Get involved in town government

Get involved in town government

The Selectboard is looking for interested citizens to fill the following vacancies:  
• Chittenden Solid Waste District Board—representative and alternate representative with terms ending May 31, 2020.  
• Trails Committee—three vacancies, one with a term ending in April 2019 and two with terms ending in April 2020.

Town Meeting 2018: generators, airpacks and civility

Town Meeting 2018: generators, airpacks and civility

The March 6 Town Meeting at Charlotte Central School was a realtively peaceful gathering this year, with residents fillin the school’s Multi-Purpose Room prepared to discuss the town’s annual report for the upcoming fiscal year. Moderator Charles Russell opened the meeting shortly after nine in the morning, and over the course of several hours town residents proposed and voted on several amendments to the articles which will go to Charlotte voters by way of Australian ballot on April 3.

Around town

Around town

Congratulations:

to Whitney and Eric Finley of Charlotte, owners of the Old Brick Store. Whitney gave birth to twins, Piper Elliot and Luella Rue, on February 22. Linda and Bruce Williamson of Charlotte are one set of proud grandparents.

Charlotte Town Meeting March 6 And April 3

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. 

Road Salt and Trees — An Unhealthy Mix

Road Salt and Trees — An Unhealthy Mix

The question of whether we should increase the use of salt on our roads has periodically been a subject of debate in Charlotte. It was an item on the recent February 12 Selectboard agenda. The position of the last tree warden, Larry Hamilton, was to oppose the increased use of salt. I support this position for all the same reasons as previously put forth, summarized here:

Jim Hyde Voted Mentor of the Year

Jim Hyde Voted Mentor of the Year

Charlotter Jim Hyde was recently was voted Comcast Vermont Mentor of the year for 2018. A retired college professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, Jim decided that he did not want to give up working with students and helping them learn, so he looked for a program in which he could put skills that he had used over the years to younger students’ benefit. Four years ago he discovered Charlotte Central School’s “Connecting Youth” mentoring program through its director, Wendy Bratt. 

Zoning Board of Adjustment plays to a large audience

Zoning Board of Adjustment plays to a large audience

There was standing room only on January 24 in Town Hall as the Zoning Board of Adjustment interviewed representatives of the group proposing to build a Maplefields convenience store at the corner of Route 7 and Church Hill and Ferry roads. The property, owned by Charlotter Bid Spear, has remained vacant for several years.

Where does the town stand in regard to a new Maplefields?

Where does the town stand in regard to a new Maplefields?

At this point, process is what will produce the product. The process is town governance. The product will be what will stand at the intersection of Route 7 and Church Hill and Ferry Road. The first step in the process occurred last fall with a sketch plan hearing for a Maplefields gas and convenience store on the site. 

Highlights from the Selectboard Meeting

Highlights from the Selectboard Meeting

The Charlotte Selectboard, after a lengthy discussion of replacement options for the Town Hall’s aging computer server—including the costs and risks associated with using an on-premise computer server or a cloud-based server—approved a proposal for a new on-premise server, partnering with SymQuest for fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Around Town

Around Town

Congratulations: to Jacob Edgar of Charlotte, who led off the Charlotte Congregational Church’s “Soup, Supper Series” on January 16. Jacob is a musician and ethnomusicologist, as well as a record producer. He spoke about his organizations: the record label, booking agency and music publisher, Cumbancha, as well as another label that has received world-wide renown, Putumayo World Music.

Around Town

Around Town

Congratulations: to Jim Hyde who was nominated as one of ten finalists for “Mentor of the Year” through the Comcast /Mobius student mentoring program. Jim mentors two students through  Connecting Youth (CY) at CCS and CVU.

Town Bites

Town Bites

Ricin danger at Wake Robin is under control – The resident at Wake Robin, who manufactured the toxic drug ricin and tested it on at least three neighboring residents to determine whether it had the desired poisonous effect before using it on herself, has been removed from the residence and is in custody awaiting trial.

Around Town

Congratulations:
to Curt Alpeter in his capacity as a partner in Runamok Maple Syrup. Runamok was featured in the Food Section of the New York Times of November 15 as a company that specializes in organic Vermont syrup.