Williston Observer

Observer staff report

Chittenden South Supervisory Union Superintendent Elaine Pinckney was chosen as the Vermont Superintendent of the Year by the Vermont Superintendent’s Association.

“It’s such an honor for me to receive this award from my colleagues,” Pinckney said. “I feel humbled being part of this amazing group of people who have been in the past selected (for the award).”

Pinckney has been CSSU’s superintendent since 2006. She was the principal of Williston Central School from 1998-2004 and the deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Education from 2004-2006.

“This is a well-deserved honor for Elaine,” said CSSU Chief Financial Officer Bob Mason in a press release. “Her tremendous commitment to the quality education of the students within CSSU and across Vermont is apparent in everything that she does.”

Pinckney was presented with her award—which is given to educators who show outstanding educational leadership at the local, regional and state levels and a commitment to public education and children of Vermont—on May 23.

By Stephanie Choate

Observer staff

After years of complications, delays and contention, developers of an affordable housing project in Williston say the only way to salvage the project is to cut the number of affordable units by more than half.

The Atwood-Hood project, a partnership between developer Jeff Atwood and landowners Dana and Brenda Hood, received final site plan approval in April to build eight units on North Williston Road, seven of which would be perpetually affordable.

But Dana Hood told the Selectboard in May that, due to a number of circumstances, building seven affordable housing units is no longer feasible.

The project is set to go before the Development Review Board on June 11 to request an amendment to the final plan reducing the number of affordable housing units from seven to three. Nothing else would change, meaning the development would look exactly the same to passersby, but fewer units would be affordable.

“This is really the only option without going back to square one,” he said. “If he (Atwood) has to go back to square one, with the new bylaws, the math doesn’t support affordable housing at that point.”

Hood said several factors have combined to render seven affordable units “financially unfeasible,” including a growth management allocation with a staggered building schedule spaced out over four years and changes to federal and state funding mechanisms.

Hood said the town’s bylaws don’t address the matter. Developers compete for building allocation through a point system. A project receives points for affordable housing, capping at 30 percent. That means Atwood and Hood could have gotten the same number of points if they had originally put three affordable units on their application—37.5 percent.

He asked the Selectboard to write a letter of support for the project, showing that “the Selectboard still fully endorses the success of any affordable housing project and more specifically this project, even with the reduction in affordable homes as something the town desperately needs and is clearly identified in the town plan.”

Selectboard members expressed a reluctance to influence the decisions of the DRB, but voted unanimously to have Town Manager Rick McGuire draft a letter stating the board would be willing to renegotiate its 2012 affordable housing agreement with Atwood and Hood if the number of housing units was reduced, while reaffirming the DRB’s authority to interpret the bylaws. That way, the DRB wouldn’t have to worry whether the Selectboard would go along with the changes.

The next Development Review Board meeting is set for June 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the town hall.

Residents can celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of Williston’s town charter with several events set for
June 7 and 8.

On June 7, a community dessert potluck—including a giant Williston-themed sheet cake—is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Williston Central School cafeteria, followed by the premiere of Williston filmmaker Jim Heltz’s updated documentary “Williston Revisited—A Community Portrait” in the auditorium. A collection of local photographer Stephen Mease’s photos from the filmmaking process are on display at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library.

Also on June 7, all Williston residents are encouraged to take part in a daylong photo project to capture a day in the life of Williston in its 250th year. Residents can take photos of their activities throughout the day and post them to photo-sharing website Flickr.com, using the tag Williston250. Or, post photos on Instagram or Twitter, using the hashtag #williston250. Posting photos allows them to be shared town-wide and considered for the Observer’s 250th anniversary photo special, published June 13.

Every resident is invited to gather at the Williston Community Park at 9 a.m. on June 8 for a commemorative town photo, which will be published in the Williston Observer on June 13.

 

By Rachel Gill

Observer correspondent

Longtime Williston Central School educators Julie Longchamp and Bob Mitchell will both step down this month, leaving behind an impressive track record of educational impacts.

