TWO DREAMS, ONE WINNER Brattleboro agency ... - The Commons

Brattleboro agency zeroes in on 5 sites for affordable housing 

A lot of support, but a long road ahead, for process that could end with 260 to 300 units 

BRATTLEBORO—Melrose 

Terrace, Moore Court, Hayes 

Court, the former R.S. Roberts 

property on Fairground Road, 

and the People’s United Bank/ 

ReNew lot on Putney Road have 

made the Housing Authority’s 

final cut. 

If these sites prove feasible, 

they could provide 260 to 300 

Railcateg 

PRSRT STD 

U.S. POSTAGE PAID 

BRATTLEBORO, VT 

05301 

PERMIT NO. 24 

Vermont Independent Media 

P.O. Box 1212, Brattleboro, VT 05302 

www.commonsnews.org 

Vermont 

Press Association 

R AILTOWN 

N EWSPAPER C ONTEST, 2011 

Railhead 

C H A N G E S E R V I C E R E Q U E S T E D 

page 00 

News 

BRATTLEBORO 

Solar panels 

arrive at 

Co-op 

VIEWPOINT 

page A7 

Voices 

Brattleboro 

skatepark 

debate 

rages on 

page C1 

Life & 

Work 

CHRIS PETRAK 

Sparrows, 

finches in 

autumn 

page A8 

The Arts 

GO WEST! 

FIRST PRIZE 

The Best of Vermont — General Excellence 

SECOND PRIZE 

Best Local Story 

THIRD PRIZE 

Editorial Writing 

• 

NON-DAILY 

DIVISION 

Brattleboro- 

West artists 

host open 

studio tour 

page C1 

Sports 

GIRLS’ SOCCER 

Colonels are 

undefeated 

at home 

page C4 

Members of Vermont Independent Media 

receive The Commons in the mail. 

Visit http://donate.commonsnews.org. 

affordable housing units. 

Project Manager Adam 

Hubbard said these five properties 

represent the best of the 

best of the 25 properties vetted 

by the BHA as potential 

housing sites. The Brattleboro 

Housing Authority’s Whetstone 

Alternative Studies team revealed 

its final short list of five 

New 

AriAt AriA Ari t 

Boots 

TWO DREAMS, 

ONE WINNER 

RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS 

Natalie Blake, left, and Randi Solin, the artists behind Fulcrum Arts, hope 

they have the winning proposal for the Archery Building. 

Artisans 

compete to 

make their 

visions real 

in former 

Archery 

Building 

By Randolph T. Holhut 

The Commons 

BRATTLEBORO—The 

Selectboard and an ad-hoc 

committee are considering two 

separate proposals to put an 

arts studio and gallery in the 

former Archery Building, the 

town-owned structure on 26 

Depot St. 

While about two dozen people 

showed up in July for a 

tour of the building, only two 

submitted proposals before 

the Sept. 12 deadline set by 

the town. 

Fulcrum Arts, a collaboration 

of glassblower Randi 

Solin and ceramic artist Natalie 

Blake, is making its third try at 

moving its current studios and 

offices from the Cotton Mill to 

a downtown location. 

A second proposal came 

from Alan Steinberg, a member 

of Brattleboro Clayworks. He 

is leading an effort tentatively 

called ArtsWorks, which would 

move Clayworks’ studio from 

Putney Road to the Archery 

Building. He also wants to 

collaborate with River Gallery 

School and other arts organizations 

to create a group gallery 

and school. 

Only one of these two proposals 

will be selected. The 

proposals will be vetted by an 

ad-hoc committee with representatives 

from the Town Arts 

and Union Station committees, 

the Brattleboro Development 

Credit Corp., the Recreation 

& Parks Department, and the 

KITCHENS 

Do It Once 

Get It Right 

visit: 

www.cabinetree.com 

call for info and appt: 

802-254-2224 

properties at a public meeting 

on Sept. 20. 

According to Hubbard, identifying 

the five properties called 

an end to the study portion of 

the BHA’s estimated five-year 

property redevelopment. The 

next phase will entail conducting 

detailed feasibility studies of 

the properties. 



Alan Steinberg of Clayworks. 

Planning Commission, among 

others. 

After the committee grades 

each proposal based on financial 

sustainability, how well it 

fits with the Town Plan, and 

whether each of the Request 

for Proposals (RFP) conforms 

with the town’s criteria, it will 

make a recommendation to the 

Selectboard, which will make 

the final decision. 

The winner will receive a 

long-term lease on the anchor 

building for what could eventually 

become a new riverfront 

park, but the winner will 

also be responsible for paying 

for the costs of turning a 

long-neglected eyesore into a 

showplace. 

That’s because the town has 

made it clear that while it is the 

owner of the historic building 

and it is committed to preserving 

it, it will not spend any 

town money to so. 

PAID ADVERTISING • TO PLACE YOUR AD, CALL (802) 246-6397 OR VISIT WWW.COMMONSNEWS.ORG 

PAID ADVERTISING • TO PLACE YOUR AD, CALL (802) 246-6397 OR VISIT WWW.COMMONSNEWS.ORG 

VIOLINS 

zeS ze zeS 

Sales • Service • Accessories 

bakerviolin 

shop.com 

254-4425 

Hubbard said he counted almost 

40 state, local, and federal 

departments, agencies and divisions 

that will reviews the BHA 

redevelopment project. 

“The trick to it is to remember 

these are people’s lives,” said 

Hubbard. “It’s not always about 

the stream bank. It’s not always 

about the ag soils. It’s about our 

Fulcrum Arts 

For Solin, a move into the 

Archery Building represents 

the closure of a circle that 

started about 15 years ago. 

“I approached the town then 

about buying the old Gasworks 

building and they weren’t interested 

in selling then,” she said. 

“It’s funny to be back again, 

only next door.” 

Solin and Blake have had 

little to laugh about over the 

last few years of trying to locate 

their operations downtown. 

In 2005, they sought to build 

at the site of the former Tri- 

State Automotive on Elliott 

Street, but environmental issues 

and the high cost of flood 

insurance killed that deal. 

Next, they tried to buy the 

former Sanel Auto Parts building 

on Elliott Street next to 

the Transportation Center. 

They were about to close on 

the property earlier this year 

PIZZA HIPPO 

Mobile Pizza & 

Catering 

Treat Your Guests Right 

Local, Organic & 

Delicious 

Pizzahippo.com 

Renaissance 

Fine Jewel y 

We buy Gold, 

Diamonds, Coins 

& Rare Antiques 

802-251-0600 

151 Main, Brattleboro 

Open 7 Days 

community and people’s lives.” 

BHA Executive Director Chris 

Hart said that Brattleboro and 

the state have not experienced 

as large a development of new 

affordable housing as the BHA 

has planned. Vermont develops 

about 200 units a year statewide. 

The BHA wants to develop at 

lease 280 in Brattleboro alone. 

ADAM’S 

FISH MARKET 

Two Locations! 

The study committee began 

its vetting process with 25 properties. 

The areas were evaluated 

for their quality, function, and 

impact on natural resources. 

From this process the committee 

chose 6 properties. 

Melrose Terrace, Hayes Court 

and Moore Court are owned by 

Brattleboro, Vermont 

Wednesday, September 25, 2012 • Vol. VII, No. 39 • Issue #171 

Your opinion wanted 

at jmanimas.com 

Power Generation 

FREE 

WINDHAM COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING, INDEPENDENT SOURCE FOR NEWS AND VIEWS 

Proof generated September 25, 2012 1:00 PM 

READER-SUPPORTED NEWS SINCE 2006 

Your membership can make this the best free newspaper you’ve ever paid for. 

Join today at http://donate.commonsnews.org — or see page A5. 

■ SEE ARCHERY BLDG., PAGE A3 

■ SEE HOUSING, PAGE A2 

Bridges continue 

to frustrate 

BF area residents 

Vilas Bridge, closed 

since 2009, is less of a 

repair priority for N.H. 

By Allison Teague 


BELLOWS FALLS— 

The Vilas Bridge that spans 

the Connecticut River and 

links Bellows Falls and North 

Walpole, N.H., may have 

moved up the list to No. 8 in 

New Hamshire’s 2011 bridge 

priority list. But according to 

New Hampshire Department 

of Transportation (NHDOT) 

Bridge Design Administrator 

Mark Richardson, it has dropped 

to No. 23 on this year’s list. 

This came as disappointment 

to Bellows Falls and 

Rockingham residents, who feel 

the Vilas Bridge is critical to their 

economy. 

Meanwhile, on the alternate 

Arch Bridge, which is seeing 

considerably more traffic since 

the closure, an emergency operations 

exercise is being planned 

for mid-October. 

By Olga Peters 


BRATTLEBORO—Two financial 

questions relating to upgraded 

police and fire facilities 

will go before the Representative 

Town Meeting Members on 

Oct. 20. 

Meeting members will vote at 

a Special Town Meeting whether 

to assess a 1 percent sales tax and 

whether to approve a bond for 

the multi-million dollar upgrades 

to the police and fire stations. 

Funds generated by the 1 percent 

sales tax would help finance 

the capital improvements to the 

three stations. 

Without the tax, said 

Selectboard Chair Dick DeGray, 

the $14.1 million dollar project 

would fall on the backs of property 

owners. DeGray has lobbied 

in previous years for the town to 

institute a 1 percent sales tax. 

Finance Director John 

O’Connor said the property 

The Vilas Bridge was closed 

to traffic in 2009 because of a 

deteriorating deck, prompting 

the Vermont Legislature to put 

forth J.R.H. 14, a resolution 

that encourages Vermont officials 

to continue to urge New 

Hampshire to move this project 

to the top of the “to-do” list. 

NHDOT and Vermont’s Agency 

of Transportation (AOT) own 

the bridge jointly, but New 

Hampshire owns 93 percent of 

the bridge, and Vermont 7 percent, 

giving NHDOT the lead 

on decisions regarding the span. 

Funding shortages and priorities 

for the state of New 

Hampshire have been at the 

heart of what seems like a very 

long process for local Vermont 

residents. 

Richardson said that the drop 

on the priority list “is a result of 

reassessing the need for addressing 

this bridge, based on other 

■ SEE BRIDGES, PAGE A6 


Town Meeting 

to consider fire, 

police upgrades 

Members will also vote on 

1-percent option tax and 

town charter change 

tax rate is $1.1259. A bond for 

$14,130,000 will increase the 

property tax by about 10.5 cents 

per $100 of accessed value. 

The bond will carry a maximum 

of 5 percent interest over 

20 years. 

The police and fire station upgrades 

have languished for more 

than 10 years. Town Meeting 

Members approved $12 million 

for the project in 2001. 

Both emergency facilities face 

limitations caused by outdated 

buildings. 

Chief Eugene Wrinn has said 

that the police station’s narrow 

stairwell leading to basementlevel 

holding cells poses safety 

issues for officers and detainees. 

Also, the basement evidence 

storage area is moldy. 

The bay doors at the Central 

Fire Station on Elliot Street, built 

in the 1940s, are too small for 

modern-day fire engines. The 

new engines also weigh more 

■ SEE TOWN MEETING, PAGE A7 

BURTON CAR WASH 

Express Service Bash 

Fri Sept. 28 & Sat Sept. 29 

CARPET or SEAT EXPRESS- 

SUPER INTERIOR CLEAN 

your choice w/ complimentary wash 

$36.98 value - Only $24.99 

Surcharges may apply 

201 Canal St 873 Putney Rd 

802-257-2086 802-257-5194

A2 NEwS ThE COMMONS • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 

A publication of 

Vermont Independent Media 

——— 

139 Main St. #604, P.O. Box 1212 

Brattleboro, VT 05302 

(802) 246-6397 

fax (802) 246-1319 


Office hours by appointment 

9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday 

EDITORIAL 

Jeff Potter, Editor 

— 

Randolph T. Holhut, News Editor 

Olga Peters, Staff Reporter 

Catherine Snyder, Copy Editor 

VERmONT ASSOCIATES TRAINEE 

Richard Henke www.vermontassociates.org 

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS 

Lee Stookey, Proofreading 

Elizabeth Julia Stoumen, Proofreading 

David Shaw, Photographer 

morgan Broadfoot, News Apprentice 

STUDENTS & INTERNS 

Sean Pyles • marlboro College 

ADVERTISING 

Nancy Gauthier, Advertising mgr. 

John moriarty, Advertising Sales 

— 

Sarah Adam, Advertising Production 

michael Logerfo, 

Advertising Production 

OPERATIONS 

mia Gannon, Office manager 

Chris Yost, Bookkeeper 

Caleb Quinn, Distribution 

Tom Finnell, Distribution 

Deadline for the Oct. 3 issue 

Friday, Sept. 28 

VIM’S MISSION 

To create a forum for community 

partic ipation through publication 

of The Commons and Commonsnews. 

org; to pro mote local, independent 

journalism in Windham County; 

and to promote civic engagement 

by building media skills among 

Windham County residents through 

the Media Mentoring Project. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Barry Aleshnick, Peter Seares, Jane 

Noyes, Meghan Houlihan, Olga 

Peters, Rick Hege, Allen Cohen, 

Carolyn Taylor-Olson, Daryl Pillsbury. 

ABOuT ThE NEwSpApER 

The Commons is a nonprofit, weekly 

community newspaper published since 

2006 by Vermont Independent Media, 

Inc., a nonprofit corporation under section 

501(c)3 of the federal tax code. 

The newspaper is free, but it is 

supported by readers like you through 

tax-deductible donations, through advertising 

support, and through support 

of charitable foundations. 

SuBMITTING NEwS/TIpS 

We welcome story ideas and news 

tips. Please contact the newsroom at 

news@commonsnews.org or at (802) 

246-6397. 

Most press releases and announcements 

of upcoming events appear on 

www.commonsnews.org, where they 

can be made available sooner. 

VOICES 

The Commons presents a broad range of 

essays, memoirs, and other subjective 

material in Voices, our editorial and 

commentary section. We want the paper 

to provide an unpredictable variety 

of food for thought from all points on 

the political spectrum. 

We especially invite responses to 

material that appears in the paper. 

We do not publish unsigned or anonymous 

letters, and we only very rarely 

withhold names for other pieces. When 

space is an issue, our priority is to run 

contributions that have not yet appeared 

in other publications. 

Please check with the editor before 

writing essays or other original submissions 

of substance. 

Editorials represent the collective 

voice of The Commons and are written 

by the editors or by members of the 

Vermont Independent Media Board of 

Directors. 

The views expressed in our Voices 

section are those of individual contributors. 

Bylined commentaries by 

members of the Vermont Independent 

media board of directors represent 

their individual opinions; as an organization, 

we are committed to providing 

a forum for the entire community. 

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, 

Vermont Independent media is legally 

prohibited from endorsing political 

candidates. 

ADVERTISING 

Your advertising directly supports a 

better newspaper. The display advertising 

rate is $13.50 per column inch, and 

The Commons offers discounts. To place 

your ad, contact the advertising coordinator 

at ads@commonsnews.org. 

Advertising files can be saved as PDF 

(press-ready setting), EPS (with fonts 

converted to outlines), or as TIFF (600 

pixels per inch), or printed as black-andwhite 

hard copy. We can design your ad. 

SpONSOR A pAGE 

Your donation of $75 pays to print 

a single page of The Commons. This 

contribution helps us publish a larger 

newspaper with more news, and we acknowledge 

these donations on the bottom 

of a page. 

Please specify how you would like 

to be credited, or whether you wish 

to donate in honor of or in memory of 

another person. Mail your donation, or 

contribute online at http://donate. 

commonsnews.org. 

DISTRIBuTION 

The Commons distributes 6,500 copies 

per issue to 150 drops in almost every 

Windham County town weekly. Get in 

touch if you would like us to consider 

adding your business. 

SINCE SOME hAVE ASKED... 

Despite our similar name, The Com mons 

is not affiliated with Ver mont Commons, 

a website that is linked with a movement 

advocating Vermont’s secession from the 

United States. 

————— 

Without our volunteers, this 

newspaper would exist only 

in our imaginations. 

Special thanks to: 

Editorial support: 

Joyce Marcel, 

Christopher Emily Coutant, 

Chris Petrak 

Operations support: 

Simi Berman, Chris Wesolowski, 

Diana Bingham, Jim Maxwell, 

Bob Rottenberg, Bill Pearson, 

Menda Waters, Jayne Woods, 

Joan Ellis, Dan DeWalt 

❶ 

❷ 

❸ 

❹ 

❺ 

Housing Authority, FEMA, and HUD announce assistance funds 

BRATTLEBORO—Local 

and federal representatives 

met Sept. 20 to discuss the 

Brattleboro Housing Authority’s 

current housing plans and offer 

support for the BHA’s future. 

Meeting attendees included 

representatives from Housing 

and Urban Development 

(HUD), the Federal Emergency 

Agency (FEMA), representatives 

from the offices of U.S. 

Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie 

Sanders, and Congressman 

Peter Welch, town officials, 

BHA staff, the Windham- 

Windsor Housing Trust, and 

engineering firm Stevens & 

Associates. 

According to Adam 

Hubbard, Project Manager for 

Stevens & Associates and the 

BHA’s redevelopment project, 

those at the table painted 

a picture of scarce financial 

resources. 

But, said Hubbard, everyone 

at the table said “ we hear you” 

and the meeting had an “undercurrent 

of excitement.” 

Hubbard added that he has 

seen a transformation in FEMA 

representatives. FEMA has its 

own “bureaucratic solutions” 

when it arrives at a disaster area. 

But representatives have appeared 

“dumbfounded” by the 

level of cooperation between the 

BHA and other local and state 

agencies. 

“Vermont has knocked their 

socks off,” said Hubbard. 

Hubbard said that the BHA’s 

work has created advocates at 

the state and federal level that 

gives him hope for the housing 

authority’s future success with 

redeveloping its properties. 

FEMA released a press release 

on Sept. 20 announcing 

funding for the BHA’s 

Irene-related repairs and flood 

STEVEnS AnD ASSOCIATES, P.C. 

proofing. 

The BHA will receive 

$290,000 through the Public 

Assistance program for its recovery 

work, said the release. 

The feds agreed to the funding 

based on the BHA’s existing 

evacuation plan and promise 

to move its elderly and disabled 

residents at Melrose Terrace 

out of the flood zone as soon 

as possible. 

FEMA does not normally 

grant funds for repairing or 

flood-proofing buildings, like 

Melrose Terrace, located in 

flood-prone areas, said Mark 

Landry, a FEMA federal coordinating 

officer for Vermont. 

“FEMA recognizes that 

these are temporary measures, 

and that relocating these people 

safely outside the floodplain 

is the preferred solution,” 

said Landry. “But until that 

is accomplished, these steps, 

Please support The Commons Community 

Let our Advertisers and Sponsors know 

you saw them in 


n Housing FROM SECTIOn FROnT 

the BHA, and currently in use. 

Also in the mix are a portion 

of the parking lot at Academy 

School on Western Avenue, and 

a parcel of vacant land off Route 

5 and Partridge Road called the 

Algiers Meadow. 

Together with the R.S. 

Roberts site, Hubbard said that 

these six areas could provide 260 

units of potential public housing. 

The final five properties, 

Melrose, Hayes, Moore, R.S. 

Roberts, and Peoples/Renew 

(a parcel between the People’s 

United Bank operations center 

and Renew Salvage on Putney 

Road), could provide between 

260 and 300 units. 

Hubbard said Brattleboro circumstances 

at both the BHA and 

town-wide situations have contributed 

a need for 280 housing 

units. 

The BHA had slated the 72 

units at Hayes Court for redevelopment. 

The buildings had outlived 

their useful life, said Hart. 

According to documents from 

the alternative studies committee, 

the BHA had completed 

feasibility planning. The housing 

authority was on the cusp 

of submitting an application for 

demolition when Tropical Storm 

Irene’s flooding, last year, plans. 

Irene’s floods damaged 

Melrose Terrace, displacing 

some residents until repairs were 

completed. The 80 units have 

also been evacuated three times 

in 10 years due to flooding, said 

the documentation. 

Moore Court, built in 1972, 

is due for rehabilitation, said 

Hubbard. 

On a community-wide level, 

the 2011 Brooks House fire 

displaced 60 people. Irene also 

took five units at the Mountain 

Home Mobile Home Park, said 

Hubbard. An additional 25 units 

sit in the floodway and should be 

moved for safety reasons. 

Glen Street Mobile Home 

Park lost 11 units to Irene’s 

flooding. 

Hubbard said that the community 

will probably need an 

additional 100 to 200 additional 

housing units to keep up with the 

need for affordable housing beyond 

what the BHA’s redevelopment 

project will provide. 

The committee still expects 

to swap the housing profiles for 

Melrose and Moore. Melrose 

would transform into family 

housing while Moore Court 

would become senior and disabled 

adult housing. According 

to Hart, an executive order 

signed by former President Bill 

Clinton prohibits seniors, people 

with disabilities, or child care 

centers to be housed in flood 

plains. 

Families tend to be more mobile 

and not require special medications 

or equipment like oxygen 

tanks, said Hart. This regulation 

has repeatedly met with scoffs 

from the audiences attending 

public meetings at Melrose and 

Hayes. 

“There goes my happiness,” 

said a female Melrose resident. 

1. This design alternative 

for Melrose Terrace 

offers 40 three-story 

units. 2. This plan for the 

R.S. Roberts site offers 

36 two-story units. 3. 

This design alternative 

for Hayes Court offers 80 

units: 36 three-story, 24 

two-story, and 20 singlestory. 

4. This design, 

for the People’s Bank/ 

ReNEW Field site, offers 

50 two-story units. 5. 

This Moore Court design 

includes 60 two-story 

units. 

coupled with BHA’s evacuation 

plan, will allow the residents 

to continue to live in Melrose 

Terrace and to avoid the kind 

of costly property damages if 

another flood occurs similar in 

magnitude to Irene.” 

According to the press release, 

insurance paid a bulk 

of the approximate $1 million 

in repairs at Melrose. FEMA 

agreed to contribute $90,000 

in uninsured costs through 

the agency’s Public Assistance 

program. 

The assistance program provides 

monies to state, municipal, 

and certain nonprofit 

organizations to repair infrastructure 

damaged during disasters 

like roads, bridges, 

hospitals, and schools. 

FEMA also agreed to provide 

about $200,000 from its 

Mitigation program funding. 

Funds from this program aim 

Hubbard said the BHA 

wanted to keep as much of 

Melrose’s infrastructure as possible 

because the well-made 

buildings represent millions in 

solid infrastructure. The design 

team are looking to remove 

about seven buildings in the 

floodway, create a flood plain by 

constructing a flood wall deeper 

into the property, and then add 

second stories onto the remaining 

Melrose buildings. 

BHA Commissioner Christine 

Connelly said that the two non- 

BHA properties, R.S. Roberts 

and Peoples/Renew, impressed 

the committee. 

The People’s/Renew property, 

currently an undeveloped track 

of land, has “amazing views”, 

said committee members and 

the R.S. Roberts site, once a car 

dealership, is situated close to 

community services. 

While three of the five properties 

already belong to the BHA, 

the People’s/Renew and R.S. 

Roberts properties will require 

further negotiations. 

Although People’s United 

Bank has expressed interest in 

further conversations with the 

BHA about purchasing its lot 

off Putney Road, permission to 

purchase the land is not set in 

stone, said Hubbard. Also, the 

R.S. Roberts parcel is considered 

a brown field and will require additional 

environmental studies. 

Glen Park resident Mary 

Durland read a letter from Glen 

Park resident Bill Billard who 

said he lived near the Brattleboro 

Food Co-op during construction 

of its new building. He described 

the experience as two years of 

“no peace.” He asked the BHA 

to consider the impact noise 

and dust on neighbors during 

construction. 

Hubbard also presented concept 

drawings of the five potential 

sites. He called them the 

“concepts of the first order of 

sketchiness” and said they could 

change as the project progressed. 

The results of feasibility studies, 

permits, funding, and costs 

will determine the redevelopment’s 

final outcome, said 

Hubbard. 

The BHA is applying for a 

$100,000 planning grant from 

the Community Development 

disaster fund, said Hart. 

This summer, the federal 

government granted a waiver 

allowing U.S. Department 

of Housing and Urban 

Development Irene disaster 

funds to go to Windham County. 

Previously, of the $21.6 million 

in Community Development 

Block Grants (CBDG) granted 

Vermont through HUD, 80 

percent was required to go toward 

Washington and Windsor 

Counties. 

