Handicapped
Accessible Trail Complete
MORRISVILLE
– Friday, July 27, was a monumental day for Ashton Allen and his family. It
marked the culmination of six years of hard work and frustration. It also
marked the opening of a new nature trail for every member of the local
community.
Six
years ago, when then-Peoples Academy student Ashton Allen was in eighth grade,
he and friend Mike Day explored the nature trails behind the school. While the
two enjoyed the trails, what struck them most was the fact that some of their
fellow students could not relish the same experience. At the time, Ashton
recalled, there were four students in wheelchairs at the school. The trails
were inaccessible to those students.
Ashton
and Mike immediately set out to rectify the problem. They redesigned the trail
so it could be used by everyone. They applied, unsuccessfully, for a grant to
implement their vision. Ashton said Mike got discouraged after that initial
rejection, but Ashton stayed determined. He applied for a second grant, and was
turned down again.
“I
didn’t know what can of worms I was getting into with this project,” Ashton
admitted. However he added, “It’s been a lot of fun and I’m glad I stuck with
it.”
Eventually
his third grant application, this time to the Vermont Recreation Trails Grant
Program, was successful. Local lumberyards Morrisville Lumber and Country Home
Center also pitched in with donations of pressure treated lumber. The town road crew helped by putting down gravel.
“The
Town of Morristown has been a huge help for this project,” said Ashton.
Even
with funding and in-kind materials in hand, Ashton said he “had to jump through
a bunch of hoops” applying for state permits, including complying with wetland
regulations.
Ashton
worked on the project throughout his high school career, but was unable to
complete the trail before his graduation. Then-Lamoille South Supervisory Union
Superintendent Alice Angney made a deal with Ashton.
“…I
wanted him to follow through so I told him that I would give him his diploma if
he promised to complete the project, Dr. Angney told
the News & Citizen. “When he
called to ask me to come to the official opening of the trail he said it was a
promise kept. It reminds me so much of Vermont values where a person's word has
real meaning.”
Ashton
invited his friends and family to the ribbon cutting, as well as Dr. Angney and her family. He said he held the ceremony in Dr. Angney’s honor.
“When
I called her up she was thrilled,” said Ashton.
“Ashton started the accessible nature trail
project as a high school student,” explained Dr. Angney.
“I am sure the needs of his cousin, Andrew Allen, had a lot to do with his
decision to take on the project but there was much more to it than he ever
imagined...”
Now
that the trail is complete, Ashton is encouraging everyone to go check it out.
The pond-side trailhead can be accessed from a wood line trail between the PA
track and the upper deck soccer field. For the time being, Ashton is calling
the new-and-improved trail the Morristown Community Nature Trail, but added he
is open to other suggestions. In honor of the efforts of Ashton Allen and Alice
Angney, and with inspiration provided by Andrew
Allen, maybe the school’s newest all-accessible attraction should be called the
Straight A’s Trail!
Hyde Park
Principal’s Resignation is Fifth This Year
by Mickey Smith
Hyde Park
Elementary School Principal Ilene Levitt announced her resignation this past
week, bringing the number of principals who have retired/resigned, effective
since the end of the school year, to five in Lamoille County.
New
principals have already been hired at Peoples Academy, Stowe High School, and
Lamoille Union. Levitt joins Eden’s David Hartnett as principals on elementary
school level who have decided to move on to other jobs. Although one of the
outgoing principals has already found a new, interim, job in the district. A
sixth principal, the Stowe Middle School principal,
has announced he is leaving at the end of the upcoming school year.
On
Monday, August 6, the Hyde Park Board of School Directors accepted the
resignation of Dr. Levitt. She has been offered the position of principal of Smilie Memorial School in Bolton.
In a
press release regarding Levitt’s decision to leave the school, the board
expressed its appreciation for Dr. Levitt’s educational leadership, indicating
the success of Hyde Park’s children is a tribute to the faculty and staff and
to Ilene. The board went on to wish her well in her new position.
“My three
years at H.P.E.S. have been very fulfilling especially because of you and our
students. We have accomplished a lot, including improvements in our health
program, Reading Recovery, in-depth professional development through the CSR
grant, significant improvements in the NECAP scores, school celebrations, after-school
enrichment and outstanding teaching for all of our students, even those with
the most challenging needs,” said Dr. Levitt in a letter to the faculty and
staff announcing her resignation.
She
went on to say, “We have a great team and I am confident that you will continue
to serve the children of Hyde Park in the same dedicated and professional
manner. I truly cherish the relationships that I have here and will miss you so
much.”
Regarding
the question of a replacement, board chairman Brian Marshall stated, “While we
recognize that we need to move quickly to hire a new principal, the Board
believes that we should proceed very carefully to develop a thoughtful and
inclusive hiring process. We have had a preliminary discussion about the
recruitment/hiring process and we will meet again on August 13 to refine the
process.”
The board
will hold a special meeting at the school on August 13 starting at 7:00
p.m. The only agenda item will be the
principal recruitment process. The board encourages public and staff input.
