Alcohol/Gun Threats Close Ferry
Street
by Mickey Smith
NORTH
HYDE PARK – A 20 year old North Hyde Park resident who
was threatening suicide, caused the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department to
close traffic in North Hyde Park, as they and members of three other
departments looked for the man.
According
to Lamoille County Deputy Sheriff Jason Luneau’s
affidavit, he and Deputy Sheriff Damon Rooney responded to North Hyde Park at
about 11:30 p.m. on Friday night, August 31, to a report of an intoxicated,
suicidal man who was attempting to get into a gun cabinet.
While enroute, the deputies learned the man, Eric Willey, 20, had
obtained a gun and was outside walking on Ferry Street. In his affidavit,
Deputy Luneau said due to the nature of the incident
he requested assistance from Morristown and Stowe Police departments, as well
as the Vermont State Police.
Luneau’s affidavit alleged Willey had told
his family if he saw blue lights he was shooting them. They also told Luneau, the affidavit alleged, that after leaving the house
a gun shot was heard. Willey had allegedly been arguing with his girlfriend
during the day and had been drinking. He is alleged to have broken a door and a
flower pot at his mother’s home.
Officers
looked for the man for about an hour before Deputy Rooney observed a man
walking along Ferry Street. Deputy Rooney identified the man as Willey,
handcuffed him and placed him in a cruiser.
At about
1:05 a.m., Willey submitted to a blood alcohol breath test, in which he blew a
.092. According to court records, Willey has two prior alcohol-drinking
violations – making his third a criminal infraction.
The
following morning, Willey’s 2006 Toyota Tacoma was found on a logging road
about a mile from Ferry Street. A plastic bag with alcoholic beverages was
found nearby, and later a .30-.30 Marlin, with a wooden stock, matching the one
Willey was alleged to have, was found about 25 feet from the truck.
A search
warrant was executed on the truck, and a Buck knife and marijuana smoking
device were found.
At his
arraignment on Tuesday, September 4, Willey pled not guilty and was released on
conditions that he check in with the Lamoille County
Sheriff’s Department on Saturdays and Sundays and have a curfew on the
weekends. Willey works in Maine, and was granted permission to continue working
during the week.
JSC’s
Murphy Appointed to Highly Political Commission
JOHNSON
– Johnson State College President Barbara Murphy recently had her first meeting
as a member of the new Commission on Family Recognition and Protection,
appointed by state legislative leaders. The commission is charged with
investigating the option of enacting legislation sanctioning same-sex marriage
in Vermont. The commission’s first meeting drew a lot of media attention and
politically charged commentary. However, Murphy told the News & Citizen the group’s primary task is more of a
fact-finding mission than a policy-creating role.
The
commission is comprised of 11 members from across Vermont, and has the services
of a staff attorney. Tom Little, the Republican
legislator who headed up the investigative commission on civil unions in 2000,
also chairs the Commission on Family Recognition and Protection. Murphy said
the 2007 commission is comprised of lawmakers as well as professionals from the
private sector, such as herself. Other members include
an Episcopalian priest, an attorney, a healthcare administrator and a former
state trooper.
Murphy
is a former board member of Vermont CARES, an organization dedicated to
providing resources, education and services to AIDS patients. It was a former
fellow Vermont CARES board member who first asked her if she might be
interested in serving on the commission. Murphy said she answered that she
honestly hasn’t thought much about the issue of gay marriage. Nonetheless, she
received an invitation from Speaker of the House Gaye Symington and Senate
President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin to join the
committee, and Murphy accepted.
Now
that she’s involved, Murphy said she is quite interested in the subject. While
she would not state her position on gay marriage, Murphy said she is a
supporter of civil unions “from a sense of creating strong, stable family
units.”
“I
think healthy and stable families are important for a strong society,” said
Murphy. She added the definition of a strong family is an evolving concept. She
said she is “open to recognizing families come in many shapes and sizes.”
