Williston Observer

By Colin Ryan
Observer correspondent

“I always thought if we went down, it would be on a bomb run in a tremendous barrage, but we hadn’t even reached our target when it happened,” recounted World War II B-17 airplane pilot J. Francis Angier. “I saw flak bursting ahead about eight or 10 miles, and I was starting to bank left when a barrage got us. There was about 1,500 gallons of gasoline in the wing, and the plane was on fire. I knew I couldn’t save it, and, eventually, the explosion blew me out of the plane.”

The 84-year-old Williston resident thought for a minute, reliving the harrowing experience as he shared his story in the Dorothy Alling Library on Saturday as part of a nationwide collection of World War II veterans’ stories.

“When the plane exploded, it was falling tail first, so all the debris fell with me and around me. If I opened my parachute, it would have caught fire, or caught some debris and been dragged down. So I fell all the way down ‘til I couldn’t go any further. I went through a little cloud layer, and all of a sudden, there was the ground. I opened my parachute right at the treetops. So I hit very hard. I had shoulder, back, knee and internal injuries. My neck still aches today because of that fall.

“Right away I started getting beaten by the civilians who reached me first. They would have finished me if the military hadn’t arrived, and drove them off at gunpoint.”

Angier said he was taken to the local jail that night, then moved to a Frankfurt interrogation center for 10 days. From there he was taken to Stalag Luft III in Poland, a German Air Force prisoner of war camp and the site of the so-called Great Escape, which inspired a movie by the same name, where he remained for seven months.

Angier’s account is one of the many sought by the Veterans History Project, a nationwide movement sponsored by the Library of Congress in conjunction with award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burn’s latest project, a seven-part series on World War II entitled “The War,” to collect and preserve the stories of World War II veterans.

“When I learned that more than 1,000 veterans of World War II are dying each day in America and that our young people — many of them grandchildren of those brave soldiers — believe we fought with the Germans against the Russians in World War II, I realized that we had to do something,” writes Burns in the Veteran History Project Field Guide.

The guide, which contains hands-on production tips and interview techniques, as well as information on how to submit completed interviews, has been utilized by over 100 public television stations nationwide sponsoring the collection of veterans’ stories in their local area, according to PBS’s Web site.

“Vermont Public Television wanted to know if we wanted to get involved,” said Jennifer Reichert, outreach librarian at Dorothy Alling Library. “So we showed the preview, and then signed on to be a host site for the story collection. I had Recille Hamrell (who coordinates a bimonthly story sharing class at the library) in the back of my mind, and we really wanted to offer a facility for veterans to tell their stories.”

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, several war veterans and war wives came to the library to tell their stories. They were greeted warmly by Hamrell, who promotes storytelling among seniors, and then recorded by stenographer Johanna Masse as Hamrell enthusiastically guided the tellers through their tales. The tellers, like Angier, still vividly remember the events that happened to them more than 60 years ago.

“I spent seven months in a prison camp,” Angier recalled, “during what they said was the coldest winter in 75 years. I remember the cold and the hunger, and being all the time under the gun. The Nazis ordered our execution three times, so we constantly lived under that shadow.”

Hamrell sees it as essential that the veterans get the chance to tell their stories, and to “honor the narratives of their lives.”

“When we tell stories, we create a bond between us,” explained Hamrell. “And often times, when you tell what we call “shadow stories,” somewhere in them we find a pearl. Whether it was the test you failed or the friend you lost, without that pearl, you wouldn’t be who you are.”

The veterans’ submitted stories will be archived permanently in the Library of Congress, and made available at the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center Reading Room.

For more information, go to www.pbs.org/thewar.

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T.J.’s Dawg House open at Maple Tree Place

By Greg Elias
Observer staff

T.J. Chelak Jr. plucks a hot dog from the grill, drops it in a bun and wraps it with foil. He flashes a smile and tells the customer it’s the best hot dog in the whole country.

A steady stream of patrons stops by his cart in Maple Tree Place on this sunny Friday afternoon. It’s a good day for selling hot dogs.

T.J.’s Dawg House opened in August. The wheeled, stainless-steel cart operated by Chelak is parked between Best Buy and Christmas Tree Shops.

Chelak, 40, was laid off from IBM five years ago. He said the hot dog stand gives him a chance to control his own destiny.

“My thought behind the whole thing was to stay out of corporate America,” he said.

He sells Vienna brand hot dogs, each a quarter-pound of beef on a king-size bun. Other offerings include drinks, chips, cookies and brownies.

Dressed in a blue and purple jacket and a black Rossignol ski hat, Chelak banters with customers while serving up hot dogs. Many of his patrons work nearby.

“We’re going to keep him alive so we don’t have to have soup or lunch boxes,” joked Best Buy employee Katie Haskins after she placed an order. “We can have a hot dog instead.”

Chelak’s career path took a sharp turn in 2002 when he was among the 1,500 employees laid off at IBM’s plant in Essex Junction.