Through work by the state’s 

Congressional delegation, the 

waiver allows $4.5 million to 

assist with disaster recovery in 

Windham County. 

Hart said that the BHA will 

likely use a mixture of public 

and private funding to develop 

the five potential properties. And 

the housing authority will need 

all the financial help it can get, 

she added. 

According to Hart, the BHA 

had about $1.7 million in reserve 

before Irene that disaster 

costs ate. 

Every funding agency will 

want to input on the project, she 

warned the audience. Sometimes 

the federal, state, and private 

agencies’ requests won’t always 

make sense but “they’re paying 

the bill.” 

“Get ready folks, it will be 

quite a ride,” said Hart. 

to reduce the costs of future 

disasters through measures 

like flood-proofing “valuable 

buildings.” 

The mitigation funding will 

go toward proofing measures 

like installing aluminum flood 

shields in the doorways and 

around exterior electric panels, 

installing elevated electric heaters, 

and raising kitchen stove 

outlets and electric water heaters 

one foot above the 100-year 

flood elevation. 

FEMA has obligated, or paid 

to the state, approximately $129 

million for public assistance 

related to Irene, said the press 

release. The agency has also 

provided $23 million in individual 

assistance to individuals 

and families.

The Commons • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 neWs A3 

RANDoLPH T. HoLHUT/THE CoMMoNS 

Alan Steinberg of Clayworks points to a old picture of a portion of a former 

Brattleboro rail building, today’s Archery Building. 

RANDoLPH T. HoLHUT/CoMMoNS FILE PHoTo 

The Archery Building in its current dilapidated condition. 

n Archery Building FRoM SECTIoN FRoNT 

when it was sold at the last minute 

to Peter Johnson, owner 

of Emerson’s Furniture. Now, 

Johnson is touting the site as a 

potential home for a proposed 

Community College of Vermont/ 

Vermont Technical College 

campus. 

Both Blake and Solin said that 

while it was painful to have lost 

out on the Sanel building, they 

believe they have a better deal 

with the Archery Building. 

“We won’t miss having to be 

property managers, so that’s a 

relief,” Blake said. “But we will 

miss having a basement.” 

Their plan calls for Solin’s 

glass studio to be on the first 

floor of the Archery Building, 

while Blake would have a studio 

and gallery on the second floor. 

They also plan to put up an addition, 

but it would have to conform 

with the original design of 

the 1849 building. 

Both women are running successful 

businesses in the Cotton 

Mill, but they say they’ve run out 

of room to expand. 

“Without a different space 

configuration, there’s no way 

we can do classes here [at 

the Cotton Mill],” said Solin. 

“Putting on classes and workshops 

is now a big part of a glass 

studio’s business.” 

They said they hope to collaborate 

with with the Brattleboro 

Museum & Art Center (BMAC), 

who sees the Archery Building as 

potential auxiliary space for its 

classes and events. 

Solin and Blake said they envision 

their studio as being a hot 

destination, particularly with the 

train station just 100 yards away. 

With the Latchis Hotel and 

Theatre, the Brattleboro Food 

Co-op, the Whetstone Station 

restaurant, BMAC, and the 

Marlboro College Graduate 

Center all within easy walking 

distance, Blake and Solin said 

they see someone stepping off 

the train, and being able to enjoy 

a weekend of arts classes, food, 

and fun without needing a car. 

ArtsWorks 

Unlike many who did the tour 

of the building in July, Steinberg 

said he was undaunted by the 

mess inside. The building had 

been abandoned for several years 

and was used by homeless people 

as a temporary shelter. 

“I’m sure it scared a lot people 

off, but I saw incredible raw 

space that was very flexible and 

good for the activities we want to 

do,” he said. “And the site itself 

is stunning.” 

Steinberg, a former New York 

City public school teacher, abandoned 

his career three decades 

ago to be a full-time self-supporting 

clay artist. He helped 

found Clayworks in Brattleboro 

in 1983, a combination workshop 

and gallery best known for 

its annual Empty Bowl Dinner, 

a fundraiser for the Brattleboro 

Area Drop In Center. 

He said he envisions the building 

as not just studio and gallery 

space for Clayworks and River 

Gallery School but also an arts 

incubator, similar to the role 

that the now-defunct Windham 

Arts Gallery served until it closed 

in 2009. 

Steinberg said he sees a first 

floor studio and second floor 

gallery set-up, similar to Solin 

and Blake. He, too, wants to add 

on to the building. However, he 

said he sees the ultimate goal 

as providing Brattleboro much 

needed work and display space 

for what he calls “3-D works.” 

He estimates it will take at 

least $500,000 to renovate the 

building and make to what he 

hopes will be a model of energyefficiency 

that the town can show 

to others as a template for green 

building techniques. 

He said he agrees with Solin 

and Blake that the biggest draw 

of the Archery Building is the 

green space that surrounds it 

and the Connecticut River that 

flows past it. 

Steinberg said he has followed 

with interest the work of 

Michael Singer and his Center 

for Creative Solutions, which has 

been working for several years 

with Marlboro College on a plan 

to reclaim the industrial land by 

the river for other uses. 

“Making Singer’s vision — 

creating a space that would give 

the town access to its river — fit 

with our vision is something we 

like a lot,” said Steinberg. “The 

interplay between the indoor and 

outdoor spaces will be exciting.” 

Most of all, Steinberg believes 

his proposal would lead 

to a big and long-sought prize 

for Brattleboro — getting the 

designation of state-approved 

craft center. 

The Vermont State Craft 

Center designation would bring 

with it additional marketing opportunities 

with the state, as well 

as resource sharing with other 

galleries and craft-education 

centers. 

“This would be a huge draw 

for us, and harness a lot of collective 

energy,” said Steinberg. 

Who wins? 

Solin and Blake think they 

might have an advantage in the 

process, since they have been 

through so much in trying to 

DEAD HARD DRIVE!! 

*Ask about data recovery options 


rehab historic old buildings into 

studio space. 

“We have learned so much in 

the past seven years,” said Solin. 

“If the criteria is that they 

want a strong business in there, 

we meet that standard,” said 

Blake. “We both have stable 

businesses, and we have a lot of 

support in the community for 

our proposal.” 

Steinberg can make a similar 

statement, based on the success 

of Clayworks. “We have a long 

list of people who have started 

with us who have built successful 

careers,” he said. 

But he lamented the reality 

that only one of the two proposals 

is going to win, and that 

someone will be going away 

unhappy. 

“I wish it wasn’t that way, but 

the reality is that there aren’t a 

whole lot of places available in 

town to do these things,” he said. 

“Brattleboro is ripe for having an 

arts campus.” 


Pharmacy 

413 Canal Street 

802-254-7777 

Thank you 

for your 

business 

and local 

support! 

Open 7 days a week 

Monday-Friday 8-7 

Saturday 9-5 • Sunday 10-2 

state Representative Mike 

Mrowicki now works 

with the Vermont Fatherhood 

Initiative, “a fledgling group of 

dedicated volunteers made up 

of parents, professionals and 

concerned citizens who believe 

fathers count and that responsible 

fathering is an essential part 

of healthy child development,” 

according to a 2011 press release. 

The story “Hungry people, 

fewer resources” [News, 

Sept. 19] affiliated him with 

his previous employer, Putney 

Family Services. 

Dave Gale, identified in the 

same piece, says that his participation 

in an interview on 

FACT-TV did not result in a 

serious threat, as characterized 

in the story. An editing mistake 

resulted in that error. 

The story also listed “10 to 

15” as the number of homeless 

people confirmed to be 

living in and around Bellows 

Falls; Gale says this week that 

another source had pegged 

the number at 16, and while 

he conveyed that figure at 

one point, he personally estimates 

the actual number as 

“30 to 35 — maybe 40.” Social 

service agencies have routinely 

lamented the difficulty 

of counting homeless people 

accurately. The Commons 

should have attributed the estimates 

more precisely and made 

clearer the nature of the imprecise 

nature of identifying and 

counting homeless people in 

need. 

Discover 

Putney, VT 

Exit 4, i-91 

It’s worth the trip! 

Internationally award-winning 

artisanal wines from local fruit! 

Tours, Tastings, and Sales at the 

winery at the Basketville Store 

in Putney. Open 11-5 Daily. 

www.putneywine.com 

802 387 5925 

CoRReCTIons & CLARIFICATIons 

Suzanne Rubinstein is coordinating 

the new Brattleboro 

chapter of the Young 

Shakespeare Players. Richard 

DiPrima and Anne DiPrima 

remain the founders and codirectors 

of the theater company 

in Madison, Wis. owing 

to a production error, a caption 

to a photograph accompanying 

“Bringing the 

bard to Brattleboro” [Arts, 

Sept. 12] contained incorrect 

Clothing • Jewelry • Coobie Bras • Camis • Hair Jewelry • Scarves 

Change of Season Sale!!! 

30% to 75% Off Summer 

Lots of Beautiful New Things for Fall Too! 

133 Main Street Putney Vt.05346 

802-387-3011 

Mon-Thurs 11-5 

Fri 11-6 Sat 10-5 Sun 11-4 

Jewelry, gifts & Treasures 

Tu-Sa 10am - 6pm, Su 11am - 5pm 

10 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT • 802 387 4566 

offeringsjewelry.com 

Nothing Could Be Finer Than... 

Comfort Food 

at Its Finest! 

Breakfast 

All Day! 

128 Main Street, Putney, Vermont 

802.387.5433 

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 6AM - 3PM 

Now accepting CREDIT CARDS • Visit us on Facebook! 

COME AND TAILGATE WITH 

WTSA AND XFINITY! 

AT THIS FRIDAY NIGHTS 

COLONELS HOME GAME 

vs. 

ST. JOHNSBURY! 

September 28th Starting at 5pm! 

information; the story that it 

accompanied (and that it contradicted) 

is correct. 

The Commons strives to report 

meticulously and write error-free 

copy — but mistakes can happen, 

despite our best efforts. If you see 

something in the paper that you 

think deserves a correction, contact 

us at news@commonsnews.org 

or 802-246-6397. 

OLLI lectures begin Oct. 8 

DUMMERSToN—The 

osher Lifelong Learning 

Institute (oLLI) will open this 

fall’s six-week series of lectures 

on Monday, oct. 8. 

In the morning programs, 

Meg Mott will present “The 

Politics of Eating,” an investigation 

of how food production and 

consumption pertain to the right 

ordering of society. Meg teaches 

political theory at Marlboro 

College and is a popular oLLI 

lecturer. 

The afternoon lectures, 

“The Marvelous Machine: The 

Workings of the Human Body,” 

will be presented by Bob Engel, 

also of the Marlboro faculty and 

also an experienced leader of past 

oLLI programs. Bob will discuss 

the body considered as a machine, 

emphasizing that bodily 

systems must work in loose concert 

for the machine to function. 

The morning programs 

begins at 10 a.m. and run until 

noon. The afternoon programs 

runs from 1 to 3 p.m. 

All lectures take place at the 

Southeast Vermont Learning 

Collaborative, 471 Vermont 

Route 5, in Dummerston. 

Parking and handicapped access 

are available. Light refreshments 

are served at all lectures. 

The oLLI lectures are produced 

by the local chapter of 

The osher Lifelong Learning 

Institute, now in its ninth year 

in Brattleboro. The Institute is a 

nationwide membership organization 

sponsoring programs for 

people aged fifty and over who 

wish to continue their education 

without tests, papers, or grades. 

Payment of full dues ($50) entitles 

members to attend all 12 

lectures in the present series. 

Lectures are also open to nonmembers 

of oLLI for a fee of 

$5 per lecture. 

If you arrive before 5:30 you will get into the game for FREE 

And you will also receive a WTSA T-Shirt! (While supplies last.) 

Come and Register to WIN our Tailgating Prize Package! 

Including: 

Grill Zone Gas Grill with Side Burner – From Fireside True Value! 

2 Four Seasons Courtyard Folding Quad Chairs – From Fireside True Value! 

A Cooler Full of Refreshing Pepsi Products – From Leader Distribution! 

$100 Gift Card to Price Chopper for Items to Grill! 

A special THANK YOU to the following sponsors! 

-Cota and Cota - Subaru of Keene -Brattleboro Savings and Loan - Comcast Xfinity 

-Lawton Floor Design -Entergy Vermont Yankee -Green Mountain Creamery Yogurt 

- Jancewitz and Sons - Hotel Pharmacy -Vernon Advent Christian Homes 

- Houghton Sanitary Service - River Valley Credit Union - WW Building Supply 

-Jewett Plumbing and Heating -Brattleboro Subaru -GS Precision -Merrill Gas 

-Chalmers Agency Nationwide Insurance -Butches Moving and Storage -Achilles Agway

A4 NEWS THE COmmONS • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 

Applications sought 

for town Human 

Services funding 

BRATTLEBORO — The 

Brattleboro Human Services 

Review Committee is accepting 

applications for fiscal year 2014 

Human Services Funding. 

The application, as well as 

instructions and guidelines, are 

on the Brattleboro website, www. 

brattleboro.org 

The Human Services Review 

Committee information meeting 

is scheduled on Wednesday, 

Oct. 3, at 6 p.m. in the Hanna 

Cosman meeting room at the 

Municipal Center. The deadline 

to submit applications is 

Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 4 p.m. 

For information regarding 

the application process, 

contact Jan Anderson in the 

Brattleboro Town Manager’s 

office at 802-251-8151. 

Information meetings 

set for upcoming 

special town meeting 


Brattleboro Selectboard will 

PART TIME ADVERTISING SALES 

The Commons is seeking a new member of our small team to 

sell ads for the weekly print newspaper and for the website. 

Sales experience strongly preferred but not mandatory; 

essential qualifications for this job as ambassador to the 

business community include conscientiousness, organization, 

attention to detail and deadlines, an unwavering 

enthusiasm about our award-winning nonprofit news 

operation, and a great sense of humor. 

We dream of the right person, a visionary who can help 

make this job grow in compensation and scope and who 

is willing to attack the challenge with entrepreneurial zeal. 

Are you that person? 

The 

Written reply only, please; send to 

info@commonsnews.org 

NUTS 

’n’ BOLTS 

Your local 

sources for home 

improvement 

Chimney Doctor 

Chimney & Stove Care 

Whole System 

Service 

• Cleaning 

• Repair 

• Installation 

• Relining 

• Year-round 

Service 

(802) 387-6037 

Putney, VT 

chimdoc@comcast.net 

www.vtchimneydoctor.com 

hold two special meetings on 

Wednesday, Oct. 3 and 17, at 

6:30 p.m. at the Gibson-Aiken 

Senior Center, 207 Main St. 

The purpose of the special 

meetings is to discuss with the 

public and Representative Town 

Meeting Members the Articles 

for the Special Representative 

Town Meeting scheduled on 

Oct. 20 at 8:30 a.m. in the 

Academy School gymnasium, 

860 Western Ave. 

Items on the special town 

meeting warrant include the 

adoption of a charter change involving 

the Listers Department, 

adoption of a 1 percent local 

option tax, and a ballot question 

regarding bonding up $14.1 

million for police-fire facility upgrades 

and additions. 

BMAC offers free 

admission for 

Smithsonian’s 

Museum Day 


Brattleboro Museum & Art 

Center (BMAC) will offer free 

admission from 11 a.m. until 

5 p.m., as part of Smithsonian 

HeLp WaNTed 

To place your employment ad, call Nancy at 

(802) 246-6397 or email ads@commonsnews.org 

proof generated September 25, 2012 1:00 pM 

AROUND THE TOWNS 

magazine’s Museum Day Live! 

on Saturday, Sept. 29. 

In the spirit of the 

Smithsonian’s museums, which 

offer free admission everyday, 

Museum Day Live! is an annual 

event hosted by Smithsonian 

magazine in which participating 

museums across the country 

open their doors to anyone 

presenting a Museum Day ticket 

for free. 

Free tickets are available for 

that day at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday 

(www. 

smithsonianmag.com/museumday). 

The ticket is good for free admission 

for one person, plus a 

guest. Only one ticket is allowed 

per household. 

BMAC is an independent, 

non-collecting contemporary 

art museum whose mission is to 

present art and ideas in ways that 

inspire, educate, and engage audiences 

of all ages. For more information 

on BMAC, visit www. 

brattleboromuseum.org. 

Open house at the 

Townshend Library 

on Sept. 29 

TOWNSHEND — The 

Townshend Public Library will 

host an open house Saturday, 

Sept. 29, from 10 a.m.-noon, to 

celebrate the release of The People 

of Townshend, Vermont, a book of 

photographic portraits and stories 

of Townshend folks. 

The book, by Karl Decker, 

had its beginnings in 1998 when 

the author left teaching after 

43 years to work at photography 

full time. An Acton Hill 

summer resident since 1934, 

he worked from 1998 to 2003 

photographing some 200 of the 

1,000 Townshend residents, 

and hearing their stories, later 

to write them or to write about 

the moments they had together. 

A selection of the photographs 

appeared in the Summer 2003 

issue of Vermont Life and were 

exhibited at Sean and Mary 

Yancey’s Townshend Country 

Inn during Townshend’s 250th 

celebration in that year. Since 

then, the photographs have been 

exhibited in Maine, Connecticut 

and Vermont—most recently at 

Sterling College in Craftsbury. 

But work on the book got 

set aside for the next six years 

while Decker, with his co-writer 

Nancy Levine of Shelburne, 

were on assignment for Vermont 

Magazine— traveling throughout 

the state to photograph and 

then write some 35 articles on 

Vermont’s small rural towns. 

But last August, the book plan 

was revived, texts edited, layout 

planned and in June this year, 

reaL eSTaTe 

To advertise: 

802-246-6397 

or ads@ 

commonsnews.org 

DOWNTOWN 

OFFICE SPACE 

FOr rENT 

2nd floor, Main St. 

300 sq. ft., Storage 

$350/month 

802-254-9430 

1-2-3 Rooms 

Downtown Bratt 

Secure Building. 

Heat & Utilities 

included. 

802-257-7571 

www.barber 

building 

apartments.com 

References 

required 

Earn more by learning 

from the pros. 

Take the H&R Block Income Tax Course to learn how to prepare taxes like a pro. Class times 

and locations are flexible to fit your current job, school and family schedules. Bilingual courses 

are available. Not only will you learn a new skill, you could earn extra income as a 

tax professional.* 

Enroll now! 

For class times and locations, visit 

hrblock.com/class 

800-HRBLOCK (800-472-5625) 

Bilingual classes are taught in English and the instructor or assistant will be able to answer questions in Spanish as needed. Textbooks will be provided 

in both English and Spanish and course exams will be offered in a bilingual format. 

*Enrollment restrictions apply. Enrollment in, or completion of, the H&R Block Income Tax Course is neither an offer nor a guarantee of employment. 

©2012 HRB Tax Group, Inc. 

Tax questions? (802) 257-7809 

H&R Block 

747 Putney Rd 


Phone: (802) 257-7809 

Mon-Thurs 9:00 am to 5:00 pm 

sent to Queen City Printers in 

Burlington. 

In the foreword to the book, 

Levine writes that “each photograph 

is a testimony to what 

mattered on that one day…and 

is a study in dignity and grace.” 

Books will be available for purchase 

and signing. Refreshments 

will be served. For more information, 

visit www.karldecker.com, call 

the library at 802-365-4039, or 

visit www.townshendlibrary.org. 

Transition 

Dummerston to hold 

potluck supper 

DUMMERSTON — 

Transition Dummerston presents 

its monthly potluck supper 

and program on Friday, Sept. 

28, from 6-8:30 p.m., at the 

West Dummerston Community 

Center, 156 West St., in West 

Dummerston, off Route 30. 

The program features apples 

— telling how they capture our 

imaginations, put us to work, delight 

our palates, and enrich our 

economy. Supper served from 

6-7 p.m. Local food encouraged. 

The program runs from 

7-8:30 p.m. 

Transition Dummerston 

works to build local resilience for 

a positive future by anticipating 

challenges to arise from climate 

change, peak oil, and economic 

uncertainty. For more information, 

contact Susal, at 802-275- 

7449, or Fred, at 802-287-2681. 

CRWC’s 16th annual 

Connecticut River 

Cleanup is Sept. 29 

SAXTONS RIVER — More 

than 1,800 volunteers will be 

heading out to clean local waterways 

on Saturday, Sept. 29 in the 

Connecticut River Watershed 

Council’s (CRWC) 16th annual 

Source to Sea Cleanup. 

CRWC will mobilize volunteers 

to pick up trash and debris 

along the Connecticut River and 

its tributaries in Vermont, New 

Hampshire, Massachusetts, and 

Connecticut. 

This year, about 65 groups 

are already registered to participate 

in the Source to Sea 

Cleanup. Groups span the length 

of the 410-mile watershed from 

Clarksville, N.H. to Long Island 

Sound. 

Vermont, an area hard-hit by 

2011’s Tropical Storm Irene, has 

continued to see increased participation 

in the Cleanup, and 

many businesses are forming 

employee cleanup groups as well. 

“Source to Sea Cleanup 

volunteers have worked hard 

to combat litter and illegally 

dumped trash,” says Jacqueline 

Talbot, CRWC River Steward 

and organizer of the Cleanup. 

“But the trash keeps showing 

up. Removing it helps keep precious 

water resources clean and 

our natural spaces safe for families 

and wildlife.” 

Over the past 15 years, volunteers 

have removed more than 

707 tons of refuse from along waterways 

in four states during the 

largest single-day river cleanup 

in New England. CRWC fields 

a variety of trash site suggestions, 

coordinates the work of individual 

groups and supplies them 

with bags and gloves. 

It’s not too late to join this 

year’s cleanup. Find a registered 

group in your area by going to 

CRWC’s website, www.ctriver.org. 

“If you don’t find a group in 

your area accepting new cleanup 

volunteers or want to go out 

on your own, just download 

our trash tally form and let us 

know what you picked up,” says 

Talbot. 

Southeastern Vermont 

Watershed Alliance (SeVWA), 

in partnership with other local 

watershed advocates, will be 

leading clean-up sessions along 

the West River between the Rock 

River/West River convergence 

and the Retreat Meadows. 

The clean-up sites scheduled 

so far are the Retreat Meadows 

on Route 30 in Brattleboro, 

across from Retreat Farm/ 

Grafton Cheese; the West 

Dummerston Covered bridge 

just off of Route 30 and the 

convergence of the West and 

Rock Rivers at the intersection 

of Route 30 and Depot Road, at 

the Dummerston/Newfane town 

line. Come at 9 a.m. to any of 

these sites, bags and gloves will 

be provided for participants. 

BMH hosts 

Mediterranean 

dinner, healthy 

eating discussion 

BRATTLEBORO — 

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital 

will host a public dinner featuring 

low-fat, Mediterranean fare 

and a presentation on cardiac 

rehabilitation at 5:30 p.m. on 

Thursday, Oct. 4 in the Brew 

Barry Conference Center. 

Diners will choose between 

entrees of Vermont apple ciderbraised 

chicken and vegetables 

served with oven roasted local organic 

potato, or braised autumn 

vegetables with quinoa. Each 

will be served with a salad of 

mixed greens, chick peas, pickled 

red onion and vinaigrette, 

whole grain bread, and a whole 

grain apple crisp with fat-free 

local yogurt, all made fresh on 

the premises by BMH Nutrition 

Services staff. 

During the dinner, there will 

be a talk about heart health and 

nutrition for cardiac rehabilitation 

patients. Jeff Harr, coordinator 

of Cardiac Rehab Services at 

BMH, will discuss the structure 

of the program and present recent 

research on the importance 

of rehab following a cardiac 

event. Darrel Daley, currently a 

participant in the program, will 

provide firsthand insights into 

his own experiences of going 

through cardiac rehab. 

Seating is limited. Call 802- 

257-8331 before Sept. 28 to 

make reservations. Cost for the 

dinner is $11.95 per person. 

When making a reservation, 

specify the chicken or vegetarian 

option. 

H&R Block 

83 Westminster Street 

Bellows Falls, VT 05101 

Phone: (802) 463-4633 

Mon & Thurs 9:00 am to 5:00 pm 

Stress reduction 

course offered at BMH 

BRATTLEBORO — 

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital 

will offer a free, introductory 

session for its six-week 

course, “Letting Go of Stress” 

on Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 5:15 

p.m. in Brew Barry Conference 

Room 2. 

