Renovations at Middlebury McD's

Significant interior renovations are under way at the Middlebury McDonald's restaurant, Hannaford Shopping Center, Court Street (US-7, VT-125). The work is expected to take about a month.

On Monday morning, March 9, 2020, workers were removing tables, booths, seating, counters and garbage containers from the standalone restaurant at the northeast corner of the plaza. These were initially placed along the entrance ramp on the building's west side and then appeared to be moved into a large dumpster dropped across the building-hugging parking spaces.

The restaurant's entire parking lot was blocked off at its north and south ends. Contractor vehicles were parked within.

The restaurant was serving drive-thru customers only. The short-term waiting spaces for drive-thru customers had been moved from the outside of the drive to the inside, closer to the restaurant. Unable to pass through the parking lot into the shopping center area, patrons could only leave the drive-thru using the one-way exit onto Court Street.

The Middlebury restaurant is the closest McDonald's to Whiting. A McDonald's had been located within the JiffyMart building on Grove Street (US-7) in Brandon, but it was closed when that building was renovated. The JiffyMart now provides Subway sandwiches and Ramunto's pizza.

Plan for school governance consolidation

The Joint Sudbury/Whiting School Board held a community forum Oct. 21, 2015, at the Sudbury Meeting House to discuss the planned "side-by-side" operation of the Otter Valley and Barstow school districts within a single supervisory union.

Under the plan, the Pre K to Grade 12 Otter Valley Unified District (including the six towns of Brandon, Pittsford, Goshen, Leicester, Sudbury and Whiting) and the Pre K to Grade 8 Barstow District (Mendon and Chittenden-Barstow) would share centralized services, a single education budget and a single overseeing board.

A study committee of eighteen people, formed in June, is working on the specifics of the side-by-side model. It meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month through December at Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon. The committee is due to report its recommendations in December. Articles prepared by the study committee would be presented to member towns for vote on Town Meeting Day in March.

The merger is planned in order to meet goals set in Act 46 (see below), which provides tax incentives for standardizing and combining smaller school districts. According to planners, the Otter Valley region would experience a 5 percent or $.08 decrease in the homestead tax rate as a result of the planned merger. (Reduction of $80 on every $100,000 of homestead value.) The tax benefit would decrease $.02 each year through the first four years of the merger.

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Act 46

The state government noted a number of problems contributing to escalating school tax burdens:

• The grade K through 12 student population in Vermont has decreased by about 24 percent (from 103,000 to 78,300) from 1997 to 2015, and the number of school-employed personnel has not decreased in the same proportion.
• Most of state schools have lower student populations than the optimum level, as established by national educational literature. A significant number of schools have very low student populations. (Sixty-four of 300 public schools have total enrollments of 100 or less students. Sixteen of those have enrollments of 50 or less.)
• Vermont's numerous school districts include only four with enrollment over the 2,000 students deemed optimal in national educational literature.
• Vermont has thirteen different styles of school district governance structures, preventing them from achieving economies of scale and limiting their sharing of resources with other districts.
• A 1999 law designed to protect small school districts from abrupt changes in school enrollment resulted in artifically low tax rates in those communities.

While seeking to retain the state's small community schools, the legislature sought to resolve some of the problems by encouraging the combination of school districts and the establishment of standard governance structures. Deadlines for tax incentive eligibility were put in place.

OVUHS presents Chicago, the Musical

Otter Valley Union High School presents a Walking Stick Theatre Production of Chicago, the Musical, on four dates in November. Shows are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 20, 21 and 22 and 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 23. Tickets will be $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors at the door. Advance tickets ($8 for adults) will be available through Carr's Florist in Brandon and the Otter Valley library beginning Monday, Nov. 3.

Congratulations to Otter athletes

The football and field hockey squads of Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon, VT, finished at the top of the regular season standings this fall and moved on into the playoffs.