Mitchell served as an administrator and paraeducator for a total of 43 years. Longchamp will move on after 25 years at Williston Central School and 30 years in education.

JULIE LONGCHAMP

Longchamp has accepted a new position as director of professional programs at the Vermont National Education Association.

“I have had the best career anyone could have asked for,” Longchamp said. “I am only 52. That is too young to retire, so I am excited about this next move.”

In her new role, Longchamp will support teachers while coordinating with colleges and local professional development units.

“I will be able to be connected to 1,000 or more teachers and educators, which will provide a much broader view of education as my view now is in the classroom,” Longchamp said.

The transition came as Longchamp pursued her doctoral degree from the University of Vermont in educational leadership and policy studies, which she plans to complete by next spring.

Longchamp began teaching in 1982, running special education in a one-room schoolhouse in Belvidere until 1984.

“It was such a blast,” Longchamp said. “There were 18 students total and we had six computers total, very high-tech for a tiny school.”

In 1985, Longchamp earned a Master’s degree at Columbia University, then returned to Vermont to teach at Waterbury Elementary School.

Longchamp started at Williston Central School in 1988 and now teaches fifth through eighth grades. Along with teachers Bernie Caron, Al Myers and Gary Howard, Longchamp helped implement the middle school model that became Swift House during the 1991-1992 school year.

“Students in these grades are a population with unique needs,” she said. “They are increasing their independence, they are in need of a strong personal connection with their teachers and need more project-based and hands-on learning.”

Although Longchamp is moving on, she doesn’t plan to cut all ties to Williston Central.

She will continue to produce the school musical, which she has done for the last 11 years.

“I am not going to be a stranger,” Longchamp said. “When you see these performances you wouldn’t think they are a middle school performance. We are very lucky to have incredible resources.”

Seeing the final performance is something Longchamp just can’t live without.

“It is really great when you have high expectations for kids and you see them achieve and exceed those expectations inside and outside classroom,” Longchamp said. “That is one of the greatest rewards of working with students, to see them being empowered.”

Longchamp also plans to start a virtual book club with Swift House team students, starting with “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne.

“It will allow me to build connections with kids in a different way.”

Chittenden South Supervisory Union Superintendent Elaine Pinckney said Longchamp’s work in the district is unmatched.

“(Longchamp is) a champion of each and every student, all day, every day,” Pinckney said.  “Julie was instrumental in maintaining the student-centered traditions, the active family involvement, and the close collaborative relationships among all the players in the Swift House family.”

As her last year comes to a close, Longchamp has mixed emotions.

“The first week after my announcement, there were a lot of tears, so it’s not going to be easy,” she said. “But I think I am ready, and it helps to know my team (Swift House) is going to thrive. They really understand middle level education.”

Although Longchamp will maintain some connections, she said she will miss her students.

They are really great and they keep me young,” she said. “Watching kids grow during that huge transformation from fifth to eighth grade, what a privilege…I have been the luckiest person in the world in terms of my career in this really special school.”

bob mitchell

Mitchell began at Williston Central School in 1970 as a gym teacher. Since then, his roles have included assistant principal, co-principal, associate principal, principal and, for the last 10 years, paraeducator.

Mitchell declined an interview with the Observer, but those who worked with him had much to say about his years of service to Williston Central School.

First to offer praise was Williston Central School Principal Jackie Parks.

“His relationships with students are amazing and he has motivated more students than we could count, in so many ways,” Parks wrote in an email to the Observer. “What a gem and a gift he has been to Williston.”

Pinckney added her regards.

“Bob Mitchell is a fixture in the Williston School District. For Bob, it was, and is, always about the students, “Pinckney said. “As an administrator, Bob made every decision based on the whole child. Today as a paraeducator, he brings that very same caring, nurturing, and focused attention to the students he works with.”

 

By Stephanie Choate

Observer staff

Rick Ransom is one of the last stalwarts in a changing industry. His Williston movie rental store, Passport Video, remains open while a steady stream of rental outlets have closed their doors for good over the past few years.

