Williston Observer

By Kim Howard
Observer correspondent

One child asked club members to pray for her grandfather to stop smoking. Another requested the safe return of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Another child wanted help obeying “mom and dad.”

Prayer requests fill just a fraction of each weekly meeting of the Good News Club, a bible-based group for first through fifth graders held at Williston Central School. For 90 minutes after school on Thursdays, children play games, eat snacks, sing songs, learn about the bible and pray.

As the country has more stringently defined a separation of church and state, club advisor Beverly Ronco said educators everywhere are afraid to address religion.

“As a result, students don’t talk about it,” she said. “As they walk through the school building, it’s like, ‘don’t mention God.’ It’s like they have to put that part of themselves away.”

A Williston resident who works in the local public schools as a substitute teacher, Ronco felt she could offer support to children of Christian faith by having them meet with others like them. The club’s objective, Ronco wrote in an e-mail, is “to teach and promote love for God, parents, family and friends; love and respect for country and those in authority over them; and to encourage them to do their best in all they do and pursue.”

Before moving to Vermont seven years ago, Ronco held Good News Clubs in her home in Pennsylvania for more than a dozen years. Curriculum materials are provided by Child Evangelism Fellowship, an international, bible-based evangelism organization headquartered in Warrenton, Mo. The organization’s Web site notes that over 3,400 school-related Good News Clubs are held weekly across the country, reaching roughly 119,000 students.

The Williston club drew an average of 15 weekly participants last year, the club’s first; this year roughly half that number attend each week. Parents must sign permission slips for their children to attend.

At the club’s meeting the last week of November, students had relay races rolling pumpkins and played a “human piñata” game in which candy was earned when a child could elicit a smile from a peer in the piñata chair. In between, the children learned about the plagues unleashed on Egypt in the book of Exodus.

In the second plague, Ronco told the children while using pictures on a felt board, “Frogs were everywhere.”

“Cool!” third grader Spencer Bissonette called out.

The only boy at the club that day, Spencer was the first to volunteer his thoughts about the Good News Club when a reporter asked.

“It’s kind of fun and we have parties sometimes,” Spencer said, later adding the kids learn a lot “about the stuff in the Bible.” Spencer had one other addendum: “I support (the club) because my mom wants me to support it because it’s a good thing that they allow them to have it in school.”

A legal right to use the school

Though Spencer probably doesn’t know it, “they” are justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

A religious group meeting on school grounds might cause some to raise eyebrows, but the court ruled that such use of community facilities is not a violation of the constitution. In 2001, the Supreme Court held (6-3) that Milton School District in New York violated the free speech rights of the Good News Club when it prohibited after school meetings; since the district allowed other community groups access to its facilities, the Court argued, prohibition of the religious club amounted to “viewpoint discrimination.”

In Williston six years later, the Good News Club “can use the space if they put in (the paperwork) just like everybody else,” said District Principal Walter Nardelli.

Club members also may ride the after-school activity bus just as may students attending any other club or activity. The club can advertise on community bulletin boards within the school, but it cannot advertise in “The School Bell,” the school weekly newsletter.

“The Bell is not a public forum,” Nardelli said, noting it’s reserved for school and town-specific information. Requests to be included in the newsletter come “from all over,” Nardelli said. “We try to limit that otherwise we’d have enough to fill pages.”

In the recent club meeting, three students were lying down by the time Ronco was toward the end of the lesson on Exodus. The others were attentively engaged. All perked up considerably when they played two games reviewing the day’s material.

Fifth grader Samara Bissonette said she hopes more people will come to Good News Club. The best thing about the club, she said, is learning “about all the people in the Bible and what great things they did.”

Her younger brother Spencer had a one-word answer for the club’s best feature: “Candy!”

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By Colin Ryan
Observer correspondent

About four years ago, the general contractor Northeast Construction realized that a key challenge in building environmentally friendly homes was the difficulty of finding energy-efficient products suppliers in northern New England.

Now, the company is poised to solve the problem by launching Building Energy, a green business that offers alternative energy products. Building Energy opened for business last week in Williston and, according to manager Basil Stetson, is in the process of designing an interactive showroom that will demonstrate products – and operate with the eco-friendly mindset on which the company was formed.

“The building will be heated by thermal heat, run on solar power and will have skylights that bring in natural light,” Stetson said. “We anticipate the showroom being a lot of fun – a place where you can come interested in one thing, but learn about others as well.”

The owners of Building Energy hope its temporary showroom will be ready by next month. The store is currently located in the offices of Northeast Construction on South Brownell Road in Williston, and at present does solely contract business.

“One distinction Building Energy has is that we’ll be one of first stores in the country where you can buy a variety of high quality green products under one roof,” said Stetson. “Right now we are offering solar and wind-powered products. And we are lining up other products, such as wood and pellet-fired boilers.”

