Williston Observer

June 30, 2011

Hydrant flushing begins Tuesday

The Town of Williston will conduct its annual hydrant flushing beginning Tuesday and going until the end of August. Water customers may experience some low water pressure during this time. For questions or concerns call 878-1239.

Tomashot earns academic award from St. Michael’s College

Williston resident and Champlain Valley Union High School student John W. Tomashot was named the 2011 recipient of the Saint Michael’s College Book Award for academic achievement with a social conscience.

According to a news release from the college, the award recognizes students who demonstrate a commitment to leadership in volunteer service and academic achievement. Saint Michael’s, founded on the belief that serving others is part of its Catholic tradition, seeks to honor those who demonstrate the true spirit of volunteerism.

Award recipients, named at schools throughout the country, are high school juniors who are inductees of the National Honor Society or an equivalent school-sponsored honors organization. They must demonstrate a commitment to service activities in high school or community organizations, taking leadership roles in these activities.

Tomashot was presented with, “First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers,” a book written by 1993 Saint Michael’s graduate Loung Ung. In the book, Ung gives an autobiographical account, from a child’s perspective, of surviving captivity during the genocidal Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.

Jim’s House earns grant

The Executive Board of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (Vermont Chapter) will officially recognize Jim’s House, Inc., this week with a grant from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in the amount of $2,000, according to a news release. The APDA Vermont Chapter will match PhRMA’s grant for a total of $4,000.

Jim’s House, located in Williston, was founded and named after Jim Crevier, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) in 1997 and died in 2001. The house has been made available for people with neurological diseases and their care providers coming to Fletcher Allen Health Care from such a distance as to require an overnight stay.

The release stated that grant money will be used to help defray the financial obligations of the house’s upkeep.

June 30, 2011

Joseph M. Shook
Joseph M. Shook, 20, son of John and Elizabeth Jordan-Shook, died suddenly on Saturday, June 25, 2011. Besides his parents, Joe is survived by his twin, Samuel, and his older brother, Jeremiah; his grandmother, Loretta Jordan of Williston; and numerous loving aunts, uncles and cousins. Joe was a graduate of Williston Central School and Champlain Valley Union High School. Both schools embraced Joe’s spirit and love for learning and life. The family wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to Williston Central and CVU staff, Joy Peterson, Carter Smith, Terry Thyng, Karen Halsted, Kate Webb, Linell Vilaseca, Mary Stearns, Rosanne Fredriksen, James Ransavage, Katie and her CVU advisory, Peggy McDonald, Sharon Ogden and friends and students of CVU’s Partners club. Special thanks to Bonnie Benson, Mili McCoy, Inger Dybfest and Karen Shearer. Thanks to the staff of the CVU school store, Passport Video and the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library where he volunteered. Thanks to all his medical care providers through the years. Joe was very active in Partners in Adventure. Partners in Adventure was an important part of his life, and he loved it all: the fitness Fridays, Saturday night outs, the socials, winter camp and summer camp. He made lifelong friends through Partners. Special thanks to Debbie Lamden, Sue Minter and all the Partners in Adventure campers and staff. Calling hours were Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Gifford Funeral Home, 22 Depot St., Richmond. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday, June 29, 2011, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Joe’s name to Partners in Adventure, P.O. Box 867, Shelburne, VT 05482.

Timothy A. LaFountaine
Timothy A. LaFountaine, 49, of Williston, passed away April 4, 2011, after a long illness. Tim had many accomplishments in his short life. He proudly served in the United States Air Force. He painted and held a journeyman’s license in plumbing and natural gas. Tim was also a person that would always help people — a giving soul. Tim is survived by his daughter, Ashley LaFountaine of Vermont; father, Aimes P. LaFountaine of Conway, S.C.; two brothers, Todd M. LaFountaine of Burlington and Randolph S. LaFountaine of South Carolina; three sisters, Theresa I. Aldrich of Tampa, Fla., Tonya L. LaFountaine of Charleston, S.C. and Sandra L. Bain of Conway, S.C.; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. A graveside memorial service will be held on July 2, 2011, 10 a.m., Lakeview Cemetery, Burlington. All relatives and friends are welcome to attend.

Our stars and stripes

June 30, 2011

Many people will display the American Flag on July 4. Towns will line their main streets with “Old Glory,” military and others will carry the flag in parades, people will wave the flag from floats and children will wave the flag from the sidelines.

