MORRISVILLE
– Vermont’s top official with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service
has submitted a final restructuring plan for approval from the federal office.
However, unlike a previous draft plan, State Conservationist Judy Doerner said the proposal sent to Washington, D.C. retains
all NRCS field offices, including the Morrisville office on Professional Drive.
The
new plan established four regions in Vermont, each supervised by a District
Conservationist (DC), supported by one program assistant. There are currently
10 NRCS districts throughout the state.
“Each
DC will be housed in one of the field offices in his/her region, along with a
program assistant,” Doerner stated in her executive
summary. “The DC and the program assistant will be responsible for the vast
majority of administrative, managerial, and supervisory functions in their
region, freeing field technical staff to deliver technical services to
producers. No field service center locations will change at this time.”
The
proposed region for this area includes Lamoille and Franklin counties. Regional
offices will be located in Morrisville and St. Albans, both colocated
with USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices.
Doerner noted several benefits with the new plan,
including an annual salary and benefits cost savings of $31,725 and increased
productivity resulting from all field-level employees specializing in their
areas of greatest expertise and skill.
To
achieve the new model, Doerner stated some employees
currently working as District Conservationists will need to be reassigned as
soil conservationists, while the remaining DCs’
supervisory duties will increase.
The
retention of the Morrisville Field Office means the Lamoille Country Natural
Resources Conservation District will also be able to retain its Professional
Drive office space, colocated with NRCS and FSA
offices. NRCS foots the bill for the LCNRCD space. However, NRCS will be
looking to downsize its Morrisville office space to help contain costs. LCNRCD
Director Christina Goodwin said her office is currently re-evaluating what
space it uses and how best to downsize.
“We’re
willing to make those sacrifices in order to maintain the NRCS office,” Goodwin
said this week.
Speaking
on behalf of the conservation district, Goodwin said they are pleased the three
agencies will remain together in one building.
“We’re
very pleased that NRCS has chosen to maintain the service center model that
seems to work very well for Lamoille County farmers,” Goodwin commented. “If
our farmers are happy, then we’re happy.”
Turkey Collision
No Joke
by Mickey Smith
WOLCOTT – A
Glover woman was knocked unconscious on Friday, March 30, when a turkey struck
her in the head, while she was driving a motorcycle on Route 15 in Wolcott.
Lamoille County
Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Ron Audet Jr. said Tina
Trucott, 33, of Glover, was driving a Suzuki 600
eastbound on Route 15, between Harris Appliance and the Wolcott Garage, when
she was struck in the helmet by an approximately five pound turkey, which was
in the process of taking off to fly across the road.
Sgt. Audet said Trucott was traveling
at about 55 to 60 miles per hour, having just passed two vehicles. Audet said there were no reports of erratic driving, the
bird simply flew up and struck her.
After being
struck, she was knocked unconscious and the bike traveled, parallel with the
road, about 300 feet before sliding down a 20-foot embankment. At the bottom of
the embankment, the bike hit a tree, throwing Trucott
to the ground.
Audet said Trucott
sustained a few broken bones, and, personally, thought her being unconscious
might have helped her. He said because she was knocked out she was not fighting
to regain control of the bike, which might have caused it to flip.
MONTPELIER – Governor Jim Douglas has released the list of gubernatorial
appointments made in January, February and March, 2007. Lamoille County
residents who received appointments are listed below:
Board of Funeral Service – Peter Beck, Stowe
District #5 Environmental Commission – Clifford Johnson,
Stowe
Governor's Commission on Healthy Aging – Heidi Joyce,
Stowe
Joint Committee on Tax Credits – Cathleen Voyer,
Morrisville
Natural Resources Board – Lisa Nolen Birmingham, Stowe; Joan
Nagy, Cambridge
Outdoor Lighting Advisory Board – Mark Delaney,
Jeffersonville
State Emergency Response Commission – Michele Boomhower, Wolcott
Vermont Film Corporation, Board of Directors – David Rocchio, Stowe
Vermont Homeland Security Advisory Council – Roger Marcoux Jr, Hyde Park
Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees – Peter Wright,
Elmore
Affordable
Housing For Johnson?
by Mickey Smith
JOHNSON – The
Johnson Selectboard is going in to a Wednesday, April
18 hearing regarding a proposal to develop the former Vermont Electric Co-op
site with “severe reservations.”
After hearing
concerns by the Johnson Planning Commission about the project, the board would
not yet lend their support to the School Street project. The Lamoille Housing
Partnership led project calls for 24 affordable rental units, 10 being for
senior housing, six family town houses, and eight family apartments. The
planning commission feels “single unit housing” is of a greater importance than
another multi-unit development.
The planning
commission feels this project is happening too quickly, and the town should
have more time to do its homework on the development of the parcel.
A joint hearing
of the town selectboard and Johnson Village trustees
is being held on Wednesday, April 18, to discuss the proposal. The two boards
will need to make a decision to support or not support the project soon after,
as the application for a Community Block Grant needs to be turned in on
Thursday, April 19. Support is only needed from one of the two legs of town
government.
Accomplices
Charged with 12 Counts
by Mickey Smith
HYDE PARK – Two
teenagers have been charged for their parts in a series of burglaries which saw
a Florida man, Galvaston Rocky Witherspoon, arraigned
last week on 14 counts of criminal charges. They have been released on
conditions.
[Late breaking
news: At press time, Kyle Kizer was arraigned at
Lamoille Vermont District Court for violations of conditions of release – just
two days after the conditions were imposed.]
