Families at the playground. Walking paths. Houses and apartments clustered together. Farming all around. These are some of the elements that impressed me on a recent early evening walk through the tiny town of Eysins, Switzerland, population 1,600. We were staying nearby in Nyon, a city founded by the Romans in 50 BCE on the shore of Lake Geneva.
I’m tired of writing critical commentaries, which my last two have been. And besides, the natural world of Charlotte is not something one can easily criticize. Its skies, landscapes, clouds and harvest moons bring together many of the reasons for choosing here as home. Too often we fail to be conscious of the role our environment plays in our lives.
Sympathy is extended to family and friends of Robert Magnuson who passed away recently at the age of 81.
Playgroup: All children 0-5, with a caregiver, are welcome for free play, stories and fun. Please bring a snack and water. Mondays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Charlotte Central School. Follows the school calendar. Email [email protected] for more information.
Charlotte has officially attained HEARTSafe status. “We are one of only 600 towns in the U.S. who have enough widespread CPR instruction, public access to defibrillators and high levels of training for first responders in the latest aggressive resuscitation techniques,” CVFRS President Tom Cosinuke said.
With Activities Director Mary Recchia leaving her post at the Senior Center, the Selectboard approved a new position of Senior Center Director, with a somewhat changed job description, as well as an increase in hours worked to 30 to 35 from the current 28 to 30 and the addition of health benefits, both of which will affect next year’s Senior Center budget. The new position will be scored via the Palmer & Associates Job Evaluation Manual for purposes of determining the new director’s salary.
Town officials have moved one step closer to finalizing Charlotte’s new town plan. The proposed plan has been in the making more than five years, and if all goes smoothly, it will be put before voters at this spring’s Town Meeting.
Congratulations:
to Edorah Glazer of Charlotte, the principal at Robinson Elementary School in Starksboro, who has been meeting with 24 other educators in the Vermont School Leadership Project’s class for 2018. The project is sponsored by the Snelling Center for Government and has been in existence for 13 years. Its goal is to help school administrators, including special education and curriculum directors, develop the skills and knowledge to operate effectively. Those who were selected have shown good capabilities in these areas of their work already. The course began in July at the Lake Morey Resort, and Edorah and the others will complete seven sessions over 13 months.
Many articles online discuss bike transportation trails—on and off road. The advantages of biking to work, for errands, to friends’ houses or just for fun are many. Bike Commuting’s Worst Enemy Isn’t What You Think is written by Arian Horbovetz, a Strong Towns member and blogger at The Urban Phoenix. The following article is republished from his blog, with permission.
The Friends of the Charlotte Senior Center invite you to its Annual Meeting after the luncheon on November 1 beginning at 1 p.m. This is an opportunity for everyone to become better acquainted with the workings of our organization and to consider how they can become more active as volunteers. An update of our financial position will be given, questions will be answered, and the election of board members will take place. Hope to see you there.
The 17th Annual East Charlotte Tractor Parade was held on Oct. 8. Food vendors, a petting zoo and more were set up. More than 100 tractors rolled passed Spears Corner Store this year.
I read with interest Rep. Mike Yantachka’s commentary (9/20) criticizing the Public Utility Commission’s decision to reject an application for construction of a large-scale commercial solar array in the iconic Mt. Philo viewshed. My reaction to the decision was quite different from Mike’s: Finally the PUC “build everywhere” policy seems to have been modified to consider land-use planning in reviewing large-scale commercial solar and wind applications.
Congratulations: to Charlotte resident and Middlebury physician Dr. Jeanne Andersson-Swayze who, as a member of Heart to Heart International’s Disaster Response Team, went to both Florida in September and Puerto Rico recently to give medical aid to storm victims. Her team in Puerto Rico headed inland to small and often remote towns.
Some key challenges facing many rural American communities today are strengthening and diversifying the economy and attracting the next generations to live in these communities. To address these challenges, small towns across the country are creating bike/pedestrian trails to promote local, healthy, environmentally friendly community living.
Please join us in preparing Thanksgiving baskets for approximately 30 Charlotte families. We’ll meet in the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry on Friday, Nov. 17, from 8 until about 10 a.m. This is a festive occasion and all are welcome. The baskets will be distributed to families in need the following morning. Please also mark your calendars for Friday, Dec. 15, same place and time, to assemble the Christmas/Holiday baskets. Bring your friends and just show up—we love the help!
A fun Fall Hike with Marty Morrissey took place on Sept. 26 to Owl Head, Elizabethtown, New York. It was organized by the Charlotte Senior Center on a hot day and the foliage had only started to change.
Fall in Vermont is the perfect time of year for many things: apple picking, pumpkin patches and, of course, gorgeous foliage. But what about listing your home? Typically, as the leaves begin to fall so do the number of buyers searching the market. However, with current interest rates so low, you might be surprised to find many still eager and looking. And while most consider spring to be the time to list, selling your home while the cider’s hot can have its advantages too.
Charlotte Grange #398 is holding their annual Fall Rummage Sale to raise funds needed to cover the replacement cost of an oil tank for their furnace. The ultimate goal is to renovate and refurbish the Grange Hall so that it can become a community resource for the Charlotte Community.
One of Larry Hamilton’s enduring contributions to the Charlotte community was his Big Tree Roster, a list of the…
Events in and around Charlotte, Vermont