There are some rules to follow related to our flag. Rule No. 1 is there shall be no disrespect shown to our nation’s flag because it represents a living country and is considered a living thing. The flag should never touch the ground. Words, insignias, figures or embroidery shall not be added to our flag. It should never be worn or used as clothing, bedding, draperies, athletic uniforms, or as a costume. It should never be used as a cover for pillows. When there are two or more national flags displayed, they should be on separate poles and equal in height. One should never carry the flag horizontal or flat. It should always be held upright and flown free. If one wears a flag pin, it should be located on the left side of clothing.

A worn out flag may be burned if made of wool or cotton. If it is made of synthetics, it should be buried. If you have a question about what to do with a worn flag, contact your local Veterans of Foreign Wars organization. A local cleaning company can sometimes clean the flag for free.

On certain occasions, the president or governor can order the flag flown at half-staff.
Former military and veterans may give the military salute to the flag when not in uniform. It is OK to fly a flag that doesn’t have 50 stars.

All-weather flags do not have to be taken in each day at sundown. Flags flown at night should be illuminated with a light to show that it’s on display.

Today there is U.S. legislation being considered to:

• Prohibit importing foreign-made American flags and the sale of them

• Allow the flag to be given to immediate families for someone killed in the line of duty, such as a policeman, emergency technician, or rescue person

• Give the family of a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol

There are approximately 20 holidays a year when we are encouraged to fly the flag. Did you know one of the most recent ones, declared by President Barack Obama in 2009, is National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day on July 27? There is also Peace Officers Day (honoring those killed in the line of duty) on May 15. The flag can be flown at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day.

A final bit of info about our flag. “Reveille “ is played when the flag is being raised and “Taps” is played when lowering the flag.

Ginger Isham lives with her husband on a fifth generation family farm on Oak Hill Road.

Macaig among officials at traffic meeting in Montpelier

June 30, 2011

Like the traffic it aims to alleviate, the Circumferential Highway project has ground to a halt – but politicians on the town and state level are determined to keep moving forward on the issue.

State representatives Terry Macaig and Jim McCullough from Williston and town manager Rick McGuire traveled to Montpelier on Tuesday to take part in a discussion with state officials about traffic issues and possible solutions. Gov. Peter Shumlin, Secretary of Transportation Brian Searles and Metropolitan Planning Organization executive director Michele Boomhower were among those who listened to input from town officials from Williston, Essex, Essex Junction and Colchester.

“The governor started by saying that … we need to do something simpler and quicker than what has been discussed in the past,” Macaig said. “He invited the towns and other interested parties … to get together in the next few weeks to start brainstorming.”

Macaig said that McGuire and other town managers will be the “key people” in organizing joint meetings between town officials and other entities, such as IBM, which have commercial interests tied to possible solutions to the area’s traffic problems. He said that an ongoing dialogue was encouraged between the towns and the Metropolitan Planning Organization, in order to pinpoint strategies to relieve traffic congestion in specific areas.

Macaig said that Gov. Shumlin did not expressly say that the Circ had been eliminated from consideration by the state. Searles opted for similar language when asked about that possibility earlier this week.

“Nothing is off the table,” Searles said. “But we have to be realistic about our options.”
Macaig said that he came away from Tuesday’s meeting with the sense that town officials were being asked to look beyond the federally approved Circ A/B Boulevard alternative at more conservative traffic solutions.

“My inference is that if the Circ and Boulevard are not dead, they are on life support,” Macaig said.

Macaig said that he was relieved at that idea, considering the potential impact that the completion of just the A Boulevard – even on a temporary basis – would have on traffic on and in the vicinity of Mountain View Rd. in Williston. Macaig said that McCullough presented an alternative idea at Tuesday’s meeting, one that he had previously discussed with Deputy Secretary of Transportation Sue Minter.

“If we built a highway to Mountain View Rd. in the area of Redmond Rd., would IBM be willing to sell its existing bridge (over the Winooski River) to the town, and create a separate, secure route around its facility?” Macaig said. “It’s an innovative idea, and Jim threw it on the table.”

Even before Tuesday’s meeting, local officials were taking action in regard to the Circ debate. Linda Meyers of the Essex Selectboard wrote a letter to other area Board chairs this week encouraging “the four impacted communities to come together and present a united response.”

“In the absence of proactive action on the part of Williston, Essex, Essex Junction and Colchester, there is a high risk that the previously earmarked future funds for the Circumferential Highway will be utilized for other purposes unrelated to the need to reduce congestion in our four communities,” Meyers wrote.

