Second open work session: Design of the State Park Road section of the Charlotte Town Link Trail

Second open work session: Design of the State Park Road section of the Charlotte Town Link Trail

The Charlotte Trails Committee, with Jim Donovan leading the effort, is continuing work on a detailed layout of the portion of the Town Link Trail that lies along State Park Road. The Trails Committee assembled a steering committee with representatives from the Selectboard, the Planning Commission, the Conservation Commission and the Trails Committee, as well as the road commissioner and the tree warden.

Mankind’s connection to nature

Mankind’s connection to nature

As I sit in my treestand, 20 feet above the ground in a mature maple, I am in awe of the beauty around me. The light filters through the gold and red canopy above me, spilling onto the musky forest floor. It feels like I am in a cathedral. I am sitting here practicing being still and mindful only of my surroundings, but I am overcome with gratitude and wonder.

News from The News

News from The News

On behalf of the board of directors and the staff of The Charlotte News, I want to express our deep sorrow at Alice’s death and our lasting appreciation for the extraordinary contributions she has made to the paper over the past decade. 

Turkey day game plan

Turkey day game plan

For the past 20 years, my sister Mary, her husband and three sons (as they came along) were hosted for Thanksgiving by our aunt Kay and Uncle Jim or Mary’s in-laws, alternating every other year. This year was their year to head to Mary’s in-laws. On a whim, she invited them to come spend Thanksgiving with her family in their new home. 

Alice Davidson Outwater

Alice Davidson Outwater

In 1947, at the age of 17, Alice traveled to France with the Experiment in International Living on the S.S. Marine Tiger, a converted troop ship from WWII. She spent the summer as a counselor in southern France at a camp for boys whose fathers had been killed. Their assignment was to bring the boys back to health. The next year, she spent a summer hiking in Swedish Lapland and leading a climbing group near Annecy, France.

Readying for winter

Readying for winter

The forecast mentions snow and I’m hoping I’ve done all the necessary tasks to relax and forget gardening for a few months. This is a good question: what is required to set the garden to bed for another season? This very day I placed the last of my spring bulbs in their snug homes for the winter. The last of the leaves have pretty much all come down. Fortunately, I have helpers to clear them up.  

A regeneration story

A regeneration story

Believe it or not, every big tree was once a little tree and, before that, a seed. Yes, those massive trunks and branches that took decades or centuries to grow were once acorns lying on the ground or aspen seeds blowing in the wind. While we value our big trees, we often forget the small trees and seeds we see today are what will become the massive maples and oaks that our great-grandchildren will admire. 

Charlotte Senior Center News – Nov. 14, 2018

Charlotte Senior Center News – Nov. 14, 2018

Some of my grateful moments are these: Driving by the two teenaged girls jogging down the road with their ponytails swaying in unison. The colony of seagulls widely spaced out on the field, strutting around in different directions and looking as though they forgot why they had come. The daily courtesy of a driver letting you into traffic.

Beach planning open meeting

Beach planning open meeting

Greetings from Charlotte Recreation. I think we can all agree that living where we do is a privilege and having access to the lake is a wonderful resource. Charlotte is blessed with a 20+-acre waterfront parcel we affectionately call “the beach,” and the Recreation Department is charged with managing this and other parcels for the town, including the rink, Whiskey Bay and Lanes Lane access.

Spears’ property under contract

Spears’ property under contract

Peter Carreiro, owner of Rise ‘n Shine, a grocery delivery service based in Charlotte and serving eleven local communities, is poised to take ownership of the Spears family property on the corner of Route 7 and Church Hill Road. “We are currently under contract with plans to close in January,” says Carreiro. “Soon after we will begin the process of un-developing the space.”

Selectboard hears request for school crosswalk;  Furr announces retirement

Selectboard hears request for school crosswalk; Furr announces retirement

A small group of Charlotte Central School students and their co-principal got a close-up look at the workings of town government when they attended the Oct. 22 Selectboard meeting. The four students and administrator Jen Roth were given 20 minutes to outline their request for a safe pedestrian crossing from the school to Philo Ridge Farm.