“Everyone’s gone,” he said.

Passport Video is one of just three rental stores left in the area—the others are Hollywood Video in South Burlington and Showtime in Jericho—after competition from online streaming, subscription services and grocery store kiosks pushed many stores out of business.

Although Ransom’s rentals have held steady for the past few years—roughly 400 a week—he said the business is “much slower” than it used to be. As more people turn to the overwhelming trend of streaming, he predicts many of the remaining rental stores, including his, won’t be around in five years.

“I would love to be, but I probably won’t be,” he said.

Nationwide, video rental establishments dropped roughly by half between 2007 and 2011, according to market research firm IBIS World, which calls it a “dying industry.”

Most Blockbusters across the state have closed one by one, and Ransom said he suspects the lingering outposts are just finishing out their leases. In January, the chain announced it was closing 300 stores nationwide, adding to the 500 it closed in 2012. Burlington’s last rental store, Waterfront Video, closed in April. Stowe Video closed its doors in October, 2012. Film Buzz in Richmond closed in 2011.

Ransom, who has been in the movie rental business for 27 years, said he provides something competitors like Netflix and Redbox can’t.

“A common question I get is ‘how are you still in business?’” he said. “The number one thing I tell them is customer service.”

Ransom loves chatting with customers, helping them find the perfect movie and just talking about their days, and is able to provide help if something goes wrong.

“I enjoy customers, I like to talk,” he said. “I heard when you find something you like to do, you don’t work a day in your life. I haven’t worked in 27 years… It’s such an enjoyable job. All the customers are friends of mine, they’re fellow residents.”

Passport Video’s corps of loyal customers say they value the personal interaction and local feel of the store—as well as Ransom’s expertise and friendly nature.

“Rick will make decisions about what movies he personally wants to include in his inventory,” said Williston resident Keith Gaylord, adding that Ransom takes suggestions from customers. “It’s really a local perspective.”

Gaylord—who rents about two movies a week from Passport Video—said he had a Netflix subscription, but became disenchanted with the service. He said he doesn’t like paying for a subscription he may or may not use, and prefers to browse in a physical rental store.

“Streaming is very disappointing to me,” he said. “They don’t have a selection that I would choose for streaming.”

Kehm Suong, who lives nearby and typically stops in a couple times a week, said she likes the community and social aspects of the store. She often runs into friends there, and can walk down to rent a movie and grab dinner as a family or send her kids on their bikes.

“I like the personal attention, knowing when I go in there’s a person there I can talk to,” she said. “I also like supporting local business.”

Local resident Barry Percy said he stops by Passport Video more often than he cares to admit, and has been a customer since the ‘80s.

Passport Video brings “local home grown charm” to the town’s movie watchers, Percy said.

“I think if they close it will definitely be a loss, but I think Rick would have given it the best run anybody could give,” he said. “He’s the best representative of a good, small, friendly store.”

Besides the lack of customer service and personal interaction, Ransom said Netflix lacks in instant gratification—not all movies are available for streaming, and a mail-ordered DVD can take a couple days to arrive.

“What better way to get instant satisfaction than at a video store, because your movie is here, you’re not waiting for it,” he said.

The movie industry also grants movie rental and retail stores access to new releases 30 days before Netflix or Redbox. Redbox, Ransom added, can only offer so much variety.

“There’s only so many movies you can fit in a box,” he said.

Ransom has 8,000 titles on offer at Passport Video, including old classics, foreign films and documentaries. He charges $4 per new release DVD, which customers can keep for four days. A series of deals, like buy one get one free on Mondays, and DVD sales bring in extra customers.

If Ransom does have to eventually close, he said he might look into operating on a smaller scale, like a drive-through kiosk where customers can email their request, then come pick it up.

“I love the business,” he said. “I love the customers. I’d love to see more of them.”

Passport Video is located at 400 Cornerstone Drive, Suite 230.