Coming up at the Charlotte Library
Programs For Kids – Wednesdays, from March 7 @ 3:15 p.m. Junior Chess Club. For students, grades 2 to 12, any skill level. Learn the game and improve your strategies with help from mentor Ajat Teriyal.
Emerald Ash Borer found in Vermont
The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation (VTFPR) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Foods & Markets (VAAFM) report that an emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive forest insect from Asia, has been detected in Vermont. Officials with the USDA Animal & Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed the identification of a beetle recently found in northern Orange County, Vermont. The insect was reported through the vtinvasives.org website.
Girl scouting around the world
It has been a very busy beginning to the year 2018 for our local Charlotte Girl Scout Troop 30066. The cookie sale – Girl Scout cookie sales began on the first of January, as many of you are aware of, since a number of you had young Daisy, Brownie or Junior Girl Scouts braving the sometimes frigid temperatures to knock on your doors in anticipation of making a cookie sale.
CVU hosts Chittenden County’s Spring College Fair
The 18th Annual Spring College Fair at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg is happening this year on Monday, April 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. College representatives from across the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions and Canada will be available to speak with both students and parents.
Clemmons Family Farm awarded 2018 Barn Preservation Grant
The Clemmons Family Farm was recently selected as one of 17 recipients, from a pool of 45 applicants, for the 2018 Barn Preservation Grant to support the preservation of the farm’s “Big Barn.” The Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation awarded the $15,000 matching grant that is administered through the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. The grants support the “rehabilitation of historic agricultural buildings that are a symbol of Vermont’s rural landscape.”
Lillian Kennedy exhibit opens
A Brush With Nature: Landscape Paintings by Lillian Kennedy will open March 4th from 4-7 pm at All Souls Interfaith on Bostwick Farm Road in Shelburne. The show will also be open to the public Tues – Fri from 8:30 – 4:30.
R.L. Vallee withdraws application for a Maplefields Store off Route 7
Engineers for the proposed Maplefields off Route 7, Ferry and Church Hill Roads wrote to Zoning Board Chair, Frank Tenney, saying that due to comments by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) concerning cross-traffic turns into and out of the proposed location, they and R.L. Vallee, Inc. are withdrawing their proposal for a Maplefields Store.
Leavitty
It started simply enough. Two little things made me think I could renovate the downstairs bathroom by myself. The first was a piece of linoleum that was curling up, practically begging to be lifted up and removed. Of course, I naively thought, with that one curl of the floor the whole thing would just come off in one glorious sheet.
OutTakes – Where the real rocks rest and the musical rock rolls
Did you ever wonder how kids pick out their likes and dislikes? No, I mean real likes and dislikes, things that become central to their lives, things that they often can equate with momentous occasions.
Charlotte Town Meeting March 6 And April 3
That’s right, two dates for us here in Charlotte to remember for Town Meeting and voting. On Tuesday, March 6, Town Meeting will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room at Charlotte Central School, starting at 9 a.m. The Selectboard will be taking us through the Town Warning articles starting with Article 3, which is to approve the town’s $3,145,165 budget. During the discussion of Article 3, people will be able to make amendments to that budget if they like—adding to it, taking away from it, or any combination of the two. If there are amendments made to the budget, we will have a floor vote on those changes.
Report from the Legislature
Energy & Technology – The Energy & Technology Committee (E&T) on which I serve has three areas of responsibility over Vermont’s infrastructure: energy, telecommunications and information technology (IT). In the six weeks of this session, we’ve been pretty active in each of these areas.
Charlotte Recreation Spring Program Guide
Full and partial scholarships are available for all youth recreation activities.You can find additional information on all of our programs as well as registration forms on our town website at charlottevt.org under the Recreation tab or contact Nicole Conley by email at [email protected]
CVSD Proposed Budget and Ballot Questions
At this time of year the days are a little bit longer and Vermonters all over the state turn their thoughts to…Town Meeting Day. Over the last three months the Board of the Champlain Valley School District, along with district administration and local volunteer “budget buddies,” have put together what we believe is a fiscally conservative yet strategic and forward-thinking budget. On March 6, the voters of our district will be asked to approve our budget and four separate articles to address essential functions.
Fit At Any Age – Want a beauty treatment that doesn’t cost a cent?
Studies show that regular exercise can reverse 20 years of aging. You don’t have to be an endurance athlete to enjoy the benefits of walking, light strength training or swimming. At any age, becoming stronger can go a long way to improving your balance and helping to prevent falls. Your posture will improve, and appearing taller enhances a person’s attractiveness.
Edd’s Sports Report
Burton boards conquer Korea – Watching the Olympic half-pipe runs Wednesday night, it appeared that nearly every snowboard doing flips high above the pipe had “BURTON” written on the underside. This could easily have been preceded by “Jason” or “Grant” (Garvey or Manning), two Charlotte natives who contributed a great deal to the board designs. Grant’s cousin “Thunder” from North Ferrisburgh is also a Burton designer, and among the three of them, they play a lead role in generating snowboards for some of the world’s top riders.
The Accidental Pastor
Every time I went to see him there was a pile of newspapers falling off of the table beside his chair.
House or Condo? Which would best suit your needs?
When buying a house or condo buyers are typically focused on the down payment and what their mortgage payment will be when all is said and done. That payment also might include a homeowner’s or road maintenance fee. This amount can be a little alarming at first and can range in price, depending on the association and what it covers. Some people love it, and some people hate it, but with or without it you’ll have to pay for the costs either way. There are three types of home maintenance situations: day-to-day, yearly and disaster.
In The Garden
With snow falling and icicles dripping, what’s a passionate gardener to do in the depths of February? It’s still a bit early for seed starting. The houseplants have limited needs right now. I have a suggestion: there is something I’ve found invaluable for years now and want to encourage you to try. Do you have a garden journal? How about a compendium of your special plants? I actually have both, and they are not as time-consuming to maintain as it would seem.
Senior Center News
The Senior Center’s Spring Program (March through May), included in this issue of The News, describes the programs and classes being offered here this spring, along with schedules and fees. You can register for classes by calling the Center at 425-6345, by mail at P.O Box 207, Charlotte, VT 05445, or by coming in to sign up in person.
ESSEX Plan to put a price on carbon emissions described as a win-win for Vermonters
At a meeting at the Charlotte Senior Center Feb. 12, attended by about 25 people, Representative Mike Yantanchka, Tom Hughes of Energy Independent Vermont, Karen LaFayette of the Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council, and Sally Kerschner of the Climate Health Alliance laid out the reasoning behind the carbon pricing bill currently before the Legislature, Senate bill S.284, also known as the ESSEX Plan, and explained how it will work. (ESSEX stands for An Economy Strengthening Strategic Energy Exchange.)