Williston Observer

Sept. 30, 2010

ELECTION LETTERS POLICY

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. Please note the Observer will not run any Letters to the Editor pertaining to the vote on Oct. 28, the edition prior to the election.

All Letters to the Editor written in regards to the election MUST be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 18, and will appear in the Observer on Oct. 21.

Please be aware that normal guidelines will apply, including a 300-word limit for all letters.

E-mail letters to [email protected]

Questioning McCullough’s record

State Rep. Jim McCullough’s ad in last week’s Observer states that he “balances business’ and communities’ needs” and that he is a voice for business and landowners. His record, however, defies his claims.

In the 2009 session he voted to increase taxes by $28 million, including taxes on clothing and satellite television (H. 441), an additional $55 million, including the income tax (H. 442) and an increase in gas and diesel fuel taxes (H. 438).

Mr. McCullough favored passing the cost of decommissioning Vermont Yankee to Vermonters in the form of higher electricity costs in the future (H. 436). He opposed the effort to require the state to consider the impact of all legislation on our jobs (H. 313).

These votes are crippling young families, two income households and retired persons. It’s time for a change in Montpelier. Let’s elect Jay Michaud and Mike Benevento to the Legislature and get our state on the path to sensible government and prosperity.

First and goal, plenty of time

Under beautiful fall skies this past Saturday we witnessed the match-up between the Champlain Valley Union High Redhawks and the Mount Mansfield Union High Cougars.

Near the end of the game the score was 21-3 in CVU’s favor. The Redhawks had the ball. It was first and goal with plenty of time to score again. The ball was snapped. What did the young men do? They took a knee — twice!

Instead of running the score up to 28-3 and sending the Cougars home with their tail tucked far between their legs (which they deserved, in my humble opinion) they let ‘em off easy.

Coach Jim Provost and the Redhawks: you are a class act! Congratulations on the outcome of Saturday’s game and good luck with the rest of the season.

Support for Chief Nelson

I am writing to show my support for Police Chief Roy Nelson. After the cloud of misinformation clears I hope people will see clearly that Nelson’s blood alcohol was well below the legal limit and probably lower than the majority of drivers leaving the parking lot of any of our local restaurants that serve alcohol (“Chief ‘well below the legal limit’ in DUI case,” Observer, Sept. 23). He was not drinking on shift, but rather he was called back into a potentially violent situation. I believe if he had ignored the call and the situation had escalated there would be a lot more public outcry.

I do believe the trooper who asked Nelson to take the test and Nelson himself for submitting to the test acted properly and in the public’s best interest. However, I think the continued investigation and the “back relation analysis” is nothing more than a waste of time, taxpayer money and tantamount to a witch hunt. Rather than rake our police officers over the coals we should thank them for protecting us while we sleep.

Dissatisfied with NECAP scores

I am writing to express concern regarding Williston’s abysmal 8th grade Science NECAP test results (http://www.education.vermont.gov/new/pdfdoc/pgm_assessment/data/NECAP/NECAP_school_summary_05-10.pdf).

Only 26 percent of Williston’s eighth graders achieved proficiency on this test this past spring. This is alarmingly below the state average of 29 percent and a 10 percent drop from last year and a 20 percent drop from 2008 results! This is unconscionable for one of the wealthiest towns in the entire state. When I think about what all our kids have missed, and will never recover, my heart aches and my blood boils.

Below are indefensible comparisons of other Vermont eighth grades. (The only grossly comparable schools were Burlington’s Hunt Middle School and Milton Jr./Sr. High, which have nearly triple and double the percentage of students on Free and Reduced Lunch.)

It’s time to implore the Williston School District Board to address this science tragedy, and the unacceptable fact that our schools are also in state ”Corrective Action” for our fifth year of not making Annual Yearly Progress in Reading and Math. It’s time to examine true accountability for these problems and what must be done to turn our academic performance around. We cannot afford to “wait and see” any longer.

I sincerely hope this may inspires others to contact the School Board at [email protected] (or attend the next regular board meeting at 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 at Champlain Valley Union High) for the future of our children. Let’s stop this downward spiral and get Williston performing at the top, where it belongs!

Don’t let health insurance fears deter entrepreneurship

Sept. 30, 2010

When I set out to start my own business in Vermont, the number one roadblock for me was health insurance. What happens if I get sick? How can I afford such high prices through an association such as a Chamber of Commerce when I can barely make ends meet as it is? There are so many fears associated with starting a business, but I wanted to do it so badly I was prepared to overlook my health for the time being because I felt so strongly (and still do!) that creating my own path and manifesting my own future was only possible by taking control of my career by starting a business.