Macaig said at Monday’s Selectboard meeting that McGuire, town planner Ken Belliveau and public works director Bruce Hoar were scheduled to meet with Boomhower in early July to further discuss traffic issues in Williston and possible solutions.

Lawyer: latest VANR study satisfies deer issue

June 30, 2011

Mike Fontaine of Williston compares aerial images with the area for a proposed housing project at his family’s sand pit off North Williston Rd. on Tuesday. The Fontaines have spent the past six years trying to move forward on the project, which is currently blocked by a debate over deer habitat in the area. (Observer photo by Adam White)

Changing times are making it harder for a longtime Williston family to support itself solely through farming. Changes in the habitat of local deer may help clear a long-standing hurdle for that family’s Plan B.

Mike and Dan Fontaine have spent roughly six years trying to get a proposed housing project on their 300-acre family farm off the ground, having encountered resistance from environmental agencies in regard to deer wintering habitat. The latest round of debate over the Settlers Village project took place in a courtroom on June 16, when the Fontaines argued that an Act 250 permit condition from 1991 should no longer apply to the proposed development area.

The area in question is currently an active sand pit, the restoration of which is required under its current Act 250 permit once its use ceases. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has argued that the proposed housing project would compromise that restoration process through its effect on the wintering habits of the local deer population.
In its annual report to the governor in February, the Vermont Natural Resources Board stated, “the owners have other alternative locations on the subject property to locate housing, and the placement of the homes where owners propose would create a bottleneck in the deeryard and unduly impact Act 250 Criterion 8(A).”

The Fontaines’ attorney, John O’Donnell, said that the latest versions of deer wintering habitat maps released by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources in April indicate a change in the deer’s habitat that renders the condition moot.

“We argued that the condition should no longer apply because this land is no longer within the boundaries of the deer wintering area,” O’Donnell said.

Mike Fontaine said that while the proposed project calls for 30 acres to be utilized for housing, more than 200 acres would be dedicated to conservation at no cost to the state or town. O’Donnell said that the conservation area includes approximately 99 acres of deer wintering area that would be held in perpetuity.

Mike Fontaine said that town officials have been strongly supportive of the project, largely because of the scope of land it seeks to conserve.

“There are some elements of the town plan and zoning bylaw that strongly encourage the kind of project the Fontaines have proposed with Settlers Village,” Williston senior planner Matt Boulanger said. Boulanger said that the zoning bylaw requires a minimum of 75 percent of a development parcel within the town’s agricultural/rural zone to be designated as protected, open space – a condition satisfied within the Fontaines’ plan.

The project calls for the two segments of housing comprising 34 total units, with a portion being designated as affordable. The sand pit has been mined for approximately 20 years, providing revenue that has been used to pay property taxes according to Dan Fontaine.

“The sand is going to run out in probably two years, he said. “Once that happens, we won’t have the revenue to pay the taxes.”

Mike Fontaine said that the family’s farm produces vegetables, beef and replacement heifers, though not at enough of a volume to pay the “close to $20,000” in annual taxes on their property. The Settlers Village project was conceived as a way to utilize their land in a profitable way while also providing needed housing for the community.

“Years ago, they said (farmers) had to diversify – and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Dan Fontaine said. “This could save us.”

The debate over deer wintering habitat brought the development to a halt. The Fontaines insist that the development won’t impact deer wintering grounds; in fact, Dan Fontaine said that he walked the area with a biologist and found evidence bringing the scale of the animals’ presence in the area into question.

“(The biologist) showed me hemlock saplings, and said that if this was a deer habitat, those would all be gone – because the deer would have eaten them,” he said.

Mike Fontaine joked that “the deer aren’t going to pay the taxes” on the property, but the reality is that he and his family have invested a sizable amount of money and time into the planning, design and permitting process for Settlers Village.

“Since we got into it, it has snowballed,” he said. “At this point, we’re hoping to get our money back, maybe with interest. But we’re not going to get rich off it, that’s for sure – we have too much invested in it right now.”

O’Donnell said that the Act 250 permit is set to expire in 2016, due to its classification as an earth extraction permit. He and his clients aren’t expecting a ruling on the deer issue until “the end of the summer.”

“It’s been a frustrating and puzzling process,” O’Donnell said. “Act 250 is supposed to promote responsible development, not stop all development.”