Williston Observer

Dec. 24, 2008

After journeying deep into the Northeast Kingdom on Tuesday for a tilt at St. Johnsbury Academy, coach Scott Bliss and his Champlain Valley Union High boys basketball team will be on the familiar home court Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. meeting with Bellows Free Academy of St. Albans.

Tuesday’s game was set to be played after press deadline.

The Bobwhites entered this week with a 2-4 mark, one of the losses handed to them by the Redhawks, a 75-52 thumping in the season opener in St. Albans.

This past Friday night, CVU’s team became unwilling members of a growing club, victims of the rampaging 7-0 defending Division 1 champion Burlington High squad. The Redhawks succumbed to Burlington by a score of 71-42. In their Burlington quarters, the Seahorses bolted to a 38-22 halftime lead and seldom looked back.

The 3-2 Redhawks were paced by Ryan Poirier with 10 points, while Chris Bunbury flipped in eight.

— Mal Boright, Observer correspondent

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Dec. 24, 2008

With Tuesday night’s business in Essex complete — the Champlain Valley Union High boys hockey team was hoping to reverse the outcome of last March, in which the Hornets won the Division 1 title — the Redhawks will meet Rutland High at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday at Cairns 1 Arena in South Burlington. On Tuesday, the Redhawks will embark on a trip to St. Albans and to take on always strong Bellows Free Academy at 7:30 p.m.

The Redhawks went to Essex with a 4-1 record in tow, the lone loss a narrow 3-2 decision to Lower Canada College, the reigning Montreal interscholastic champions. The game was scheduled to be played after press deadline.

Last Wednesday, the Hawks took the measure of 3-2 South Burlington High. The CVU goals came from the sticks of defenseman Eric Robinson and forwards Ben Soll, Robbie Dobrowski and Nate Lacroix. Goalie Mark Albertson had 26 stops for the Redhawks.

— Mal Boright, Observer correspondent

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Dec. 24, 2008

By Mal Boright

Observer correspondent

This is probably not a good week to suggest to members of the Champlain Valley Union High girls basketball team that it might be nice to go to the local bakery for some tasty turnovers.

Victimized by the basketball variety of un-tasty turnovers in a narrow, 35-33 loss to 3-1 Rice Memorial High on Monday night at Bremner Gymnasium, the 4-1 Redhawks will try to get back on the winning side of things Saturday when they visit South Burlington High for a late morning match.

The varsity team tips off at 11:30 a.m. CVU nudged the Rebels, 41-38, on Dec. 15 in Hinesburg.

Despite being severely hampered by a 26-16 disadvantage in those pesky turnovers, the Redhawks were able to take Rice into the closing seconds before bowing on a driving layup by the Green Knights’ slick guard Brittany Pfaff (game high 17 points). The basket snapped a 33-33 tie with eight seconds left in regulation.

Down by nine points, 21-12, at halftime, CVU fell behind by as much as 13 points early in the third quarter when it turned the ball over on four of its first six possessions in the second half.

But the long road back began with a Becca Russ rebound lay-in and free throw, which ignited a 16-3 surge that pulled CVU into a 33-31 lead when Renick Lalancette passed inside to an open Allison Gannon for a layup with 2:21 remaining in the game.

It was the Redhawks’ first lead since Rice went on a 17-point tear in the first and second periods to erase a game-opening 7-0 burst by CVU.

But, as happened earlier, the late lead proved a curse for the Hawks, as their turnover bugaboo once again reared its ugliness.

Immediately after Gannon’s lead-producing basket, Rice’s Sydney Bouchard nailed a jumper at the other end to tie the game at 33.

Three CVU turnovers in the next two minutes broke the CVU offense and, after a Rice timeout, Pfaff got the winning score. A three-point attempt by CVU was off the mark at the buzzer.

There were some positives that coach Stan Williams and the Hawks could take from the contest, including a 39-23 advantage on the boards and a defensive effort, especially in the second half, that limited Rice to an overall 15-for-53 (28 percent) shooting from the field. For much of the second half, the Knights simply tried dialing long distance and went stone cold.

Gannon, who sat out most of the first half due to two early fouls, led the board crew with nine rebounds.  Reserve Shea Hulbert had six.

The Redhawks, led by Amanda Kinneston’s eight points and Lanlancette’s seven, fired up only 41 shots and hit 12. The toll of the turnovers was readily evident in the fewer pops at the wicket.

Last Thursday, Gannon sizzled for 24 points, including 20 in the first half, as the Redhawks scored a 51-25 victory over Mount Abraham Union in Bristol.

“She played the point for most of the first half and did a great job keeping everything under control,” Williams said of the veteran junior.

Rice Memorial (35)

Bachand 0 0-0 0, Bouchard 2 0-0 4, Hartley 4 0-2 9, Jewell 2 1-1 5, Pfaff 7 1-2 17, Steiger 0 0-0 0, Rice 0 0-0 0, Durkee 0 0-0 0, Hee 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 2-5 35.

