Hyde
Park and Eden Set Budgets
by Staff
Final
figures for the early June votes on both Eden and Hyde Park school budgets have
been prepared.
Eden
will vote June 2, at 9 a.m. at the Eden Central School in open meeting on a new
school budget proposal of $2,348,190. The proposal is up about $10,000. The
increase primarily reflects the cost of hiring an outside review of the
school’s staffing and staffing needs. According to Lamoille South
Superintendent Terry Bailey, there is also a very small segment of this
increase included in order to offset any small unforeseen amount of deficit
spending.
According
to Marilyn Fredericks, LNSU Business Manager, the Hyde Park School Board will
present a budget proposal of $2,882,660 for voter approval at the scheduled
meeting at Hyde Park Elementary School June 9.
The
new proposal is up 3.4 % (3.44 cents), where an earlier proposal represented a
4.5% increase. The new proposal represents $65,647 in cuts from the May 5
proposal that was rejected by voters.
Superintendent
Bailey said the Hyde Park School Board, himself and Ms. Fredericks worked hard
and scrutinized planned special education expenditures to make these cuts. One
meeting, Monday night, May 21, lasted until about 11:30 p.m. Fredericks said it
complicates matters because cuts made to the bottom line of the special
education budget also mean a concomitant loss on the revenue side.
Both
schools have defeated school budgets at Town Meeting and have had a second vote
since the first went down to defeat. The main concern in both communities is
the rising cost of special education and the perception of what the community
is getting for the cost of education. Both schools have fielded low test
results in recent years, but have seen improvements in this year’s testing.
Memorial Day Observances
Residents
around Lamoille County will be observing Memorial Day on Monday, May 28. In
Morrisville, VFW Post 9653 has planned a parade and remembrance ceremony.
Although no parade was held in Morrisville last Memorial Day, this year
organizers will return to the traditional parade as was held in years past.
The
parade will step off from the Peoples Academy parking lot at 11 a.m. and
continue down Copley Avenue and onto Main Street. At the center of town the
parade will turn left onto Congress Street, then right onto Union Street and a
right onto High Street and back to Main Street. The final leg of the parade
will be along Main Street, to the memorials at Academy Park.
A
ceremony will be held in the park including the VFW Post 9653 Color Guard; Post
9653 Auxiliary Color Guard; American Legion Post 33 and Auxiliary; Morristown
Boy Scouts and the Bishop Marshall School Band. The VFW Post 9653 Honor Guard
will be positioned at the Morristown Centennial Library for a rifle salute.
“We
encourage the community to come out and remember our deceased veterans,”
commented event organizer Mark Leonard.
Stowe’s
annual Memorial Day parade will start at 10:30 a.m. on the traditional Memorial
Day, Wednesday, May 30, at Stowe Elementary School. The parade will continue to
Riverbank Cemetery for a small service and on to Akeley Memorial Building, on
Main Street. Another service will be held at the end of the parade route at the
Akeley Building, at around 11:15 a.m.
Chaplain
Ed Rhodes said the high school and elementary school bands will both
participate and all Stowe Elementary students will also be part of the parade.
Rhodes added floats will transport the older parade participants.
“It’s
what Memorial Day should be,” said Chaplain Rhodes, referring to young people
honoring veterans.
After
a few years absence Johnson is proud to be having a Memorial Day Parade again.
The parade will start at 10 a.m. lining up on School Street. It will follow down Pearl St. to Main Street,
where it will work its way to the monument near the cold springs.
Cambridge’s
parade will be held at 9 a.m. working its way down Main Street to the monument
in Jeffersonville. A short program will be held at the monument following the
parade.
Morrisville
Sidewalks Getting Repaired
by Mickey Smith
MORRISTOWN
– Through a grant awarded more than a year ago, Morrisville’s sidewalks are
getting a much-needed facelift.
Morristown
Selectboard Chair Shaun Bryer
explained the project was scheduled to have started last year, but the bidding
process got a late start and construction season came to an end before the
project could get underway. Over the course of the winter, bids were let out
and the lowest bid was accepted from Messier’s
Concrete, of Franklin.