Presented by Marc Cohen, 

MA, the introductory session 

will explore how stress affects 

an individual’s body and mind, 

and how one can counteract the 

negative impact of stress and develop 

“stress hardiness.” 

The six-week program begins 

the following Wednesday, Oct. 

10 and meets weekly through 

Nov. 14. The multi-session class 

will provide participants with the 

theory, practice, and motivation 

to establish and maintain an effective 

lifelong stress reduction 

program. Call 802-257-8877 

to register for the introductory 

session. 

The $150 fee for the six-week 

course includes an audio CD and 

handouts. Call 802-257-0319 

to register for the entire course. 

AARP Tax-Aide 

Volunteers needed 

in Bellows Falls, 


BRATTLEBORO — For the 

past six years, AARP Tax-Aide 

volunteers in Bellows Falls and 

the surrounding communities 

have helped residents prepare 

their federal and state tax returns. 

To continue this free service, 

they are actively recruiting 

new volunteers for the coming 

tax season. They are especially 

looking for people to work in 

Bellows Falls at the BF Senior 

Center or Rockingham Free 

Public Library. They also have 

positions open in Brattleboro. 

You do not need to be an 

AARP member nor a retiree. 

Experience doing basic tax returns 

and familiarity with computers 

are both helpful. Training 

is provided and ongoing support 

is offered at each site. 

If you have 4 hours per week 

between Feb. 1 and April 15, 

2013, they can provide you with 

the skills necessary to assist people 

with their taxes and the opportunity 

to give back to your 

community, especially important 

now when so many people 

are stressed and concerned about 

money. Last year, more than 130 

volunteers helped more than 

5,000 Vermont taxpayers across 

the state. This year, the need will 

be even greater.” 

For more information, contact 

Jean Cornish at jeancornish@svcable.net 

(mce_host/site/ 

editsystem05a/jeancornish@svcable. 

net) or 802-365-7222. 

Sunday: deadline for 

writing workshop 

submissions 

MARLBORO — The 

Brattleboro Literary Festival, 

in collaboration with Marlboro 

College, will offer an expanded 

number of writing workshops 

for 2012 featuring writers with a 

Vermont connection. The workshops 

will be a central part of 

the festival, which takes place in 

Brattleboro from Oct. 12 to 14. 

Participant submissions will 

be accepted on a space-available 

basis through Sunday, Sept. 30. 

Marlboro alumnus 

Deni Béchard, author of 

Commonwealth Prize-winning 

Vandal Love and a new memoir, 

Cures for Hunger, will lead a new 

session on memoir. The poetry 

workshop will be led by former 

Walt Whitman Award winner 

and Bennington College faculty 

member April Bernard. Jon 

Clinch of Plymouth, author of 

two acclaimed novels, will run 

the fiction workshop. 

The sessions will take place 

concurrently on Friday, Oct. 

12, from 1:30 to 5 p.m. at the 

Marlboro Graduate Center. 

Participants may also attend the 

Literary Festival private author 

reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. 

Further workshop details and 

registration information can be 

found at brattleboroliteraryfestival. 

org. 

www.myunion.edu 

B.S. Online 

B.A. in Liberal Studies 

(Teacher Licensure Track Available) 

Graduate Psychology Programs: 

M.A., Psy.D. 

EMPOWERING ADULTS SINCE 1964 

Vermont Academic Center, Brattleboro 

3 University Way, Suite 3 

Brattleboro, Vermont 05301 

802.257.9411 

BrattleboroCenter@myunion.edu 

Private, Non-Profit, Regionally Accredited

The Commons • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 A5 

ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT 

Honestly? No. 

[ AW, NOT AGAIN ] 

Will we ever stop 

hitting our readers 

up for money? Ever? 

And that’s how it’s supposed to work. 

That’s because as a nonprofit newspaper, we here at The Commons 

count on reader donations to keep the lights on, the computers 

humming, the reporters reporting, the ink on the pages, and the editors saying “Great 

Caesar’s ghost” or whatever it is we do here. 

We also count on reader donations to support our Media Mentoring Project — a 

successful program that brings writing education to all ages in Windham County. 

You see these ads in almost every issue, and we’re grateful that you’ve responded — 

we have welcomed hundreds of new members in the past couple of years since we’ve 

been publishing weekly. 

That’s pretty incredible, but we still have a long way to go. 

The fact is, The Commons is produced on a tight, tight budget, one that provides 

us with a mix of funds from advertising, foundations, and citizens just like you. This 

strategy keeps us duly independent and accountable, and that’s as it should be. 

But it also means that we need a constant stream of memberships, and 

membership dues, just like public radio. 

And if we need a constant stream of memberships, you’re going to hear 

from us constantly. 

Look — we hate asking you for money. It’s awkward and squirmy. 

But the reality is, we can’t produce this newspaper for you without you as part of 

the team. The only way this newspaper will work is if we all come together and make 

it happen — those of us who create The Commons and those of you who value it. 

Your membership brings you the satisfaction that you are helping make this 

improbable newspaper available for everyone, that you are helping kids learn how to 

create and read newspapers, and that you’re strengthening your community — our 

community — in the process. 

We look at this newspaper. We look at how far we have come. And we imagine how 

far we can go. 

And that’s something worthy of the money we’re asking for. 

COMM-0171 

Yes! 

I want to help support Vermont Independent Media and the 

work of The Commons, www.Commonsnews.org, the Media 

Mentoring Project, and VIM’s outreach to journalism programs in schools. 

VIM members get the paper in the mail and join us for occasional 

special events. We gratefully accept donations of smaller amounts, 

but we cannot mail the paper. 

My NAME ________________________________________________________ 

ADDRESS ________________________________________________________ 

TOwN/CITy ______________________________________________________ 

STATE_____ ZIp ___________ pHONE _________________________________ 

E-MAIL _________________________________________________________ 

comm-memb.form04.indd 

I wish to become a member. 

$55–$99 Loyal Reader 

$100–$249 Newshound 

$250+ Independent Media Mogul 

I already am a member, and I want to give 

an additional gift of $______________. 

My total donation is $_____________ 

I will pick up the paper at any of more than 

150 locations around Windham County. 

Please don’t mail it, but thanks anyway. 

I enclose a check. 

Please charge my credit card. You can phone us (802-246-6397) or fax us (802-246-1319) with this information if you prefer. 


NUMBER 3-DIGIT CODE EXp. MM/yy 

______________________________________________________________ 

CARDHOLDER’S SIGNATURE 

P.O. Box 1212, Brattleboro, VT 05302 

Please make checks payable to Vermont Independent Media. 

VIM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Your donation is tax deductible.

A6 The Commons • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 

Obituaries 

• Doris 

S q u i r e 

Goss, 90, of 

Brattleboro. 

Died Sept. 17 

at home. Wife 

of the late John 

P. Goss. Mother 

of Deborah Goss of Lexington, 

Mass.; Janet Burke and her 

husband, Jim, of Montpelier; 

Heather Fischer and her husband 

Sam of Mashpee, Mass.; 

and John Rollin and Emily Goss 

of Carnelian Bay, Calif. Sister 

of Polly S. Quinn of Hinesburg, 

and the late Helen Evans, Anne 

Hayer, Horace Squire, and Ruth 

Briggs. Born in Moretown, the 

daughter of the late Horace H. 

and Ella (Gordon) Squire, he attended 

grammar and high school 

in Waterbury and graduated 

from the University of Vermont 

in 1943. She directed the glee 

clubs and conducted the orchestra 

at Lyndon Institute for six 

years, taught public school music 

and directed church choirs 

in Lyndonville, Stowe, and 

Brattleboro and, for 40 years, 

sang in and assisted with choruses 

conducted by Brattleboro 

Music Center founder Blanche 

Moyse. In her early years, she 

performed as a contralto soloist 

and later coached private voice 

students. He was renowned 

among friends for her summer 

tan and sense of style. She 

was an exceptional seamstress 

who made clothing for herself 

and her family, as well as creating 

quilts and prized fabric 

items sold to benefit her church. 

She had a talent for drawing 

and painting, refinished woodwork, 

upholstered furniture, 

wallpapered and decorated her 

home. Her family will remember 

her sly sense of humor. She 

was a member and former deaconess 

of First Congregational 

Church, served as a trustee and 

clerk of the Brattleboro Music 

Center and was a Friend of 

Music at Guilford. She was also 

a member of Queen Esther and 

Bingham Chapters of the Order 

of the Eastern Star. MEMORIAL 

InFORMAtIOn: A memorial 

service will be announced at a 

later date. Burial will be in the 

Hartford Cemetery. Donations 

to the First Congregational 

Church Endowment Fund, P.O. 

Box 2389, West Brattleboro 

Vt 05303, or the Brattleboro 

Music Center, 38 Walnut St. 

Brattleboro 05301. Condolences 

may be sent to Atamaniuk 

Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com. 

• Richard W. “Dick” 

Kelley Sr., 78, of Brattleboro. 

Died Sept. 20 at his home following 

an extended illness. Husband 

of nancy Johnson Kelley for 54 

years. Father of Richard Kelley 

Jr. of Westminster, Linniel 

Kelley of Brattleboro, two 

daughters, Charlotte “Cheri” 

Bishop of Brattleboro, and Amy 

Murry of Rutland. Brother of 

Evelyn “Mona” Mitchell and 

Jane Farina, both of Keene, 

n.H., and the late Liniel Kelley, 

Harry “tiny” Kelley, Maurice 

“Chick” Kelley, Beatrice “Minabird” 

Burrington, and Katherine 

“Rita” Martin. Born in Keene, 

n.H., the son of the late Harry 

and Lillian (Olmstead) Kelley, 

he was raised and educated in 

Make a friend 

for life 

Available Pets for Adoption 

Hi! My name is Ashley. I 

am sweet and affectionate. 

I am a quiet, calm 

lady who is looking for a 

wonderful home. I would 

prefer to be the only cat. 

I’m a bit shy around dogs, 

but I may learn to like 

them with a slow introduction. 

Please come in 

and see me today! 

Hi! My name is Lulu. 

I am a calm, gentle 

sweetie who is good 

with other friendly 

cats. I may get along 

with dogs with the 

proper introduction. I 

am looking for a kind 

family to love me and 

take me home. Come 

in and see me today! 

Keene and later in Brattleboro, 

where he attended Brattleboro 

High School. He enlisted in the 

navy at age 17, and served during 

the Korean War aboard the 

USS Kearsage, an aircraft carrier 

that he held great affection for. 

He was honorably discharged 

from active service in May 1954. 

He had been employed for 30 

years at A.L. tyler & Sons in 

Brattleboro, which he retired 

from in 1999. Previously, he 

had worked at the Experiment 

in International Living, now 

World Learning. Following retirement, 

he worked part-time at 

G.S. Precision in Brattleboro. He 

had attended West Brattleboro 

Baptist Church for many years 

and was a former member of the 

American Legion Brattleboro 

Post 5. He was an avid Boston 

Red Sox fan, and also enjoyed 

hunting and vacationing 

with his family at York Beach, 

Maine. MEMORIAL InFORMAtIOn: 

Graveside committal services 

with full military honors 

were held Sept. 25 in Locust 

Ridge Cemetery in Brattleboro. 

Donations to a charity of one’s 

choice. Condolences may be sent 

to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at 

www.atamaniuk.com. 

• Bernice S. Luskin, 87, 

formerly of Westport, Conn. 

Died Sept. 17 at Meadow 

Ridge in Redding, Conn. Wife 

of Bernard Luskin for 66 years. 

Mother of Michael Luskin 

and his wife, Judith (Levine) 

Luskin, of Scarsdale, n.Y.; 

David Luskin and his wife, Claire 

Bender, of Breckenridge, Colo.; 

Deborah Luskin and, her husband, 

Dr. timothy Shafer, of 

newfane; and Jonathan Luskin 

and his wife, Leslie Katz, of 

San Francisco. Sister of David 

Spikol and his wife, Joan, of 

Connecticut and Vermont. 

Born in Philadelphia, the daughter 

of Rebecca (Furgang) and 

Samuel Spikol, she grew up in 

the Brighton Beach section of 

Brooklyn, n.Y. She was the 

first in her family to graduate 

high school and attend college. 

She earned a B.A. from 

Brooklyn College and a Master’s 

of Education from teacher’s 

College at Columbia University. 

She lived in Bermuda and northern 

new Jersey before settling in 

Connecticut in 1966. She taught 

special education in the Westport 

school system for many years. 

She was an active volunteer 

in her community. As a member 

of the League of Women 

Voters, she participated in the 

get-out-the-vote effort to help 

pass the legislation that made the 

teaneck, n.J., school district the 

first in the nation to achieve voluntary 

integration in 1965. She 

served on the Board of Directors 

of the United Way of Westport 

(Connecticut), as well as a volunteer 

for Parents as teachers, 

a program she helped develop. 

With her husband, she travelled 

the world, visiting more than 30 

countries across six continents. 

In the late 1960s, Bernice took 

up downhill skiing, a sport she 

enjoyed for nearly 40 years. 

MEMORIAL InFORMAtIOn: In 

lieu of memorial gifts, she urges 

all mourners to read, to be informed, 

and to vote. 

• Dorothy Lorraine 

Martin, 83, of Winchester 

and Hinsdale, n.H. Died Sept. 

17 at Cheshire Medical Center 

in Keene, n.H. Sister of Virginia 

M. Carey of Keene, n.H. and 

Windham County 

humane SoCiety 

916 West River Road, Brattleboro, VT 

802-254-2232 View all at: wchs4pets.org 

This space is graciously sponsored by: 

onestopcountrypet.com 

Hi everybody, the name’s Huckleberry 

or Huck for short! I am a wonderful boy 

who loves people and other dogs like me. 

My favorite part of the day is when I get 

to go for a walk in the woods, I just love 

a good walk! The people here think I am 

a very sweet and smart boy who would 

do well with someone who enjoys the 

outdoors just as much as I do. Cats are 

too much fun for me as are small kids, 

so I’d be happier in a home with people over the age of 12. If 

you think I’d be a good walking buddy, then please stop on in 

and hang out with me. Love, Huck 

Meet Booboo! This boy is a mushy, gushy 

baby who is very friendly and exuberant! 

Booboo loves to romp and play ball in the 

backyard. He also enjoys snuggling and getting 

his big ol’ belly rubbed. He gives sweet 

doggie kissses too! He seems to do best with 

female dogs and can be a fun but rough 

player with other dogs. He likes children as 

well. Booboo would be best with no cats as he can get too excited 

by them. This boy is smart, fun and loves to train. If you 

are looking for a smart, active and friendly boy- here is your 

guy! Also- he LOVES the water!! 


mILesTones 

Births, deaths, and news of people from Windham County 

the late Edward Martin. Born 

in Brattleboro, the daughter of 

the late Walter O. and Gladys 

(Benoit) Martin, she worked 

for more than 20 years with 

H. Margolin in Brattleboro. 

MEMORIAL InFORMAtIOn: 

Services and burial in St. Joseph 

Cemetery in Hinsdale, will be 

private. 

• Doris Ryan, 99, of 

Brattleboro. Died Sept. 12, 

after a short illness. Wife of 

the late Charles J. Ryan for 48 

years. Mother of Jean O’Connor 

of newport, n.H., Harriette 

(Weatherhead) Ellis of West 

Brattleboro, Lorraine Fournier 

of Hinsdale, n.H., and the 

late Charles S. (Butch) Ryan. 

Sister of Yvonne nadeau of 

Vernon. Born in Greenfield, 

Mass., the daughter of the late 

George Beauvais and Vivian 

(Wood) Beauvais, she graduated 

from Brattleboro High 

School, Class of 1931. Before 

retiring from the workforce 

many years ago, she worked for 

Berkshire Fine Spinning Co. 

in Brattleboro for 24 years, in 

the sewing room at the Book 

Press in Brattleboro for a few 

years, and at the Brattleboro 

Memorial Hospital in the dining 

room cafeteria for three 

years. She volunteered as a dispatcher 

at the Brattleboro Senior 

Center, was a past president of 

the Hayes Court Association 

in West Brattleboro, and was 

a Secretary on the Advisory 

Council Committee at Hayes 

Court for two years. She was 

a member of St. Michael’s 

Catholic Church in Brattleboro. 

MEMORIAL InFORMAtIOn: 

A memorial service was held 

Sept. 22 at the chapel of the 

Vernon Hall Assisted Living 

facility in Vernon. Donations 

to the Brattleboro Firefighter’s 

Association or Rescue Inc. 

• John VanDyke “Dyke” 

Wilmerding, 91, of Red Hook, 

St. thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Died Sept. 17 in Boston after 

an extended illness. Husband 

of Inga Sonnichsen Wilmerding 

for 53 years. Former husband 

of Mary Virginia “Bebe” 

Reppert. Father of John 

VanDyke Wilmerding Jr., of 

Brattleboro, James Reppert 

Wilmerding of Mt. Shasta, Calif., 

Douglas Clinton Wilmerding of 

Southampton, n.Y., and Marta 

Wilmerding MacFarland of 

Marshfield, Mass. Brother of 

Margaret Augusta Wilmerding 

Burghardt of Chico, Calif., 

Katharine Bache Wilmerding 

Rule of Vero Beach, Fla., and 

Pelham Clinton Wilmerding 

II of Santee, Calif. the eldest 

of five children of the late 

Pelham Clinton Wilmerding 

and Margaret DeMotte Eggie, 

he was born in Plainfield, n.J. 

He attended Wardlaw School, 

a private college-preparatory 

school in Plainfield, and liked 

to tell the story of how, in 1939, 

as a senior, he was taken aside 

by the school’s headmaster and 

told he would only allow him 

to graduate with his 1939 class 

if he promised not to go to college. 

After graduation, he apprenticed 

to a local machine 

shop, and worked there until 

he enlisted in the navy in 1943 

during World War II. Assigned 

to duty on a new aircraft carrier, 

he was injured during its shakedown 

cruise in the Pacific, and 

was honorably discharged with a 

Purple Heart. After marrying his 

648 Putney Road 

Brattleboro, VT 

802.257.3700 

149 Emerald St 

Keene, NH 

603.352.9200 

first wife, he went to Atlanta and 

attended the Georgia Institute 

of technology under the GI 

Bill. He graduated with a B.S. 

in Aeronautical Engineering in 

1948, and then went to Mojave, 

California, where Dyke took a 

job at Edwards Air Force Base 

with the national Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics, the 

precursor agency to nASA. He 

helped test experimental aircraft, 

and was present as part of the 

support team when famous test 

pilot Chuck Yeager first broke 

the sound barrier in the X-1 

rocket plane. On the urging of 

his wife Mary, the Wilmerdings 

moved back east and he started 

work for Republic Aviation 

Corp. in Farmingdale, n.Y., first 

as an aircraft tester and later as 

a salesman. After his divorce in 

1958, he married Inga, whom 

he met at Republic, a year later. 

He later worked at Grumman 

Aerospace, where he eventually 

became involved in some early 

design and conceptual work for 

the Apollo Program’s Lunar 

Excursion Module. A Caribbean 

vacation sparked the idea to relocate 

to the Virgin Islands and 

sail for a living. John and Inga 

purchased a famous old John 

Alden schooner, the Mandoo, 

and spent a year repairing and 

refurbishing the classic wooden 

vessel before they sailed her to 

St. thomas, Virgin Islands, and 

began charter-sailing the Virgins 

with themselves as crew in 1963. 

they continued chartering the 

Mandoo until 1973, when they 

sold her and purchased Sol Quest, 

deficient bridges that do not have 

alternate crossings so close by.” 

“the financial reality of 

limited funding sources and 

amounts that are available to 

the department has led to many 

projects being shifted and/or delayed,” 

in the department’s 10year 

plan. 

He said the plan will be revised 

over the next two years, 

which may provide the opportunity 

to change the year in which 

the reconstruction of the Vilas 

Bridge could occur, depending 

on funding. 

Richardson told town officials 

that he reviewed the listing for 

this project in nHDOt’s 10- 

Year Plan for 2013-2022 and 

it “indicates that Preliminary 

Engineering (PE) funds are programmed 

for Federal Fiscal Year 

2013, in addition to the PE funds 

currently authorized. Although 

this will enable us to initiate the 

engineering design of this bridge 

rehabilitation project, there are 

no construction funds listed at 

this time in the 10-Year Plan.” 

He said he interpreted that to 

mean “that construction work is 

deferred from FFY 2015 beyond 

the limits of this draft 10-Year 

Plan [until] after 2022.” 

Richardson was clear that 

should funding become available 

sooner, that could very easily 

change. 

“It is our goal to continue with 

the engineering efforts to perhaps 

even have contract plans 

completed within the next three 

years, so that it would be ready 

for construction earlier if additional 

funds are available,” 

he said. 

At a June 28 special meeting 

with officials from communities 

on both sides of the bridge, 

as well as Vermont and new 

Hampshire officials from the 

nHDOt and transportation 

planners from the Windham 

Regional Commission (WRC), 

nHDOt in-house design chief 

David Scott was asked to speak 

to the concerns of the Vermont 

community. 

Scott said the bridge had been 

determined to be salvagable. 

’No money for 

this bridge’ 

the reason it was unclear 

when exactly the bridge would 

a 53-foot fiberglass ketch of 

British manufacture. they sailed 

her from Boothbay Harbor, 

Maine to the Virgin Islands, via 

the intracoastal waterway, then 

through the Bermuda triangle 

from Morehead City, n.C. 

Along the way, he re-christened 

her the Zulu Warrior, after a 

South African rugby song that 

he was fond of singing for charter 

guests. In all, they spent three decades 

sailing their charter boats 

until they retired in the early 

1990s. He was a charismatic individual, 

made many fast friends, 

and was much admired in yachting 

and crewed-boat chartering 

circles in particular.though he 

was born to privilege, he never 

allowed his children to believe 

for a moment that they had been. 

they watched him and learned, 

as he persevered through a difficult 

divorce, remarried again 

for love, chose the career his 

heart dictated, and won almost 

universal admiration among 

friends, family, and everyone 

he knew. His irascible personality, 

constant sense of humor, 

and charm made him the perfect 

sailboat captain. near the 

end, his children expressed their 

gratitude to him for teaching 

them much of what makes life 

worthwhile. MEMORIAL InFOR- 

MAtIOn: no services have been 

planned as yet. 

Births 

• In Brattleboro (Memorial 

Hospital), Sept. 8, 2012, a 

be tackled by the state of new 

Hampshire was that planners 

there expect cutbacks in federal 

funding by some $40 million dollars 

to $100 million. this lowers 

the priority of fixing a bridge that 

has an alternate route across the 

river between the communities of 

Walpole and Bellows Falls when 

other communities communities 

have no such second way across. 

the state decided to put the 

bridge on the “deferred status” 

list. “new Hampshire has no 

money for this bridge,” Scott 

said. 

Mike Hedges, of the Vermont 

AOt’s Structures Section, told 

the special meeting that Vermont 

will do its best to try to match 

new Hampshire’s schedule. 

“However, new Hampshire 

is in the driver’s seat,” he said, 

noting that the AOt is prepared 

to offer assistance with design 

and construction when the time 

comes. 

In a letter to Rockingham 

Selectboard Chair thomas 

MacPhee dated Aug. 12, 

nHDOt Commissioner 

Christopher Clement said the 

state of new Hampshire would 

be happy to discuss “any funding 

arrangement whereby Vermont 

would contribute more than 

a seven percent share of construction 

and maintenance obligations” 

for the Vilas Bridge 

repairs. 

Clement also noted that costs 

of putting a temporary bridge 

atop the existing one were rejected, 

as the estimated costs — a 

similar bridge cost $2.67 million 

— “were not financially feasible.” 

In response to concerns about 

the additional load on the alternate 

Arch Bridge from re-routed 

traffic, Clement noted studies 

of the Arch Bridge indicated 

that it could easily withstand 

the combined traffic load from 

both bridges, from a structural 

standpoint. 

Clement continued, noting 

an in-depth inspection and testing 

of the Vilas Bridge had been 

done in 2010-2011, finding the 

bridge spandrels and arches 

sound enough to be rehabilitated 

and retained, “but the entire 

deck and floor system needed 

to be retained. Considerable repairs 

to the abutments” are also 

needed, he wrote. 

daughter, Aurora Cyra 

Squires, to Heather Pereira and 

Michael Squiers. Grandaughter 

to George and Margaret Squiers, 

and Dawn Baxter and John 

Pereira. 

