Williston Observer

 

Williston might be known for the big box stores and bustle of Taft Corners, but 75 percent of the town is rural. A system of primitive trails for hikers, cross-country skiers and mountain bikers winds through the town’s forests and farm fields, offering stunning vistas and quiet nature exploration. See pages 14-15 of the May 23 issue of the Williston Observer for a full-size map of the town’s trails. Maps and more information about the trails are available at the Town Hall and the town website, www.town.williston.vt.us.

Below are descriptions of each trail.

 

FIVE TREE HILL COUNTRY PARK

Walkers and skiers

Five Tree Hill, named for five large sugar maples near the overlook, offers the best vista in town—a panorama of Lake Champlain and the Adirondaks. The overlook is 1.3 miles from the parking lot on Sunset Hill Road. Five Tree Hill’s 57 acres includes vernal pools, several types of forest and animal habitats. It also runs along part of the VAST trail.

 

MUD POND CONSERVATION AREA

Walkers and skiers

A half-mile route from the parking lot on Mud Pond Road (off South Road) leads to Mud Pond, surrounded by 158 acres of wetlands and forest. The trail also connects to Mud Pond Country Park. Mud Pond Conservation Area can also be reached from the Sunset Hill Road parking lot, across the street from the Five Tree Hill trail. It leads 1.5 miles to a newly built lookout over Mud Pon (pictured above), but does not yet connect to the trail on the eastern side of the pond. A trail all the way around the pond is slated to be built in 2014.

 

MUD POND COUNTRY PARK

Walkers, skiers and mountain bikers

This 79-acre natural area has a 2.3-mile round trip multiple-use trail open to mountain bikers. The trail system expands every year and is well maintained in partnership with mountain biking group the Fellowship of the Wheel. Parking is available on Mud Pond Road.

 

CROSSTOWN TRAIL

Walkers and skiers

Opening in July, a new trail will connect the newly formed Sucker Brook Hollow Country Park on Vermont 2A, Five Tree Hill Country Park and the Mud Pond Conservation Area—nearly 3.5 miles in all. From a new trailhead and parking lot on Vermont 2A, the trail lead across a 57-ft long footbridge over the Sucker Brook, past historic features and farmland and up to Five Tree Hill—about 1 mile. The trail then leads down to the new observation platform at Mud Pond. Hikers will not yet be able to connect to the east side of Mud Pond.

 

OAK VIEW HILL

Walkers and skiers

Oak View Hill offers a 1.3-mile outer loop and half a mile of inner loops on the Isham Family Farm, behind the sugarhouse. All the trails are named after Isham family members. Highlights include a pond, active sugar operation and wooded knoll with views of Bolton Valley, Mount Mansfield, Camel’s Hump, Shelburne Pond and the Adirondaks.

 

VILLAGE BIKE PATH

Multi-use

The Village Bike Path runs through the Williston Community Park—which offers a playground, athletic fields and courts and a skating rink/skateboard park—and connects to Allen Brook Park through the South Ridge neighborhood. It also makes a loop along Williston Road, North Williston Road, Mountain View Road and Old Stage Road.  Many other Williston roads include a bike path, including parts of Vermont 2 and 2A and Marshall Avenue.

 

ALLEN BROOK NATURE TRAIL 

Walkers and skiers

A half-mile loop with an additional half-mile section leading to Michael’s Lane offers a quiet spot to look for birds, beavers, different forest types and spring flowers. The trail connects to the Village Bike Path, starting with a footbridge over the Allen Brook. It is the most accessible primitive path from Williston Village, and is ideal for families.

 

COMMONS TRAIL 

Walkers and skiers

The Commons Trail offers a half-mile walk off the beaten path, accessed off Tower Lane and Pinecrest Village. The trail passes through common land, includes a boardwalk over a wetland and rock outcroppings perfect for a picnic.

 

LAKE IROQUOIS RECREATION AREA

Walkers and skiers

Along with the sand beach, playground and lake access, the Lake Iroquois Recreation area offers a 1.5-mile hiking trail loop on the northeast side of the lake. The trail passes through forest and includes access to scenic lake viewpoints.