The fear of health insurance was soon thwarted when another small business owner told me about Green Mountain Care. I had heard of it and didn’t think it would apply to me; I hadn’t lost my job — I left to start my own company. But that is not the case with Green Mountain Care — eligibility is much broader than I thought and I now want to help let others know that they should explore opportunities themselves instead of just believing the first thing they hear.

Green Mountain Care is a family of health care plans for uninsured Vermonters. Eligibility and application details are online at www.GreenMountainCare.org.

I quickly began the application process and, while it took some time because I was self-employed, it was very useful in actually getting my finances organized. The process also led me to set up a Quickbooks program for my business, which has been one of the best investments I could have made. I learned I was eligible for the Vermont Health Access Plan — one of the Green Mountain Care plans — and was also able to keep my same primary care physician from when I was employed.

The monthly premium to start was free and as my business started to grow, my premium went up, but was still something I could make work in my budget. As my business grew and my tax returns showed my income levels rising, I was no longer eligible for the Vermont Health Access Plan. But instead of getting kicked off for making a living as I feared, I was shifted into Catamount Health, with Premium Assistance, which I chose to have administered through Blue Cross Blue Shield — all while keeping my same primary care physician and still with costs that I can work into my budget.

I often hear other budding entrepreneurs say the main reason they don’t want to go out on their own is the fear of not having health insurance, and I tell them what someone told me when I was getting started: check out Green Mountain Care, which includes Catamount Health, Vermont Health Access Plan, Dr. Dynasaur, Medicaid and premium assistance for either Catamount Health or Employer-Sponsored Insurance.

And to those who want to say Green Mountain Care is simply a state program for freeloaders — there are a lot of hardworking 20- and 30-somethings trying to make an honest living here in Vermont. And since there is growing concern over the high number of younger professionals moving out of state for better work opportunities, what is wrong with the state of Vermont offering help to the very people who are needed to make Vermont a more viable economic community? Not to mention that as a group, entrepreneurs pay in more than they pay out.

And as for peace of mind — I am glad I have insurance for when I really need it.

Rachel Carter owns Rachel Carter PR, a public relations, social media and grassroots marketing firm located in Charlotte and at www.RachelCarterPR.com.

Sept. 30, 2010

The Williston Observer is celebrating its 25th year providing news to the community. Here are some stories from past months of September:

♦ The Williston Whistle reported in September 1987 that the paper would become a “Newspaper of Record.” The distinction meant the paper would “have a permanent place in the files of the Law & Document Unit of the Dept. of the Libraries in Montpelier,” according to the article.

♦ Williston welcomed its first town manager in September 1988. Paul D. McGinley of East Barre began at the position on Sept. 6 that year, after serving as the town manager of Barre from 1972 to 1986. McGinley’s tenure was short-lived, as he resigned a year later.

“For the manager to do his statute duties, the departments will be required to work together and through the manager to the Selectboard. The manager must have the backing of the Selectboard,” McGinley said in September 1989.

♦ Wal-Mart broke ground in Williston on Sept. 18, 1995, with Selectman Herb Goodrich pushing the first shovel into the earth. The 115,000-square-foot store had mixed support from residents, the Whistle reported in its Sept. 21 edition.

♦ The Williston Selectboard in September 1997 passed an “ordinance prohibiting all but shotgun fire in most of Williston north of Interstate 89,” the Whistle reported in its Sept. 18, 1997 edition. The decision allowed the use of other firearms — including rifles, pistols and revolvers — in a section of forest and farmland north of Gov. Chittenden Road and east of North Williston Road.

♦ Construction equipment broke ground for Maple Tree Place in September 2000, the Whistle reported in its Sept. 7 issue.

♦ In the Sept. 28, 2000 edition of the Whistle, the paper reported that Chittenden County Transit Authority buses would begin serving Williston on Oct. 2. The bus service was set to run from the University Mall in South Burlington to the Amtrak station in Essex Junction. Fares were $1 for adults and 50 cents for children.

♦ A Burlington man died on Sept. 24, 2001 after being shot by police officers, the Whistle reported in the Sept. 27 paper. One Williston police officer and two state troopers opened fire on 43-year-old Elisei Borlovan near the corner of Vermont 2A and Industrial Avenue. Borlovan allegedly pointed a rifle at the officers after what appeared to be a botched break-in at a local gun store.

♦ Williston police officers reached an agreement with the town in September 2002 for an 11 percent pay raise over three years. The Selectboard approved the contract, which ran from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2005, on Sept. 12.

♦ The Selectboard banned smoking in Williston restaurants in September 2004, the paper reported on Sept. 23. Chili’s Grill & Bar was the only restaurant in town affected by the ban.