The board
has employed Sharon Fortune as interim principal effective August 17, Levitt’s
final day at Hyde Park Elementary. Fortune has spent much of her career at
Lamoille Union High School and has also worked in other school districts in Vermont. She has recently retired as principal of
Lamoille Union after five years.
HPFD To Celebrate 100 Years
by Mickey Smith
HYDE PARK
– For 100 years Hyde Park has benefited from the services of an organized fire
department. Now, in celebration of their centennial, the fire department is
opening the doors and letting the community in to join in the festivities.
The open
house runs from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. rain or shine, and will include
demonstrations and food.
At
noontime, the department plans to demonstrate their extrication skills, using
the department’s “Jaws of Life” equipment. Also planned is a demonstration of
the proper use of fire extinguishers. Kids will have a chance to practice their
“stop, drop and roll” techniques, and be introduced to a firefighter in full
garb – in hopes it will help allay fears in a time of a fire.
Hot dogs
(donated by Hannaford), cookies, and other snacks will be available, and people
will have a chance to look back at the history of the department. Photos from
fire calls will be on-hand, as well as the department’s old hose carts from
fire fighting days gone by.
Sparky
the Fire Dog and Smokey Bear will also be on hand, and the department has fire
prevention related door prizes to give out, as well.
Lightning
Hits Hess’ Used Cars
by Mickey Smith
MORRISTOWN
– A bolt of lightning knocked out everything phone related at Hess’ Used Cars
during Monday afternoon’s storm.
Chuck
Hess said they had just sat down for lunch when a bolt of lightning zipped through
the house.
Hess said
they immediately smelled burning plastic, so he called 911 on his cellphone – as the lightning had knocked out the phones.
It
appeared, Hess said, the lightning took out everything that was plugged into
the phone line… the satellite dish and TV, the copier, etc. Fortunately, he
noted, it stopped before getting to the computer.
Hess
described it as a double strike, as it also hit a tree near the apartment
attached to their office building. He said it knocked out the phone lines there
as well.
There
were no injuries reported, and the smell of burning plastic was determined to
be from the wires. No fire was found.
A New Morristown Skate Park?
MORRISVILLE
– What is a young Morristown skateboarder to do? Downtown merchants don’t like
skateboarders monopolizing the sidewalks in front of their stores. Parking lots
are not safe, nor are the busy streets. Several years ago the town had a skate
park at the Oxbow property, but it was damaged by floodwaters, suffered from
vandalism and fell into disrepair. Local skateboarder Isaac Graham thinks it is
time to try again.
“Basically, I think there’s a need for a skate
park in this town,” Graham recently told the Morristown Selectboard.
“Kids don’t really have a place to skate…it would be a better solution if there
was a public place.”
Graham
has done some research and designed a proposed park. He asked the selectboard to consider constructing a park with concrete
features on town property, above the flood plain. Graham alluded to the lessons
learned at the Oxbow, saying he did not have a specific property in mind, as
long as it is above the flood plain. He also said concrete features, although
they involve a much larger initial investment, will last longer and stand up to
the weather.
When
Selectman Brian Kellogg asked if he had considered approaching CREW about
building the park on its property, Graham said the bottom line comes down to
insurance. While private insurance is cost-prohibitive, Graham said the Johnson
skate park has very affordable liability coverage through the Vermont League of
Cities & Towns. The catch is the park must be on municipally owned land.
Graham said Johnson park organizer Casey Romero said the town is able to get
coverage through VLCT’s Property & Casualty Inter-municipal Fund for about
$500 per year.
Graham
said it would take a summer, and about $60,000 to complete a concrete skate park.
He spoke with an experienced outfit out of Connecticut that estimated the job
would entail about 77 days of work and eight truckloads of concrete at $1,000
per load, totaling $30,000 for concrete and crew. Graham estimated other
materials would add up to another $30,000. He said volunteers could do the prep
work, with a professional crew coming in for the final forming and smoothing of
the concrete.
“For
$60,000 we can make something happen, get a decent concrete park,” Graham told
the selectboard.
Graham,
who is currently a graduate student in San Francisco, said he is learning how
to write grants. He suggested the project could be paid for with grants, or
possibly a local option tax.
Selectboard Chair Shaun Bryer
asked if a park with wooden structures, such as in Johnson, would be
sufficient. Graham replied that wood is great for a few years until the screws
start to come up and/or the wood starts to rot. He added concrete structures
are good for 20 or 30 years.
Again
referring to the demise of the old Oxbow skate park Graham added, “If it’s a
concrete park you can put it there and not really worry about things being
messed with. Things are really set in stone.”
Bryer noted he hears skate park requests “more
than any other in town.” He added he would support a skate park proposal, but
suggested Graham should enlist a committee to look into the details of
placement, financing, grant funding, public support, and other issues. Bryer added Graham faces the added battle of changing
Morristown residents’ opinion of skate parks “because of the poor experience
with the last one here.” Bryer noted many people
considered the last attempt to be a waste of money.