The football Otters posted an unblemished 5-0 Division III record in the 2014 regular season and suffered just one narrow loss through eight games overall. That lone loss was a season-opening one-point defeat at Division II Fair Haven. The Otters led their division in regular season scoring, despite playing in one less game overall than other top division teams. The last time the football Otters finished at the top of the standings was in 2005.

Entering the postseason with the Division III top seed, the Otters defeated visiting Poultney on Saturday by a score of 41-21. At 1 p.m., Nov. 1, the Otters will host fourth-seed Windsor in the  playoffs' semifinal matchup. Windsor advanced with a 47-20 quarterfinal win over U-32.

(In the other Division III football quarterfinal games, second-ranked Fairfax defeated Woodstock, 34-22, and third-ranked Mill River fell to visiting Mount Abraham, 20-15. Mt. Abraham was seeded sixth in the playoffs.)

The Otters field hockey team finished the regular season with a perfect 7-0 Division II record and an overall record of 11-2. This is the second consecutive year the Otters have finished atop the regular season standings.

The team entered the postseason as Division II's second-seed, behind 13-1 Rice. On Friday the team shut out the seventh-seeded Mount Abraham Eagles, 1-0, to advance to the Division II semifinal game to be held in Castleton State College's Spartan Stadium this afternoon (Oct. 27).

The Otters have won five field hockey championships in their history. The team's last state championship was in 1999.

Report: Collins poised to take reins of RNESU

Jeanne Collins (WCAX photo)

Jeanne Collins is a finalist for the position of superintendent of the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union (RNESU), responsible for overseeing the schools in the Otter Valley region, according to a report by WCAX-TV and other sources

Collins became the superintendent of schools for the City of Burlington in 2006. During her tenure, reports say she was repeatedly pressured to resign. In recent years, Burlington schools have faced mounting financial problems, most reportedly related to overspending. The school system accumulated an anticipated budget deficit of $2.6 million for the current year. That is the third consecutive annual deficit of more than a million dollars. A recent audit found that the school system may also owe as much as $500,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid payroll taxes and fines.

David Larcombe, the Burlington Schools director of finance, recently submitted his resignation, which will be effective June 30.

Collins and the Burlington School Board recently reached a separation agreement that resulted in her stepping down as superintendent two years before the end of her contract. Her resignation was accepted by a unanimous vote of the school board. Under the agreement she receives a $225,000 severance in two installments and a letter of recommendation.

("No easy fix for Burlington schools," Burlington Free Press, May 14, 2014; "Burlington school superintendent to step down June 30," Burlington Free Press, May 14, 2014; "Superintendent Jeanne Collins to resign in June," WPTZ-TV, May 13, 2014.)

VT Gas discusses pipeline benefits

Vermont Gas has scheduled an "open house" meeting tomorrow night (May 8), 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon. (Link) Company employees will be available to meet one-on-one with local residents at "topic tables" to discuss various aspects of natural gas efficiency and the plan to bring natural gas service to Rutland County.

Vermont Gas says the pipeline project will reduce reliance on oil and propane and could result in an energy cost savings of up to 50 percent for Rutland County homes and businesses. Phase I of the project, approved in December, is designed to transport natural gas from Colchester to Middlebury. Phase II is planned to extend the pipeline from Middlebury to the west, through the towns of Cornwall and Shoreham and under Lake Champlain, to provide service to the International Paper mill in Ticonderoga, New York. That phase is strongly opposed by residents of the affected towns.

According to the gas company, an agreement with International Paper will provide $45 million toward the construction of an additional length of pipeline in Phase III, allowing Rutland County to be served by natural gas by the year 2020. Without the extension to Ticonderoga, the company says it will take about 15 more years to connect to Rutland.