Organizers of the rapidly approaching 250th anniversary of Williston’s charter are looking for local photographers to help capture what Williston is like in its 250th year.

The Williston Day in the Life Photo Project—a day-long project capturing Williston life—is set for June 7, organized by local photographer Stephen Mease.

Residents—from seasoned professional photographers to kids with iPhones—can snap photos of their daily lives on June 7 and share them on social media. The Observer will select photos to print in a special commemorative section, published on June 13.

“The idea is to crowd-source this project,” Mease wrote in a press release. “Almost everyone has a camera with them in the form of their smartphone or a digital camera and are taking photos all the time of school events, landscapes, their lunch or friends and family.”

Willistonians can upload photos from their day to a group account on photo-sharing website Flickr.com, using the tag Williston250. Or, post photos on Instagram or Twitter, using the hashtag #williston250.

Posting your photos allows them to be shared townwide and considered for publication in the Observer’s special 250th anniversary photo special. By uploading the photos, you agree to let the Observer print them without compensation, though photographers retain all the rights to their photos.

Here is the process:

Take as many photos as you like on June 7 of your day and activities.

Tag your photos williston250 and post your five best representative photos to the group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/williston250/

It’s a good idea to put all of your Williston250 Day in the Life photos into a Flickr set for the event.

Add a thumbnail below of one of your photos and write a little bit about your day. You can create a link from this message straight to your Williston250 set if you like.

Make sure to set your camera’s date and time correctly.

Residents can then gather for a community potluck dessert, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Williston Central School Cafeteria, followed by a showing of “Williston Revisited – a Community Portrait” at 7:30 p.m. in the school’s auditorium. An exhibit of “Williston Revisited” photos by Steve Mease will be displayed at the library beginning June 1. On June 9, all residents are invited to gather at the Williston Community Park for a townwide photo shoot.

—Stephanie Choate, Observer staff

By Phyl Newbeck

Observer correspondent

Age is no barrier to running a marathon and several Williston runners will prove that at this Sunday’s KeyBank Vermont City Marathon in Burlington. There are eight local marathon runners who are over the age of 50 and still going strong.

For Ben Rose, 53, running the Vermont City Marathon has become an annual holiday.

“It’s a very joyous thing,” he said.

Rose has been running all his life, completing his first marathon at the age of 20. His best time for the Burlington race was 3:17 and he believes this will be his 20th time running the race. “It’s my hometown marathon,” he said. “It’s part of my annual cycle.”

One of the things he likes about marathons is that there are a lot of variables that can be controlled. “You can outsmart time,” Rose said. “You can get better as you get older with stretching, eating right, pacing yourself and having a better attitude. There are ways for age and treachery to beat youth.”

John LaCroix ran cross-country in high school and hated it, but as he got older he began compiling his bucket list. One goal was to run a marathon before the age of 40. LaCroix didn’t quite make his goal but he’s been running ever since, and at age 51 he plans to take part in his tenth Vermont City Marathon. What makes LaCroix different from some of his cohorts is he doesn’t think 26.2 miles is a long distance. LaCroix enjoys doing ultra-marathons of 50 and 100 miles and has better finishes doing those distances.

“A lot of people who can beat me any day of the week in shorter distances or even marathons can’t beat me at ultras,” he said.

LaCroix hopes to keep running for many years to come. “It’s a natural thing,” he said “and it becomes part of you.”

LaCroix trains outdoors year round and hasn’t been on a treadmill in years. He recalls one winter when he left his house at 3 a.m. to run to Shelburne Pond.

“It was a clear night,” he recalled “and there hadn’t been any cars to make tracks in the snow and the trees were covered with frost. You don’t get to see the world like that very often.”

LaCroix believes that to a certain degree, running keeps him young. “You’re given a choice when you get older,” he said. “The longer you sit in a chair, the harder it is to get back to where you were.”

The only woman in the group, Mary Clairmont, will be running her fourth Vermont City Marathon. Clairmont only started running at age 52, when a friend asked her if she wanted to do a half marathon.