College news 

• Saint Michael’s College student 

Matthew Nault of South 

Londonderry is studying abroad 

for the fall 2012 semester. nault, 

a junior business administration 

and accounting major, is studying 

at John Cabot University in 

Rome. 

• The following local students 

recently earned degrees from 

Union Institute & University: 

Christine Linn of Brattleboro 

has earned a Master Of Arts, 

Amanda Walsh of Saxtons 

River has earned a Bachelor 

Of Arts, James Bartshe of 

Brattleboro earned a Master 

Of Arts, and Noah Hoskins- 

Forsythe of Putney and Emily 

Wagner of Brattleboro both 

earned a Master Of Education. 

• T. Stores of newfane, an 

associate professor of English 

in the University of Hartford’s 

College of Arts and Sciences, was 

honored with an Innovation in 

teaching and Learning Award at 

the University’s annual Faculty/ 

Staff Kickoff on Aug. 29. the 

award honors faculty members 

who have shown exceptional 

dedication, innovation, and effectiveness 

in their teaching, as 

well as extensive interaction with 

students. 

DAVID SHAW/COMMOnS FILE PHOtO 

Concrete on the Vilas Bridge is cracked and degraded in this file photo from 

2009, shortly after the bridge was closed for safety concerns. 

n Bridges FROM SECtIOn FROnt 

“nHDOt anticipates that 

preliminary design efforts will 

take place in mid-2013 with the 

goal of further refining rehabilitation 

needs, more accurately 

determining cost estimates, 

and further developing bridge 

rehabilitation plans,” Clement 

concluded. 

Arch Bridge 

congestion 

Since the Vilas Bridge closed 

three years ago, the nearby Arch 

Bridge has seen increased traffic 

as the only remaining river crossing 

between Bellows Falls and 

north Walpole. 

Complaints of traffic being 

backed up at certain times of 

the day led the Rockingham 

Selectboard and the Bellows 

Falls trustees last week to turn 

the the intersection of Arch 

Bridge and Rockingham Street 

in Bellows Falls into a threeway 

stop. 

Municipal Manager tim 

Cullenen told the Bellows Falls 

trustees in August that he met 

with Highway Superintendent 

Mike Hindes as well as Senior 

Planner Matt Mann from WRC 

to discuss the proposal. Cullenen 

told the board that the WRC was 

not in favor of a change and that 

Fire Chief William Weston was 

also opposed. 

However, Mann clarified 

later, saying, “I don’t object to 

the three-way stop, but based on 

the information gathered, I recommended 

there not be a threeway 

stop.” 

Village trustees, however, 

voted to install an “all way stop,” 

the signs for which are up and 

“working well,” according to 

Cullenen. “no accidents but a 

few sudden stops. the [Bellows 

Falls] Police Department has issued 

a couple of warnings.” 

He noted that red lights and 

lane dividers had been ordered 

and “will be going up as soon as 

they get in.” 

“the dividers will limit traffic 

coming off the bridge to one 

lane only,” said Culenen, and 

added of the signs that “they are 

the bendable type in case a truck 

runs them over.” 

All are expected to arrive in 

roughly two weeks.

The Commons • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 neWs A7 

tHeLmA o’Brien/tHe commons 

A worker guides a crane hoisting solar panels onto the roof of the Brattleboro 

Food Co-op building last week. 

Here comes the sun 

Co-op solar panels arrive 

BrAttLeBoro—the 

penultimate step of solar-powering 

at the new Brattleboro 

food co-op took place late 

last week as six workers operated 

a 70-foot-high crane to 

lift the solar panels and related 

equipment from truck beds 

to the roof of the building at 

the bottom of main street in 


the last step, installing and 

turning on the photovoltaic 

solar array to supply 30.6 kilowatts 

of electricity to the busy 

and complex building below, 

is planned for mid-november, 

according to tom simon, 

local coordinator for co-op 

Power of southern Vermont, 

a consumer-owned energy 

cooperative. 

simon also said preliminary 

installation of the 120 

solarWorld sun module panels 

should be done by next week. 

co-op store manager Dick 

ernst said the solar generation 

would supply about 10 percent 

of the store’s electrical use. 

“But one of the real benefits 

of the new system is the ability 

to recover heat from our refrigeration 

units and use it to heat 

a good portion of our hot water,” 

he said. 

simon said his coop Power 

is just getting ready to begin a 

new membership drive to help 

fund the rest of the memberowned 

project. 

“We have 45 members so 

far,” he said, noting that for 

this project, 75 percent of 

Spring Bulbs, Garden Mums, Rudbeckia, Aster, 

Hydrangeas, Fruit Trees, Blueberry bushes. 

Great time to plant. Fine Furniture & Mattresses 


membership fees will help to 

cover the total cost of about 

$172,000. 

membership fees range from 

$250 to $975, he said and, 

while there may be some overlap, 

membership in his organization 

and the Brattleboro 

food co-op membership is 

entirely separate. 

“We got $68,000 back from 

government incentives,” simon 

explained. “We’ve raised nearly 

half of the difference.” 

Local companies have offered 

members rebates and 

reduced prices, simon said. 

Anyone wishing to join the 

membership-owned enterprise 

or in learning further information 

may call simon at 

802-380-5958. 

391 RT 30, Newfane 

802-365-4408 

Open 7 Days 9-5 

n Town Meeting from section front 

than the floor was built to hold. 

the total project’s budget 

stands at $14.1 million. the 

three branches of the project 

break down to $5.6 million for 

renovations to the Brattleboro 

Police station, with $1.5 million 

for the West Brattleboro fire 

station, and about $7 million for 

the central fire station. 

According to town manager 

Barbra sondag, the project 

team and town staff refined the 

designs, lowering the original 

budget. 

initial estimates totaled $14.6 

million, said sondag. 

the majority of design 

changes occurred at the two fire 

stations. 

selectboard Vice-chair David 

Gartenstein said the new budget 

reflected changes that arose during 

“due diligence.” the board 

requested the architect move the 

emergency operations center 

from West Brattleboro to central 

station to save money. it also 

swapped out an elevator for a lift 

in the police station. 

changes at the West 

Brattleboro station also included 

removing parking behind 

the building and reducing 

the number of parking spaces 

to the north side of the station. 

Designers removed a driveway 

cutting through to the lot shared 

with Academy school. 

in a major design change for 

central station, designers extended 

the half floor, called the 

2.5 floor, the full length of a new 

addition. this added about 480 

square feet. the emergency 

operation center will be located 

on the second floor. 

“We pretty much brought the 

budget down as far as it would 

go,” Gartenstein said. 

some line items were questioned 

and deemed necessary, 

such as ventilation systems, or 

general construction, he said. 

Liability coverage, project administration, 

and contingency 

alone added about $1 million to 

the budget of the central fire 

station. 

Made in America 

Fill those 

lunchboxes, 

load up your 

TV table! 

sondag said this budget is 

“preliminary” and will be used 

for a bond vote. 

Funding equation 

the board has discussed at 

length how to figure the project’s 

funding equation. should the 

town bond the project, to be paid 

through an increase in property 

taxes, or through a combination 

of bond vote and instituting a 1 

percent option tax? 

Gartenstein said that without 

an alternative funding source, the 

property tax increase “would be 

way too high.” 

“it’s hard for me to support 

it without an alternative [to 

the bond] source of funding,” 

he said, adding the 1 percent 

sales tax proved “the lesser of 

all evils.” 

Gartenstein also said in a separate 

interview that he’s committed 

to the 1 percent tax paying 

for the police and fire upgrades. 

He said he feels the tax should 

not remain in place after the 

town has paid the bond. He 

added he could not speak for 

future selectboards or town 

meeting members. 

“the lesser of the two evils is 

having that 1 percent paying for 

a portion of the debt service,” 

said DeGray. 

DeGray said he expected the 

business community to “come in 

and jump up and down.” 

“As a selectboard member, i 

can’t just listen to a vocal minority,” 

he said. 

the impact of the bond on 

property taxes is also difficult 

for homeowners, DeGray said. 

DeGray pointed to past multimillion 

renovations at the local 

schools as happening “easily” 

while the town budget “gets scrutinized 

harder.” 

“it’s an equity problem here,” 

he said. 

“this [1 percent tax] is making 

me decide to not buy a 

house,” said selectboard member 

Dora Bouboulis. 

fellow member chris 

chapman said, that “kicking the 

–Ian, 

Grocery 

Manager BrattleBoro 

FoodCo-op 

can down the road” on the police 

and fire stations upgrades has 

ended up costing the town more. 

“i don’t believe there’s evidence 

that the current 1 percent 

tax on meals has discouraged 

growth,” said chapman. 

Bouboulis said new 

Hampshire has a 10 percent 

rooms and meals tax so there is 

“no competition.” 

According to sondag, town 

meeting members will vote on 

the 1 percent tax in a standing 

voice vote, while the bond vote 

is done by secret ballot. in past 

years, rules did not allow business 

to be conducted on the floor 

after the polls opened. this rule, 

however, has changed. 

the special representative 

town meeting will take place 

oct. 20 at 8:30 a.m. in the 

Academy school gymnasium, 

860 Western Ave. 

the town will hold two informational 

meetings on the police 

and fire station projects and the 

option tax on oct. 3 and 17 at 

6:30 p.m. at the Gibson-Aiken 

senior center, 207 main st. 

meeting members will also 

vote on one final change to the 

town charter relating to the 

office of Assessment and the assessment 

of property. 

A Family Business 

Since 2001 

SERVING THE 

BRATTLEBORO AREA 

24 Hour Full 

Service Business 

Heating Oil • Kerosene 

Non-road & On-road 

Diesel 

Toll Free 

888-722-3331 

www.plotkinfurniture.com 

93 Park Ave •Keene, NH • 800-747-2564 

Stop in and stock up! 

We are known around here for a great selection of 

specialty and locally-produced food. We also stock lots 

of fun, basic food, great for filling a lunch box! Some 

highlights on special this week include apple and eve 

natural 3-pack juices at 79¢. That’s half price! 

Newman’s Organics Fig Newmans are $2.99, 

save $2.00; Midel ginger snaps are 1.00 off a pack. 

or, for a special treat, add a Chocoluv 

chocolate bar: all flavors are only $1.99. 

Planning a football party? The Pats are looking good! 

Green Mountain Tortilla Strips are 3 bags for $5.00, 

and the salsa to go with them is only $3.49. 

Barbara’s Cheese Puffs are also $1.00 off. 

Mon - Sat 7–9, Sun 9–9 

2 Main Street, Brattleboro 

BrattleboroFoodCoop.coop 

Localvore food section 

Localvore food section 

FOOD & DRINK 

Monthly 

To advertise, call 802-246-6397 

or email ads@commonsnews.org 

Y 

our homegrown newspaper 

features stories about food and 

drink, along with columns from local 

food experts, on the first Wednesday 

of every month — all with a Windham 

County twist. 

• Features on local farming, specialty 

foods, restaurants 

• Regular columns by Windham 

County-based experts on cheese, 

beer, wine 

• Christopher Emily Coutant’s “The 

World on My Plate” column, featuring 

recipes with in-season ingredients 

With stories that appeal to foodies, 

farmers, restaurant buffs, and most 

anyone who likes to eat, and at ad rates 

that won’t leave you starving, you’ll 

find advertising in this section a tasty 

proposition.

A8 THE COMMONS • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 

LIFE & WORK 

Brown, but not boring 

Fall is a great time to challenge the 

reputation of sparrows and finches 

Williamsville 

I 

N A POST on my blog 

some time ago, I made 

a passing comment that 

European birds are dull. 

My comment prompted an 

e-mail from a British birder: 

“You have obviously never felt 

the numinous awe when in the 

presence of a Garden Warbler 

in full nuptial splendour! Some 

would say that they even surpass 

Warbling Vireos in their 

sheer beautiousness.” 

It was a busy time, and it 

took a while for my mental processor 

to register the comparison 

to our Warbling Vireo. 

Our Warbling Vireo is a dull 

gray bird with no distinguishing 

characteristics except its musical 

warble. Then I checked my 

European bird guide, which 

describes the Garden Warbler 

as “Anonymous appearance ... 

with no obvious features.” 

The Brits take their birds seriously. 

Even so (their testiness 

notwithstanding), common 

European birds are a rather 

dull lot. 

I had a pair of Brits (not 

British birders) stay with me. 

They were charmed by the 

chickadees at the bird table, 

they were stunned by the sartorial 

splendor of the Blue Jays, 

and they departed speechless 

Song Sparrow. 

Chipping Sparrow, adult. 

Open 4 Seasons - 7 Days a Week 

Lunch & Dinner Daily plus Sunday Brunch! 

Amazing Sunsets 

Beautiful Views 

Dockside Dining 

802-257-7563 

VermontMarina.com 

CHRIS PETRAK 

Tails of Birding 

when a male Northern 

Cardinal visited on their last 

morning. All three experiences 

are nearly unknown on the 

other side of the pond. 

Even so, I can imagine some 

readers might be saying that in 

today’s world, we Americans 

have few friends, so we ought 

not insult the ones we do have. 

“Dear British friends,” they 

might say, “we have our share 

of dull, brown, nondescript 

sparrows and finches.” 

And yes, we do have lots of 

little brown birds that are often 

difficult to tell apart. 

I watched them at my feeders 

as I ate breakfast, a milling 

mass scratching the ground 

and covering the feeders. There 

were juveniles in the mix, and 

many of them lacked the handsomeness 

that characterizes the 

adults. 

The plumage of adults 

is worn from a summer of 

child-rearing and has lost its 

CHRIS PETRAK/THE COMMONS 


OPEN MIC THURSDAYS 

with KEVIN PARRY 

7-10pm 

(call to reserve your 

20 minute spot!) 

Putney Road, 


Vermont 

instant oil change, llc 

668 Putney Road • Brattleboro, VT 

Full time Mechanic 

on Duty! 

See us for all your automotive needs- 

ShockS • STRuTS • BRakeS • exhauST 

www.stopngooil.com 

stopandgo1@myfairpoint.net 

802.254.5050 • Fax: 802.251.7274 

auto sales 802.257.3033 


crispness, but this is also a defensive 

mechanism designed to 

camouflage them from predators 

during the winter ahead. 

Most of the sparrows and 

finches have been around all 

summer, but the migrants are 

also beginning to make their 

appearance. 

Generally, they move in 

fits and starts, and no farther 

than is necessary to get plenty 

of food, either for subsequent 

flight or against the cold. 

They are opportunistic foragers 

drawn to the bounty 

of bird feeders. They hang 

around, and so they give us 

a good opportunity to study 

them, distinguish them, and 

enjoy their variety. 

With a good bird guide 

nearby, late September through 

mid-November is a perfect 

time to dispel the notion that 

all sparrows and finches are 

dull-brown birds that look 

alike. 

H ERE IS A quick run-through 

of the most common “little 

brown birds” that frequent my 

feeders during the Fall. 

Lining the perches of the 

sunflower feeder are Purple 

Finches. The females are plain, 

dull-streaky brown-and-white 

birds, but the males still sport 

their wine-red plumage, though 

it is faded. 

Occasionally an even-duller 

brown, more-finely-streaked female 

House Finch will appear, 

perhaps with a faded-red male, 

but these species are more 

common in the towns. 

Littering the ground and 

blending in with the fading 

green grass are American 

Goldfinches. An occasional 

male still shows some remains 

of his sunburst-yellow breeding 

plumage, but most — males, 

females, and juveniles — appear 

in their drab olive green 

plumage. 

They are so well camouflaged 

on the ground that I am 

often unaware of how many 

there are until they burst into 

flight. The finches — gold, 

purple, and house — might be 

“dull” this time of year, but in 

Purple Finch, female. 

205 Main Street 


Phone. 802.275.4732 

Fax. 802.275.4738 

info@biologichealthcare.com 

www.biologichealthcare.com 

Ben Mousel 

“Same Face, New Place” 

White-throated Sparrow. 

breeding plumage, the males 

are stunning. 

Chipping Sparrows use the 

bird feeders. Adults have the 

deep brownish red cap outlined 

by a white eye stripe and 

with a dark line through the 

eye. Their necks and chests 

are white, fading to gray along 

the sides. Juveniles are plainer, 

with only hints of the red cap 

and white stripe, but they are 

usually present with adults. All 

say, “Chippy.” 

On the ground, seven species 

of sparrows are often scratching 

for food. 

The common Song Sparrow, 

often referred to as the “default 

sparrow,” has bold brown 

streaking on a white breast that 

often sports a prominent brown 

“stick pin” in the middle. 

Uncommon at the feeders 

is the slimmer Savannah 

Sparrow. Compared to the 

Song Sparrow, the Savannah 

Sparrow is usually paler, more 

finely streaked, lacks the “stick 

pin,” sometimes has some yellow 

in front of the eye, and has 

a notched tail. 

The White-throated Sparrow 

is a bit larger, often has yellow 

spots in front of the eyes (very 

faded in the fall and winter) 

and a white throat. They have 


Acupuncture 

Chiropractic 

General Family Medicine 

Lifestyle medicine 

Massage Therapy 

Naturopathic Medicine 

Nutritional 

Assessment/Individualized 

Programs 

Physical Therapy 

Psychotherapy 

D uranD 

P.O. Box 497 6896 Route 5 South 

Bellows Falls, VT 05101 

bmousel@durandonline.com 

www.durandtoyota.com 

(800) 639-2037 ext. 328 

(802) 463-3300 ext. 328 

Cell (802) 522-5864 

Fax (802) 463-4089 

moved down from the higher 

elevations where it nests, and 

some will stay all winter if there 

is food available. 

Juvenile White-crowned 

Sparrows usually appear in 

mid-October, migrating from 

the north of Canada. These juveniles 

can be confused with 

the American Tree Sparrow 

(which doesn’t show up until 

November); the tree sparrow 

also has an unstreaked breast 

and buffy sides, but it sports a 

“stick pin” in the middle of its 

breast. 

The young White-crowned 

Sparrow has brownish and 

buffy head stripes that hint 

at the bold black-and-white 

stripes of the slim and handsome 

adults. 

Dark-eyed Juncos, gray and 

white “snow birds,” come 

down from the mountains and 

gather in their nomadic flocks 

for the winter. 

There is great variation in 

the shades of gray on the juncos, 

ranging from near black 

to very pale. Occasionally, the 

western race with rusty sides, 

known as “Oregon Juncos,” 

will appear in our neighborhoods 

as well. 

In late October, the large, 

MEMBERS 1ST CREDIT UNION 

NCUA 

Insured to 

250,000 

“The SMALL Credit Union 

with a BIG HEART” 

www.members1cu.com 

10 Browne CT PO Box 8245 

N. Brattleboro, VT 05304 

Tel. (802) 257-5131 

Fax (802) 257-5837 



White-Crowned Sparrow, juvenile. Inset: adult. 

deeply rufous-colored Fox 

Sparrow can be expected. It 

looks like an especially robust 

and handsome Song Sparrow. 

B ECOMING FAMILIAR with 

these common sparrows will 

also enable you to pick up the 

rare vagrant that will make you 

the envy of the local birding 

community. 

Some years ago, an observer 

in Putney noticed a “mutant” 

sparrow among the half 

dozen species feeding outside 

of his living room window. It 

was a juvenile Harris’ Sparrow 

and was only the second confirmed 

sighting of this species 

in Vermont. 

The little brown birds that 

frequent our feeders are dull 

and drab only when we are 

bored and inattentive. Their 

great variety gives us lots of opportunities 

to hone our observational 

skills. 

Chris Petrak fills his time with 

photography and birding. A second 

collection of his essays, More 

Tails of Birding, is available 

in local book stores and at www. 

pondvillepress.com . He blogs at 

www.tailsofbirding.net .

THE COMMONS • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 THE ARTS B1 

Wednesday, September 25, 2012 • page B1 

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 

Rockingham 

library 

embraces 

banned books 

Banned Book Week 

at RFPL is Sept. 30 

through Oct. 6 

BELLOWS FALLS—The 

Rockingham Free Public 

Library (RFPL) is celebrating 

Banned Books Week, 

Sept. 30 through Oct. 6, an 

annual celebration of the freedom 

to read. Drawing on the 

rights guaranteed by the First 

Amendment, local librarians 

work to ensure that everyone is 

free to choose from a diversity 

of viewpoints and an array of 

possibilities in selecting reading 

material. 

The RFPL is hosting a display 

and encouraging community 

members to visit and 

check out a banned book. 

Librarians will talk about 

banned books in a special program 

produced for WOOL 

100.1 FM and FACTV 

throughout the week. 

Each year, the American 

Library Association receives 

hundreds of reports of materials 

that people asked be removed 

from school or library 

shelves. The top 10 challenged 

books of 2011 were: 

• ttyl ; ttfn ; l8r, g8r (series), 

by Lauren Myracle 

• The Color of Earth (series), 

by Kim Dong Hwa 

• The Hunger Games trilogy 

by Suzanne Collins 

BRATTLEBORO—Area 

youth bands will attempt to 

launch their musical careers by 

competing at Youth Services’ 

Battle of the Bands at the 

River Garden on Friday, Nov. 

2, during Gallery Walk night, 

from 7 to 10 p.m. This event 

is part of Youth Services’ 40th 

Anniversary celebration. 

The public is encouraged to 

attend and vote for their favorite 

group with their applause. 

In addition to the audience 

and youth judges, several individuals 

from both the recording 

and music industry will help 

choose the top band. 

Why Buy at Brattleboro Subaru? 

The SmarT ChoiCe 

• My Mom’s Having A Baby! 

A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide 

to Pregnancy , by Dori Hillestad 

Butler 

• The Absolutely True Diary 

of a Part-Time Indian , by 

Sherman Alexie 

• Alice (series), by Phyllis 

Reynolds Naylor 

• Brave New World by 

Aldous Huxley 

• What My Mother Doesn’t 

Know , by Sonya Sones 

• Gossip Girl (series), by 

Cecily Von Ziegesar 

• To Kill a Mockingbird , by 

Harper Lee 

“Sometimes the books that 

challenge the minds of children 

the most are the books 

that some people feel are inappropriate 

for them,” said 

Youth Services Librarian Sam 

Maskell. “Children can only 

grow if we give them the opportunity 

to read all types of 

literature.” 

Above all, Maskell encourages 

parents to get involved 

in what their children are 

reading. 

“While libraries may argue 

against book banning we know 

that there is material publicly 

available that parents would 

■ SEE BANNED BOOKS, PAGE B3 

EBAY.COM 

Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel 

To Kill a Mockingbird : one of the most frequently 

banned books in this country. The Rockingham 

Free Public Library will be celebrating Banned 

Books Week from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6. 

Youth Battle of Bands 

planned for November 

First prize is up to 10 hours of 

professional recording time donated 

by Guilford Sound, valued 

at $1,500. Second prize is 

a performance at a local musical 

venue, yet to be determined. 

Guilford Sound is a one-studio, 

luxury recording facility 

in Guilford run by sound engineer 

Dave Snyder, who has 

recorded the music of U2, Jess 

Malin, Ghost Robot Ninja Bear, 

Northern State, Charlie Hunter, 

and The Mavericks. The studio 

contains a spacious 500-square 

foot control room featuring stateof-the-art 

sound equipment in an 

brattleborosubaru.com 

■ SEE BANDS, PAGE B3 


WILLIAM DIXON 

Naomi Lindenfeld carving leaves in colored clay. 

Making art 

WORK 

By Richard Henke 

Vermont Associates for The Commons 

BRATTLEBORO— 

Few of the many 

people who attend 

the Marlboro Music 

Festival realize 

that some of the fine string instruments 

that they have been 

listening to were made only a few 

miles away in the rural Vermont 

countryside. 

Since 1981, Doug Cox, one 

of 16 area artists who will display 

their work in the Brattleboro-West 

Arts (BWA) annual 

open studio tour this weekend, 

has built more than 600 violins, 

violas, cellos, and baroque instruments. 

His instruments have 

received awards from the Violin 

Society of America and are used 

by professional artists in a wide 

array of professional settings. 

“I absolutely love my Cox violin,” 

says Jaime Laredo, violinist, 

conductor, and music director 

of Vermont Symphony Orchestra. 

“It is a joy and a pleasure to 

play on. It feels and sounds like 

I am playing on a great old Italian 

violin.” 

Nor is Cox alone in creating 

fine works of art and craft in the 

hills outside of Brattleboro. 