♦ The Observer reported on Sept. 20, 2004 that The Haunted Forest, an annual Halloween-time event with spooky skits, had signed a 15-year lease with the Catamount Family Center.

♦ Williston welcomed 12 victims of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, a story reported in the Sept .15 issue of the paper. The people had family and friends in Williston. Some stayed in a local motel, while others moved in with friends and family.

♦ The Old Brick Café in Williston Village closed in September 2007, the Observer reported on Sept. 13. The restaurant had opened in March 2005. Monty’s Old Brick Tavern now occupies the space.

Sept. 30, 2010

A failing septic system in the Meadowridge subdivision prompted a request from the neighborhood association to permanently tap into the town’s sewer system.

Meadowridge representatives asked the Selectboard on Sept. 13 to join the town sewer system, and the board granted the request at a second meeting on Sept. 27.

Sixty homes in Meadowridge use two septic systems. One of those systems has experienced ongoing problems, despite costly attempts to fix the failures and repeated septic tank pumping. At the Sept. 13 meeting, several people — including an engineer hired by Meadowridge — made the point that individual homeowners can pay $3,500 to $30,000 to replace a septic system; the range covers what Meadowridge residents would have paid to build a new system.

Yet the Selectboard ultimately decided that the failing system posed a public health hazard, particularly if problems persist years down the road.

Town Manager Rick McGuire said designing, permitting and constructing the sewer tie-in could take at least a year. Meadowridge will pay for the process.

— Greg Duggan, Observer staff

Sept. 30, 2010

Three Tomatoes Trattoria and Natural Provisions Market are participating in the annual Share the Harvest fund-raiser next week. (Observer photos by Stephanie Choate)

Next Thursday, Williston diners can go to two local eateries while raising money for low-income Vermont families.

Three Tomatoes Trattoria and Natural Provisions Market are participating in the 16th annual Share The Harvest fund-raising event, set for Oct. 7.

“It’s such an easy way to support those less fortunate than us and at the same time support local agriculture and small farms and a sense of community,” said Becca Weiss, program coordinator at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, or NOFA-VT, which runs the event.

Three Tomatoes Trattoria and Natural Provisions Market are participating in the annual Share the Harvest fund-raiser next week. (Observer photos by Stephanie Choate)

More than 80 restaurants, markets and cooperatives have partnered with NOFA-VT for the event, donating a part of their sales that day to NOFA-VT’s Farm Share program. Businesses normally give between 5 percent and 15 percent of their sales, or a flat donation. The money raised will help low-income families buy a share in local Community Supported Agriculture farms, giving them 22 weeks of fresh produce.

This is the third year Natural Provisions Market has participated. It has joined every year it has been in Williston, and its St. Johnsbury location has been involved for longer.

“It’s such a terrific cause,” General Manager Peter Lafferty said. “I think that it embodies so many things that we, on some scale, try to promote and believe in and really are working towards in our own store.”

Lafferty was not sure how much Natural Provisions would donate, since the owners normally determine the rate. Three Tomatoes owners could not be reached before press deadline.

The event is the main fund-raising source for the Farm Share program. NOFA-VT subsidizes half of the cost for the CSA share, and the farm pitches in a quarter or more of the cost.

“It’s a really tiny fee to be included in a CSA,” Weiss said.

The program helps everyone involved, Weiss said. It gives low-income Vermonters access to fresh farm produce, rather than forcing them to rely on government subsidies. It also helps CSAs, since NOFA-VT gives them the money for the shares in the winter, a slow time for the farms. Sales at participating outlets are often boosted on that day, as well.

“It’s really a win-win-win program,” Weiss said.

Both locations have already participated in the event.

Last year, they raised approximately $12,000 through participating businesses and individual donations, and helped more than 130 families, Weiss said. There was a waiting list, however, and they were not able to help approximately 20 applicants.

“I have continued to be really impressed, given the recession and the economy, that restaurant owners and food store owners are willing to support this,” Weiss said.

For a full list of participating restaurants, visit www.nofavt.org.

FOOD PRODUCTION TALK SET FOR MONDAY

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library is hosting a talk about the state of the country’s food production next week.

Vermont Public Radio commentator, author and farmer Ron Krupp will lead the discussion, called “Lifting The Yoke: Local Solutions to America’s Farm and Food Crisis.” Krupp will talk about current food production methods, what can be done about it, and potential solutions in Vermont and the Williston area.

Librarian Marti Fiske has also invited local farmers, farm agencies, food shelf officials and school food directors.

The event is set for Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the library.

— Stephanie Choate, Observer staff