He grew up in Binghamton, N.Y. and earned a degree in electrical engineering. After graduation, he landed a job at IBM. He worked there for 14 years, pulling in about $60,000 a year as a liaison between production workers and engineers.

Like many of the laid-off workers, Chelak struggled to replace the well-paying job. But unlike many, he had no family to support and little debt. He could do anything he wanted.

“For three days, I was like, my God, what am I going to do,” Chelak said. “But then I was able to sit back and say let’s do something you would not normally think of.”

After the layoff, he bounced around a bit, working at Smugglers’ Notch as a children’s snowboard instructor and then at The Home Depot in Williston.

When Chelak was chasing down carts left in the parking lot, he noticed the hot dog vendor in front of the store. Soon he was working there. But then the owner fell on hard times, Chelak said, and his hours were cut. So he opened his own stand.

It’s not an easy business. The hot dogs cost him more than $6 a pound, so his profit margin is thin. He’s found it hard to grab the attention of shoppers. And he wonders how he’ll handle the cold weather and icy wind in coming weeks.

Still, Chelak is determined to stay open through the holiday shopping season. He said he will close after Christmas, then decide whether to reopen next spring.

“Here I am a business owner for the first time in my whole life,” he said. “We’ll see how it pans out.”

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By Greg Elias
Observer staff

The town of Williston will alter rules governing a big box shopping center, issue tickets for zoning violations and streamline the permit process under ordinances adopted by the Selectboard last week.

The board approved the first portion of the Unified Development Bylaw at its Nov. 19 meeting. The rules, which go into effect on Dec. 3, will be used on an interim basis until the remaining zoning ordinances are rewritten.

Most of the existing zoning remains unchanged. But other parts of the new bylaw represent significant departures, either to adapt to evolving land-use patterns or to correct enforcement and permitting problems.

The most notable change concerns the mixed-use commercial zoning district. The district includes the western portion of Taft Corners Park and adjacent land.

For years, no new development has occurred in the commercial center, despite several open parcels. Amid fears of being overwhelmed by big box development, the Selectboard several years ago toughened zoning restrictions in Taft Corners Park, home of Wal-Mart and other chain retailers.

But Town Planner Lee Nellis has said existing zoning “has frozen everything in place” and ruled out infill development that town officials view as desirable. The new rules are designed to encourage the kind of densely packed, pedestrian-friendly development that could help the area around Taft Corners congeal into downtown Williston.

Instead of forbidding certain types of development, the revised zoning establishes stricter design guidelines. For example, walkways must link buildings to street-side sidewalks. Parking must be located in the side or rear of a building.

Exceptions are permitted if a development includes features the town considers desirable. For example, building heights can exceed the limit of 36 feet if the developer includes things such as a parking garage.

That provision drew the attention of Marlene O’Brien, the only member of the public to address the board. She felt that taller buildings would be out of character for Williston.

“I think the question is do people want to see five- or six-story buildings,” she said in an interview.

TICKETS, NOT HEARINGS

Making it easier to enforce zoning rules is the aim of another section of the new bylaw. The revised ordinance moves the town from a court-based enforcement system to one that relies on tickets akin to traffic citations.

Zoning violations in Williston – illegal signs and non-permitted outdoor storage are among the most common – had been enforced using an unwieldy system that included violation notices, hearings before the Development Review Board and appeals in Vermont Superior Court. The process of collecting the $100-a-day fines could take several months.

Now the town will simply issue a ticket. The citations will fine violators $250 for a first offense and $500 for all subsequent offenses. The “waiver fee” for those who do not contest violations is $150 for a first offense or $400 for subsequent offenses.

Town officials have long complained that the old system was unwieldy and took too long. Particularly with temporary signs, violations often became a moot point by the time enforcement action was taken.

“We’ve not been pursuing the violations lately because we don’t have enough staff,” said D.K. Johnston, Williston’s zoning administrator. “This ticket book setup should help.”

The new rules will also streamline the development review process. Under the old system, there were seven types of permits. Now that is reduced to just two commonly used permits, administrative and discretionary.

Discretionary permits are required of larger developments, such as subdivisions and shopping centers. They must be approved by the Development Review Board.

Administrative permits can be approved by planning staff. They include smaller projects, such as a homeowner adding a patio.

The changes will make the review process more understandable to the general public while allowing planners to more efficiently handle applications, Nellis said.

But with simplification comes strictness. Planning staff and the Development Review Board used to spend much time reviewing incomplete applications. No more.

“We’re going to be very strict about the development review process,” Nellis said. “It’s going to put a lot more pressure on applicants to get their act together.”

The Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the next batch of bylaws, which will cover various zoning districts, in January, Nellis said. If those bylaws are approved by the commission and the Selectboard, a final group of about 10 more chapters will be written and reviewed in coming months.

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Burke to serve in Tanzania

By Katrina Gibson
Observer correspondent

This week, local resident Caroline Burke is giving new meaning to the word Thanksgiving. While most Vermonters will celebrate the holiday at home with their families, the Williston resident will be packing her bags and heading off on a journey to serve the world.