“The area is rich in artistic 

vision, talent, and quality 

craftsmanship,” BWA proclaims 

on its website. “The historic 

Whetstone Brook corridor provides 

a rich seedbed for beautiful, 

quiet workspaces in this 

supportive community with easy 

access to metropolitan areas. It 

is no wonder that artists and 

craftspeople of local, national, 

and worldwide reputation have 

Marta Bernbaum heats up a glass bead in her studio. 

1. Our Customers Love Us 

2. Best Price Guarantee 

3. No Games, No Gimmicks & No Deceptive Advertising 

4. Free Oil Changes For Life 

COURTESY PHOTO 

Chris Lann talks to visitors about his jewelry during last year’s Brattleboro-West 

Arts Open Studio. 

chosen to live and work here.” 

BWA is a diverse group of 

artists and craftspeople living in 

the Whetstone watershed and 

dedicated to improving the commercial 

and artistic success of its 

members. 

Working in the villages of 

West Brattleboro and Marlboro, 

these artists and artisans employ 

COURTESY PHOTO 

1234 Putney Road, Brattleboro, VT • 802-251-1000 

SECTION B 

Annual art tour 

celebrates the 

creative processes 

and business success 

of 16 artists, at 

work in their studios 

a variety of media, including 

painting, pottery, sculpture, furniture, 

musical instruments, textiles, 

poetry, garden arts, culinary 

arts, and video. They practice at 

the highest professional level of 

creativity, innovation, and technical 

standards. 

Each year, select members of 

the group open their studios to 

the public. Visitors can observe 

the creative process in its native 

environment and have the 

chance to purchase artists’ work. 

The open studio tour goes 

through the back roads of the 

area “to spots made special by 

the eyes and hands of working 

artists and artisans,” the website 

describes. The tour gives a 

diverse sampling of art and craft 

that make up the richness of this 

creative community. 

Arts, community, 

and economy 

“Brattleboro-West Arts was 

formed several years ago through 

a special meeting of the West 

Brattleboro Association, which 

discussed the business potential 

for the area,” says Cox, one of 

the founding members of BWA. 

“The question on the table was, 

‘How do we improve the financial 

health of West Brattleboro?’” 

However, the goal was not to 

■ SEE ART TOUR, PAGE B2 

5. Community Involvement 

6. Service Second To None 

7. Loaner Cars & Shuttle Service 

8. Renovated Waiting Room 

9. No Vt Sales Tax For Non-Vt Residents 

10. Convenient Central Location

B2 THE ARTS THE CommonS • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 

China Buffet 

Chinese Restaurant Dine in & take Out 

$ VT 

1.00 OFF 

Lunch Buffet 

Brattleboro, 

or 

Buffet, 

$ 1.50 OFF 

China at 

Dinner Buffet 

only 

Dine In Only Exp. 10/31/12 Good 

801 Putney Road, Brattleboro, VT 

802-254-8888 • www.chinabuffetVT.com 

LORI FRANDINO 

ANTIQUE & VINTAGE ORIENTAL RUGS 

Good selection of older rugs, many with slight to 

moderate wear and very affordable. 

P.O. Box 218 

Walpole, NH 03608 

603-756-3982 

frandino@comcast.net 

MATT SKOVE/AUDIO DESIGN 

Home Stereo/Flat Screen TVs 

Home Theater Installation 

Car Stereo/Remote Car Starters 

Sales and/or Installation 

“I’ll come to you!’’ 

802-257-5419 

www.audiodesignvt.com 

HIDDEN SPRINGS MAPLE 

Farm Store 

NOW OPEN 

Thurs, Fri. until 8 pm. 

Serving Walpole Creamery Ice Cream 

162 Westminster West Rd., Putney, Vt. 

802-387-5200 

Fall tunics, scarves, suede jackets 

& other accessories! 

29 High St., Brattleboro 

(Inside The Blue Moose) 802-246-1335 

6 

DON’T BE FOOLED BY BIG DISCOUNTS 

OFF INFLATED PRICES! 

Fair Prices EVERYDAY 

Metalbestos 

Chimney 

Pipe 

Brown & Roberts 

182 Main St., Brattleboro, Vt. 

802-257-4566 Open 7 days 

Paul Taylor 


n Art tour FROM SECTION FRONT 

increase prosperity at any cost, 

he says, but provide economic 

growth while keeping the jobs 

and income in the community. 

The West Brattleboro Association 

had the prescience to put 

the group’s emphasis not on new 

business but on the assets the 

community already had. 

One of its biggest assets 

quickly became apparent: the 

artist and craftspeople — “Folks 

like me: violin makers, quilters, 

and potters off the main road,” 

says Cox. “This was best way 

to get more economic bang for 

the buck.” 

BWA was formed to provide a 

forum for these artists and craftspersons 

to get to know and be 

supportive of one another. 

“Another reason for forming 

BWA was the closing of Windham 

Art Gallery in downtown 

Brattleboro [in 2009],” continues 

Cox. 

“Since no longer would there 

be that space where we could 

share our work and ideas, we felt 

the need to form a West Brattleboro 

arts organization,” he says. 

“An early decision was to try 

to be diverse in disciplines but 

narrow in focus in geography,” 

Cox says. “We assumed the 

downtown artists would form a 

group of their own, which I believe 

they never did. 

“The artists in our area were a 

different kind of person from in 

the town,” he says. “Here everyone 

lived and worked from their 

homesteads, with a different relation 

to our art, with a different 

relation to the weather, the seasons, 

the topography.” 

Brattleboro-West Arts began 

with about a dozen members and 

grew, Cox says. 

“Now, it is made up of about 

three dozen professional artists 

and craftspeople, for whom 

our work is more than a mere 

hobby or vocation, but for sale,” 

he says. 

“We have even had people 

who move here because of 

BWA,” adds Cox. “They now 

see the area as supportive of the 

business of the arts.” 

In the last six months, the 

group has added six members. 

“In fact, we are a little worried 

that our group may be getting too 

large to give the proper support 

our members need,” Cox says. 

The mission of BWA is to 

provide the tools for artists to 

become more successful professionally 

by networking with 

one another. A monthly potluck, 

sometimes with a guest 

speaker, gives the opportunity 

for the members to get to know 

one another personally as well. 

Even the artists of the area 

didn’t realize who their peers 

were. 

“We were truly surprised how 

many of those we would run into 

on the streets were working in the 

arts and crafts,” says Cox. 

‘Our open house’ 

The group offers a variety of 

kinds of support. 

At a member’s behest, a group 

of four or five artists volunteer to 

visit artists’ studios to help them 

think through what is working 

or not. 

In conjunction with the Brattleboro 

Literary Festival, BWA 

will present “Making it in the 

Arts,” a conversation at Brattleboro’s 

River Garden on Sunday, 

Oct. 14. 

Here, Dummerston writer and 

freelance journalist Joyce Marcel 

will explore what it means 

to make a living in Windham 

County. She will draw on her 

experience of having interviewed 

a large percentage of the working 

artists in the area, as well as 

around Vermont. 

Cox believes this presentation 

illustrates one of the functions 

of this weekend’s Open 

Studio Tour. 

“The short-term goal of the 

tour is sales,” says Cox. “The 

tour will provide people an opportunity 

to buy fresh works 

from the area’s artists and 

craftspersons.” 

But the group sees the tour as 

“our open house,” he says. 

“We kind of feel like gays and 

lesbians coming out, with the 

tour pushing us out of the closet 

to be more public,” Cox says. 

“We want people to see which 

of your neighbors are working 

in the arts.” 

And that’s more than community 

spirit — it’s untapped 

business potential. The truth of 

the matter is that southern Vermont 

is not a particularly good 

COuRTESy pHOTO 

A piece from “The Underwear Project,” by sculptor 

and collage artist Sharon Myers. 


“Introverre,” a piece by glass blower Josh Bernbaum. 


A wooden wall sculpture by Mark Littlehale. 

place to sell art. 

“A survey was taken several 

years ago discovered that 80 

percent of local art is sold outside 

Windham Country,” says 

Cox. “Most sales come from 

distant galleries, or more and 

more online.“ 

“In light of this, the tour hopes 

to foster a closer relationship between 

artists and craftspersons 

Main Street Arts 

offers fall classes 

SAXTONS RIVER—Main 

Street Arts community arts center 

has announced its fall lineup 

of classes. 

Drawing for Beginners 

with Matthew Peake meets 

Wednesdays for six weeks 

through Oct. 24 from 7 to 8:30 

p.m. peake will follow the course 

with a six-week figure drawing 

class Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 

p.m., beginning Nov. 7. The fee 

for either class is $54 for members 

and $72 for nonmembers. 

Lynn Hoeft will lead two sessions 

in Beginning Watercolor on 

Sundays, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4, 

from 9 a.m. to noon that will 

explore the fundamentals of 

materials and methods. The fee 

is $39 for members and $48 for 

nonmembers. 

She will also lead a workshop 

The Texture of Autumn Using 

Colored Pencils on Saturday, 

Oct. 20, from 9 a.m. to noon, in 

which participants will re-create 

the variety of textures found 

in flora and fauna. The fee is 

$18 for members and $24 for 

nonmembers. 

Other offerings include a 

Nature Drawing Study Group 

on Sundays, Oct. 21 to Nov. 18 

from 3 to 5 p.m. for those who 

need a little structure in order 

to practice and develop drawing 

skills. The fee is $25 for members 

and $30 for non-members. 

A Parent and Child Mixed 

Media workshop with Christina 

Anderson Sundays from 10 to 

11:30 a.m. will focus on a different 

topic each session, including 

Oct. 21 (landscape), Nov. 

11 (portrait) and Dec. 2 (still 

life). The fee for each session 

for a parent/child combination 

is $10 for members and $13 for 

nonmembers. 

younger children can enroll in 

Mary Hepburn’s Music and Art 

class that meets Mondays from 

10 to 10:45 a.m. for eight weeks 

through Nov. 5 to practice simple 

rhythms, songs, and an art 

activity. The fee is $36 for members 

and $48 for nonmembers. 

FINE CONTEMPORARY GLASS 

LOCAL & EUROPEAN GIFTS 

Brattleboro, Vermont 

167 Main St. | (802) 246-3015 

10am - 6pm, Mon - Sat 

11am - 5pm, Sun 

www.penelopewurr.com 

and the community,” he says. 

The fourth annual Brattleboro- 

West Arts open studio tour takes 

place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 

29 and 30, from 10 a.m. until 

5 p.m. Thirteen of BWA’s artist 

workspaces will be open to the public. 

For information and graphic 

images of the tour brochure, visit 

www.brattleboro-west-arts.com. 

In addition, photography buffs 

meet the fourth Tuesday of each 

month at 7 p.m. at FACTv/ 

Channel 8 at the Greater Falls 

Health Center in Bellows Falls 

to share and learn all things 

photographic. 

Other classes 

Main Street Arts is also offering 

classes in sign language, autobiography 

writing, and yoga 

this fall. 

Robyn Weisel will teach 

Introduction to Sign Language for 

four weeks beginning Monday, 

Nov. 26, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. 

The class will teach the basics of 

the visual-gestural language of 

communication with the deaf. 

The fee is $24 for members and 

$32 for nonmembers. 

The autobiography writing 

workshop will meet for three 

weeks on Saturdays, Nov. 3 to 

17, from 10 a.m. to noon with 

writer Elayne Clift. The fee is 

$36 for members and $48 for 

nonmembers. Clift will help 

participants explore their own 

Golden Fleece journey through 

writing and sharing. 

Emily Lisai will be leading a 

slow-flowing yoga class appropriate 

for beginner and intermediate 

practitioners through Dec. 18 on 

Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. 

for twelve weeks. The fee is $90 

for members and $120 for nonmembers, 

with a $10 and $12 

drop-in rate. 

Scholarship assistance 

is available for all classes. 

Registration is required to assure 

classes run by contacting 

MSA at info@mainstreetarts.org 

or 802-869-2960. 

Now in its 24th year, Main 

Street Arts is a nonprofit community 

arts center dedicated 

to serving the creative needs of 

the greater community by encouraging 

creative exploration 

and expression through a wide 

range of experiences. Further 

information is available at www. 

MainStreetArts.org. 

THiS SpACE foR REnT 

Twilight 

Music 

Sunday, 

Thurs. 

September 

& Fri., Dec. 

30 7:30 

22 

pm 

& 23 

FISHTANK ENSEMBLE 

“One RELATIVE of the most thrilling STRANGERS 

young 

acts A on pair the of planet” reunion (LA concerts Weekly) by - the 

Dynamic, 3-part harmony, virtuosic, fiery singer/songwriter 

Californiabased 

band quartet of Rose with Gerber, a high- Steve energy West 

mix and of Romanian, Clayton Sabine Gypsy jazz, tango, 

flamenco, Hooker-Dunham Balkan, Turkish Theater influenced & Gallery 

music 139 Main Street, Brattleboro 

Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery 

139 Ticket Main Street, reservations Brattleboro and info: 

Ticket reservations 802-254-9276 and info: 

802-254-9276 www.twilightmusic.org 

www.twilightmusic.org 

You are looking at Windham County’s best 

advertising value. To promote your busi- 

ness in the next issue of The Commons, call 

Nancy at (802) 246-6397 or e-mail ads@ 

commonsnews.org.

The Commons • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 The ARTs B3 

Speaker to look at the 

origins of World War I 

BRATTLEBORO—Jack 

Beatty, news analyst for the public 

radio talk show On Point, considers 

the presumed inevitability 

of World War I and chronicles 

largely forgotten events leading 

up to the conflict in his talk, The 

Lost History of 1914: Reconsidering 

the Year the Great War Began, on 

Wednesday, Oct. 3, from 7 to 9 

p.m., at the Brooks Memorial 

Library. 

This talk is the first presentation 

of the 2012-13 season 

of the First Wednesdays series, 

sponsored by the Vermont 

Humanities Council. The series 

is popular for its variety of 

thought-provoking topics, its 

quality of speakers, and the interaction 

it affords between speakers 

and the public. 

Beatty was a longtime senior 

editor at The Atlantic Monthly, 

which he joined in 1983, having 

previously worked as a book reviewer 

at Newsweek and as the literary 

editor of The New Republic. 

Beatty is the author of The 

Rascal King (1992), a biography 

of the legendary Boston mayor 

James Michael Curley that was 

nominated for a National Book 

Critics Circle Award; The World 

According to Peter Drucker (1998), 

an intellectual biography of the 

social thinker and management 

theorist; and Age of Betrayal: The 

Triumph of Money in America, 

1865-1900 (2007), a thematic 

history of the Gilded Age. 

He has received a Guggenheim 

Jack Beatty. 

OPEN HOUSE 

Come meet the new owner/manager 

of Lawton Floor Design, Matt Henry! 

Saturday, Oct. 6 

11:00-1:00 

THEATLANTIC.COM 

fellowship, two fellowships from 

the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 

an Olive Branch Award from 

New York University, a William 

Allen White Award for criticism 

from the University of Kansas, 

and an American Book Award 

from the Before Columbus 

Foundation. Born and raised 

in Boston, Beatty now lives in 

Hanover, N.H. 

Beatty is a regular Friday guest 

on On Point, produced by Boston 

public radio station WBUR and 

broadcast daily on Vermont 

Public Radio. 

The complete listing of 

talks in Brattleboro for the 

2012-13 season can be found 

at www.vermonthumanities.org/ 

WhatWeDo/FirstWednesdays/ 

FirstWednesdaysBrattleboro/ 

tabid/159/Default.aspx. 

n Bands FROM SECTION FRONT 

energy efficient building. 

According to Julie Davenson, 

Executive Director of Youth 

Services, the Battle of the Bands 

celebrates the entrepreneurial 

nature of young musicians forming 

bands and expressing their 

musical inspiration in a business 

endeavor. 

“We encourage all adults to 

make a pledge to be open to 

youth, to acknowledge them on 

our sidewalks and in our neighborhoods, 

to speak to them 

of their worth and to remind 

them of their promise,” said 

Davenson. 

“What better way to celebrate 

n Banned books 

not want their children to encounter,” 

she said. 

“For that reason, this library 

maintains that parents — and 

only parents — have the right 

and the responsibility to restrict 

the access of their children — 

and only their children — to library 

resources." 

Banned Books Week in 2012 

is different in that censorship 

isn’t just limited to books anymore. 

In the past year, librarians 

have seen publishers restrict 

libraries from lending eBooks 

and federal legislation that limits 

Internet freedom. 

The Rockingham Free Public 

Library opposes all forms of 

youth than to remember that 

they are our future and that our 

role is to protect them and support 

them as they move into 

adulthood and grow into their 

roles as our neighbors, parents 

of our children’s friends, journalists, 

business men and women, 

educators end entrepreneurs,” 

Davenson said. 

Admission is $4 and covers 

refreshments and door prizes. 

This event is underwritten by 

The Richards Group. 

Interested bands ages 20 and 

under should call Josh Steele at 

Youth Services at 802-257-0361 

or email info@youthservicesinc.org. 

FROM SECTION FRONT 

censorship, arguing that the 

right to choose what we see, 

hear, and read is one of our most 

cherished freedoms. The library 

staff said that while not every resource 

is right for each reader, 

there is danger in allowing others 

to decide for everyone in the 

community what materials are 

appropriate. 

Library staff invite the community 

to stop by the library during 

Banned Books Week, check 

out a banned book, or take home 

a list of banned books. For more 

information, contact the library 

at 802-463-4270 or go to www. 

rockinghamlibrary.org. 

Tuition Help Wanted Free 

Tax School 

● Tax Preparers (will train) 

● Costume Employment Wavers Wanted 

opportunities available. 

972 Putney Road, Brattleboro 

802-257-2080 

972 Putney Rd. 

Brattleboro, VT 

Black Mt. Square on Putney Rd., Brattleboro 

WTSA Live Remote! Refreshments! 

Flooring Specials! 

Prize Drawings! Factory Reps Available! 

Lots of people think we only do Carpet. 

We sell Hardwood, Vinyl, Tile, Carpets, 

Linoleum, and “Green Products” like Bamboo, 

Cork and Marmoleum. 

Free estimates (as always) and installation 

by our installers (not sub contractors). 

We’ve done it right for decades! 

OPEN: Mon-Fri. 8-5, Sat 9-3 (802) 254-9303 


Charles Marchant of Townshend 

has a collection of 

20,000 postcards and historical 

photos, and he would like to 

know more about the people and 

places they show. Each issue we 

will publish one of his images with 

a question or two in the hopes that 

readers can help him preserve a 

piece of Vermont history for future 

generations. 

If you can help 

Charles Marchant, 

please call him at 

802-365-7937 or 

email 

helpcharles@ 

commonsnews.org. 

ACROSS 

1. Starbuck’s boss 

5. Salute with pomp 

9. 2008 Olympic tennis champ 

14. Snack on 

19. Torch song topic 

20. Taj Mahal town 

21. Green spa brand 

22. As prompted 

23. Olympians leading the opening 

procession 

25. Country never in the Olympics 

27. Relay’s last runner 

28. Pound or bang 

30. Stirs up 

31. Lawyer’s concluding words 

34. Trojan War hero 

35. Jumper’s muscle 

36. Igniter of the Olympic torch 

40. 1900-1920 Olympic event 

44. “Ulysses” star Milo 

45. __-de-boeuf (oval windows) 

46. Sign in again 

47. Charlemagne’s realm (abbr.) 

48. “Avril” follower 

49. Nary a 

51. Mounted 

52. Far from drab 

53. Pub quaff 

55. Foul callers 

56. Venue for 9-Across 

57. Wild thing 

58. Sawer of logs 

60. Olympians only since 1900 

63. Operatic melody 

65. Poetic “before” 

66. Took a look at 

67. Ancient Olympic event 

74. Cricket-loving region 

78. Ready to go 

79. Cards, et al. 

80. Pigskin, for one 

82. Account 

83. Dermal issue 

84. Olympic skier Smetanina 

85. Prance about 

87. Heavyweight 

88. Set to arrive 

89. Venues 

90. Beach cover-up 

91. Temple teacher 

93. How ancient Olympians 

competed 

95. Only nation with a win in every 

summer Olympics 

97. Shooter’s failure 

98. Subatomic particle 

99. Pass interception 

100. Arizona tourist town 

103. Sister of Peter Rabbit 

105. 1996 Olympic tennis champ 

109. First prize for ancient 

Olympians 

111. Attribute of 1904 champion 

gymnast George Eyser 

114. “Shut up!” 

115. Davis of fi lms 

116. Stuff 

117. Show-saving box 

118. Injury-prone joints 

119. Has a streak going 

120. 1/500 of London’s Olympic 

Park 

121. Mimicker 

DOWN 

1. Kelp or plankton 

2. Match-ending blast 

3. “With,” in Paris 

4. Center of activity 

5. Bad blood 

6. Candle count 

7. “Patriot Games” org. 

8. Wool-clad babe 

heLP ChARLes 

Can anyone supply details or identification about these people? Some are identified: 

“George, baby Harry, Dee with finger in mouth, and Keith.” The card is signed “Dell” 

and sent to Mrs. Horace Giles in North Windham. Photographer was Harry Chapman 

of Windham. 

emILY CoX AnD henRY RAThVon 

The Commons CRossWoRD 

19 

23 

27 

36 

44 

48 

53 

58 

67 

78 

83 

88 

93 

100 

109 

114 

118 

37 

68 

101 

38 

69 

102 

31 

54 

63 

94 

97 

9. Ellsbury and others 

10. Film set on Pandora 

11. Rehab regimen 

12. Score after deuce 

13. Lancelot du __ 

14. Talk show routine 

15. Free from shackles 

16. “JAG” spinoff 

17. Aww-inspiring 

18. Monkee calls? 

24. Like 1988’s Olympic host 

26. Old Spanish kingdom 

29. Country rocker Steve 

32. Clobbered, quaintly 

33. Seal with a knot 

35. Skirtlike trouser 

36. Freebie tix 

37. Speedy Bolt 

38. Myopic behemoth 

39. Get the soap out 

40. Colorful swimmer 

41. Grain with gluten 

42. Sprang up 

43. Flat rates? 

46. Casanova 

50. Hatch of Utah 

51. Man made of mud 

52. Don’t have to 

54. Mesmerized state 

56. British cracker brand 

57. Veined sort of cheese 

59. Pennsylvania port 

61. Anne of comedy 

62. All keyed up 

64. Kin on Dad’s side 

67. Abbey, Savile, et al. 

68. Full-length 

69. Bay area NFLer 

70. Fibber’s confession 

71. Monster’s loch 

72. Surname at Tara 

73. Spellbinds 

“Olympic Trivia” 

OLYMPIC TRIVIA Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon 

1 2 3 4 

5 6 7 8 

9 10 

24 

49 

59 

89 

20 

50 

55 

84 

© 2012 Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon 

JOHN PENFIELD’S 

BRATTLEBORO TIRE 

LUBE, OIL & FILTER 

$ 95 26 + $ 225 LUBE, OIL & FILTER 

env. fee 

$ 2695 + $ 225 Most cars. 

Up to 5 qts. 5W-30 

Most cars 

env. fee 

FREE 

Up to 5 qts. 

SPRING 

5W-30 

CHECKOVER 

LIghts • Belts 

Wipers Exp. 9/30/12 • Battery 

Special Oil & 

Filters Extra. 

Special Oil & Filters Extra. 

Courtesy Cars or Rides Always 

Available at No Cost! 

32 

45 

64 

79 

110 

115 

119 

33 

60 

70 

103 

28 

39 

71 

98 

29 

34 

61 

65 

95 

21 

25 

56 

90 

75. “Star Wars” Hutt 

76. Defendant’s story 

77. Kick off 

81. Reservations 

84. Lumberjack’s tool 

85. By columnist Herb 

86. ER protocol 

89. Upright pianos 

90. Nostradamus, e.g. 

92. 1996 Olympic host 

94. Mac video app 

95. Noted fresco painter 

96. Common info fi le 

Last issue’s solution 

“Flat Line?” 

