Williston Observer

Sept. 25, 2008
By Mal Boright
Observer correspondent

After losing two games in a row for the first time in years, the Champlain Valley Union High boys soccer team seems to have its groove back.

Coach T.J. Mead’s young players open the second half of their schedule Friday night against North Country Union in Newport. They’ll have a two-game win streak in tow and an overall 4-2-1 record.

The latest victory came Monday in Hartford, where the six-time defending Division I champs nipped the Hurricanes 1-0 on a goal by forward Matt Sulva, who was assisted by midfielder Chris Beaton. The game was a makeup of a Sept. 3 contest halted by thunder and lightning.

The Redhawks’ had suffered defeats at the feet of South Burlington High on Sept. 13 and Mount Mansfield Union on Sept. 17, but began their recovery last Friday on the home grass with a 3-0 booting of visiting Colchester High.

Tino Tomasi, Henry Sengle and Beaton produced the scores, while Sulva was an offensive dervish all afternoon deep in the Lakers’ defensive zone.

CVU had 11 shots on the Colchester net with Lakers’ net minder Lucas Pelcher robbing Tomasi and Brayden McKenna.

The loss at the Jericho Center lair of the Mount Mansfield Union High Cougars was CVU’s second dip in three years in those hills.

The last time the Redhawks got nailed twice in a row was likely back in the last century—1998, according to veteran observers.

As sports wisdom has it, if you are going to defeat a young but talented team, best chance to do it is early in the season.

[Read more...]

Sept. 25, 2008
By Tim Simard
Observer staff

Full of energy and enthusiasm fit for the stage, theatre arts teacher Robin Fawcett thinks it’s time her classroom gets a face-lift — her classroom being the Champlain Valley Union High School auditorium.

She’s not the only one with that opinion. CVU School Board members and administrators agree the 44-year-old auditorium is in dire need of renovation.

Currently, excess cables run throughout the giant room and the facilities lighting is lacking, not to mention sometimes non-functional and unsafe, according to Fawcett. The auditorium has a worn look, she said.

“I think our community deserves walking into a space that reflects the quality of the work and the quality of the learning that goes on here,” Fawcett said.

Sarah Tischler, co-chairwoman of the auditorium fundraising committee, agrees, and said the facility could be much more beneficial to students and the community if it were brought into the 21st century.

“The whole school is so phenomenal and the auditorium is not,” she said. “This needs to change.”

But to do so, CVU will have to raise more than $1 million in private donations.

Life of the auditorium

The CVU auditorium has a long and storied history in regard to renovations. Other than what Fawcett calls “band-aid” repairs and new seats installed in 2005, the auditorium has essentially remained unchanged since it was built in 1964.

According to CVU School Board member Meg Hart-Smith, a new auditorium — separate from the main building — was to be built starting in 2003 as part of the school-wide renovation project, which included a new wing and athletic fields. However, the high costs of the project, exceeding $20 million, was voted down and officials had to come up with a cheaper alternative, which excluded the auditorium.

Last year, the board planned to bring a bond vote to voters in November for auditorium funding, but the Vermont Legislature put a moratorium on state aid for all new school construction projects. Improvements to the auditorium were again put on hold.

With the moratorium continuing into the foreseeable future, the board decided to seek private funds to finish the renovation goal.

Hart-Smith said the total estimate of the renovation is $2.3 million. Of that, more than $800,000 is being allocated from CVU’s capital funds, as well as leftover monies from the last massive renovation. Tischler said the board is hoping to find another $200,000 in public funds as well.

The remaining funds would have to come from private donations, Tischler said, adding the school is looking to raise a little more than $1 million. More than $250,000 has already been raised through fundraisers and donations, she said.

Hart-Smith said the goal is to have all the money raised by the summer of 2009, so construction can begin and be completed in October 2009. The board must first bring the issue to the voters, as they will have to approve the use of the existing public funds. She said the plan is to bring the renovations to the ballot for a March Town Meeting Day vote.

Facility upgrades

The updates will bring the auditorium into the modern age in terms of aesthetics, technology and safety, Fawcett said.

The lighting and wiring systems are inefficient and need to be updated to be “greener” and safer. According to Fawcett, when a bulb burns out now, which is often, a precarious process involving scaffolding, harnesses and ropes is employed to replace the bulb. It’s not the safest process, she said.

The new system would involve high-tension wires that students could walk along, making it a safer process, which CVU Principal Sean McMannon is happy to see.

“We’re currently within code (for safety), but we’re just hanging on,” he said.

Another major change involves the stage area. According to Fawcett, the stage will be completely rebuilt and extended. There will be an added pit for an orchestra. Bands will no longer have to play in the upper reaches of a loft on stage right.

Andy Miskavage, CVU’s music director, said he’s shuffled as many as 20 band members into the tiny space but would welcome a more professional set up.