“I feel excited that I can do this at 56 years old,” she said. “It has changed my life for the better. I can’t imagine not doing this.”

Clairmont said the key to running is to find a group to train with. She has been running every Sunday with the same group of people. “You can’t do this alone,” she said. For the last three marathons, Clairmont ran with a woman 10 years her senior but this year she’ll run with someone her own age. “It’s a young person’s sport,” she said “but the people who put together the races do a really good job of making everyone feel like they can do it.”

Rose doesn’t believe running a marathon keeps him young. “I’m aging at the same rate as everyone else,” he said “but this keeps me happy and healthy.”

Rose stops short of recommending that others should follow in his footsteps, recognizing that the sport isn’t for everyone. “If you’ve got a body that can run, it wants to be run,” he said. “If you can run, it’s a gift not to be squandered. Running puts me in a good place. ”

LaCroix believes the view from two feet is a much better one than what he would see from four tires. “Running is a vehicle for exploring,” he said. “It’s an adventure. As we get older it’s important to realize we can still have adventures. That keeps us young.”

New management
model underway

By Stephanie Choate

Observer staff

The Williston Farmers’ Market has a new home.

The market—set to open Wednesday, May 29—has moved from its Williston Historic Village location to New England Federal Credit Union, located at 141 Harvest Lane.

The market will run from May 29 to Oct. 2 from 4-7 p.m. on the green next to the credit union.

“We were looking for a location that had higher traffic, but still provided us with a green space,” Market Manager Becca Rimmel said.

So far, 16 vendors have signed on for the 2013 season, though Rimmel said she hopes that number will grow to 20.

“We have a lot of really great products,” Rimmel said. “We have local cheeses, we have maple syrup, local vegetables, local prepared food, we have music and different activities and taste tests throughout the summer.”

Rimmel added that most of the vendors are from Williston, and the others aren’t from far away.

“Not only are (market shoppers) supporting local business, but they’re really supporting our neighbors, which is great,” she said.

Longtime vendor Lisa Boutin of Boutin Family Farm—who has sold her jams, jellies, pickles, berries and fruit at the market since it began—said she thinks the new location will be good for the market. Visitors—and therefore sales—at the market’s Williston Historic Village location have been down in recent years, she said.

“I think it’s going to be good for the market and for its growth,” she said.

New to the market this year are: Starksboro-based Lewis Creek Farm, which grows vegetables, flowers, plants and strawberries; West River Creamery of Londonderry, selling cheeses; produce, flower and egg producers Savage Gardens of North Hero; and St. Albans-based catering company The Clean Spoon, specializing in natural, clean eating. After an absence, Great Harvest Bread Company and Ants in Your Pants are set to return to the Williston Farmers’ Market.

Also new this year, market organizers are looking for interested residents and vendors to form a Williston Farmers’ Market Board to run the market, rather than relying on a sole manager.

“We’re working toward a more sustainable model to hopefully make sure the market can continue regardless of who’s able to manage it,” Rimmel said.

Boutin is set to join the board, which has not yet met.

“Most other markets have a board,” she said. “It’s going to be helpful having a mix of vendors and community members to run it and have more than just one person in charge.”

Rimmel is also looking for residents to volunteer at the market. The market has partnered with City Market’s member working program, meaning hours spent volunteering at the farmers’ market can go toward a member’s working hours.

The Williston Farmers’ Market will run from May 29 to Oct. 2 from 4-7 p.m. on the green next to New England Federal Credit Union. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/willistonfarmersmarket or email [email protected]

 

By Rachel Gill

Observer correspondent

The Williston Planning Commission tossed around a handful of ideas on Tuesday to serve as potential parameters for activity and site use as part of Maple Leaf Farm’s application to open a rehabilitation center in Williston.

Maple Leaf Farm, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center based in Underhill, submitted a specific plan application to the Planning and Zoning Department last June. It is seeking a zoning change to open a facility at the former Pine Ridge School property.