That
said Bryer commended, “I would definitely support a
skate park if it were done well.”
Tingle
Named Eden Interim Principal
by Mickey Smith
EDEN –
The Eden Central School has named Duncan Tingle interim principal to start the
new school year.
Tingle is
a retired educator living in Hyde Park. He has served as an interim principal
at both Hyde Park and Cambridge schools. He has agreed to serve as Eden
principal until a full-time replacement can be hired.
Eden
Central is in the process of hiring a new principal after the departure of
David Hartnett, who took a job in Worcester.
Two
interview panels have been formed to meet with five candidates for the position
next Friday, August 17.
Dr. Terry
Bailey, superintendent of schools for Lamoille North, said the committee
started with 14 applicants, but that number was pared down to five based
largely on credentials and experience in Vermont.
Two
separate committees will interview the candidates. Each committee is made up of
Eden residents and/or staff members and is chaired by someone in the Lamoille
North organization. Sue Cano, director
of student support services for the district, chairs one committee, Mary
Anderson, principal at Cambridge Elementary, chairs the other.
Things Look This
Way to Me
Editorial by J.B.
McKinley 8-9/07
In the Heart of
Lamoille County
Little
flags on the power poles declare Morrisville to be in the heart of Lamoille
County. True enough, but what does that mean?
Is
Morristown simply centrally located in Lamoille or is the town held dear in the
hearts of county residents, or is Morristown a bellwether at least vaguely
indicating the future path other county towns may soon follow?
If,
for a moment, you will believe that Morristown, with its growth pressures, may
indicate some central truths valid for the county consider the following. I’ll
tell you a story and you may make your own conclusions.
Last
weekend my wife and I spent what was a quintessential Vermont summer day in
search of lawn sales. We traveled widely and looped through the country from
Elmore to Northfield, over several mountains to Williamstown, lunched in
Chelsea and found ourselves picking up 89 to head home from South Royalton. For
us it was a rare trip away from Morristown and that oft-travelled corridor to
Burlington for shopping. We enjoyed some narrow dirt roads, the smell of
overhanging evergreens and moist air from roadside brooks. We gazed over long
vistas of field and pasture to distant hills. We saw more than a bit of open land
without new McMansions or recently built three
bedroom ranches with attached garages. We travelled quite a few roads without
strip development of any kind. For myself, it was a
bit of a wakeup call that Lamoille County has really changed in very few years.
When
you sit in an office five days a week subliminally aware of the endless traffic
zipping by on Brooklyn Street, the quiet of less travelled byways makes an
impact. Sure I know it’s easy to find quiet hideaways in our county, but each
year it is less easy.
What
are we doing about it? Change is inevitable but to what degree do we wish to
channel the coming change? Each of our Lamoille communities has made decisions
regarding planning and zoning, schooling and other public functions and
facilities. Morristown seems almost to be at a turning point; will Morrisville
be a very small city soon? Well, one thing is clear, growth is here and
still coming. Recently two relatively densely planned 44 unit developments have
been proposed; apparently developers confidently expect to sell 88 homes. What
if those 88 families had to build each on a 10 acre lot? It seems that the
impact is massive either way and we can’t just revile zoning boards for obeying
the laws they are handed. We can’t simply revile our planning boards for
suggesting the regulations. Well, I guess we can, but it’s not a constructive
reaction.
What
we can do is think about what we want the future to
look like for our kids and consider volunteering for some of our boards. It’s
my thought that you and I are the true Heart of Lamoille County, not just
Morrisville.
Gov.
Douglas Tours Wolcott’s Changes
WOLCOTT
– Governor Jim Douglas toured the sites of some big changes in Wolcott Tuesday,
August 7. After participating in the unveiling of Buck’s Furniture’s new
country storefront, Governor Douglas toured the old School Street school
building that a state corrections crew is renovating into town offices.
School
Street job foreman Bob Bovat and Selectmen Robert
Harris and Chan Judd showed the governor around the newly divided building that
will become the town offices (newer portion) and the new home of the Wolcott
Historical Society (historical section). A crew from the St. Johnsbury Correctional Center has been hired by the town to
renovate the old School Street Center for its new uses. Listers
Tom Martin, Tracey Laporte and Eliza Giard were also on hand to view the office building they
will occupy this fall.
There
was a carnival atmosphere in Wolcott village Tuesday afternoon. Buck’s grand
unveiling included live steel drum music, face painting, cotton candy, kids games, a clown and a magician. WLVB was broadcasting
live from the event.
To
chants of “move that truck,” a Buck’s delivery van removed a tarp to unveil the
new storefront décor. Emma Lee, 13, of Hardwick, was also present. Emma won
Buck’s storefront coloring contest. The new pastel color scheme was based on
her design. The storefront, around the store’s main entrance, is cream with a
red roof. Trim colors include blue, dark and light green, lilac and gold.
Surrounding buildings, at least for the time being, remain Buck’s signature
brown with yellow and orange stripes, however the stripes have been removed
from the two brown sections immediately abutting the freshly painted portion.