A regular Monday morning turned into an extraordinary one this week for Willa and Eric Lampman. Thirty-five weeks and six days into her pregnancy with twins, Willa went into labor at their home in Charlotte and ended up delivering the babies shortly afterward—one while they were still at home.
Driving by the Charlotte Town Beach I noticed a little ice forming on the edge of Lake Champlain on this calm, cold January day. I wondered if the lake would freeze over this year. My mind wandered back to February 22, 1988, when the headlines of the Burlington Free Press screamed, “ICE FISHERMEN SAVED, 23 snatched by helicopter from drifting ice on lake.” I came home and pulled out from my files a story that I had written that summer based on an interview with Fred Wedge, an ice fisherman on that ice floe and an East Charlotte resident. I think his harrowing story is important to share, both as a warning and as an inspiration.
On the afternoon of January 8th, 2019 at approximately 1:15 PM Charlotte Fire and Rescue was dispatched to assist Shelburne Fire Department at a possible structure fire.
I wish to thank the voters and citizens of Charlotte who voted at Town Meeting to approve the funds to install emergency generators at the Senior Center and the Town Office. As Selectman Fritz Tegatz and others explained at Town Meeting, two generators allow the Senior Center to function as a community resource center and warming shelter during times when storms take out the power. The installation of the generator at the Town Offices provides power so that the town’s administration functions can continue, and it ensures that the septic system pumps that serve the Senior Center, the fire station and the Town Offices will function when the power is out. This investment in emergency power gives our town administrators, town clerks and emergency service providers the capability to better serve Charlotte residents should we experience an extended power outage. Given the recent pattern of extreme weather events, this investment is prudent and timely.
On November 28, 2017, first responders were called to Wake Robin, a retirement community located in Shelburne, VT to investigate a report of a possible Ricin exposure.
With recent headlines describing hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, earthquakes, hazardous spills and a host of other natural and man-made disasters nationally, it is worth taking a moment to review what all of us can do to make sure that we are prepared for an extreme weather event or if a small-scale disaster hits us here in Charlotte. As a town we are required to have an emergency plan that provides the Selectboard, fire and rescue services and the road commissioner with a check list for procedures and resources they may draw upon should a major event affect our town.
Public Safety Log as submitted from the Shelburne Police Department