At two contentious public meetings, residents raised concerns over security, proximity of neighbors and Williston Central School and traffic impacts, while others cited the need for a more centrally located addiction treatment option for Chittenden County.

The commission’s May 21 meeting addressed two areas—preservation of open space and the scope of Maple Leaf Farm’s activities.

The commission reviewed a letter sent from Maple Leaf Farm Executive Director Bill Young that addressed a request for more information regarding certain components of Maple Leaf Farm’s specific plan application.

According to Maple Leaf Farm officials, a zoning change is justifiable because the organization would provide a substantial public benefit through the preservation of open space.

The Planning Commission requested that Maple Leaf Farm conduct a survey identifying the boundary between possible future development and open space—though Maple Leaf Farm’s current plan is to only use existing structures.

“We will need to nail down what part of the property could be developed and what part would not and that’s really where the survey comes in,” said Ken Belliveau, planning and zoning director.

While Young’s letter provided a map of possible boundaries, the actual survey and boundary marking could be done after an approval for a zoning change as part of the Development Review Board review process.

Young also checked with the Vermont Land Trust, as the commission requested, to explore options for a conservation easement that would help designate and maintain the open space.

Vermont Land Trust will not manage a property without control over the easement, Young wrote. The easement would need to be transferred to the Vermont Land Trust first, which could cost $12,000 to $14,000, according to estimates provided in the letter. The Land Trust would first need to determine if it is interested in the property.

“Just because you want the Vermont Land Trust to hold a conservation easement doesn’t necessarily mean they accept it,” Belliveau said. “How this particular one would rank for them, it’s hard to know.”

Another option is to designate the open space on a site plan.

“This option provides the least amount of protection because it’s not being managed,” Belliveau said.

In the letter, Young suggested finding a cost-effective option to manage the easement.

“It should be both simple, effective and not expensive,” Young wrote in the letter.

The commission entertained the idea of crafting a management plan agreement for the easement with joint involvement between the Conservation Commission, the Planning Commission and the Selectboard.

Larry Williams of commercial real estate firm Redstone, who is assisting Maple Leaf Farm in its potential relocation, said if a management plan helps move the process forward, it has his support.

“One idea would be to have Maple Leaf commit to providing a management plan and even filing an annual report to show how we are complying, that would be the more straightforward way,” Williams said at the meeting.

Belliveau said the method is an option, but it would be a slight deviation from the Conservation Commission’s regular role.

“We can certainly ask them to see to what extent to which they are willing to take some sort of active role in the monitoring of the open space,” Belliveau said.

OUTPATIENT PARAMETERS

Young’s letter also included detail of the activity to occur at the facility. The letter proposed no more than two outpatient programs or groups — such as Alcoholics Anonymous or support group meetings —  per day, not to exceed 15 people at a time.

“Because of the location of this property and where the points of access are on Williston Road, we previously discussed wanting to minimize traffic,” Belliveau said. “During the public meetings, concerns were also expressed about the program having residential and outpatient components and we want to make sure we address those concerns.”

Leah Orsky, program director at Maple Leaf Farm, said outpatient programs are new in terms of treatment services offered by the center.

“There is significant change in substance abuse treatment with insurance reform and other factors, so it’s prudent for us to offer different types of treatment,” Orsky said. “It typically means meeting three days a week. So a group of 15 people would come for three or four hours, so it’s two of those groups a week.”

Belliveau said creating some parameters is smart move.

“We need to consider how people who are not involved in it are going to perceive how it’s operating,” Belliveau said. “For some, anxieties and concerns are elevated right now because it’s fear of the unknown. So rather than shooting for the moon here, my recommendation is to allow for some parameters to help alleviate people’s anxieties.”

After discussion, commission members agreed they’d like to see the outpatient numbers reduced to one group meeting per day or include a limit for group meetings per week, plus a weekly limit of vehicles visiting the facility.

The commission plans to continue hashing out its recommendations for specific parameters to include in conjunction with any possible changes to the zoning of the Pine Ridge property. A draft of that language is expected at a Planning Commission meeting in mid-June.