Murphy
reported the commission’s first job was to learn all it needs to learn and
gather the materials necessary to hold public hearings around the state on the
subject of same sex marriage. Murphy said the commission quickly realized,
“We’re never going to know everything, so we might as well start talking to
people.”
Over
the next several months, the commission will hold six public hearings around
Vermont in an attempt to gauge Vermonters’ thoughts and feelings on the
subject. In April 2008 the commission is expected to report back to the
Legislature on those hearings. Murphy noted the commission is tasked with
encapsulating the regional hearings in its report, rather than making specific
recommendations to the Legislature.
Murphy
said she is looking forward to the challenges that the next six months will
present.
“I
am excited,” said Murphy. “I haven’t served on a commission before and I’m
looking forward to it.”
Bridge Projects Abound
by Mickey Smith
These
days it’s hard to travel east to west through Lamoille County without noticing
there is a lot of bridge work going on in Lamoille County. Vermont Agency of
Transportation spokesman John Zicconi said these projects
are moving along as scheduled and he estimated, by winter, traffic will be
largely unimpeded.
On the
west end of Lamoille County, the re-decking of the “Wrong Way Bridge” is moving
right along, the bulk of that work is expected to be wrapped up by snowfall,
bringing the bridge back to two lanes of traffic.
The
Cambridge to Jeffersonville lane of traffic is currently open, with work now
being done on the Jeffersonville to Cambridge lane. “Jersey barriers” still
exist on the bridge, making it even more narrow than usual. Tire marks on the
Jersey barriers show where some large trucks have had problems crossing.
As
expected, work on the Main Street Bridge in Johnson will continue next year,
but a temporary bridge is keeping traffic to two lanes most of the time. Zicconi said Mother Nature has been kind to both of those
projects, keeping them on schedule.
Work is
expected to start on Tenney Bridge, on Route 15A in
Morristown, within the next month, Zicconi said the
state is just waiting the legal notification period before starting the
work. He said the wait has allowed the
state time to remove the “Dry Bridge,” on Cadys Falls
Road in Hyde Park, and convert what was a one lane constriction to two lanes.
Incidentally,
the material that is filling the former railroad underpass will be extended to
the sides at a gradual enough angle to fulfill the requirements of the Lamoille
Valley Rail Trail. The final grade will satisfy handicap standards.
“The Dry
Bridge will be done by the time the Tenney Bridge
work begins,” said Zicconi.
This
fall’s plans for Tenney Bridge include dismantling
the current structure and installing a temporary bridge. Once the temporary
bridge is in place, traffic will be unfettered by weight limits, but the bridge
will be closed to all traffic during the dismantling and erection stage.
Zicconi said that work should begin
towards the end of the September and will take about a month. He said VTrans expects the temporary bridge to be open sometime
during October.
The
temporary bridge will go in the same location as the current bridge, with the
scheduled new bridge to be built 50 to 100 feet west of the current bridge
(closer to Morrisville). By building the temporary bridge in the same location,
future traffic disruptions should be minimized once construction begins on the
new bridge.
Wolcott’s
bridge related traffic disruptions have ended, as work has been completed on
the bridge between Morrisville and Wolcott over the Wild Branch.
Dry Bridge Filled In
Converted
to Two-Lane Road
by Mickey Smith
HYDE PARK
– With the railroad no longer passing underneath, the long time one-way
traverse over the St. J and LC rail line has been filled in and is in the
process of being turned into a two-way roadway.
With a
severe weight limit recently posted on Tenney Bridge,
and an impending approximately month long closure of that bridge, passage
through downtown Morrisville has become the only viable route through
Morrisville for truck traffic.
Safety
concerns have long existed regarding the dry bridge, which was expected to be a
temporary bridge even in one of its more modern conformations in the 1970s. For
many years the span was actually a WWII “Bailey” bridge, a type of bridge
designed for temporary combat crossings. Since that time, the bridge has been
replaced and minor design alterations have been done, but it has remained with
a wooden deck open only to one way crossings with a steep incline and poor
visibility.
By
filling in the former railway underpass, below the bridge, the road can be
widened to two lanes, ceasing the need for a traffic stop of vehicles coming
from the Hyde Park side.