Burke leaves for the African country of Tanzania on Friday to begin a two-year commitment volunteering for Jesuit Volunteers International, or JVI, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the poor.

“JVI is structured around the four basic components – living simply, building community, witnessing faith and doing justice,” said Burke.

Burke will be teaching English and social ethics at Loyola High School, an all girls’ school in the city of Dar es Salaam.

“I’m doing something that I love. I have always enjoyed being around people and affecting change,” said Burke.

Burke was accepted to the program in April and has been preparing for her trip ever since.

“I have had a long time to say goodbye and come to terms with what I will be doing,” said Burke. “I have been to Kenya and have had some firsthand experience. I really fell in love with Africa the first time, so I am secure and confident about going again.”

As a part of her commitment, Burke has been asked to raise $3,000 to help defray the cost of supporting the volunteers for JVI. She will reside in a house near the school with two other Jesuit Volunteers, and live off a $60 a month stipend. The money raised will help pay the volunteers’ room and board during their stay.

“We get a budget for the community which will take care of our food, and expenses,” said Burke. “We’ll have to decide amongst ourselves how best to use the money.”

Burke has been writing letters to friends and family members asking for donations.

Burke graduated in May from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., where she received a bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in peace and conflict studies.

Throughout her college career she had been living the college’s mantra by volunteering in various community organizations.

“Holy Cross really promotes the motto ‘men and women for each other,’” said Burke. “They (Holy Cross) are really big on providing opportunities for the students and community to get involved. I figured it would be a nice way to meet people.”

In 2003, Burke acted as a big sister in the big brother/big sister division of the college’s Student Programs for Urban Development organization, tutoring and mentoring an 11-year-old boy. And while most college students head off on vacation for spring break, Burke headed to Biloxi, Miss. to help disadvantaged families and individuals for the Appalachia Service Project.

Burke also acted as co-chair of the Appalachia/Gulf Region Service Project, where she led a group of students to New Orleans to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Asked why she spends her free time volunteering, Burke replied, “It makes me feel alive.”

After graduation, the call to help others grew stronger for Burke, which prompted her to get involved with JVI.

“Somewhere during my time spent tutoring in Worcester and fixing houses in New Orleans, I found myself unable to ignore the desire to go back and go deeper,” Burke wrote in a letter to her friends and family explaining her new venture and asking for donations.

“The program is incredibly attentive and supportive. It’s good to know I have people dedicated to (my success) back here in the states,” said Burke. “The challenge is saying goodbye and not being with my family and friends for two years.”

Though Burke departs on Friday, donations will continue to be accepted during her stay. JVI is a nonprofit organization and all donations are tax deductible. To make a donation in Burke’s name visit JesuitVolunteers.org or make checks payable to Jesuit Volunteers International, PO Box 3756, Washington, D.C. 20027-0256.

“The Jesuit Volunteers work for and with people who are homeless, unemployed, refugees, people with AIDS, the elderly, street youth, abused women and children, the mentally ill and the developmentally disabled,”according to the group's web site.
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By Marianne Apfelbaum
Observer staff

A report of a “suspicious male” who appeared at a school bus stop on Friday prompted Chittenden South Supervisory Union officials to send a warning letter to parents about the man.

A female Champlain Valley Union High School student, who believed she had missed the bus Friday morning, started walking back toward her home when a “man appeared from behind some bushes,” according to the letter from Sean McMannon, CVU’s principal.

Upon seeing the man, the teen screamed and ran, and the man “started running up the road,” according to Vermont State Police Trooper James Mitchell.

The incident occurred about 100 feet from the girl’s home on State Park Road near Route 7 in Charlotte, Mitchell said. According to Mitchell, the man came out of the bushes from a field across the road from the girl’s home. Mitchell acknowledged that it is somewhat unusual for someone to be walking through a field in the dark so early in the morning, but said the man could have been hunting, or taking a walk after getting coffee at a nearby Mobil station.

“It is too hard to speculate,” he said.

Mitchell said the man did not try to approach the girl, and emphasized that he did not commit a crime, but police would like to identify him so “the family and the community don’t have to worry.”

The man was described as tall, thin and wearing jeans, Mitchell said, but because it was 6:45 a.m. and still dark outside, it was hard for the girl to see the man clearly.

Mitchell suggested that students waiting for the bus try not to wait alone. Mike Lavoie, a detective with the Williston Police Department, concurred, and pointed out the importance of making noise and fighting back if necessary if a stranger approaches. “Holler, kick, throw your backpack at them, whatever you need to do,” he said.

Lavoie also said self-defense courses are helpful. A basic self-defense course for women is offered by the Essex Police Department through Essex Parks and Recreation. Called R.A.D for Rape Aggression Defense, the course is intended for females who wish to learn survival techniques and “what to do physically and mentally to make it through an attack by an aggressor,” according to the Parks and Recreation Web site. The course fee is $15, with online registration at www.essexparksandrec.org.

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