Northeast Construction has been operating for 27 years. Stetson described Scott Gardner, owner and president of Northeast Construction and Building Energy, as being “at the head of the pack in terms of green building.”

Like it’s new company, Northeast Construction has a strong commitment to energy efficiency and quality building practices – Gardner trained with Efficiency Vermont, an energy efficiency services provider, for “Energy Partner” status from 2002 through 2006. In 2005 the company received an award at the Better Buildings By Design Conference for “one of two tightest houses ever tested in Vermont.” The house, located on Oak Hill Road, was a milestone for Gardner, and confirmed his energy vision as attainable.

“We had been insulating homes for 13 years,” Gardner recounted. “We wanted to find out how good we really could be, and we discovered how successful we could be as well. A house can be both beautiful and efficient – our goal was to show that you could combine the two. An efficient home is comfortable and quiet, there are no drafts, and the temperature is consistent throughout.”

In addition to the Building Energy retail store, which the owners hope will be ready by July or August, the company will perform building energy audits by testing if buildings are airtight and using infrared thermography to analyze building insulation and thermal envelope construction by looking for changes in temperature caused by heat leaks.

“The first step in saving money for the customer is not losing energy in their home,” said Stetson. “We do energy audits – our energy auditors, who are BPI (Building Performance Institute) certified, will find energy leaks by looking at insulation, heating systems and building envelope, and then make recommendations to help you best retrofit your house.”

Stetson, who moved here from Florida, said his passion is starting and running small businesses, and he chalks getting this job up to “serendipity.”

“You get lucky once in a while, where you can make a living, feel good about what you’re doing and know that you’re breaking ground in an important new area. We’re not pushing hardware – we want the customers to have the best solutions. We’re trying to provide good products and good knowledge and a better living environment, and I believe that Building Energy will develop a reputation for expertise in general and be viewed as an energy resource over the long term.”

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Rte. 2A upgrade preferred, agency says

By Greg Elias
Observer staff

The federal Environmental Protection Agency wants upgrades to Vermont 2A instead of a new Circ Highway through Williston.

A letter from the EPA’s regional office in Boston cites wetland impacts in stating the agency would not approve permits if plans for road construction along the Circ’s original route move forward. However, a state official said wetland impacts could be mitigated or the highway design changed to satisfy the EPA.

“There is a long way to go before the final decision,” said Vermont Agency of Transportation spokesman John Zicconi. “No one should think this sounds the death knell for any of the alternatives.”

State and federal transportation officials are in the middle of lengthy study called an Environmental Impact Statement that will determine the best road-building option.

The study has whittled dozens of alternatives to three major options: a limited-access highway or boulevard along the originally planned Circ route; widening Vermont 2A to three or four lanes through Williston and Essex while replacing some intersections with roundabouts; or a hybrid that uses parts of each approach.

The EPA’s letter states the 2A alternatives have the least impact on wetlands. The limited access highway and hybrid alternatives affect 28 to 47 acres of wetlands, depending on the design. The 2A improvements only impact about 2 acres of wetlands.

The EPA is just one of more than 200 organizations and individuals that weighed in during the highway study’s public comment period, which ended last week.

Zicconi said the EPA’s recommendation comes as no surprise. He said the state has long known that no matter which alternative is chosen there will be permitting issues.

Nor is the EPA’s recommendation the final word, Zicconi said. The agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. would have to sign off on the recommendation if an alternative other than the 2A improvements is chosen.

State and federal officials will weigh all comments and choose a preferred alternative next year.

The Circ as originally proposed decades ago called for a limited-access highway from Interstate 89 in Williston to Vermont 127 in Colchester. Only the stretch through Essex has been constructed.

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Manager proposes $7.6 million plan

By Greg Elias
Observer staff

Town Manager Rick McGuire proposed a $7.6 million municipal budget that slows the steady stream of spending hikes of recent years.

The fiscal 2008-2009 budget represents a 5 percent increase over the current budget. If adopted, it would boost the municipal property tax rate by 4 cents. That would result in a $120 tax increase for a home valued at $300,000.

The Selectboard earlier this year urged McGuire to keep the budget hike around 5 percent. Board members said the idea was to reign in the double-digit increases of previous years while maintaining services and facilities.

“We’re trying to hold expenses down and give people a breather,” said Judy Sassorossi. “You can’t escalate things constantly.”

In recent years the municipal budget has increased at a brisk clip, largely to pay for rising expenses driven by Williston’s commercial and residential growth.

The budget proposed by McGuire last year represented an 11 percent increase. Proposals in the two previous years hiked expenditures by 19 percent and 17 percent.

Those numbers include both capital and operating expenses. Budgets actually voted on by residents have often been lower than the original proposal because the Selectboard typically trims expenses before the spending plan is put on the ballot. Chairman Terry Macaig said it is too early to tell whether the board will alter the budget this time.