One-act plays begin tonight

Otter Valley Union High School's annual evening of one-act plays begins tonight (Feb. 28) at 7 p.m. and includes performances tomorrow at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Admission is $5. This year's one-act plays are:

• Tracks
• Any Body for Tea?
• Silent Snow, Secret Snow
• Harry's Hotter at Twilight
• Aristophanes' 'The Birds'

The plays are presented by Otter Valley's Walking Stick Theatre in the high school auditorium, 2997 Franklin Street, Brandon, VT.

OVUHS district meeting Feb. 26, 2014

A meeting of the Otter Valley Union High School District No. 8 will be held 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, at the OVUHS auditorium. At the meeting, the Board of School Directors will present an estimate of district expenses for the year beginning July 1, 2014. A budget of $10.52 million has been proposed. That amount is $16,351 less than the current year's budget, but still requires a tax increase over the current year.

In the district's annual report (click here to access the full report), OVUHS Board Chair James Rademacher explained the belt-tightening process, "We felt that a budget that would maintain the status quo would be too much for the voters to accept. Three retiring senior teachers being replaced with new hired much lower on the pay scale was a significant help but not enough. All areas of staffing were carefully reviewed. After consultation with administration, faculty, and students the Board has decided to discontinue the Dean of Students position."

Aside from the staffing adjustments, Mr. Rademacher said, "We are proposing to basically level fund our budget while dealing with the same inflationary pressures you are all facing."

Voting on the budget will be conducted in the usual polling places on Tuesday, March 4.

The agenda for the Feb. 26 meeting includes the following articles:

1. To elect the following officers: a. A Moderator for one year; b. A Clerk for one year; c. A Treasurer for one year; d. An Auditor for three years.
2. To act upon the reports of the Union High School District Officers.
3. To fix the compensation of the District Officers.
4. To have presented by the Board of School Directors of the Union High School District its estimate of expenses for the ensuing year.
5. To authorize the Board of School Directors of the Union High School District to borrow money pending the receipt of payments from the member districts by the issuance of its notes or orders payable not later than one year from date of issue for the purpose of paying sums appropriated by the Union High School District.
6. To transact any other business proper to be done when met.

The meeting will be recessed to March 4 for balloting on the final agenda item:
"Shall the voters of the Otter Valley Union High School District No. 8 adopt a budget of Ten Million Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Seven Hundred Seventeen Dollars ($10,525,717) necessary for the support of its schools for the year beginning July 1, 2014. The amount of such sum to be raised by taxes to be offset by special education revenues, state aid and other incomes."

Under the proposed spending plan, the estimated homestead base tax rate districtwide would increase by almost 7.6% from $1.45 to $1.56. Member towns would experience different tax impacts. All member towns except Leicester would experience tax increases for the year. The towns of Whiting, Goshen and Pittsford would experience increases of 10% or more. The estimated increases for member towns are shown below:

Brandon +04.6% to $0.68
Goshen +10.2% to $0.97
Leicester -02.5% to $0.78
Pittsford +10.0% to $0.77
Sudbury +03.9% to $0.76
Whiting +10.0% to $0.66

Otters notch fourth blowout win

BRANDON, VT, Oct. 19, 2013 - The Otter Valley High School varsity football team completed a 5-2 regular season (5-1 division record) with a 48-7 victory over the visiting Oxbow Olympians on Saturday afternoon at Markowski Field in Brandon. It was the fourth consecutive blowout win for the Otters, who outscored opponents 237-63 during that stretch.

Otter Valley led Oxbow 14-0 after the first quarter and added 21 more points before halftime. The score was 48-0 in the final quarter, when the Otters JV went in to finish up, allowing an Oxbow touchdown and PAT.

The Otters concluded their regular season with a 3-1 record at home. (Their only home loss was a 36-20 season-opening defeat against Division II opponent Fair Haven.) Oxbow, 3-5 overall, did not have a win on the road in four tries this season.

