed. The EIS contains thousands of pages in eight thick binders and three oversize books of maps and traffic reports. An executive summary, which runs only a couple of dozen pages, provides an overview.

Copies of the study are available at public libraries, including Dorothy Alling Library on U.S. 2 in Williston Village. The study can also be downloaded at www.circeis.org. A free CD-ROM containing the study can be obtained by contacting Sikora and Robie at the above addresses.

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New Williston route considered by transit agency

By Greg Elias
Observer staff

Williston could save money and increase its odds of getting a new bus route by joining the Chittenden County Transportation Authority, officials say.

Chris Cole, CCTA general manager, has corresponded with Williston Town Manager Rick McGuire over the past several months about the possibility of becoming a member of the transit authority. The exchange came after Selectboard members expressed an interest in the idea and asked McGuire to explore the pros and cons of joining.

In an August letter to McGuire, Cole concluded that the town could save about $17,000 a year if it joined CCTA. Williston pays part of the cost of the one CCTA route running through town but it is not represented on the agency’s governing board.

The savings would come primarily from reduced municipal expenses for service required under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Under the federal law, communities that have fixed-route bus service must supplement it with transportation for people with disabilities. Williston now pays for that service with the help of grants. CCTA would pick up part of the tab if the town was a member.

Membership has benefits other than a relatively small savings on Williston’s annual bill for public transportation, which is about $188,000 in the current fiscal year. Members are eligible for bus shelters and benches. They also get to appoint two representatives to CCTA’s governing board, “which is important as the board deliberates where new services are located,” Cole wrote in his letter to McGuire.

New services could wind up being the biggest benefit to Williston. Cole said in an interview that CCTA has discussed adding a route that would run from Williston Village to downtown Burlington. He said CCTA considers the new route a top priority.

It’s unknown how much the route would cost. Tiffany Ward, CCTA’s marketing and public affairs manager, said the price tag could vary according to how many stops buses make and how often they run. Such specifics have yet to be determined.

Cole said Williston does not necessarily have to join to secure the new route – but it wouldn’t hurt, especially with other area towns seeking additional services.

While expressing caution about joining CCTA, McGuire said it may be the key to getting the new route.

“Let’s put it this way: it’s not going to happen if we don’t become a member,” he said.

Town officials have in the past resisted joining CCTA. The transit authority began the current route in 2000 with the help of state and federal grants but no funding from Williston. When the state did not budget money for the route two years later, the town refused to pick up the tab. The state later decided to fund the route after all.

The route, which starts in Essex Junction and makes several stops in Williston before terminating at the University Mall in South Burlington, has been popular. CCTA has recorded double-digit ridership increases in each of the past five years, Cole said. In the 12-month period ending June 30, CCTA tallied 72,528 riders on the Williston route.

Selectboard members in the past complained that most of those riders came from outside of Williston and claimed there was little demand among town residents for the service.

But when outside sources of funding dried up, the board in 2005 decided to help pay for the route after all. Williston’s payments for fixed-route service are based on the same formula used for CCTA members.

Cole said bus service benefits residents even in suburban areas like Williston with many two-car families.

“When there’s a bus route, you don’t have to worry about leaving work early to take the kids to soccer practice,” Cole said. “Your kids can take the bus.”

McGuire said he and two Selectboard members are scheduled to meet with Cole on Sept. 13 at CCTA offices in Burlington. They will learn more about the organization and perhaps get a tour of the facility.

With money already budgeted for the existing route in the 2007-08 fiscal year, McGuire said there is no rush to make a decision on membership.

Joining CCTA would be a big step for Williston, he said. Under the current arrangement, Williston could in any given year elect to discontinue funding for bus service. That may not be the case if the town becomes a CCTA member.

“You’re pretty well committed to funding it year after year,” McGuire said. “It’s a commitment that Williston has to consider very seriously.”

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