Originally,
the bids called for paver bricks, like those used in
other parts of town, to be used as decoration between the cement sidewalks and
the curb. Those bricks would be laid with a concrete border to hold them in
place. Bryer said from talk with the concrete company
it was determined this might not be a suitable situation, as cracks in the
cement would allow water to seep in causing further damage to the bricks. A second option of creating the appearance of
bricks through using colored cement was offered, but this plan ran about
$10,000 more than the original bid. Bryer said the
town asked Messier’s to see what they could come up
with closer to the original price.
Messier’s solution was to use a form to “stamp” the brick
pattern into the sidewalk and paint the cement to look like the red paver bricks.
Breyer said the cost of maintenance for the paver
bricks was also a factor in going with the painted concrete. He said in other towns, where they have a
large area of brick there seemingly is a full-time crew dedicated to upkeep.
Bryer said the paint should hold up well, he said it has been put
in the lower traffic areas of the sidewalk and shouldn’t see the constant
winter scraping from plowing like towns that use similar paint to do crosswalks
across streets.
The
east side of Portland Street was chosen as the first area to be worked on
because of the level of deterioration of the bricks. Bryer
said with the post office there it is a highly used sidewalk so those bricks
were in bad shape.
The
grant will cover replacing the sidewalk down to the end of the sidewalk near Denoia’s. Bryer said they are
having talks with Union Bank about including replacing portions of the sidewalk
near the Centennial Block as part of their renovation project. He said they are
in hopes of using some of the money ear-marked for working on Watering Trough
Hill to make other sidewalk repairs around the village. Through appropriations
sought by retired Senator James Jeffords, Morristown has $500,000 to work on
sidewalks around Watering Trough Hill. Unfortunately, Bryer
explained, that is just a drop in the bucket of what the state is saying will
be needed to fix that sidewalk to state specifications. Although, he said, they
are still in hopes to get some work done on that corner.
“It’s
discouraging to get $500,000 and not be able to do the work,” said Bryer.
Child Care Apprentices Learn on the Job and in the
Classroom
MORRISVILLE – Childcare providers and those
interested in working in that field got together at Hilary’s Restaurant, in
Morrisville, this week for a community event hosted by the Vermont Child Care
Industry and Careers Council. The event celebrated the achievements of local
people involved in the Vermont Child Care Apprenticeship Program (VCCAP).
Sue Ryan is the state coordinator for VCCAP,
which was created in 1998 through a grant from the Vermont Department of Labor.
In 2000, VCCAP partnered with Champlain College to offer classes as part of the
program. Ryan said VCCAP now serves apprentices throughout Vermont by offering
its courses through the Community College of Vermont.
The program came to the Lamoille Valley region
this year through a partnership with the Lamoille Family Center. Nine
apprentices started classes at the Morrisville CCV campus in January. While two
have dropped out of the program, seven remain, plus one new apprentice who
signed on this week. The Morrisville-based program is currently full and
maintains a waiting list of interested students. Lorraine Patterson, of the
Lamoille Family Center, is the local contact person for VCCAP.
The apprenticeship program is a two-year
commitment where participants receive formal instruction through college
classes and mentored on-the-job training. Before their apprenticeships are
complete, participants will have taken six tuition-free college courses and
gained practical experience working 4,000 hours at a licensed childcare
facility.
“It’s really start-to-finish of what someone
needs in their first two years of working with children and families,” said
Ryan.
Ryan commended local childcare facilities
involved with VCCAP, including Morrisville’s Puffer Child Care Center, Stowe’s
Apple Tree Learning Centers, Cambridge Elementary School and the Greensboro
Early Learning Center. In fact, Ryan noted, Greensboro Early Learning Center’s
director is a former apprentice who will now serve as a mentor, “continuing the
cycle,” in Ryan’s words.
The VCCAP program trains childcare providers to
work in after school settings, as well as in early childhood care. Ryan said
the entire workforce depends on quality childcare.
“Childcare supports everything in the community,”
said Ryan. “It’s really the basic infrastructure for Vermont’s economy, and
we’re helping.”
Alice
Angney Honored by Statewide Scholarship
The Vermont Superintendents Association has established a student scholarship
to honor long-time Lamoille South Supervisory Union Superintendent, Dr. Alice Angney. The Dr.