Otters varsity football regular season 2013:
1. Loss 36-20 vs Fair Haven-Div II (0-1)
2. Win 42-14 vs Bellows Free (1-1)
3. Loss 33-12 at Mill River (1-2)
4. Win 77-24 vs Mt. St. Joseph (2-2)
5. Win 65-13 at Poultney (3-2)
6. Win 47-19 at Winooski (4-2)
7. Win 48-7 vs Oxbow (5-2).

Mosquito testing: So far so good

Vermont authorities have stepped up testing in targeted areas of the state in an effort to hinder the spread of deadly mosquito-borne Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile viruses. The Whiting-Brandon area is a particular concern because EEE was detected in mosquitoes there last year and found its way to human victims. Early testing results announced this week came back negative for the viruses, according to a report by Lucia Suarez of the Rutland Herald.

When announcing the test results, state epidemiologist Erica Berl said, "The Brandon-Whiting swamp areas are moderate risk based on the evidence from last year." Risk levels have been assigned to regions of the state and testing resources will be allocated based upon the perceived risk. Most of Vermont falls into a baseline risk level, in which no reports of mosquito-borne illness in humans or animals have been received. Low-risk areas include those where virus-carrying mosquitoes have been detected within the past two years but no illnesses in humans or animals have been reported.

Current state plans call for consideration of insecticide spraying whenever repeated tests show mosquito-borne viruses in a region or the viruses turn up in humans or animals. "There is not a lot of information," Berl admitted. "We can't spray until we have a good educated guess that it will do something."

Last year, two people - residents of Brandon and Sudbury - died after becoming infected with the EEE virus. After the human infections were reported, the state organized aerial spraying of regions of the Whiting swamp.

Information on mosquito-borne illnesses can be obtained through the Vermont Department of Health website.

OTTERS WIN!

Otter Valley secures its first 
state baseball title since '76

Otter pitcher Patterson retires 17 in a row

The Otter Valley Union High School baseball team has defeated top-ranked Burr & Burton Academy to take the 2013 Division 2 state title. It is Otter Valley's first baseball championship since 1976.

The Otters celebrate with the state championship plaque.

Otter starting pitcher Brett Patterson was dominant, tossing a one-hit complete game shutout. The Burr & Burton Bulldogs, who have appeared in three of the last four state championship games without winning a title, managed just two baserunners against Otter Valley.

The Otters erupted for six runs in the third inning, which proved to be more than sufficient. They added a single run in the fifth inning, as Jim Winslow, who doubled to lead off and was sacrificed to third, scored on a Bulldog wild pitch. Two more runs were added in the sixth. John Winslow led off with a walk, stole second and scored on a Lonergan triple. Lonergan then scored on another Bulldog wild pitch.

Patterson shut the door on the Bulldogs early and retired the last 17 Burr & Burton batters he faced. The game's last batter went to a full count and then took a called strike on the outside corner.

After the game, the Otters receive individual medals.

Burr & Burton was top seeded in the Division 2 postseason. However, Otter Valley, which was ranked second, had a better overall record and had beaten Burr & Burton, 8-1, during the regular season. Heading into the championship game, no Burr & Burton postseason opponent had scored a run.

A large crowd of Otter supporters attended the championship game, played at Burlington's Centennial Field.


In  1  2  3  4  5  6  7 

OV  0  0  6  0  1  2  0
BB  0  0  0  0  0  0  0

    R   H   E

OV  9   9   0
BB  0   1   1

Photos are screen captures from live game coverage provided by NSNsports.net

OVUHS honors 'excellence'

Otter Valley Union High School paid homage to student "excellence" on the evening of May 22. Awards were presented to OVUHS students for academic achievement and community service. A number of students were recognized for scholarships won from regional colleges and universities.

Personal note #1: We note proudly that our three children were among the honorees: daughter Victoria for her volunteer efforts on behalf of the Brandon Free Public Library, son Alex for his work in English and Spanish classes, and son Francis for his work in a food/nutrition class.