Zicconi expected traffic will be flowing
along the road by the end of the week. He said, weather permitting, guardrails
will be going up on Wednesday, September 4. He said the road will be dirt until
next week, but once the guardrails are in place traffic can start using the
road. A paver won’t be available until next week, but he said the road can be used in the
meantime – once the guardrails are erected.
Once the
road is reopened, work will be continuing as the sides facing the former
railroad will be landscaped with a gradual slope allowing rail trail users to
continue using the path. Zicconi said the grade of
the slope will meet American Disability Act requirements, so the trail can be
used by anyone.
Kizer/Mead
Sentences Clarified
by Mickey Smith
HYDE PARK
– On first glance, Kyle Kizer and Gene Mead appeared
to receive similar sentences for their roles in a series of break-ins this past
spring, but Lamoille County State’s Attorney Joel Page said the two received
different sentences based on their criminal past (or lack thereof).
Kyle Kizer’s “controlling sentence” was one to five years, with
all but 60 days to serve. His time to
serve will be spent on the Correction Department’s work crew, because he has
not had prior trouble with the law. Mead, on the other hand, had a controlling
sentence of 20 days to eight years imposed, with time to serve in prison. Page
said Mead has had previous trouble with the law, including a violation of
conditions of release less than two days after having those conditions set.
Page
said, after serving his prison sentence, Mead will be on furlough and then have
probation, which will provide more time under direct supervision.
Page
explained a controlling sentence is the longest part of the sentence. In
situations when people have more than one sentence handed down, the shorter
sentences are often included in the time of the controlling sentence,
concurrently. Consecutive sentences demand that someone finish one sentence before
starting another.
Lamoille Bd. Meeting &
Forestry Open House Simultaneous
HARDWICK
–Tuesday, September 18, will require a footnote in local history books as the
Lamoille School District Board will meet for the first time outside its
geographic boundaries on the same night and place at the Open House at the
Green Mountain Technology & Career Center’s new Forestry Building on the
Hazen Union campus.
The
Forestry Building Open House will be open to the public from 4 to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, September 18. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. The
three school district superintendents involved in the conception and
construction of GMTCC’s outreach/interdistrict
facility will all be present at the ceremony. Current Lamoille North
Superintendent Terry Bailey will speak.
Then, at
6:30, the Lamoille District Board meeting will be held in the new building.
The
building is located at 433 North Main Road, Hardwick, if you wish to attend.
For more information, call Joe Teegarden at 851-1572.
The
New LARC Crew
MORRISTOWN
– A new management system, new recreational features and new programming make
the Lamoille Area Recreational Center (LARC), figuratively, the coolest place
in town this fall. (The CREW Arena ice rink assures it is literally the coolest
place in town, at present.)
General
Manager Guy Shane heads up a new management team at LARC. The team also
includes new Development Director Ken Peer, a soon-to-be-named marketing
director and Operations Manager Norm Graves (who is not a new face to people
who play at LARC).
As
for new features, young visitors to LARC can now enjoy a recently installed
swing set at the front of the building. Coming soon will be an NCAA-regulation
size outdoor basketball court. Shane said the site for the court has been
cleared and Sonny Brink is now organizing volunteers to help construct the
court. Shane said the basketball court will be paved, with a rubberized
surface. Eventually, Shane said they hope to have the court lit for night
games.
The
fall programming schedule is now gearing up at LARC. The ever-popular Saturday
night Teen Nights have already started, and run from 7 to 10 p.m. New on Friday
nights, beginning this week, is Tween
Night for kids grades three through six. Shane said Tween
nights will follow the same theme as Teen Nights, and will run from 6 to 8 p.m.
on Fridays. Family skate, that used to be held on Friday nights, will now be
from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Registration
has already begun for some of the fall hockey and skating programs. The adult
coed hockey league is now signing up teams and individual players, according to
Shane. Play will start in early October.