Alice Angney Scholarship for Leadership and Service
will commemorate her outstanding service to public education and
children in Vermont by providing an annual scholarship to a deserving high
school student who exhibits strong leadership and service in his/her school and
community.
“It
was very humbling and gratifying to have a scholarship established in my name,”
said Dr. Angney, “There is nothing more important to
me than providing educational opportunities to students and this will be
another opportunity for a student in our state.”
Angney has been a public educator for nearly 40
years, and has served as the superintendent of the Lamoille South Supervisory
Union for the last 21 years. She will retire in June. During her career, she
has become widely known as an exemplary public servant with a deep commitment
to children and to public education. Angney has been
a leader within the Vermont Superintendents Association, and has been honored
in the past by being named Vermont Superintendent of the Year in 1996. She was
a finalist for National Superintendent of the Year in 1997.
VSA President Mary Moran, of the Rutland City School District, announced the
scholarship program on May 17 at the Association’s Annual Conference. Moran
said during her announcement that, “creating a student scholarship program in
tribute to Alice Angney is an especially fitting way
to honor an educator who has devoted her career to children. In her many
contributions to the communities that she serves and to Vermont, Alice has always placed children and their education first. Her
service and leadership is unsurpassed.”
With assistance from Angney, the Association will
develop specific criteria for awarding the scholarship, and will name the first
Angney Scholar in June of 2008.
Tribble Tries to Fire Lawyers… Again
by Mickey Smith
HYDE
PARK – Depending on how you count them, Dennis Tribble
has had five or six different defense attorneys in his almost seven-year old
murder case. Now, again depending on how you look at it, he has one lawyer or
is representing himself.
In
Vermont District Court in Hyde Park Monday, May 21, Tribble
filed a motion to dismiss lawyers Dan McGuire and Kevin Griffin as his legal
counsel. Tribble argued he asked for counsel after
having represented himself since last summer, because he felt it would expedite
his case. Instead, Tribble stated, it has slowed down
the process, as he feels work is not getting done on his case.
Almost
two months ago, Tribble was assigned counsel from
McGuire and Griffin. At the time, Griffin had some other high profile cases
coming up, so McGuire was included to serve as a “bridge” attorney to help prepare
the case.
McGuire
said he felt his role was to aid in turning things over to Griffin, but was
willing to stay on as long as the court felt was necessary.
Griffin
said another murder trial he was expected to have coming up has been settled,
so he feels his office is in as good shape as possible to handle this case. He
told the court no lawyer or law firm would be able to devote 100% of their time
to Tribble’s case. He pointed out while the case is
seven years old, it’s a brand new case for his office.
He noted one issue slowing things has been a reluctance
from Tribble to turn over all of the files he has in
his possession. Tribble said the files are his
personal property and
he would not turn them over without assurance they would be
copied and returned immediately.
Judge
Dennis Pearson thanked and relieved McGuire of his duties towards the case, but
felt Tribble needed to give Griffin more time. He
agreed with Griffin’s estimation that Tribble could
not receive a lawyer’s full attention and felt the two needed some time to
forge a working relationship.
Tribble said he does not consider Griffin his lawyer and
will not work with him.
“If
he continues to be my lawyer then I have no business in this court,” said Tribble.
At
that point Tribble got up and left the court,
storming out while wearing shackles and handcuffs. On his way out he was met by
the deputy sheriffs involved in his transport.
Without
Tribble in the courtroom, Judge Pearson said he does
not see the right to an attorney, or the right to defend oneself, as an
absolute law. He said from his analysis he believes a judge can rule to keep a
lawyer assigned despite the defendant’s dislike for the situation. He did not
feel a defendant had the right to “sink his own ship.”
Judge
Pearson asked Griffin to go through viable defense ideas, which may be needed
to make an assessment as to whether Tribble could proceed on his own if he so chooses.
Griffin
said he felt he could get a duplicate file from Tribble’s
last attorney and cross-reference that with what the state has in their files.
He thought that would give him a fairly comprehensive file in the case.
Griffin
asked Judge Pearson to move a May 25 deadline to a planned June 18 status
conference to give him time to put the file together. Pearson agreed and
rescheduled that conference hearing to June 25 to give Griffin a full month to
prepare.