FLAT LINE? Henry Hook 

S A M S A T A P A S E L U D E G P A 

Q U O I T A L E P H L A T E X O A T 

I D O N T G E T N O R E S P E C T O R T 

N I N E R S I N S O L E S E A G L E 

S C I O N T U E P O N T O O N 

U N C U T I T O L D M Y L A N D L O R D 

P E A R S P A V E S A I R E S 

T A P E A P R E S K E T T C A M P 

O L E S M O O T S T O G I E O V E R 

I W A N T T O L I V E I N A M O R E 

P A S H A 

J O N 

N E W L Y 

E X P E N S I V E A P A R T M E N T 

P L E A A M A L I E H O U R S T D S 

S E E R M A L E A I S L E F R A U 

L O G I C D A N A E S L A V E 

H E R A I S E D T H E R E N T N U N E Z 

A M O E B A S O L D A D I O S 

M I N C E A L L U V I A A F R I C A 

I L E R O D N E Y D A N G E R F I E L D 

L I L T R I E S E R R E D A N N I E 

L O Y Y E S W E S K E E T T E T O N 

© 2012 Henry Hook 

PUBLICATION OF THE CROSSWORD IS UNDERWRITTEN BY 

Brattleboro Tire 

558 Putney Rd., Brattleboro • 254-5411 

254-5411 

TIRE sALE 

Tires BUY on 3 GET sale 

1 Buy FREE! 3 

geT 4 Th free 

CARs, suvs, 

10% off LIghT (any brake repairs TRuCks 

needed) 

free Brake inspection 

51 

85 

11 

46 

72 

80 

104 

111 

116 

120 

12 

40 

73 

99 

112 

13 

35 

66 

81 

113 

26 

30 

62 

74 

96 

105 

14 

22 

57 

86 

91 

15 

52 

82 

92 

117 

121 

16 

41 

47 

75 

87 

106 

17 

42 

76 

107 

98. Poet Sylvia 

100. Hit with a punch 

101. Zing 

102. Take some courses 

103. Pros’ charges 

104. Sheltering org. 

106. Stumble 

107. Golf’s Ballesteros 

108. Bug-eyed lab assistant 

110. Stat for Papi 

112. Foe to Frodo 

113. Crew gear 

VT State Inspection 

Red #6 Due Now 

18 

43 

77 

108 

558 Putney Road Brattleboro 

Locally Owned For Over 35 36 Years! 

saT. only 9:00-1:00 

lube, 

Assurance 

oil, filter 

Tires 

ON sALE 

$ 1995 Tires- additional 10% off! 

Plus no Tax on Tires 

VT STATE 

$ 

INSPECTION 

10 off 

commons 

VT sTaTe insPecTion 

$5 OFF THE REGULAR PRICE 

Reg. PRice $40 Limited time offer 

Green #10 

"clip this ad!

B4 THE COMMONS • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 

On the Common 

in the center 

of Newfane 

598 VT Route 30 

802-365-7916 

newfanecountrystore.com 

Works by Townsend, Robinson & Schommer 

599 RT. 30, NEWFANE, VT (NEXT TO PEOPLE’S BANK) 

DAILY 10-4 OR CALL FOR APPT. (802) 365-7777 

Rte 30 

Newfane, VT 

Full Lunch & 

Dinner Menu 

Nightly Seafood, 

Steak & Pasta 

Specials 

Rick’s Famous 

Pizza 

Homemade 

Desserts 

MONdaY 

Wings & Pint Specials 

wedNesdaY 

25% Off All Pizza 

fRidaY 

All-U-Can-Eat Fish Fry 

saTuRdaY 

Live Acoustic Music 7-11pm 

suNdaY 

Prime Rib at 5pm 

All you can eat while it lasts! 

Closed Tuesday 

802-365-4310 

Soft Serve 

Ice Cream 

Vermont 

Microbrews 

Free Birthday 

Dinner 

Takeout 

Always Available 

New MeNu! Old faVORiTes & New iTeMs! 

FREE Wi-Fi 

School Year 

Hours 

Wed-Fri 2-5 

Sat 10-5 

Only 15 Mins. from Brattleboro! 

Follow us on Facebook 

teacher treasures 

A Teacher Resource Store & More! 

Featuring: 

Teacher Created Resources 

Creative Teaching Press 

House Mouse Designs 

Home-Schooler & Christian Materials 

Scrap Booking 

Used Books & Lending Library 

Rte. 30, Newfane - Just North of the Village 

802-365-4811 

Raspberries - Blueberries - Peaches 

• Fudge 

• Homemade Jam 

• Local Cheeses 

• Honey 

• Maple Syrup 

• Creamies 

OPEN 365 DAYS A YEAR 

802 365 4600 

Hand-Cut Meats & Special Orders 

Store-Made Salads 

Cold Beverages • Fresh Seafood 

Full Service Meat, Grocery & Deli 

Call ahead for Pizza 

Fried Foods & Grinders 

on the Direct Line 365-4180 

Located on Scenic Rt 30 

In Townshend, Vermont 

Certifi ed 

Organic 

M-F 6 AM-9 PM • SAT 7 AM - 9 PM SUN 8 AM -9 PM 

Pet Food, Bird Seed, Equine, 

Pet & Stable Supplies, Tack, Hay, & Shavings 

Open Monday – Friday 9:00-5:30, Saturday 10:00-2:00 

802-365-7800 

Located on Riverdale Road (Just off Rte 30, Behind River Bend Farm Market) Townshend VT 

Buy Direct from the Farmer 

Sweet Corn 

Tomatoes • Green Beans 

Potatoes • Lettuce • Carrots 

Broccoli & Cauliflower 

Eggplant • Herbs • Peppers 

Apples & Sweet Cider 

Pumpkins • Cornstalks 

Gourds • Winter Squash • Melons 

Fresh-Cut 

Flowers! 

Asters 

& 

Mums! 

THURSDAY 

27 

KIDS AND 

FAMILIES 

■ 29 

. 

arts & community CALENDAR 

FRIDAY 

28 

GRAFTON Fairy House 

Tour: The Nature Museum at 

Grafton will hold its fourth annual Fairy 

House Tour. Visitors will follow a trail dotted 

with fairy houses, then return to The 

Nature Museum to create their own fairy 

dwellings in the Museum's gardens. Tour 

goers can try their hand at making fairy 

wands, fairy ear wings, or dragon ear wings; 

or they can peruse the fairy books and 

crafts in the Fairy Marketplace. Attendees 

are also encouraged to wear their own fairy 

wings and gossamer garb to the tour. ■ 

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Through Sunday, September 

30. ■ $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $4 

for children ages 3-18. Tickets will also be 

available at the. ■ Nature Museum, 186 

Townshend Rd,. Information: 802-843-2111; 

www.nature-museum.org . 

MUSIC 

■ 29 


Poetry as an agent of change 

Brattleboro area poets to participate in annual reading 

BRATTLEBORO—Poets 

from around the region will participate 

in a worldwide effort to 

“share in a day of global healing,” 

according to event organizer 

GennaRose Nethercott, 

organizer and moderator of the 

100 Thousand Poets for Change 

reading on Saturday. 

The free reading, one of 800 

such events in 115 countries, 

is designed to share poetry and 

song that gives voice to peace, 

economic justice, and environmental 

sustainability, though poets 

at the Brattleboro event will 

speak to all contents. 

“Any art within a community 

BRATTLEBORO MUSEUM AND ART CENTER 

Art historian and curator Jason Rosenfeld speak on the art of Stephen Hannock 

at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 

p.m. Presented in connection with the exhibit “Gathering Light,” which runs 

through Oct. 21, the talk explores the recent work of the Williamstown-based 

painter and his method of producing “grand, luminous landscapes a process 

that involves a filmic sensibility in terms of its panoramic scope and distinctive 

form of narrative.” Admission to the talk is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for 

students, free for BMAC members and children younger than 6. Doors open at 

7 p.m. Visit www.brattleboromuseum.org or call 802-257-0124, ext. 101 for more 

information. 

Quantity Prices for Canning & Freezing 

Cider Donuts, Breads, 

Cookies & Pies- Fresh Baked from Scratch 

with our very own berries & apples! 

Special Orders Welcome! 

Since 1982 

www.duttonberryfarm.com 

facebook.com/duttonberryfarm 

Open Daily 9 a M–7 p M 

Route 30, 

newfane 

802-365-4168 

SATURDAY 

29 

CELEBRATIONS, FESTIVALS, 

COMMUNITY MEALS 

. 

leads to change,” Nethercott 

said. 

The roster of readers in 

Brattleboro is nearly full, but 

for those still interested in reading, 

a few slots will be kept open 

until the day of the event. 

Among those signed up to 

read: Peter Gould, Elizabeth 

West, Georgie Delgado, Jesse De 

La Rosa, Addison Rice, Michael 

Nethercott, Lani Wright, Bill 

Devlin, Lynn Martin, Somara 

Zwick, Anna Meister, Sunny 

Tappan, and Christina Bean. 

GennaRose Nethercott will 

also read. 

The annual event was 

SUNDAY 

30 

Route 9, 

West Brattleboro 

802-254-0254 

founded last year by poets 

Michael Rothenberg and Terri 

Carrion, and is headquartered 

in California. Its organizers describe 

the inaugural event as the 

largest poetry reading in history. 

“Poets and artists will gather at 

venues around the world to read, 

play, dance, and flashmob in the 

name of change,” Rothenberg 

and Carrion write on the event 

website ( www.bigbridge.org/100tho 

usandpoetsforchange ). 

This year’s events include an 

Occupy Wall Street poetry reading 

in New York City, peace 

gatherings in Afghanistan and 

Syria, and a blues festival in New 

MONDAY 

1 

B E L L O W S F A L L S 

Songwriter, Thea Hopkins: 

Critically acclaimed Boston performing 

songwriter calls her music American Short 

Story Folk: concise, striking narratives, 

they tell of American romance and tragedy 

in modern terms. ■ 7:30 p.m. ■ $17, 

$13 for seniors and children under 12 in advance; 

$20, $15. day of concert. ■ Stone 

Church Arts, 14 Church St. Information: BEYOND 

802-463-3100; www.immanuelepiscopal. 

org/StoneChurchArts.html . DESCRIPTION 

SAXTONS RIVER 

BRATTLEBORO . 

. The 

Live: 

■ 30 

EAST DUMMERSTON . ■ 28 Kiss: Michael Harding's tale of an 

Fishtank Ensemble: Twilight 

aging Irish priest, who has left the priest- 

Music presents an evening of high-energy ■ 29 National Vintage Camper hood under the cloud of sexual miscon- 

Romanian, Gypsy jazz, fl amenco, Balkan, Rally: This rally is part of the Tin Can duct, will be followed by a discussion. It 

Turkish, Greek and tango infl uenced mu- Tourists Vintage Camper National Rally contains mature material. ■ 7:30 p.m. 

sic by California-based, world music quar- Weekend. Tin Can Tourists is an all make ■ $15. ■ Main Street Arts, 37 Main 

tet Fishtank Ensemble ■ 7:30 p.m. ■ and model vintage trailer and motor coach Street. Information: 802-869-2960; www. 

$15, $13 Students and Seniors. ■ Hooker- club. ■ 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. ■ Free. ■ mainstreetarts.org . 

Dunham Theater & Gallery, 139 Main Brattleboro North KOA Campground, 1238 

Street. Information: 802-254-9276; www. US Route 5. Information: 802 254-5908; 

MARLBORO . In the Works 

hookerdunham.org . 

www.brattleborokoa.com . 29 performance: As part of a res- 

We Accept 

EBT Cards 

Routes 11/30, 

Manchester 

802-362-3083 

TUESDAY 

2 

PERFORMING ARTS 

■ 

idency with Vermont Performance Lab, 

New York choreographer Yanira Castro 

is developing a new interactive performance 

piece, The People to Come, using 

Orleans. 

The Brattleboro reading will 

take place between 1:00 and 

4:00 p.m. at the River Garden 

on Main Street. 

Write Action, an area nonprofit 

offering resources to writers 

in Windham County, has 

offered support for the event. 

Light refreshments will be 

served. All funds collected will be 

donated to a local organization 

“working for peace or toward environmental 

sustainability,” according 

to the event’s publicity. 

For more information, contact 

Nethercott at genna.nethercott@ 

gmail.com or 802-380-0665. 

WEDNESDAY 

3 

audience-submitted materials as inspiration. 

■ 4-8:30 p.m. ■ Free. ■ Town 

House. Information: 802-257-3361; www. 

vermontperformancelab.org . 

■ 29 

IDEAS AND 

EDUCATION 

■ 27 

BRATTLEBORO Talk: 

Living, Loving, Attachment, 

and Connection: Join the conversation 

as teacher Joe Arak explores the nature 

of desire and how it both brings us 

together and keeps us apart. ■ 7:30 

p.m. ■ Donations are appreciated. ■ 

Shambhala Meditation Center, 28 Williams 

St. Information: 802 - 257-1984. 

FUNDRAISING 

AND 

AWARENESS 

EVENTS 

■ 29 

B R A T T L E B O R O 

Maskulinity: Unfolding 

Codes of Gender, a contemporary 

movement performance project: 

The movement is put together in such a 

way to tell many stories and perspectives 

that have been extrapolated from popular 

culture and sociological, feminist perspectives. 

The dancers and choreographers bring 

race, violence, sexuality, and relationships 

DUMMERSTON . Potluck 

■ 28 Dinner and Program: The 

program features APPLES telling how they 

BRATTLEBORO . VPR 

■ 29 Listener Picnic: Special guest 

is Lynne Rosetto Kasper, host of "The 

INSTRUCTION 

to the stage in this innovative dance project. 

■ 8 p.m. ■ $15, $12 seniors and 

students. ■ Luminz Studio, 74 Cotton 

Mill, HI #314. 

THE WRITTEN 

capture our imaginations, put us to work, 

delight our palates, and enrich our economy. 

Supper served from 6:00-7:00 P.M. 

Local food encouraged. The program runs 

from 7:00-8:30. ■ 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. 

■ Free. ■ Transition Dummerston, West 

Dummerston Community Center. 

Splendid Table" on VPR. Enjoy samples of 

Vermont-made food and beverage, live music, 

meet your favorite VPR voices. Bring a 

healthy recipe for Hunger Free Vermont and 

receive a free VPR reusable shopping bag. 

Lunch will be available for sale. ■ 11 

a.m. - 3 p.m. ■ ■ Vermont Agricultural 

Business Education Center, 8 University Way. 

Information: www.vpr.net. 

BRATTLEBORO . Making 

■ 29 Xylophones: Xylophones will 

be fashioned utilizing scrap wood and 

twine. ■ 10 a.m. - noon. ■ $15 

per instrument; materials and tools supplied. 

■ Estey Organ Museum, 108 Birge 

Street. Information: 802-246-8366; info@ 

esteyorganmuseum.org. . 

WORD 

BRATTLEBORO . Poets for 

■ 29 Change: Join poets who give voice 

to hope. ■ 1-4 p.m. ■ Free. ■ Robert H. 

Gibson River Garden, 153 Main Street. 

NEWFANE . Reading by 

■ 30 Archor Mayor: Mayor will be at 

Olde & New England Books to sign and read 

from his latest Joe Gunther mystery, "Paradise 

City." ■ 4 p.m. ■ Free. ■ Olde & New 

England Books, 47 West Street. Information: 

802-365-7074; hillbkhp@sover.net . 

BRATTLEBORO Plant 

Sale: The Brattleboro Floral Arts 

and Garden Club will hold its fi rst-ever fall 

plant sale. Available for purchase are highquality 

perennials that are well-suited for 

fall planting; chrysanthemums in a wide 

array of colors and sizes; coffee and baked 

goods; gifts from the Old Farmers' Almanac; 

and tickets for a garden-basket raffl e. The 

event will take place rain or shine. Come 

early for the best selection. ■ 8 a.m. ■ 

■ Brattleboro Floral Arts and Garden Club, 

Brattleboro Common. 

. 

. 

.

THE COMMONS • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 VOICES C1 

VOICES 


W 

HILE I AM still 

neutral on the issue 

of whether 

the BASIC skatepark 

should be built in Crowell 

Park, I am strongly in favor of 

proper and legal community 

processes in deciding this, and 

I would like to observe some 

facts. 

I attended the Development 

Review Board (DRB) meeting 

of June 20, 2011, where 

the skatepark siting was first 

considered. 

After Zoning Administrator 

Brian Bannon testified that 

he thought this was a “minor” 

change to an existing facility, 

the board took a vote 

and said they agreed with his 

assessment. 

I have two problems with 

this. 

One is that pouring tons of 

concrete into a 10,000-squarefoot 

area, moving an entire 

playground to do it, putting 

majestic old-growth trees at 

risk, and intentionally creating 

a “regional” recreation attraction 

that will change traffic and 

parking patterns in the neighborhood 

surely constitutes a 

“major” change in an existing 

facility, so I think in this 

case that Brian Bannon and the 

DRB were wrong to say it was 

“minor.” 

And what would have happened 

if they decided it was a 

“major” change? 

The park creators would 

have had to apply for a zoning 

variance if they wanted to 

use this site. A whole other 

procedure of public hearings 

and other steps would have 

been necessary, and maybe 

we would have gotten the full 

community discernment that 

such a major change deserves. 

Also, only those property 

owners immediately abutting 

the park — including myself — 

were notified (legally warned) 

of this hearing. 

Property owners farther 

away (even next door) were 

not notified, despite the fact 

that sight lines and park noise 

will affect some of them. And 

the changes in parking, traffic, 

crowds, and other aspects 

will surely affect the character 

of the larger neighborhood 

as well. 

Furthermore, I believe that 

the relocation of the existing 

playground to build the 

skatepark should have been 

VIEWPOINT 

It’s about the 

democratic 

process 

Town meeting representative 

concerned about the 

neighborhood’s voice 

JOHN WILMERDING 

is a Brattleboro Town Meeting 

representative for District 3. 

separately publicly warned in 

the media by the DRB because 

the playground facilities and 

equipment cater to a different 

clientele and draws residents 

from a much wider neighborhood 

area for its use. Moving 

it affects many more than just 

those who live near the park. 

Finally, I believe that the 

skatepark’s possible effects 

on the beautiful and majestic 

trees of Crowell Park merits 

the town hiring an independent 

consultant arborist, one who is 

neutral on this project, to tell 

us if the trees will suffer or die 

because of the impending concrete 

“blanket” at their feet, so 

to speak. What does the town’s 

Tree Advisory Board have to 

say about this? 

P UBLIC WARNINGS, zoning 

changes, and proper minute-taking 

at meetings rightly 

have a very prominent place in 

Vermont law because we are a 

democracy, prizing transparency 

in government. 

Just to give an example, 

the average resident reading 

the DRB minutes of June 20, 

2011 would not have had any 

reasonable chance to question 

or challenge the board’s 

vote on the skatepark plans as 

a minor-vs.-major change because 

there were no minutes 

taken documenting the vote 

that I witnessed on the matter. 

I do think that the omission 

in the minutes was probably 

inadvertent. 

However, I do think that 

the town is taking a supportive 

role in finessing the skatepark 

initiative ... what was first 

presented as a separate group 

putting the project together is 

now presented as a town group 

and as having been so from the 

beginning. 

And how is it that before any 

of these things took place, before 

any legal or procedural 

vetting whatsoever, the skatepark 

folks were given a tour 

of Crowell Park, had it (in effect) 

offered to them, and then 

were allowed to put up their 

BASIC “thermometer” fundraising 

sign on the park premises? 

The presence of this sign 

precedes the DRB rulings by 

months. I remember being very 

e recently placed a “Re- 

WSite the Skate Park: 

Preserve Crowell Lot” sign 

in our front yard. The following 

morning, the sign has been 

stolen. 

This is not the first time we 

have been vandalized since 

publicly opposing the skatepark 

plan, despite having never been 

vandalized in nine years previously. 

Apparently, the compromise 

being sought is too much 

to ask. 

I walked around the neighborhood 

a bit to see if others’ 

signs had been removed, 

and it appears they have not. 

I have filed a report with the 

Brattleboro Police to be sure it 

is, again, recorded. 

As I write this letter, I am 

home alone. I am deaf and, 

yet again, feeling targeted and 

vulnerable, which was why we 

s a young police officer 

Ain the early 1960s, I was 

leaving the police station one 

afternoon and observed my 

first skateboarder on Grove 

Street Hill headed toward 

Main Street. 

The late Sgt. Albert Hall 

and I were both shocked to see 

that this young man was standing 

on his head with his hands 

keeping his body upright on the 

skateboard. From that time on, 

the complaints of skateboarders 

increased, and we heard the 

same remarks that we need a 

skatepark in this town. 

Safety for our youth is extremely 

important. I truly believe 

that Brattleboro does 

need a skate park. I also firmly 

believe that skateboards and 

traffic do not mix. Helmets 

LETTERS FROM READERS 

Sign is stolen; what will be next? 

Is this treatment Vermonters can expect when they challenge the powers that be? 

removed all the yard signs in 

the past and installed a burglaralarm 

system in our home for 

the first time in our life. 

Who would have thought 

these feelings would be part 

of living in Vermont? They 

were also part of the reason 

I dropped the appeal of the 

Brattleboro DRB decision to 

the Vermont Environmental 

Court. 

I blame Brattleboro Town 

Manager Barbara Sondag and 

the entire current Brattleboro 

Selectboard for sitting in complete 

silence while I (and others 

who opposed what is now 

widely viewed as a town planning 

travesty) were openly harassed, 

slandered, and libeled 

publicly by members of “an 

official Town of Brattleboro 

Committee” and supporters of 

that committee’s agenda. 

should be required also. 

Recently, I have noticed new 

signs regarding the use of the 

Crowell Lot as a skatepark. 

These signs ask for a different 

site for the skatepark location. 

As a police officer in 

Brattleboro for more than 30 

years, and a lifetime citizen of 

this town, I look at the Crowell 

lot with fond memories. I 

played ball at this park, attended 

recreational activities in 

the summer, and attended the 

horseshoe contests in evenings. 

This has always been a family 

park and continues to be used 

by families. 

Many times in the past, complaints 

were registered after 

dark at the police station regarding 

bouncing of basketballs 

and disturbing the the 

Wednesday, September 25, 2012 • page C1 

There was an opportunity 

for leadership in this town 

which could have changed the 

course of the escalating tensions 

around this issue and 

tried to build community. 

However, it was an opportunity 

lost. How sad for all of us. 

I am wondering if the Town 

of Brattleboro is tracking the 

incidents of harassment that 

have taken place against opponents 

of the skatepark, 

particularly as opposition to 

“the plan” continues to grow 

significantly. 

Will the documented harassment 

that exists ever be discussed 

publicly as part of this 

story, or will such incidents remain 

distasteful and dirty little 

secrets while the town markets 

itself to tourists? 

I previously wrote to 

the Vermont governor and 

Yes to skatepark; no to Crowell Lot 

Former police chief: neighborhood wants peace and quiet 

peace and quiet of the evening. 

Recently, I have sat on my 

porch in the evening and have 

heard the constant noise of 

one or two skateboards a block 

away from my house. I thought 

at this time the noise was loud, 

and after the constant banging 

of the boards on the pavement, 

I wondered to myself 

what would 30 skateboards 

sound like to the neighbors of 

the Crowell Lot. 

I can certainly understand 

why these “Re-site the 

Skateboard Park” messages are 

appearing in the neighborhood 

of the Crowell Lot. 

Last week, the Keene Sentinel 

ran a news item regarding the 

damage to the skateboard park 

on Gilbo Avenue in Keene that 

forced the park to close and 

SECTION BC 

OPINION • COMMENTARY • LETTERS 

Join the discussion: voices@commonsnews.org 

Brattleboro skatepark debate rages on 

Putney 

I 

AM TRULY enjoying 

the campaign trail this 

election season, even 

with the task of coping 

with an uninterested press. 

Unfortunately, our democracy 

is ruled by whatever choices 

the press will offer. 

In Vermont, the press will 

say that poll numbers decide 

their interest in covering the 

candidate. It must be obvious 

to any thinking person that 

poll numbers can only be honestly 

developed after public 

scrutiny, not before; in article 

after article, the press frames 

the election for governor as a 

challenge to Peter Shumlin’s 

■ SEE SKATEPARK, PAGE C2 

EMILY PEYTON ’s policy 

positions may be found on 

her campaign website, www. 

emilypeyton.org . 

seat by one person: Randy 

Brock. 

I have, of course, peppered 

the state with letters to the 

editor and often have been 

granted editorials, but really, 

unless the press creates numerous 

angles of perspective 

in the various ways they 

are best suited to do, my platform 

delivered in bullet points 

within 500-word limits digests 

like a compact army k-ration 

meal. Keep in mind that each 

VIEWPOINT 

Willful manipulation 

Third-party political candidates get 

second-class treatment from the media 


publication wants a unique 

letter, and that task takes 

enormous time away from 

public outreach. 

Similar to a doctor operating 

on himself, candidates 

shouldn’t be forced to do the 

job. The press does much 

better. It takes teamwork to 

keep our democracy open and 

refreshed. 