CVU (33)

Kohlasch 1 4-6 6, Lalancette 3 0-0 7, Gannon 2 0-0 4, Berry 0 0-0 0, Kinneston 3 1-2 8, Bashaw 0 0-0 0, Russ 1 2-3 4, Evans 0 0-0 0, Hulbert 2 0-1 4. Totals 12 7-12 33.

Rice        10    11    7    7 — 35

CVU         7    5    9    12 — 33

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Dec. 24, 2008

By Tim Simard

Observer staff

The future of the Allen Brook School’s modular classrooms will most likely be decided next month, after the Williston School Board unanimously agreed to present two different master plans to the Development Review Board.

At Thursday night’s School Board meeting, Chittenden South Supervisory Union Chief Operations Officer Bob Mason described eight different plans for modular classrooms, of which the board found two to be feasible.

The first plan the School Board intends to present is the idea of refurbishing the exterior of the modular classrooms to better match the rest of Allen Brook. Mason said Banwell Architects — a design firm based in New Hampshire that works with CSSU — estimated the cost of replacement siding and skirting for the classrooms to be around $100,000.

“It would look more substantial than what is there today,” Mason said.

The other option the School Board will bring before the Development Review Board is the idea of building an addition onto Allen Brook and removing the trailers. The addition would have roughly the same amount of square footage as the modular classrooms. A rough estimate of the building cost puts it at more than $5.15 million. The addition would be on the east side of the school.

Mason said if a separate addition were built, a bond would not be brought to voters until 2010, when the modular classroom permit is due to expire. Board members agreed the prospect of building an addition was not an attractive one in the current economy, but they wanted the Development Review Board to see two very different plans on how to deal with the trailers.

School Board Vice Chairwoman Holly Rouelle thought it would be in everyone’s best interest to present more than one plan.

“If they are displeased by it, you will likely hear that from them and be invited back,” Mason said.

Other options brought to the School Board included the following: a proposal to build the original 2002 planned addition, which would cost upwards of $7.92 million; the possibility of renting space in commercial or other types of buildings in Williston as classrooms, which could require a long-term lease and large costs every year to taxpayers; and a lease of classrooms at the Hinesburg Central School, which has some rooms available. The board didn’t see the last option as being very practical, overall. Mason and the board deemed other options impractical as well.

The Allen Brook modular classrooms were installed in 2002 with a four-year permit to accommodate growing enrollment in Williston. The Development Review Board granted a subsequent four-year temporary building permit in 2006 with the stipulation the School Board had to present a master plan in 2008 on what to do with the trailers. The permit expires in 2010.

School Board Chairwoman Darlene Worth said the refurbishing plan seemed to be the most cost effective option on the table.

“Next to building an addition, it looks very inexpensive,” Worth said.

Worth stressed that the master planning stage was an “interim step” and that the Development Review Board would like one of the options presented so work could begin on the site.

Mason said he intended to send the two plans to the Williston Planning and Zoning Department as soon as possible. Town Planning Director Ken Belliveau said he’s talked with members of CSSU and expects the plans shortly, which he would then pass along to the Development Review Board.

“It was their understanding that they would have to get something to us before the end of December to get on the January meeting,” Belliveau said.

Belliveau said the School Board would most likely be scheduled to present its master plan at the Jan. 27 Development Review Board meeting, if all materials are received on time.

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Dec. 24, 2008

Car accidents

•    On a snowy evening on Dec. 7, fire crews responded to a five-car accident on French Hill on Route 2 at 5:45 p.m. Fire crews discovered the street had not yet been plowed or salted, creating slippery roadways, according to Williston firefighter Ryan Prouty. Police and fire departments combined to shut down Route 2 at the top and bottom of French Hill.

There was minor damage to the vehicles, and no drivers or passengers required medical treatment.

The Public Works Department plowed and salted the road before Route 2 was reopened for traffic. Engines 3 and 4, along with Hazmat 2 and Car 1, responded with seven firefighters.

•    A three-car accident caused traffic delays on Route 2A near Marshall Avenue on Dec. 8 at 9:20 a.m. A Toyota Rav 4 rear-ended a Chrysler Sebring, which in turn hit a Toyota Tacoma. The driver of the Chrysler Sebring was treated for injuries and transported to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington by the Essex Rescue Service. The fire department cleaned up debris and fluids. Five firefighters responded with Engine 3 and Car 1.

•    High winds and deep snow combined to create deep snowdrifts on local roads on Dec. 14. At 12:48 p.m., fire crews responded to an accident scene on Van Sicklen Road. A Nissan four-door sport utility vehicle hit a snowdrift on the road and was pushed by the high winds and snow into a telephone poll. To avoid the first accident, the driver of a Honda minivan drove over the snowdrift and off the road.

There were no injuries to either driver and Green Mountain Power was called in to replace the telephone poll.

At 1:38 p.m., crews diverted resources to Mountain View Road for a similar accident involving snowdrifts, wind and a telephone poll.

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