Lamoille
Area Hockey Association will be conducting youth programs at LARC. As for high
school play, the Peoples Academy boys will return this fall and planning is now
in the works for a Lamoille Union girls club team.
Shane said Betsy Field is working on building the girls team and DJ Masi has
signed on as coach.
The
Northeast Kingdom Skating Club will again be offering figure skating lessons
this fall and winter, and LARC will be conducting basic skating lessons for
beginners.
Saturday,
September 29, the Green Mountain Curling Club will hold its second annual Open
House at LARC. Shane said he believes LARC has the only rink in Vermont with
dedicated curling. The Morristown rink is now home to the statewide curling
club. So if you’ve never tried curling, stop by the open house and have a go of
it!
Village
Square Plan Considered
MORRISVILLE
– The Morristown Planning Commission would like to study new ways to get
traffic flowing around Morrisville. For the second year in a row, MPC hopes the
town will apply for a Municipal Planning Grant from the state to study the
feasibility of redirecting traffic in the central village area. Last year MPC
put forward an idea that would create a “village square” around the municipal
parking lot between Portland and Pleasant Streets. The concept would involve
making Portland Street one-way southbound, between Bridge Street and Main
Street, and making Pleasant Street one-way northbound, from Main Street to a
new street aligned with Bridge Street, running parallel but between Hutchins
Street and Railroad Street.
“The
idea behind the concept would be to create a ‘village square’ centered around the municipal parking lot and extend the central
business area over to Pleasant Street,” Zoning Administrator Mark Leonard wrote
in a memo to the selectboard. “With the majority of
truck traffic re-routed around the village when the alternate truck route
(bypass) is completed, the central village area, with the proposed traffic
re-flow, would be a more attractive destination for shopping and business.”
Leonard
explained MPC intended to apply for a municipal planning grant to conduct this
study last year, but was obliged instead to seek grant funds to undertake the
current Town Plan revision. The Planning Commission, last week, sought selectboard approval to apply for the grant. However,
Leonard explained, the board asked for additional information before making its
decision.
Leonard
said the selectboard would like the study to include
more than one option for addressing downtown traffic. Specifically, the board
would like more information on the possibility of installing a full traffic
light to replace the blinking light at the intersection of Main and Portland
Streets.
“They’re
planning on going back to the selectboard next Monday
night,” Leonard said of the planning commission. At that time, MPC hopes to
gain selectboard approval for a more inclusive study.
The deadline to apply for the grant is Friday, September 28. Funding decisions
are announced by the state in the late fall.
Around Town with
J.B. McKinley
Lamoille
County’s Pyramid of Seven Wonders
We’ve
all been told of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – the pyramids, the
Colossus of Rhodes, and the like. Then we’ve had the Seven Natural Wonders of
the World – the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, etc. More recently a
Vermont newspaper announced the 7 Wonders of Vermont, stuff like maple syrup
and fall foliage. Hey, I won’t write my candid opinion of this list. It’s not
fit for print. But really, who wonders about the colored leaves – they just ARE
each and every fall. Who wonders about Lake Champlain? Man, it’s just THERE.
Camel’s Hump, a wonder? The camel they have in a barnyard down in Richmond
along Route 2 is more of wonder. First time I saw it, I know I said “Geez,
wonder where they got that?”
Heck,
we here in Lamoille County have better wonders than that self-serving last
list. It looked as though it was written by the state booster club.
So
here we go, this is the News & Citizen’s 2007 list of Seven Wonders of
Lamoille County.
I’m ...
7.
Wondering if I’m gonna mow the lawn this Christmas or
shovel the driveway for Easter?
6.
Wondering whether I’ll get a deer this November?
5.
Wondering why our covered bridges have lasted longer and are cheaper to fix
than the newer steel ones?
4.
Wondering how and why we’ve got seven thousand Chinese restaurants?
3.
Wondering when we’ll get a WalMart?
2.
Wondering if I’m going to make it across this highway bridge at the same time
this truck does????
1.
Finally, I’m wondering, just as I have for the past 50 plus years, what the
heck I’m going to do Saturday night?