Can a governor make unbiased 

and solid decisions while 

concurrently accepting campaign 

donations? I challenge 

that they can or have. Just 

about everyone I meet wants 

money out of politics; certainly, 

they’re happy that I do 

not ask for or accept money to 

get elected. 

Towns everywhere in this 

state have passed resolutions 

decrying the Citizens United 

decision, including Putney, 

whose voters amended and 

then passed the resolution that 

I proposed. 

The vision of electing a governor 

of Vermont who does 

not accept campaign donations 

is a happy one for 

the majority. Imagine what 

strength Vermont can give to 

all the people of our country 

by doing just that. 

But maybe the press has 

yet to recognize this mood in 

Vermont. At two months into 

the race, with 1 ½ months to 

go, reporters 

have yet 

to reach out 

to me for interviews, 

with 

the exception of 

two cable access shows. 

Steve West has interviewed 

my campaign supervisor and 

me on his Live and Local radio 

show on WKVT once at 

my request. 

Judging from experience, 

chances are when it does 

come, the press coverage will 

be minimal and dismissive. In 

the last election cycle, Seven 

Days in Burlington, for example, 

described me, along with 

attorney general, telling them 

of the harassment individuals 

in the community were experiencing 

and asking if this is how 

people in Vermont can expect 

to be treated when they challenge 

the powers that be. 

I think with the growing opposition 

in town, this issue 

should be looked at before we 

have an incident more serious 

than lawn-sign vandalism, slander, 

and libel: something that 

would warrant a story in T he 

New York Times. 

If anyone else has had signs 

removed recently, please let 

me know. Also, please report 

the ongoing vandalism 

to the Brattleboro Police 

Department. 

Barry Adams 


cancel a skateboard contest. It 

was said that the skateboard 

park did attract vandals to the 

area and it was not necessarily 

skateboarders who caused the 

damage. 

Yes, we need a skateboard 

park — but not at the Crowell 

Lot. We do not need to attract 

vandals to a park next door to 

a public school and so close to 

residential homes. 

Please, Brattleboro 

Selectboard, listen to these 

residents. You represent them 

also! 

Richard J. Guthrie 


The writer served as police chief 

in Brattleboro from 1985 to 1986 

and from 1996 to 2001. 

other 

independents 

as 

“fringe candidates.” 

Vermonters are by majority 

registered as unenrolled, 

yet the press and the election 

system fails to recognize the 

meaning of this choice. The 

majority might want an independent, 

but independents 

are not permitted into forums, 

into debates, or into the media 

to allow for real public 

■ SEE MEDIA, PAGE C2

C2 VOICES ThE COmmOnS • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 

Apples & squAsh! 

Corn & TomAToes! 

mAple syrup & pAsTry! 

Seasonal Delights in 

all shapes and colors, 

Globe-spanning Cuisine, 

Gorgeous Crafts 

50 Juried Vendors, 

live music, picnic area 

Saturdays 9am–2pm, Rte 9, West Brattleboro 

EBT & Debit welcome • 802-254-8885 

www.brattleborofarmersmarket.com 

OUR OWN ORGANIC EGGS! 

ICE CREAM! • FRESH ORGANIC GARDEN VEGGIES! 

e Royal Soft-Serve Stand is now open thru October! 

e month of June’s featured flavor is 

ESH-LOCAL “STRAWBERRIES~n~CREAM” 

LOCALVORE DINNER BUFFET 

MING SOON “FRESH RASpBERRy SWIRL” 

d “FRESH Saturday, BLuEBERRIES~n~CREAM” 

September 29th 5pm-7:30pm 

Served in the Chelsea Royal Diner Apple Orchard 

Featuring our own 

Route 9, West Brattleboro, VT 

hard ice cream 

with moreCome than join us after the ICE Brattleboro-West-Arts CREAM! • FRESH ORGANIC GARDEN VEGGIES! Tour! 

OUR OWN ORGANIC EGGS! 

20 flavors 

The Royal Soft-Serve Stand is now open thru October! 

Menu will include Royal-raised ham & brisket & hearty harvest specials 

Serving super 

The month of June’s featured flavor is 

using produce from our FRESH-LOCAL own gardens “STRAWBERRIES~n~CREAM” 

& neighboring farms! 

premium soft serve 

COMING SOON “FRESH RASpBERRy SWIRL” 

$ and “FRESH BLuEBERRIES~n~CREAM” 

Non-fat frozen 18 per person 

• Featuring our own 

Colombo yogurt $ hard ice cream 

8 kids with more than 

We have created 

20 flavors 

(beverages not included) 

• Serving super 

an extensive budget 

premium soft serve 

• Non-fat frozen 

friendly lunch & 

Colombo yogurt 

FARM to TABLE! • We have created 

dinner menu—from 

an extensive budget 

friendly lunch & 

fresh garden SUPPORTING salads LOCAL FARMERS! 

dinner menu—from 

fresh garden salads 

to classic diner SUPPORTING fare LOCAL to classic ART! diner fare 

pen daily 

30 a.m.–9 p.m. 

E 

Open daily 

5:30 a.m.–9 p.m. 

Come see our 

backyard chickens, 

organic garden 

and relax with your 

refreshing ice cream 

on our benches 

under the 

apple trees 

OPEN DAILY 5:30AM-9:00PM 

River Valley Credit Union 

Mortgages are about 

than Grimes enjoys being a part of the biggest, most 

important important investment you you can can make. Best of all, all, he gets 

to do it in Windham County, where he grew up. 

“I was a Mortgage Originator in Florida 

after college. I’m one of the lucky ones 

who got to come back home and do 

what I love with great people.” 

If you’re in the market for a 

home mortgage, a construction 

loan, or a home equity loan, 

come talk with Ethan or Eileen 

Fahey in our Brattleboro offi ce. 

Ethan D. Grimes 

NMLS #661824 

802-254-4500 • 800-728-5871 

people 

rivercu.com 

Hickory smoked pork, beef brisket 

TOP of the HILL GRILL 

“GENUINE PIT B-B-Q” 

2011 Tripadvisor Rated 

“GENUINE Hickory smoked PIT pork, B-B-Q” 

beef brisket 

Come see our 

backyard chickens, 

organic garden 

and relax with your 

refreshing ice cream 

on our benches 

under the 

apple trees 


“GENUINE TOP of PIT the B-B-Q” HILL GRILL 


“GENUINE PIT B-B-Q” 

& ribs, grilled chicken, burgers, 

Hickory cajun & vegetarian 

#1 smoked Restaurant pork, entrees, 

in beef Brattleboro! brisket 

& homemade ribs, grilled & sides ribs, chicken, & grilled more chicken, burgers, burgers, 

Hickory smoked 

cajun & 

pork, 

vegetarian 

beef brisket 

entrees, 

cajun & vegetarian entrees, 

homemade sides & more 

homemade 

• & Trophy ribs, grilled Winner 

sides chicken, & more burgers, 

cajun Vermont & vegetarian entrees, 

homemade 

B-B-Q • sides 

Trophy 

& 

Winner 

more 

• Trophy Championship Winner Vermont 

• B-B-Q 

• Trophy 

• Vermont 

YANKEE Winner: MAGAZINE’S VT B-B-Q 

Championship 

Trophy Winner Championship 

“Editor’s Pick” 

B-B-Q Vermont 

• • YANKEE MAGAZINE’S 

• YANKEE 

Championship 

FODOR’S MAGAZINE 

B-B-Q GUIDE 

“Editor’s 

“Editor’s Pick” 

Championship 

“Highest Pick” rating” 

• YANKEE • MAGAZINE’S 

FODOR’S GUIDE 

• FODOR’S Voted “Best GUIDE B-B-Q” “Highest Rating” 

• YANKEE MAGAZINE’S 

“Highest rating” 

•Voted “Editor’s BrattleboroPick” 

“Editor’s “Best B-B-Q” 

• Pick” Brattleboro 

Voted “Best B-B-Q” 

• FODOR’S 

FODOR’S GUIDE Brattleboro GUIDE 

Putney “Highest Road, 

rating” rating” Brattleboro, VT 

Overlooking the West River 

• Voted “Best Putney B-B-Q” Road, Brattleboro, VT 

258-9178 Overlooking April the West through River October 


258-9178 April through October 

Putney Road, Brattleboro, VT 

Putney Road, Brattleboro, VT 





Cheese 

Snacks 

Drinks 

Nuts... 

Now Open 

30 Main St. 

Next to 

Windham 

Wines 

Custom Cut Local, Imported, 

& Domestic Cheeses for the 

Discriminating Palate! 

Open Tues-Sat 10am to 7pm 

www.Brattleboro 

Cheese.com 


surprised by its appearance, because 

I had heard nothing of 

the Crowell Park site possibility 

before it appeared. 

Though I remain neutral on 

the skatepark being at this site, 

I’m writing now as an elected 

town representative. I represent 

all these neighbors of Crowell 

Park at Town Meeting. They 

are all sophisticated and considerate 

enough not to question 

my right to form my own opinions 

on this project. 

Yet I feel I must stand up for 

their rights. I think they had a 

right to duly and properly vet 

the placing of the skatepark in 

Crowell Park. 

LETTERS FROm READERS 

Defending the CrWC on river temperatures 

Richard schmidt’s letter 

[“Anti-VY group tells 

slanted story about shad,” 

letters, sept. 19] has a few 

bloopers in it: 

• Mr. Schmidt mischaracterizes 

our funding sources. 

A variety of foundations fund 

CrWC, none of which identifies 

as antinuclear. We never 

applied for grants to undertake 

antinuclear activities. 

These funding sources and the 

members of CrWC, through 

their dues and donations, have 

funded us to protect the river, 

not to mount an antinuclear 

campaign. 

• Contrary to Mr. Schmidt’s 

claim, biologists working for 

federal and state fisheries have 

voiced strong concerns about 

the effects of the heated water 

on resident and migrating fish. 

In a March 2012 letter to 

the secretary of the Agency 

of natural resources (Anr), 

the very fisheries biologist 

Mr. schmidt referenced said, 

“river water temperature is 

one of the single greatest cues 

and physical variables to influence 

fish behavior, physiology, 

migration, movement, feeding, 

growth, maturation, spawning, 

egg and larval development, 

resilience to pathogens (stress) 

and survival.” 

he went on to write that, 

“There are too many unknowns 

and concerns related 

• Signature on 

petition does not 

equal union vote 

As an employee and shareholder 

of the Brattleboro 

Food Co-op, I have to question 

the validity of many of the signatures 

on the petition during 

the recent union organization 

drive [news, sept. 12]. 

When questionable and inappropriate 

tactics are used to 

get people to sign, that is not a 

“vote” for the union. 

People are signing so that 

they will be left alone after being 

approached over and over 

again, usually while they are 

trying to work. 

Missi Bacon 

Hinsdale, N.H. 

It has been the policy of the 

union organizing committee 

at the Brattleboro Food Co-op 

not to harass co-workers, but 

rather to give them multiple 

opportunities to talk with us or 

to attend meetings so that they 

can be better informed. 

We also trust that our coworkers 

are intelligent and mature 

enough to be able to make 

their own decisions. 

If any of our co-workers have 

felt that we used “inappropriate 

tactics,” we would certainly 

scrutiny of their alternative visions 

of leadership. 

Vermonters have abandoned 

the two-party system even as 

the press force-feeds it to them. 

It’s time to stop. 

IT WoulD Be fair and appropriate 

at the outset of the 

election cycle to give each candidate 

basic press and enhanced 

public scrutiny and, 

from that attention, establish 

the interest for further coverage 

based on polls. 

Instead, the press waits until 

the very last minute of the 

election, after exhaustive coverage 

of two candidates, and then 

publications toss in the color of 

the “fringe” candidates. 

In this way, they claim to be 

allowing fair and equal coverage, 

although with every 

CO-OP UNION ISSUE 

to entergy’s thermal water 

discharge to assume that it is 

not having a negative impact 

on these juvenile migratory 

fish especially in the absence 

of any good science to show 

otherwise.” 

• Lastly, Mr. Schmidt’s letter 

implies that Florida fish could 

enter a new england river and 

vice versa. Diadromous fish 

return to their natal rivers, so 

fish from Florida are not coming 

to the Connecticut river 

and those in Florida are acclimated 

to the local natural temperature 

regimes. not at all 

the case here: here the elevated 

temperatures shad face in the 

Connecticut river are anything 

but natural. 

Mr. schmidt challenges our 

science. In response, I would 

like to explain that CrWC 

commissioned three independent 

studies done by respected 

and experienced scientists to 

look at key aspects of the science 

entergy used to justify its 

thermal pollution discharge. 

When we commissioned 

the reports, it was a bit nerve 

wracking for us because we 

did not know the answers to 

our questions ahead of time. 

But we went ahead because we 

wanted to know the truth in the 

interest of the river. 

What did we find? 

Beyond the clearly problematic 

entergy assertion that its 

• Union: proud of 

organizers’ message 

We are getting complaints 

from workers at the 

Brattleboro Food Co-op who 

are being badgered to remove 

their names from our petitions, 

not vise-versa. 

This is the most compassionate, 

caring group of union 

supporters I have ever had the 

pleasure of working with. I am 

very proud of their positive, up 

lifting, transparent, inclusive 

message. 

Richard Brown 

Springfield, Mass. 

The writer works as secretarytreasurer 

of United Food and 

Commercial Workers, Local 1459 

(www.ufcw1459.com). 

• Inappropriate tactics not the policy 

want to know about it. 

We would welcome the opportunity 

to address this issue 

directly. If we don’t have this 

information to work with, we 

cannot uphold the code of conduct 

that the union organizing 

committee has been striving to 

maintain. 

Charlie Lewis 


The writer is among the 

Brattleboro Food Co-op employees 

organizing the union effort. 

What I prize the most, you 

see, is democracy and transparency 

in our local government. I 

will continue to champion this 

principle, and I will celebrate 

the outcome, whatever it is, 

only if it has been decided by 

due process of law, local government 

hearings, and townsponsored 

citizen discussions. 

There Is one more chance, 

in practical terms, for all of us 

to discuss these matters. 

The selectboard has 

awarded a contract for the final 

design of the skatepark. It 

should have been BAsIC that 

did so, but never mind splitting 

mention of Brock’s name 

comes more name recognition, 

and thereby a free advantage. 

While there is the “equal 

time rule” for fair broadcast 

coverage in theory, in practice, 

independent candidates 

fall through the statute like it’s 

a sieve. 

The Burlington Free Press, for 

no other reason than his presence, 

gave Brock a six-page 

candidate profile article in 

June, and has not to my knowledge 

published my name in any 

article about the gubernatorial 

race, much like the rest of 

the press. 

ThIs shunnInG of candidates 

is most damaging to the 

process of democracy. I have 

spent too much time reaching 

out to the press, meeting with 

Excellent reporting on bad facts 

Closing the cycle: 

Advocates rally in support 

of cooling the river” 

[news, sept. 19] offered excellent 

reporting on bad facts 

given to the reporter. 

The protesters said that 

the shad have decreased 

since the 1990s. What about 

the years since 1972 until the 

1990s when the plant was 

operating? By law, there is an 

annual environmental survey 

round the plant. What did 

they show? 

new, large nuclear plants 

have been completed on 

time and on budget. But 

discharge affects only the pool 

behind Vernon Dam, the company 

refuses to release the water 

quality model it relied on to 

justify its claim of no impact on 

the river. 

Consequently, independent 

reviewers have not been able to 

evaluate their model. 

After a close review of temperature 

data from in-river 

temperature loggers deployed 

by entergy and the u.s. Fish 

and Wildlife service, it is clear 

that the water temperature below 

the plant is hotter than 

entergy’s permit allows between 

50 and 70 percent of the 

time. 

There is no information, despite 

requests by CrWC to 

Anr, that shows entergy has 

used the equation that governs 

its thermal discharge limits correctly 

because of missing data 

held by entergy and not made 

available to Anr. 

entergy selected a heat-tolerant 

suite of fish that does not 

reflect the full makeup of species 

in the Connecticut river 

to test the impact of its thermal 

pollution discharge. We suggested 

a more robust methodology 

that uses current science 

and a more representative list 

of species based on an ePAfunded 

fishery survey of the 

river conducted in 2008 and 

2009. 

We made our reports available 

to Anr so its staff can 

evaluate them and so, if appropriate, 

the agency can use them 

as part of its work to draft a renewal 

permit limiting entergy’s 

am extremely grateful and 

I humbled to be honored with 

the Democratic nomination 

for state representative to the 

Windham-3 district. 

Many people worked very 

hard to help me reach this 

point, and my thanks go out 

to every person who voted, 

made phone calls, wrote letters, 

placed lawn signs, and talked 

to friends and neighbors. 

that hair right now. When that 

final design has been received 

by the selectboard, they will 

put it on one of their meeting 

agendas for a vote. 

This is when those most 

concerned about these matters 

should show up at the 

selectboard meeting and speak 

out. 

Can it affect the outcome? 

I’m not sure. But it would 

show the selectboard material 

evidence of the degree to which 

this citizen review process has 

been cut short. 

however, I would like to ask 

the selectboard, here in public, 

to revisit the DrB’s June 20, 

them in person and imparting 

to them my respectful expectation 

that my comprehensive 

platform come up for public 

scrutiny. 

I do so because I have faith 

that it contains the best policy 

for the good of Vermont’s 

future. I believe I am the best 

person to remove selfishness 

from Vermont’s government, 

that I would be the most competent 

leader to bring truth and 

consent into the process of government. 

To have such a gift to 

offer Vermont rendered purposefully 

invisible is difficult 

to bear. 

of all, Vermont Public 

radio has been the most troubling 

of offenders, framing 

each segment without mention 

of my challenge to shumlin’s 

seat, even barring me from 

not in our country. We have 

sAGe and others to “help” 

with the schedule. 

Howard Shaffer 

Enfield, N.H. 

V-why? 

Why do the vast majority 

of pro-Vermont 

Yankee pieces printed herewith 

emanate from new 

hampshire? 

Holland Mills 

thermal pollution discharge. 

We have made these reports 

available to the public through 

news stories and on our website 

(www.ctriver.org). We have 

made the reports available to 

entergy and asked to meet with 

company officials to discuss 

our findings. 

entergy stonewalled us, and 

no conversations have taken 

place, except of course through 

the press via Mr. schmidt’s letter 

to the editor. unfortunately, 

his letter relied only on bloopers 

and anecdotal quotes used 

out of context. What has not 

happened is an honest exchange 

with entergy. 

Based on our reports, we 

have again requested that Anr 

issue a permit that requires 

entergy to use its cooling towers 

all of the time in a closedcycle 

cooling mode. A closed 

cycle requirement would mean 

there would be no discharge of 

hot water to the Connecticut 

river. 

This simple-enough request 

is backed by reliable critiques 

of the faulty information presented 

by entergy. We hope 

others will make the same request 

of Anr. David Deen 

Saxtons River 

In addition to the writer’s 

work for the Connecticut River 

Watershed Council, he serves as 

one of the two Democratic state 

representatives representing the 

Windham-5 district. 

Thanks to voters, supporters 

I encourage all of you to 

continue to contact me and 

help direct your representation 

in Montpelier. My contact information 

is 802-376-1134 and 

matrieber@gmail.com. 

Please continue all of the 

good work, and remember to 

vote in the general election in 

november! Rep. Matt Trieber 

Bellows Falls 

n Skatepark FroM seCTIon FronT 

2011 decisions, plus the fact 

that the vote on the project as 

a “minor” change was not reflected 

in the minutes of that 

meeting. This, I believe, deprived 

the public of their rightful 

opportunity to contest that 

finding. 

I think there are very serious 

provisions of Vermont law 

that cover this sort of thing, 

and the selectboard would be 

well advised, during their own 

investigations, to try very hard 

to understand the underlying 

reasons why there is so much 

community discomfiture with 

this plan. 

n Media FroM seCTIon FronT 

speaking during call-in Vermont 

Edition segments. 

At every turn, VPr reporters 

fail to name or cover my platform 

in segments that specifically 

deal with topics where my 

leadership will lead Vermont in 

a new direction, such as shows 

covering the F-35s, hemp, public 

banking, climate change, 

taxation, the public right to 

health insurance, and much 

more. I believe that local television 

news operations have yet 

to mention my name on air as 

well, despite many behind-thescenes 

appeals. 

Their successful hindrance 

of fair public scrutiny of my 

platform is so deliberate that I 

publicly charge them with willful 

manipulation of the outcome 

of a public election.

The Commons • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 VoICes C3 

LeTTeRs FRom ReADeRs 

Adequate facilities: 

only part of the battle 

At last! 

I’m not really referring 

to the mere three-week delay, 

but to the long 50 years that 

the Bellows Falls, Westminster, 

Grafton, Athens, Rockingham, 

saxtons River, Bartonsville, 

and Cambridgeport children 

have waited to attend a school 

that was healthy, clean, wellheated 

and -cooled without 

drafts and suffocating heat and, 

most importantly, a school that 

is ready to enter the technological 

21st century. 

Because of lack of loving 

care and simple maintenance, 

this beautiful building was left 

to deteriorate and almost die. 

It had been revitalized in the 

1950s, shortly before I began 

attending Bellows Falls high 

school in that building in 1961. 

We boomers were already 

bursting her at the seams. 

Being the children of the 

greatest generation, we had 

been taught, as our parents did 

naturally, not to complain. so 

we loved and accepted her and 

simply set up traffic patterns 

to move between classes and 

moved on. 

We won state basketball titles 

in her tiny gym and moved 

on. When I applied to smith 

College, my interviewer told 

me that BFhs had the reputation 

of turning out some of the 

best-educated students in new 

england. 

Let’s fast forward a few decades, 

when my children were 

in the building, by this point 

the Bellows Falls Middle 

school. By the late 1970s early 

’80s, the school began to show 

her age, but it was still turning 

out some pretty-well-educated 

students. 

excellent teachers still 

roamed the halls, but the halls 

were showing their age and, 

as far as I could see, not much 

maintenance was being done. 

the kids complained of classrooms 

that were either freezing 

or searingly hot, and they 

whined about having no big 

gym. I, of course, told them to 

suck it up, as my parents had 

told me. 

the condition of the building 

was a nagging issue in the 

back of my mind, however. 

Fast forward another decade 

or so. I was sitting on the 

school board. 

time and again, proposals 

came up to repair or replace 

this and that. not to 

mention discussions about the 

decline of academics and behavior, 

and an overall breakdown 

of society in the school. 

strangely, most of these issues 

were not dealt with or dealt 

Re: “still waiting, moving 

on, still more to 

do,” Aug. 29: 

thanks for this informative 

article. As a Rockingham 

taxpayer whose taxes went 

up 17 percent this past year, 

I’ve been told that the cost of 

the Bartonsville Bridge plus 

the library renovations plus 

the school renovations guarantee 

years of double-digit 

Failure to keep adequate and 

appropriate records is a liability 

to our small towns. When 

municipalities become unable 

to provide documentation to 

substantiate or disprove accusations, 

it points to a deficiency 

in management. 

Over the years, I’ve seen 

town officials and employees 

who do not document incoming 

complaints, but rather ask 

the caller to call a different 

elected official (who also does 

not document the complaint). 

When we fail to centralize or 

even keep records, we forego 

the ability to track complaints, 

to identify trends, or to follow 

up on a resolution. 

small Vermont towns should 

consider this deficiency an opportunity 

to improve communications 

with the public 

by providing official email addresses 

to town departments 

and mandating their use to ensure 

accountability. 

too often, our local 

elected officials, especially 

selectboards, assume that no 

news is good news, but when 

they fail to make themselves accessible, 

that constitutes a refusal 

to engage the public. 

Perhaps they understand 

what could happen if the public 

had the ability to track the issues 

that they choose to ignore 

— the dreaded accountability. 

It has been speculated that 

with poorly — and with an uncommon 

amount of ignorance 

or passivity. 

Let’s take our last leap into 

the 21st century. 

We have passed through a 

small league of administrators 

in the building, a small battalion 

of teachers, a small army 

of students, and a large war of 

battles over changes within our 

society, values, goals, hopes, 

families and, most important to 

this culture, methods of teaching, 

technology, skills, and interacting 

with students. 

yet there stood this ragtag 

old building — still solid, 

but unfit for the job that stood 

ahead for her. 

Another battle in that big 

war loomed. Before we could 

enter the battle of academics, 

we needed to have the right arsenal. 

