Williston Observer

Jeff Atwood attends dozens of meetings

Oct. 29, 2009

By Greg Elias

Observer staff

Developer Jeff Atwood shed his coat, placed papers in front of him and then made an eight-minute speech at last week’s Selectboard meeting that was equal parts plea for cooperation and policy critique.

“I’m hoping we can come to some compromise and resolution but I don’t see it happening so far,” said Atwood, who recently appealed in court restrictions that he says make it impossible to build his eight-unit subdivision on North Williston Road.

The town plan calls for construction of modestly priced homes like those offered by his project, he added, but that can’t happen without the board easing the burden of Williston’s growth control rules.

Atwood has become a familiar sight at Town Hall. He has appeared at or had his project discussed during 35 meetings of various boards over the past two years, minutes posted on the town’s Web site show.

He has more recently focused on the Selectboard, attending a half-dozen meetings in 2009.

Earlier this year, he argued against provisions in the unified development bylaw that he said would prevent construction of his project. After the bylaw passed, Atwood continued to press his case, sharpening criticism of the land-use rules and implying that town staff and board members have a hidden agenda.

“Unfortunately, your staff has got their hands in the sandbox,” he said at the Oct. 19 Selectboard meeting.

“Are you making an accusation against our staff?” asked Selectboard Chairman Terry Macaig. Atwood said he wasn’t.

But in an interview, Atwood said his comment referred to a conflict of interest complaint he filed against Development Review Board member Richard Asch and former Town Planner Lee Nellis.

A committee of the Board of Civil Authority investigated the complaint but found no violation of Williston’s conflict of interest ordinance, said Town Clerk Deb Beckett.

The town’s conflict of interest ordinance forbids the release of information regarding a complaint if no wrongdoing is found, so Beckett said she could not provide details.

Macaig said he was irritated by Atwood’s vague allegation and surprised that he attended the meeting after taking the town to court.

“He has a lawsuit pending, so I sort of wondered why he was there,” Macaig said. “He certainly has the right to come to the board meetings, but I don’t think we are in the position to do anything until there is a settlement or the lawsuit is heard.”

“I’m annoyed too,” Atwood said. But he said he still has “faith and confidence” that the town will reconsider restrictions on his project.

Town Manager Rick McGuire said Atwood has repeatedly made “veiled references” to wrongdoing that are impossible to rebut.

“It’s unfortunate for me as a member of the staff who treasures our good reputation,” McGuire said.

Under Vermont’s public meeting law, the board is required to set aside time for public comment, so Atwood has the legal right to speak at each meeting. But Macaig said he could impose time limits in the future.

Atwood filed a permit application for the controversial subdivision off North Williston Road about three years ago. The project attracted opposition from residents on nearby Lefebvre Lane, who argued among other things that the planned multi-unit buildings were out of character with the existing neighborhood.

The Development Review Board granted a permit for the project in April. But phasing rules and sewer allocation limits will force Atwood to wait until 2011 to construct homes, which must then be built over a four-year period.

Those restrictions make the subdivision financially unfeasible, Atwood said. It will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to install roads and other infrastructure, and he said he can’t afford to spend that much while waiting years to sell homes.

Atwood, along with co-applicants Dana and Brenda Hood, have appealed the project’s conditions of approval in Vermont Environmental Court.

The appeal challenges the phasing requirement, alleging affordable housing cannot be built “without undue financial sacrifice.” It also seeks to overturn a condition requiring Atwood to relocate driveways to avoid wetland buffers.

Atwood said he will continue to speak out at Selectboard meetings.

“I’ve got to keep pressing, I’ve got to keep fighting for it,” he told the board.

[Read more...]

Oct. 29, 2009

By Tim Simard

Observer staff

With each pedal of the mountain bike, two different compact fluorescent light bulbs brightly lit up the Town Hall’s upstairs conference room. Shreyas Malhotra, 7, slowly pedaled the stationary bike, hooked up to different light bulb sets.

“Keep pedaling,” said Seth Wolcott of the Vermont Energy Education Program. “Not easy to light those bulbs, is it?”

Pedaling the bike, Malhotra demonstrated how much energy it takes to light incandescent bulbs versus the more energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. The experiment was part of Saturday’s Williston Energy Fair, hosted by Williston Green Initiatives.

On a mostly rainy day, about 60 to 70 people filtered in and out of Town Hall, learning ways to lead a more energy efficient lifestyle. Representatives from the Chittenden Solid Waste District, Building Energy and Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network were on hand to answer questions and provide sustainability tips.

For Malhotra’s father, Vishal, the energy fair was a chance to show his family — Shreyas, 9-year-old Shorya and wife Shakun — how energy conservation can help save the planet.

“I’m teaching them how to save and conserve energy,” Vishal Malhotra said. “I’ve taken them to energy fairs in Boston, but I wanted to show them how their own town is making a difference.”

The Williston Green Initiatives group formed in April 2008 as a subgroup of WING, a community visioning event. Since then, the group has helped administer energy audits within Williston and hosted sustainable living classes and film viewings.

Along with Saturday’s demonstrations and discussions, residents could take a tour with Williston Planner Jessica Andreoletti of Town Hall’s recent energy-saving changes. Button Up Vermont, a nonprofit conservation organization, held a seminar on how to make homes more energy efficient. Approximately 20 residents took the hour-long class.

The energy fair’s success pleased many in the Williston Green Initiatives group.

“We’ve had such a great turnout today and that’s such a thrill to us,” group member Mariana Lamaison Sears said.