Tribble is accused of killing Michael Borello in September of 2000. Tribble was found
guilty of the crime, in a trial he refused to attend. He was sentenced to 35 years to life in
prison. But that verdict and sentence
was thrown out because the Vermont Supreme Court did not feel Tribble was fully warned of his rights to an attorney.
Mailbox
Vandalism Victims Sought
by Mickey Smith
MORRISTOWN
– The Morristown Police Department is looking for people who may have recently
had their mailboxes smashed.
Morristown
Patrolman Ashley “Skip” Barnes said police have collected evidence and have
confessions from two of four teenagers believed to be involved in the vandalism.
Police are now interested in hearing from victims.
Mailboxes
on Washington Highway, Lower Elmore Mountain Road, Upper Elmore Mountain Road,
Elmore Street, Brooklyn Street, and Garfield Road were known to have been hit
with a baseball bat during the month of May. As of Monday, May 21, the police
had heard from about nine victims. The two teenagers are alleged to have
smashed about a dozen mailboxes, so it is thought there are more victims out
there.
People
who have had their mailboxes vandalized are encouraged to call Skip Barnes at
the Morristown Police Department, 888-4211, the police
are looking for where the mailbox was located and an estimated monetary amount
of damage.
Amy Wade Announcements
MORRISVILLE
– The Morrisville Village Trustees, this week, granted two funding requests
made to the Amy Wade Fund for Village Beautification. Morrisville Water &
Light Superintendent Craig Myotte said the fund
received about $6,000 in requests for its 2007 round of disbursements. Myotte said the fund has just over $3,000 available to
distribute to projects. The trustees decided to provide $2,700 of funding to
projects at this time.
“The
Trustees reviewed the applications and voted to provide $2,000 of funding to
the Pleasant View Cemetery Association to complete the planting of maple trees
along Washington Highway. In addition, the Trustees voted to provide $700 to
Morristown Alliance for Culture and Commerce for the purchase of flowers and
soil for the 90 flower pots placed in the Village,” Myotte
reported.
The
fund received a total of three requests. The Pleasant View Cemetery Association
and MACC requests were both partially funded. A request by the Town of
Morristown for tree planting funds was not granted funding at this time.
Copley
Country Club planned to host its annual golf tournament to honor Alexander H.
Copley on Saturday, May 19, and donate the proceeds to the Amy Wade Fund.
However, Country Club officials decided to reschedule the tournament to
Saturday, June 2. Myotte said the trustees plan to
consider additional project funding after the donation amount from the golf
tournament is known.
Bright Spot
in Brotherhood of Blue
Let me refer in general to the Trooper Plaster affair that, by
now, is probably familiar to all who read, listen to radio or watch TV. Looking
this case, in which a trooper may have used unreasonable force in handling a
relatively docile citizen, the affair from one angle looks like a low point of
policing for Vermont. But there is another angle that throws a sharp focus on
what I would call a bright spot in what some writers have termed the
“Brotherhood of Blue.”
The spotlight is on the police officers who honestly and
forthrightly came forward and had reservations about Plaster’s behavior during
an arrest last year. Several attitudes of those involved could, at the least,
be read from between the lines in the Plaster case affidavits. These police
officials obviously answered questions honestly.
There has been no cover up
for Plaster’s alleged behavior. In fact, the age old question of “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” or who shall
keep watch over the guardians? has been answered in
this case. Our police are policing themselves – apparently effectively.
Maybe I’ve read too many mystery stories and seen too many unrealistic
cop movies, but it is highly reassuring to see, in such a highly public way,
that most of the police are doing the right thing. No doubt force is provoked
and necessary during some arrests. It’s a given fact that police don’t
routinely deal with the most mannered segment of society. But when violence and
force aren’t necessary, it’s clear that we, locally, have some police who
clearly know what is appropriate. That is good. That takes a whole lot of the
sting out of having a Vermont State Trooper in the news for wrongdoing.
So, if Trooper Plaster (already absent from the scene and
apparently gone from Vermont) is ultimately found guilty and hypothetically
goes on VSP’s Wall of Shame, it’s interesting that
simultaneously someone else who
reported
Plaster’s behavior belongs on the opposite wall with that imaginary list of
quiet police heroes.
So, it’s back to the movies for the moral – good has triumphed in
Lamoille County.