We owed it to not just 

this generation, but to their 

children and their children’s 

children: this building wasn’t 

ready for now. We won the 

battle, but it took a couple of 

charges on that front. People 

are still trying to take the field, 

even though the guns are silent. 

thus we came to the threeweek 

delay and we can now 

march excitedly and happily 

into that building. there’s still 

some work to do. there are a 

few legacies to share, and you 

will be able to tell your grandchildren 

about the first day you 

walked into the building after it 

was remade. 

this great and loved building 

is a legacy. she now stands 

strong and new and technologically 

ready to take new generations 

into a future where they 

can indeed “enter to Learn 

and Go Forth to serve.” 

But the last and greatest battle 

is yet to be fought. As hard 

as the infrastructure battle was, 

this next battle will be. It’s the 

battle to regain that academic 

prestige and superiority that we 

once had. 

Where did it go? 

some would blame the 

changing demographics of our 

community, teacher quality, 

students’ short-term attention 

spans, the decline of the family, 

drugs and alcohol, poverty, 

bullying, or the methods of 

discipline. 

All would agree we have depressingly 

high rates of high 

school dropouts, low rates of 

college graduates, high rates of 

youth leaving our communities, 

overwhelming rates of bullying 

and, if you insist on using 

standardized-test scores, our 

academics will remain weak. 

how can we win one massive 

battle of infrastructure, 

Paying the price for 

bridge, library, school 

tax increases. 

Prospective real-estate 

buyers are already scared off 

by the town’s steep taxes... 

to say nothing of how these 

taxes affect folks who already 

live here. 

If FeMA doesn’t come 

through, we are in trouble. 

Rick Cowan 

Rockingham 

some towns do not keep records 

of complaints because 

any official record of an issue 

might open the associated documentation 

to a open-records 

request. too many small-town 

complaints are handled off 

the books. And we all know 

you can’t audit someone who 

doesn’t keep books. 

Official written communication 

sent to towns should be 

recorded and publicly available, 

so why the resistance to 

a phone log? Can you imagine 

what the public would think of 

a law enforcement agency that 

did not log emergency calls? 

And what if those calls were 

never followed up? It would be 

appalling: clearly misfeasance, 

and bordering on malfeasance. 

yet so many small town governments 

do not recognize the 

need to mandate better internal 

controls for recordkeeping 

beyond the absolute minimum 

state standards. 

One of the primary responsibilities 

of a town’s selectboard 

is to limit the town’s liability. 

Perhaps, in a way, not having 

any documentation could limit 

liability (in a twisted way) by 

creating plausible deniability. 

A better way to deal with situations 

is not to create deniability, 

but keep public records. 

Plugging your fingers in your 

ears is not an appropriate response 

either. Failure to listen 

eDIToRIAL 

Freedom, unity, and colliding ideals 

On the village greens of 

cities and towns all over 

Vermont, you will see 

monuments honoring 

those who died to preserve the Union 

during the Civil War. 

Most, like the monument of the 

Brattleboro town Common, face 

south. Legend has it that they were 

built that way so that the Confederate 

states don’t get any ideas about rebelling 

again. 

the record of Vermonters in the 

Civil War is a proud one, as this little 

state delivered more in manpower and 

money per capita than any other state 

in the Union. 

One hundred and fifty years ago 

last week, President Abraham Lincoln 

issued a preliminary emancipation 

proclamation. Lincoln’s Republican 

Party settled the issue of slavery in that 

bloody war — at least until the 1960s. 

that’s when the GOP decided to 

respond to the Civil Rights Movement 

by aligning itself with the very forces 

that the party’s founders had defeated 

a century earlier. 

tO MOdeRn eyes, the Republican 

Party has transformed itself into 

the modern equivalent of the 

Confederacy. In this election’s platform, 

the GOP “stands for the rights 

of individuals, families, faith communities, 

institutions — and of the 

states which are their instruments of 

self-government.” 

that type of freedom is not what 

our nation was founded upon. 

Our Constitution begins with the 

words “We the People.” And the instrument 

of self-government that we, 

the people, use to govern ourselves is 

a strong national government that operates 

in the best interests of all its 

citizens. 

the ascendancy of a particularly 

brutal and anti-democratic American 

ideal to control one of our two major 

political parties is no accident. 

historian Michael Lind once wrote 

that our nation’s history, economics, 

and culture have been dominated 

by two particular factions of the ruling 

elite. For most of our history, the 

faction that held control was the new 

england yankee. 

the descendants of the Puritan 

founders of the first colonies, these 

people were steeped in the idea that 

those who possess wealth and power 

are morally obligated to use it for the 

common good. 

On the whole, these were people 

who valued education, who saw public 

service in war and peace as noble, and 

who believed that giving to others is 

the right thing to do — not to just burnish 

one’s legacy, but also to create a 

better society for everyone. 

then there is the other faction — 

the plantation aristocracy of the south. 

In the words of Alternet.org writer 

and editor sara Robinson, that ruling 

class — the 19th-century version 

of the 1 percent — “has been notable 

throughout its 400-year history for its 

utter lack of civic interest, its hostility 

to the very ideas of democracy and 

human rights, its love of hierarchy, its 

fear of technology and progress, its 

reliance on brutality and violence to 

maintain ‘order,’ and its outright celebration 

of inequality as an order divinely 

ordained by God.” 

these southern aristocrats have, 

by and large, always feared and opposed 

universal literacy, public schools 

and libraries, and a free press — and 

even today, in many cases, too many 

still do. A cursory glance at academic 

achievement puts many of the states of 

the old Confederacy at the bottom of 

the list. 

these are the people who rejected 

the yankee ethos that liberty and authority 

rested with the community, not 

individuals. the tradition of the town 

meeting never caught on in the south. 

For the southern elites, she 

charges, liberty had a different definition, 

one that contrasted with the 

yankee traditions of balancing personal 

needs against the greater common 

good. 

to the southern ruling class, 

Robinson wrote, “the degree of liberty 

you enjoyed was a direct function of 

GraceCottage Townshend,VT 

HOSPITAL 

We Go Beyond Patient Care 

www.gracecottage.org w 365-7357 

“I “I’ve remember had two when knee my replacements son brought over 

me 

the 

to 

years, 

the ER 

and 

at 

both 

Grace 

times 

Cottage 

I rehabbed 

Hospital. 

They 

at Grace 

saved 

Cottage. 

my life.” 

There’s no place better.” 

~ Warren Bartlett, East Dover, VT 

~ Bill Guenther, Newfane, VT 

Where Tomorrow Takes Root 

your God-given place in the social hierarchy. 

the higher your status, the 

more authority you had, and the more 

‘liberty’ you could exercise — which 

meant, in practical terms, that you had 

the right to take more ‘liberties’ with 

the lives, rights, and property of other 

people.” 

In other words, anything that extends 

freedom to lower-status people 

amounts to an infringement of the 

freedom of the higher-status people to 

do as they damn well please. 

If you are still wondering why so 

much of the south remains anti-union, 

anti-education, anti-equal rights, and 

generally anti-progress, it all can be 

traced back to the regressive thinking 

of the aristocrats who owned the plantations 

in the 19th century. the legacy 

is continued by those in power who 

harness the power of modern advertising 

and public relations spin to dupe 

their constituents into supporting the 

very society that once created and fostered 

a middle class in this country. 

sO, ULtIMAteLy, the Civil War was 

not just about slavery or keeping the 

Union intact. It was a struggle between 

two competing value systems. 

And while the north won the war, 

the philosophical struggle was never 

fully resolved. the battle for the soul 

of America shifted to other battlefields, 

and it took a century after Appomattox 

before the political, social, and economic 

values of the south became 

the political values of the Republican 

Party, values that have spread to fully 

half of our nation in these divided and 

contentious times. 

those same values, sadly, mock 

the sacrifice of the nearly 6,000 

Vermonters who gave — in the words 

of Lincoln — their last full measure 

of devotion to the cause of a nation 

united and free. 

those values are rooted in the retrograde 

attitudes of people who have 

been battling the idea of life, liberty, 

and the pursuit of happiness ever since 

those words were penned in 1776. 

they are unworthy of a great nation. 

Editorials represent the collective voice of the Commons and are written by the editors or by members of the Vermont Independent Media Board of 

Directors. We present our point of view not to have the last word, but the first: we heartily encourage letters from readers, and we love spirited dialogue 

even if — especially if — you disagree with us. Send your letters to voices@commonsnews.org, or leave a comment at www.commonsnews.org. 

and not form as strongly together 

as we did for that for the 

next battle for academic superiority 

and pride? 

If we continue to use the 

same script, we will continue to 

get the same results. 

no matter how you tweak 

it, how loud you demand better 

results, how many staff you 

threaten, standardized testing 

will not improve your academic 

superiority or pride. 

I know what can, I’ve done 

it, a lot of people know how. 

the answer is a lot of hard 

work, honest, intelligent leadership, 

willing, caring and courageous 

staff, and patience. 

there are ways to still measure 

progress, but that’s not 

the main thrust; the children 

and what skills they need in 

this global economy or to work 

down the road is the goal. 

I congratulate all the people 

who fought so hard for 

No excuse for sloppy town governments 


does not alleviate accountability 

or responsibility. It is just 

a matter of time before one of 

the undocumented complaints 

to a town goes unresolved and 

results in preventable injury or 

worse. 

Complaints from illegal 

burning to loose dogs, to noise 

complaints, to health-code violations, 

are not recorded at the 

municipal level, where they are 

often first reported. 

town clerks should not be 

held to account as a clearinghouse 

for all town complaints, 

but when appropriate town 

officials are not publicly accessible, 

it falls to the town employee 

who picks up the phone 

to ensure the matter is documented 

and turned over to the 

correct person. 

911 is not the correct answer 

either. All town officials should 

have a working phone number 

and email address listed on 

the town website, perhaps with 

a description of their duties. 

Official voicemail and email 

should be checked regularly. 

these are not wild demands. 

these are the basic responsibilities 

of town officers, and 

selectboards should be held 

accountable for maintaining 

standards. Ryan Hockertlotz 

Townshend 

the beautiful, updated middle 

school. For those of you 

who fought it, didn’t think we 

needed it, who lied to keep it 

from happening, who wanted 

it somewhere else, who were 

afraid of the taxes (as everyone 

was, even those of us who don’t 

pay taxes), who still are complaining: 

she’s back, better than 

ever, ready to shelter, protect, 

educate, teach skills, provide 

those corners and niches that 

grow friends, manners, pride; 

that calm fears, build mentors, 

show us ourselves, start leaders, 

and so much more. 

If the right leaders, the right 

teachers, and the right staff 

are there and encouraged and, 

most importantly, if the best 

methods are used to make 

these things happen for all? 

That is the next battle. 

Catherine Bergmann 

Bellows Falls 

Calling mental illness 

a stigma makes it one 

In “the madness of history” 

[Viewpoint, sept. 5], the 

writer uses the phrase “the societal 

stigma of mental illness.” 

never would I cooperate 

with someone’s claim of 

“stigma,” and never would I 

suggest any prejudice is universal, 

the “societal” stigma, for 

example. 

that this appears on your 

page suggests that you have 

internalized it. you have removed 

other “stigmas” from 

Please Call (802) 257-5544 to RSVP 

www.neighborhoodschoolhouse.com 

your mind and paper, please 

remove this one. 

And if I may, a question: If 

someone detects a stigma, it is 

not the ethical stand to educate 

them? 

And if a professional does, 

do we not educate him? (yes.) 

Harold Maio 

Fort Myers, Fl. 

The writer is a retired mentalhealth 

editor. 

GoT An opInIon? 

(Of course you do! You’re from Windham County!) 

Got something on your mind? Send contributions 

to our Letters from Readers section (500 

words or fewer strongly recommended) to 

voices@commonsnews.org; the deadline is 

Friday to be considered for next week’s paper. 

When space is an issue, we give priority to words that have not yet appeared 

elsewhere. 

231 Western Avenue, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301 

behind Solar Hill Yoga Center 

OPEN HOUSE 

Thursday, January 12 

8:45 to 10:30 a.m. 

and 

5:30 to 7 p.m. Childcare available 

• Preschool through sixth grade 

• Academic readiness 

• Environmental education 

• Community awareness 

• Financial Aid Available

C4 THE COMMONS • Wednesday, September 25, 2012 

SPORTS & RECREATION 

No place like home for Colonels’ girls soccer 

The Bellows Falls girls’ 

soccer team had a 

breakthrough season 

last year. After slogging 

through a 1-12-1 record in 

2010, the Terriers finished with 

an 11-4-1 record and advanced 

to the Division III semifinals 

for the first time in the program’s 

history. 

So last Monday’s game 

against Brattleboro was a good 

measuring stick for where the 

2012 Terriers are at as a team. 

While the final score — 

Brattleboro 5, BF 1 — suggests 

it was a rout, let the record 

show that for the first 55 or 

so minutes of this game, the 

Terriers held their own against 

a better skilled team. 

“We made them work for 

the result,” said BF coach John 

Broadley. 

Brattleboro built up a 2-0 

halftime lead on an early goal 

by Halie Lange and a late goal 

by Libby Annis. If not for 

some outstanding goalkeeping 

by BF’s Enny Mustapha, the 

Colonels might have scored at 

least four more goals. 

BF forward Corina Stack 

took advantage of some slack 

defense by the Colonels to 

cut the lead to 2-1 early in 

the second half. However, the 

Colonels responded by coming 

right back with a goal from 

Hannah Lynde, assisted by 

Lange. 

“If we had held it at 2-1, we 

might have had a chance, but 

that third goal burst the balloon,” 

said Broadley. 

The Colonels took care of 

business after that, and spent 

the remainder of the half 

blitzing the BF net. Again, 

Mustapha turned away several 

great chances, but Maddie 

Rollins and Bailey Paige 

both eventually scored for 


“BF is a good team, but I 

think in the end, our passing 

was sharper and we stepped 

up the pressure in the second 

half,” said Brattleboro coach 

Edwin de Brujin. “But I’ve 

known John for a long time, 

and his teams never give a 

game away. They will make it 

tough on you.” 

Cosmos pull 

the plug 

Given the long and 

proud history of football at 

Springfield High School, it 

Need New flooring? 

Damian Flooring 

Can Help! 

VOTED 

Best of the Best 

12 Years Running 

by Market Surveyors 

of America 

seems inconceivable that the 

school was forced last week to 

shut down its varsity football 

program for the season due to a 

shortage of players. 

However, that’s the situation 

that the school faced. At a 

community forum on Sept 17, 

school administrators, including 

principal Bob Thibault, 

athletic director Joe Brown, 

and first-year coach Kevin 

Tallman, announced they were 

pulling the plug on the varsity 

season. 

The school is playing a 

Division II schedule this year, 

and the Cosmos lost their 

first two games by a combined 

score of 108-6. Heading 

into their Sept. 15 game with 

Lyndon Institute, they were 

down to just four upperclassmen 

— three seniors and a 

junior — out of the original 

34-player roster. Springfield 

chose to forfeit to Lyndon 

rather than risk more players 

getting hurt. 

Given the size and speed of 

the opponents they now face in 

Division II, a team can’t take 

the field with 14 freshmen and 

expect to be competitive. 

“It’s not about the scores for 

me, it’s about safety,” Thibault 

told the Burlington Free Press . 

“We have young guys going up 

against full size, Division II opponents 

who are big. It’s hard 

for us to physically compete.” 

Tallman agreed. 

“We don’t want to put our 

kids in harm’s way,” Tallman, 

who has been involved with 

football for nearly four decades, 

told the Free Press . “We 

took some time and really agonized 

over this. “We need to do 

the right thing here. ... At this 

point we can’t compete at the 

Division II level.” 

With the cancellation of 

Springfield’s season, opponents 

will receive wins based on forfeits, 

so Bellows Falls will pick 

up a victory in the final week of 

the regular season, instead of 

hosting the traditional rivalry 

LLC. 

Vinyl Tile • SHeeT GOOdS • CeRaMiC Tile 

HaRdwOOd & laMinaTe 

CaRpeT • aRea RuGS • BRaided RuGS 

www.damianflooring.com 

340 Franklin Road, Vernon, VT • Off Rt. 5, South from Brattleboro 

802-254-4945 • damianflooring@yahoo.com 

Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am - 4pm, Saturday, 9am - 1pm 

Since 1907 

Robb Family Farm 

RANDOLPH T. 

HOLHUT 

Sports Roundup 

FAMILY RAISED BEEF 

Naturally grown and fed beef - no antibiotics, no hormones. 

Our beef eat only what is grown on the farm. 

SUGAR HOUSE 

Pure and Natural Maple Syrup & Candies 

For Directions/Orders/Info: 

www.robbfamilyfarm.com • (802) 257-0163 

Ames Hill Road (Only 3 Mi. From Route 9) West Brattleboro, VT 

802-258-9087 • RobbFamilyFarm.com 

Maple Syrup- All Grades 

Maple Candy • Maple Cream • Maple-Coated Nuts 



Brattleboro’s Halie Lange (8) hurdles over Bellows Falls goalkeeper Enny Mustapha, who smothered Lange’s 

shot during the second half of their game on Sept. 17 at Sawyer Field. Trailing the play in Brattleboro’s 

Biak Chia Tial (17). 

game for “The Trophy.” 

The Springfield brain trust 

is hopeful that there will be 

more players in future years 

and that this is, they hope, a 

one-time aberration. But this 

is yet another sign that more 

than a few schools in Vermont 

are struggling to keep their 

football programs going in the 

face of declining interest and 

enrollments. 

Football 

• In contrast to Springfield’s 

woes, Hartford has a football 

program considered by many 

as one of the best in Vermont. 

They proved that last Friday 

night at Natowich Field when 

the Hurricanes pounded 

Brattleboro, 45-7. 

Hartford scored on each of 

their first five possessions to 

take a 34-0 lead at the half. 

Quarterback Greg Shinn threw 

three touchdown passes and 

ran for another TD. Tailback 

Josh Claflin also scored on a 

10-yard run. The Hurricanes 

generated 350 yards of total offense 

in those first 24 minutes, 

as Claflin carried the ball 10 

times for 123 yards. 

On defense, linebacker 

Nolan Viens, who was a standout 

for the Bellows Falls/ 

Hartford wrestling team last 

season, dominated the line of 

scrimmage for the Hurricanes 

and shut down the Colonels’ 

running game. Brattleboro’s 

only scoring came in the third 

quarter, when quarterback 

Tyler Higley connected with 

Noah Simeon for a 48-yard 

completion that set up a 1-yard 

touchdown run by Elliot 

Gragen. 

The 0-4 Colonels host St. 

Johnsbury this Friday night 

at 7. 

• Bellows Falls crushed 

Windsor, 51-14, on Saturday 

in the annual Dale Perkins 

Trophy game at MacLeay- 

Royce Field. 

BF took a 39-7 halftime 

lead on three touchdown 

runs by Zach Rawlings, a 32yard 

fumble recovery by Kyle 

Reeves, another rushing touchdown 

by Carson Fullam, and 

a touchdown pass from Ethan 

Illingworth to Mike LeBeau. 

In the second half, 

Illingworth scored on a quarterback 

keeper, and Fullam ran 

in another score as the Terriers 

scored 51 points for the second 

straight week. 

Now 3-1, the Terriers host 

U-32 for a Saturday afternoon 

game at 1 at Hadley Field. 

Boys’ soccer 

• Leland & Gray rolled over 

Green Mountain, 5-0, to win 

the Josh Cole Tournament 

in Ludlow on Sept. 15. Jake 

Sherman, Corey Nystrom, 

Zach Wilkins, Tyler Scott, and 

Bruno Posa were the goal scorers 

for the Rebels. In the consolation 

game, Black River 

defeated Bellows Falls, 7-1. 

• You don’t often get to see 

a last-second game-winning 

overtime goal in high school 

soccer, but in Wilmington, 

Twin Valley’s Nick Nilsen did 

the trick as he booted in the 

ball from just outside the penalty 

area as time expired for a 

1-0 overtime win over Leland 

& Gray last Wednesday. 

Sam Molner, who was making 

his first start in goal for the 

Wildcats since being struck 

down by appendicitis on 

August, showed few signs of 

rust and made 15 saves to earn 

the win. Rebels goalkeeper 

Tanner Karg was almost as 

outstanding in goal with 11 

saves. 

• Brattleboro’s Paxton Reed 

scored the lone goal early in 

the second half in a 1-0 road 

win Saturday over the Rutland 

Raiders. Isaiah Ungerleider assisted 

on Reed’s goal as the 

Colonels ended the week with 

a 3-2 record. 

• Bellows Falls got shut out 

by Black River, 5-0, at home 

on Friday as the Terriers fell to 

0-5 on the season. 

Girls’ soccer 

• Brattleboro kept the ball 

rolling after the BF win with a 

1-0 victory over Burr & Burton 

last Wednesday at Tenney 

Field. Lange scored what 

proved to be the game winner 

in the 34th minute. 

While the Colonels are undefeated 

at home, they are winless 

on the road. They lost on 

Friday to Mount Anthony in 

Bennington, 4-2. Brattleboro 

led 2-0 at the half goals by Biak 

Chia-Tial and Lynde, but the 

Patriots stormed back with four 

unanswered goals in the second 

half. After playing four games 

in six days, the 4-3 Colonels 

have this week off. 

• Bellows Falls bounced back 

with a 1-0 home win over Otter 

Valley last Wednesday. Lydia 

Pedigo scored on a penalty kick 

in the 69th minute to finish the 

week with a 1-1-1 record. 

• Undefeated Black River 

beat Leland & Gray, 1-0, in 

Townshend last Thursday. 

Morgan Kathan scored the 

only goal of the game in the 

first half. Black River used 

great passing and ball handing 

to frustrate the Rebels, 

and outshot them, 19-12. The 

Rebels ended the week at 2-3- 

1, and needed to step it soon 

to move up the standings in 

Division III. 

• Arlington’s Molly Ellwell 

scored with 17 seconds left in 

regulation give the Eagles a 2-1 

win over Twin Valley at Baker 

Field on Friday. Twin Valley’s 

lone score came from Sammy 

Cunningham, assisted by 

Jordan Niles, late in the second 

half as the Wildcats finished 

the week with a 1-1-2 record. 

Field hockey 

• Bellows Falls stayed unbeaten 

last week with a 2-0 

win over Mount Anthony in 

Bennington. Mariah Barnett 

and Cassidy Santorelli were the 

goal scorers, while Sarah Wells 

assisted on both goals. 

• Brattleboro got two goals 

from Meghan Kinsman, 

but it wasn’t enough as the 

Colonels lost to Stevens, 

6-2, in Claremont, N.H., last 

Thursday. The next day, they 

traveled to Windsor and lost 

3-0. The Colonels ended the 

week with a 0-6 record. 

Cross country 

• Jamie Moore finished first 

overall in 16 minutes, 58 seconds 

to lead the Bellows Falls 

boys’ cross-country team 

to a third place finish behind 

Woodstock and Rutland 

at Friday’s Russ Pickering 

Invitational at BFUHS. 

Brattleboro finished fourth. 

Contributing to BF’s strong 

showing were Willie Moore 

(third in 17:35), Tim Jones 

(10th in 18:30), Jamie Matthew 

(46th in 22:59), Matt Chapin 

(48th in 23:03), Will Scarlett 

(51st in 23:22), and Logan 

Cushman (69th in 28:54). 

Woodstock also won the 

girls race, followed by Stratton 

Mountain School and Rutland. 

Neither Bellows Falls nor 

Brattleboro had enough runners 

for a team score. Anna 

Clark finished eighth overall 

in 22:06 to lead the Terriers, 

while Chapin Reis was 24th 

and Lucy Lawlor 32nd. 

• Brattleboro had a good 

showing at a multi-team meet 

in Hartford earlier in the week, 

tying Woodstock for first place 

in the boys meet. 

Spencer Olson led the 

Colonels with a third place finish 

in 19:52 over the 5-kilometer 

course. He was followed 

by Arturo Guttierez (fourth in 

20:02), Michael Cioffi (sixth in 

20:14), Graham Glennon (19th 

in 21:43), and Ryan Gilligan 

(20th in 21:46). 

Woodstock won the girls’ 

meet. BUHS freshman Catey 

Yost finished 11th in 25:26, 

while teammate Dana Alexa 

was 27th in 32:18.

TWO DREAMS, ONE WINNER Brattleboro agency ... - The Commons

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?