“It means that the Green Initiatives group has made a name for itself in town,” Andreoletti added.

The Williston Energy Fair was held in conjunction with the International Day of Climate Action, organized by Vermont-author Bill McKibben’s 350.org organization. The group’s goal is to reduce to the world’s carbon output to 350 parts per million, the amount of carbon dioxide that scientists say is a safe level for the earth’s atmosphere. Across Vermont, and the world, different festivals and fairs celebrated the global effort.

For Debra Sachs, executive director of the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network, the Williston Energy Fair was just as integral to the International Day of Climate Action as the larger events across the planet. Changes start locally first, she said.

“This is sustainability at it’s best,” Sachs said. “Sustainability’s best practice is dialogue.”

The Williston Energy Fair’s goal was to be a “zero-waste event.” Recycling and compost bins were set up.

Recycling and composting is a key component to saving energy, said CSWD’s Nancy Plunkett. She spent much of Saturday’s fair highlighting what people can recycle and compost — many people were unaware of all the possibilities. As Plunkett highlighted in a display, recycling one soda can saves as much energy as it takes to power a standard television for three hours.

“We do need to get back to our ecological principles,” Sachs said.

Vishal Malhotra believes the best way to return to those principles is to educate youngsters with practical ideas. As his sons took turns trying the bike demonstration, Malhotra dispensed some sage advice.

“It all starts with making a habit of turning off the lights when you leave the room,” he said.

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Oct. 22, 2009

By Mal Boright

Observer correspondent

Going into the final week of the regular season, the Champlain Valley Union High girls soccer team faced a dangerous but doable road to an undefeated season and a top seed in the Division 1 playoffs.

At press deadline on Wednesday, the 9-0-3 Redhawks were home to 3-6-2 Essex High, a team they played to a scoreless tie in Essex at the beginning of the month.

Coming up at 4 p.m. on Friday is the regular season finale at Burlington High. The defending champs are 4-2-6 and played to a 1-1 draw with the Hawks in Hinesburg on Oct. 7.

In this late season run to the finish line, CVU has become a target for the teams behind it in the chase for pairings positioning.

South Burlington, which fell 4-0 to the Redhawks earlier in the season, gave a mighty effort last Thursday on its turf and took the favored Red and White into overtime. The Redhawks’ hustling Amanda Kinneston ended the tense fray with a goal 7:34 into the extra session for a 1-0 triumph.

It was Kinneston’s second tally of the season and what beauty it was. The junior attacker had moved in toward the Rebel goal from the left side, got momentarily tied up by a defender and then, with teammate Sara Lewis’ help, got loose, took two steps and booted a hard shot into the left side of the net.

Kinneston had been denied or just missed on three previous good opportunities, but the game winner made up for that.

Lewis had also been a serious threat to South Burlington on many occasions, advancing the ball deep into Rebel territory with abandon. She had two great chances late in the game, just missing the goal on the first and then being stopped by Rebel net minder Amy Simendinger with one second to go in regulation.

The Redhawks spent much of the afternoon in front of Simendinger, who had 12 stops. CVU goalie Emily Sackett had just one save.

South Burlington’s best chance at a score came late in the first half, when Sackett fired out of the net to stop a South Burlington charge, but missed the ball, which momentarily sat some five feet from the open cage. Alert defender Lindsay Hawley cleared it out of the danger zone before South Burlington could get a foot on it.

Hawley, Haleigh Smith, Lindsay Kingston and Kendall Berry helped keep the Rebels out of CVU territory the rest of the afternoon.

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Boys soccer team closing in on top playoff seed

Oct. 22, 2009

By Mal Boright

Observer correspondent

With the Division 1 primo playoff seed in their sights, coach T.J. Mead and his 12-1 Champlain Valley Union High boys soccer team close out the regular season on Saturday with a bus ride to Newport and an 11 a.m. meeting with 4-8-1 North Country Union High.

The Redhawks looked like a top seed on Tuesday with a sharp, 3-0 home victory over 5-6-1 Mount Mansfield Union and its acrobatic net minder, Conor Leland.

Leland turned aside 11 CVU shots, including a penalty kick in an athletic exhibition in the Cougars’ cage.

CVU prevailed, in the words of Mead, because of a “solid work rate, moving the ball around and getting the 50-50 balls, especially in the second half.”

The Redhawks held a substantial advantage in territorial play and goalie John Milbank had four stops in chalking up CVU’s eighth shutout of the campaign.

Senior co-captain Chris Beaton, a solid defender, notched the victors’ initial goal with 10 minutes gone in the first half, knocking the ball past Leland from out of a crowd in front of the net. It was Beaton’s first score of the year.

With 9:23 left in the half, Mark Clayton took a set-up from Chris Sulva, got a one-on-one situation with Leland and unleashed a 20-foot slam for a 2-0 lead and his 16th tally.

Zach Blanchard notched CVU’s second half goal with 11:04 remaining, a point-blank shot after a pass from Nick Hart. It was Blanchard’s fourth goal.

One of Leland’s primary victims was midfielder Kyle Logan, whom the MMU goalie robbed on a couple of occasions. Logan just missed hitting corners on two other shots.

Dylan Crowe, Henry Sengle and Clayton also had strong efforts turned aside.

In the meantime, Ryan Boland, Elias Wiszereck and Beaton and others played solid deep defense to keep the Cougars from mounting sustained attacks.

“We are on the upswing,” Mead said.

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