McGuire unveiled the budget at the board’s Dec. 3 session. He said he was “thrilled” to hold the increase to 5 percent while maintaining existing services.

The budget includes no new positions for the first time in a decade, McGuire said. Hours have been increased for two existing employees in the police and fire departments.

Most departments see only small budget increases. The library and town clerk’s office receive a 5 percent boost. Fire and rescue expenses rise 3 percent. Planning and zoning spending is up just 1 percent.

There are two notable exceptions. General administration, which includes the town manager’s office, property assessors and legal services, rises 15 percent. Parks and recreation expenses are down 2 percent.

Health care costs continue to skyrocket. Changing health care plans provided a temporary reprieve in the current budget year. But health insurance expenses rise 18 percent in the new budget.

Another major spending increase will pay for the new police and fire stations. McGuire said bond money was borrowed in batches, and this is the final installment. The increased debt repayment will hike the budget by nearly $81,000.

On the revenue side, sales tax proceeds continue to be a question mark. Changes in the state rules governing what is taxed went into effect Jan. 1 and have reduced revenue from Williston’s 1 percent local option tax. The budget assumes the town will see $225,000 less in revenue from the tax in fiscal 2008-2009.

Selectboard member Ted Kenney wondered if sales tax revenue, which funds roughly 40 percent of the municipal budget, would fall even more precipitously.

“If we hit a recession next year, I imagine the local option tax is going to take a beating,” he said at last week’s board meeting.

The spending plan represents a starting point for the Selectboard, which on Monday met with the representatives from the library, police and fire departments. The board will talk with the remaining department heads in coming weeks before approving the budget.

A public hearing on the municipal budget is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. The hearing takes place at Town Hall.

Residents vote on the town and school budgets in March.

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By Timothy Higgins
Observer correspondent

Temperatures may be dropping and snow has already landed on the ground, but Williston in Bloom is running full steam ahead and already gearing up for the sunny days waiting at the end of winter.

Williston in Bloom is a local effort to improve quality of life in town by undertaking a variety of beautification programs.

“We are a group of volunteers who plant flowerbeds around the town,” said Williston in Bloom Committee Co-chairwoman Sue Stanne.

After meeting last week, the group is considering introducing a new type of flowerbed to the town – rain gardens.

“We were contacted by Jessica Andreoletti (of the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District) and Emma Melvin (of the University of Vermont) to play a part in the Rivers Rain Garden project,” Stanne said.

A rain garden is a planted depression designed to absorb rainwater runoff from impervious areas including roofs, driveways and walkways. The gardens allow storm water to soak into the ground instead of flowing into storm drains or causing erosion and water pollution as surface water. Rain gardens can cut down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30 percent.

Andreoletti, resource/assistant manager of the Conservation District, said, “It is important to get the word out and educate the public about rain gardens. Our goal is to get one rain garden in every town in Chittenden County in 2008.”

Although not committed yet, the Williston in Bloom committee is interested in participating.

“We hope to hold training sessions and workshops with the Williston residents on the construction of rain gardens, possibly in February or March,” Stanne stated. “This is in the very early planning stages but we are very excited about it.”

A history of beautification

Neil Boyden, Williston Public Works director and a member of Williston in Bloom, said the program has been going on for five or six years.

“We design, maintain and plant areas around town where there are flowers,” Boyden stated.

Williston in Bloom has planted around town buildings and along roads such as Route 2 in the Village, along the bike path and around the bandstand.

“This fall we planted 1,400 daffodil bulbs in and around the area of the town hall,” Stanne said.

In addition to town beautification projects, Williston in Bloom works with the University of Vermont Master Gardeners extension program to participate in the Plant a Row for the Hungry project, which provides food to the Hinesburg Food Shelf and Chittenden County Emergency Food Shelf. Several Williston in Bloom members are also Master Gardeners.

The town chips in as well, donating an area of the Williston community garden.

Williston in Bloom also sponsors a garden contest for residents, which is judged by the committee in several categories. Winners are announced in September and an awards ceremony is held in March. Contest applications are available online at http://town.williston.vt.us/mgr/environ/wibpage.htm and distributed at public facilities around town.

A rain garden category could become a new feature of the contest next year.

Stanne chairs the committee with Joan Fox-Cota. Boyden, June Jones, Al Ligouri, Oliver Gardner, Ruth Painter, Nancy Hulett, Mike Jones and Kim Richburg serve as committee members.

“We presented a PowerPoint presentation to the Selectboard a few months ago and they really enjoyed it,” Stanne said. “They thanked us for making the town look pretty.”

Anyone interested in participating in Williston in Bloom can contact Neil Boyden at 878-1239 or any of the other committee members.

The town contributes $3,000 to the group’s $8,000 budget, but Williston in Bloom typically funds the remainder with donations. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the WIB Committee, 7900 Williston Road, Williston, Vt. 05495.

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