Personal note #2: I fully understand that "this is Vermont" and little allowance is made for occasional uncomfortably warm conditions, and I don't suggest that OVUHS spend a fortune installing central air conditioning for late spring events in its auditorium. But, how about a fan or two? Couldn't it still be "Vermont" even with a couple of fans on the premises? This event was conducted in a jam-packed, sweltering auditorium with no windows and no noticeable ventilation. Due to the structure of the event, in which no one knew ahead of time when their children would be called up for an award and all were instructed to remain respectfully seated for the duration, stepping outside for a breath was a practical impossibility. I note that "hot box" treatment is illegal in U.S. prisons and should also be illegal in high school auditoriums.

Spring productions at OVUHS

Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon, VT, presents Thank You For Flushing My Head In The Toilet and other rarely used expressions & Snapshot, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 2, and Friday, May 3. Admission is $5.

Health Dept. conducts EEE blood tests

The Vermont Department of Health seeks volunteers in Whiting, Brandon and Sudbury for a blood-testing study into the life-threatening mosquito-borne disease called Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). In the study, blood samples from area residents will be checked for antibodies produced through contact with the EEE virus. Health officials hope to gain a better understanding of the community's exposure to the virus. (See press release.)

EEE appears to be transmitted from bird populations to mammals, such as horses and humans, through the activity of the culiseta melanura mosquito and possibly other mosquitoes. There are few reliable statistics for the human exposure to the virus. Only a handful of people, who exhibit extreme symptoms, are known to infected each year. It is believed that many others are exposed to the virus but suffer slight or no noticeable symptoms. 

Last year, when EEE was detected in mosquito testing in swampy areas of Whiting, two area residents died from EEE. Equine livestock is typically vaccinated against the disease. There is no vaccination for humans.

Three clinics are scheduled in the area to draw small blood samples from volunteer adults:

• April 23, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Brandon Senior Center, 1591 Forest Dale Road.
• May 14, noon to 7 p.m., Sudbury Town Hall.
• May 29, noon to 7 p.m., Whiting Town Hall.

Volunteers must be age 12 and older and must have lived at their current residence in one of the three towns since June 1, 2012. No advance sign-up is required. All results will be kept confidential. Participants will remain anonymous and will not be notified if EEE virus antibodies, indicative of exposure to the virus, are found. No other testing will be performed on the blood samples.

Related stories:

EEE, mosquito-control meetings this week (Nov. 25, 2012)

State officials visit for discussion of EEE, mosquitoes (Nov. 16, 2012)

Mosquito control, EEE meetings in area (Nov. 9, 2012)

More aerial mosquito-spraying tonight (Sept. 7, 2012)

Mosquito spraying tonight (Sept. 6, 2012)

Dick Breen, 87, educator, of Brandon (Sept. 5, 2012)

Aerial mosquito spraying map released (Sept. 5, 2012)

One dead of EEE, mosquito spraying to begin (Sept. 5, 2012)

Mosquito-spraying discussion in Brandon (Sept. 3, 2012)

Two area residents hospitalized with EEE (Sept. 2, 2012)

West Nile virus found locally (Aug. 25, 2012)

One-act plays at OVUHS

A scene from Crushed at OVUHS.

I enjoyed the One-Act Plays program at Otter Valley Union High School last night. Most of the plays were directed and performed exceptionally well.

The evening started off with How to Kiss a Girl, which comically explored the role of portable technology on a teenager's first date. It was an enjoyable performance, with a few surprises. Corporate miscommunication and greed were tackled humorously in the second play, The Non-Invisible Man. The acting in this play was simply not up to the same standards as the others, but The Non-Invisible Man had its positive moments. The next play, Crushed, involved two spirits/hallucinations giving relationship advice to a couple of depressed and confused teenagers. This was a well-polished production with some very funny material.