“The pit puts kids in a more comfortable environment and we all perform better when we’re comfortable,” Miskavage said.

Other changes include air conditioning and a new sound booth. The plans are music to the ears of Fawcett and school administrators.

“I think the community will get every penny back if something happens,” Fawcett said.

To make a donation or to find out more on the CVU Auditorium project, contact your local CVU School Board representative.

[Read more...]

Sept. 25, 2008

Fire in house

On Sept. 2, a fire was reported inside a residence on White Birch Lane at 2:46 p.m. A child in the house threw a match into a wastebasket, which ignited the contents as flames spread up the walls. According to the fire report, several posters were burned and the child quickly threw water on the flames to extinguish the blaze before calling 911. The fire department responded with Cars 1 and 3, Engines 2 and 3, Tower 1 and Hazmat 1, along with 11 firefighters. The responders extinguished the rest of the fire and there were no injuries.

Car accident

A four-door vehicle collided with a Subaru Legacy on Interstate 89 north on Sept. 5 at 8:24 p.m. The accident occurred just north of exit 12. Firefighters responded and disconnected the battery to the Subaru after the accident. The driver of the Subaru was transported to Fletcher Allen Health Care by South Burlington rescue. Engine 3, Hazmat 1 and Car 2 responded along with six firefighters.

Recruitment drive continues

The Williston Fire Department’s recruitment drive continues this week. Any resident interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter or EMT can stop by the station on Route 2 to meet firefighters and staff. Chief Ken Morton said individuals that join the department would be trained as EMTs, firefighters or both, and be paid for their time. The recruitment drive ends on Oct. 15. Call the Fire Department at 878-5622 for more information.
[Read more...]

Sept. 25, 2008

Maxwell B. Mutia, 26, was recently designated as a high risk sex offender by the Vermont Department of Corrections. He has been living in Williston for two years, police say.  According to U.S. Search, his last known address was on St. George Road near Hurricane Lane.

He is described as Asian, 5 feet 3 inches tall, 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

He was convicted on April 25, 2001 of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. In 2003, he was convicted of violating his probation, according to the Vermont Sex Offender Registry.

The supervising agency is the Vermont Department of Corrections in Burlington, which can be reached by calling 863-7350.

More information on Mutia is available online through the Vermont Criminal Information Center’s Sex Offender Registry at www.dps.state.vt.us/cjs/s_registry.htm

[Read more...]

Sept. 25, 2008

Sticky situation

Police went to a Williston home on Sept. 20 after being called regarding a cookie incident. A parent told police that while her child was having a play date at a friend’s house, the friend gave her child a cookie — one that was “covered in glue,” according to police reports. The parents were able to deal with the issue “amongst themselves,” the report concludes. No information was released as to whether the cookie was actually consumed.

Unsecured load

A Williston farmer was mailed a violation for an “unsecured load” on Sept. 19, after a hay trailer overturned at the intersection of Oak Hill and Old Creamery roads, according to police reports. The hay and trailer were moved out of the roadway.

Burglary

• Interstate Battery on South Brownell Road was burglarized on Sept. 16, according to police reports. A door was pried open to gain entry, and almost $200 in cash was taken, the report notes. The investigation is ongoing.
• Green Mountain Gymnastics on Pioneer Drive was burglarized on Sept. 16, according to police reports. No further information was released. The investigation is ongoing.
• Woodline Floor Sales on South Brownell Road was burglarized on Sept. 16, according to police reports. A door was pried open and almost $50 was taken, the report notes. The investigation is ongoing.
• A door was “jimmied and locks were damaged” on Sept. 17 during an attempted break-in on Adams Drive, according to police reports. Nothing was taken, but the case is under investigation.
• A Chelsea Place residence was burglarized on Sept. 18, and approximately $1,800 worth of items was taken, according to police reports. The investigation is ongoing.

Theft

Katie Lefebvre, 27, of Milton was charged with retail theft from Plato’s Closet on Sept. 17, according to police reports. The items taken and their value were not released. Lefebvre was cited to appear in court.

Wanted persons

• On Sept. 17, Frederick Wheeler, 71, of Williston was “taken into custody on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear” on a third driving under the influence charge, according to police reports. Wheeler was taken to Chittenden County Correctional Center and bail was set at $5,000, the report notes.
• Following a motor vehicle stop, John T. Neville, 36, of Waterbury was “arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court following an unlawful mischief charge,” according to police reports. Bail was set at $250 and Neville was taken to Chittenden County Correctional Center, the report notes.

Parole violation

Carmen Hu, 46, of Williston was “taken into custody” on Sept. 19 for violating her court-ordered conditions of release, according to police reports. She was cited to appear in court and released, the report notes.
[Read more...]