Kyle Kizer, 19, of Elmore, and Gene Mead, 19, of Hyde Park, were
charged with two felony counts of burglary (if convicted carrying a sentence of
up to 15 years each); four counts of felony unlawful mischief (carrying up to
five years imprisonment for a conviction); two counts of misdemeanor grand
larceny (up to 10 years, if convicted); three counts of felony unlawful
trespass (with a maximum sentence of up to three years, if convicted); and one
misdemeanor charge of unlawful trespass (which carries a sentence of six months
if convicted).
The 10 page
affidavit prepared by Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department Detective Darin
Barber details damage to a home on Center Road and Tenney
Hill Road. In each case, the front door was broken open and the home ransacked
– windows smashed, mattresses over-turned and the contents of drawers strewn
around. From both houses, jewelry and electronics were among the items taken.
The affidavit
alleges Witherspoon created an elaborate story to try to place the entire blame
on Kizer and Mead. Barber alleges the story included
a fabricated employer, Busy Dee’s Cleaning Service,
the owner of which he claims drove him and Kizer
around. Witherspoon also used a fake name, Eric Bua,
throughout the questioning.
Kizer and Mead were both living at an Elmore
home at the time of the investigation. According to the affidavit, the
homeowner consented to allow the sheriff’s department to search the home on
April 5. Stereo equipment, silver coins, a DVD player, and liquor bottles were
found in a tub with Mead’s name on it – those items were later identified by
the victims.
The following
day, Mead and Kizer were seen outside the Morristown
Centennial Library, where Morristown Police Senior Patrolman Ryan Bjerke observed the duo.
Mead and Kizer were taken into custody, at
which time jewelry was found in Kizer’s pocket, which
was identified by one of the victims. The two were found with Kizer’s sister, who is Mead’s girlfriend. According to the
affidavit, she told Mead and Kizer to do the right
thing and tell the truth.
Mead and Kizer were interviewed separately by Barber and Lamoille
County Sheriff’s Department Captain Eben Merrill.
Both gave similar accounts of what happened, alleging Kizer
and Witherspoon would enter the homes, while Mead watched the door. They said
Witherspoon would point out things for Kizer to take,
while Witherspoon would randomly smash things.
Kizer agreed to show the Sheriff’s Department
other homes the three had broken into, bringing the list up to four homes known
to have been entered.
According to the
affidavit, Witherspoon has only been in the area since early March. He has an
outstanding arrest warrant from Florida, where he is wanted on burglary and
grand larceny charges.
Better School
Give & Take Wanted in Eden
by Mickey Smith
EDEN – Community
members in Eden are looking for information in light of last Thursday’s 68-52
defeat of the town’s school budget. This is the second time the budget went
down to defeat this spring, a move which has the school board looking for
information, too.
A group of
citizens (about 10) attended the Monday night, April 16, meeting of the Eden
School Board and brought up communication as the biggest concern. They felt
voters were blind-sided by an $111,000 deficit, which was discovered in
December and first learned about by many voters at Town Meeting. They were also concerned about a lack of
opportunity for community input as the board formulated a revised budget for
the second vote.
A discussion was
held about improving the communication, creating other options for people to
hear about meetings and for the board to provide information to the general
public.
Dr. Bailey,
Lamoille North superintendent, explained the two biggest pieces that created
the deficit were a long-term substitute needed to replace someone with a large
amount of accumulated sick leave and a situation involving more services needed
for special needs students than what was budgeted. Special education costs are only reimbursed
at 57% of the full cost, so communities need to come up with the rest of the
money on their own.
In a report from
the principal sent home to students, David Hartnett explained the 2004 audit
showed three areas with over-expenditures: regular education, $53,655; special
education,$56,800; and special education – health $21,331.
They felt there
was a large gap between the town and school, and felt better communication
would help alleviate concerns, be they legitimate questions or some unfounded
complaints spread by people who do not normally take part in school activities.
Some parents pointed out, though, that community members are not the only ones
to blame. There were concerns about teachers trying to put the children in the
middle of the budget issue.
“Kids have enough
pressure without being told they can’t have tissues because the budget is
frozen,” said one parent.
Another
suggestion from the crowd included getting the word out explaining the staffing
at the school. Voters in attendance said they had heard several complaints from
people who don’t regularly attend school board meetings who question the need
for such a large staff at a small school; the school parking lot was described
as looking like Price Chopper’s parking lot with all the cars. The board agreed
there is a need to help show people the complexities of staffing, i.e., the
need for paraeducators for one-on-one time with
students.
The one-on-one
time also raised concerns. One parent questioned if her child was receiving the
proper one-on-one time, as paras are also sometimes
used for lunchroom and recess duty. She was concerned services for the masses
were being billed to Medicare, which pays for the one-on-one services.
Eden Central
School Principal David Hartnett assured her that Medicare is only billed for
the one-on-one services.
A foster parent
spoke highly of the services received by her foster child with special needs
was receiving.
“He’s got
everything he needs and then some,” she said.
She went on to
explain she has worked as a behavioral
interventionists at two other schools were he attended, and at Eden Central he
is flourishing when compared to those other schools.
Hartnett pointed
to the positive progression he has seen at the school during his nine years as
principal. He said Eden Central School
has come out from being an “identified school” – a term used for schools which
do not meet certain testing levels, they have since
met Adequate Yearly Progress, including beating the state average in math.
A public input
meeting has been scheduled for April 30, with a vote planned for Saturday, June
2, at 9 a.m. Lamoille North
Superintendent Dr. Terry Bailey said an informational meeting will also be
scheduled for the week leading up to the vote.