After intermission, Reflex Action delighted (and puzzled) the audience with a fast-moving and expertly designed and performed approach to experimental-theater satire. I would have appreciated better timing in the stichomythia portion of the play, but I can't quarrel the slightest bit with anything else in it 

The evening's finale was David and Lisa, which explored teenage emotional illness. The performances and the between-scenes set work in this emotional drama were extremely professional and precise. (Actors managed to remain in character when lights briefly dimmed between scenes and they were shutting pieces of furniture around the stage.) While this was the most impressive play of the evening, a few things didn't feel right (and none of them can be blamed in any way on the excellent OVUHS actors):

• Subject - This is a fairly superficial approach to some very deep subject matter, and I fear it trivializes emotional illness and the recovery process.
• Length - The length of the play and the frequency of the scene changes were fatiguing, coming as they did at the end of the evening's entertainment.
• Writing - The final moment of the play - expected by the audience from almost the very beginning - falls a bit flat as it results from a conscious choice on the part of the main character rather than as an unintended discovery of a change that his experiences have brought about within him. I realize that a decision to be well is part of the play's theme (David erupts at his psychiatrist when that is suggested earlier), but when a split-second decision can be the resolution of all conflict, it makes all the time invested in the play, its characters and its conflicts seem wasted.  

The One-Act Plays program, running about three hours, will be presented again tonight (Saturday, March 2) at seven o'clock and tomorrow afternoon (Sunday, March 3) at two o'clock at the Otter Valley Union High School auditorium in Brandon. Admission is $5.

Brandon Moonlight Madness Dec. 5 & 20

Downtown Brandon kicks off the holiday shopping season tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 5) with the first of two Moonlight Madness events. Downtown shops offer special holiday discounts beginning at 4 p.m., and they stay open until 9 p.m. In addition to discounted shopping (some stores are offering 20% off pricing on all inventory), the event features refreshments, special drawings and holiday cheer. An event encore is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 20.

EEE, mosquito-control meetings this week

The culiseta melanura mosquito
is linked to the spread of EEE.

Officials from the Vermont Health Department and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture will meet with area residents twice this week to discuss deadly mosquito-born illnesses, such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis, as well as state and regional mosquito-control measures. The first such informational meeting was held at Whiting Town Hall on Nov. 15. (Click here for a summary of the discussion.) This week, the panel moves on to Brandon and Sudbury:

• Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 7-9 p.m.
• Sudbury Town Hall in Sudbury, Thursday, Nov. 29, 7-9 p.m.

Mosquito control, EEE meetings in area

Experts from the Vermont Department of Health and the Agency of Agriculture will discuss Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and mosquito control efforts at three upcoming meetings in the Whiting area. The first meeting will be held at the Whiting Town Hall, 6-8 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 15. (Update: For a report on this meeting, click here.)

The second will be at Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon, 7-9 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The final meeting will be at Sudbury Town Hall, 7-9 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 29.

EEE and West Nile virus are potentially deadly diseases transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes. EEE was detected in Whiting and Brandon for the first time ever this past summer. Two people died after being diagnosed with EEE.

State officials will review surveillance data and efforts taken to control mosquitoes in 2012 and will discuss plans for tracking and control of illness-carrying mosquitoes in 2013.

Snowflakes

A few snowflakes hit the car windshield as I was driving through Brandon yesterday. I consider that a hopeful sign. We had feared that Murphy's Law of Meteorology would apply to our recent purchase of an expensive snow thrower and effectively prevent any snowfall this year. We have our fingers crossed that 2012-2013 sees the return of the snow to Vermont and that we get to exercise our snow thrower regularly.

Teen dance tonight

The kids are enjoying themselves tonight at a dance sponsored by the Brandon and Pittsford recreation departments. The dance is held at the Pittsford Police Academy (which remains inaccessible by the usual route, as it is being reconstructed). Just a couple of things here: First, the dance seems to be very well supervised and run with the safety of the Grade 7-10 student attendees in mind. Second, I haven't seen the academy before this evening - it is a VERY impressive structure on beautiful campus shared with the Fire Academy.