Mountain Times - Vol. 50, Number 2, Jan. 13-19, 2021

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4 • LOCAL NEWS The Mountain Times • Jan. 13-19, 2021 Sharon Academy installs new solar panels Driving past The Sharon Academy High School, folks will notice a change: Integrity Energy of Bethel has installed 48 solar panels on the south-facing slope above the driveway. The Sharon Academy (TSA) expects that these new solar panels will provide approximately 40% of the high school’s annual energy usage. “This project is a win-win,” explained Mary Newman, head of school at TSA. “We are lowering our energy costs, reducing our carbon footprint, and at the same time, we are participating in developing a real-life project that will generate ongoing learning opportunities for our students.” John Roe, TSA’s board chair, added “We plan on adding more capacity over time by adding panels on the gym roof as we move to further decrease our carbon footprint.” Pittsford stormwater system design finalized The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) in partnership with Enman Kesselring Consulting Engineers recently announced the final design of a stormwater runoff retention system in Pittsford. The goal of the project was to design a system to capture, treat, and infiltrate stormwater runoff from the drainage area that includes the Lothrop School, associated parking lots, portions of Pleasant Street, and the southern half of the fire station property, a drainage area of about seven acres. Stormwater from this area is currently discharged under Mechanic Street to the Sugar Hollow Brook. For most storms, the proposed design will divert stormwater to a bioretention system. IT’S YOUR CHOICE... Which would YOU rather be doing? NO SHOVELING. NO DRIVING. NO WORRIES. 2001 Gables Place· • Rutland, VT VT www.thegablesvt.com OR Come explore year-round, STRESS-FREE living at Rutland County’s FULL-SERVICE retirement community. For info or a PRIVATE TOUR, call Randi Cohn at 802-770-5275. DINING | HOUSEKEEPING | MAINTENANCE | TRANSPORTATION | PET-FRIENDLY | HEALTH SERVICES | SELECT RESIDENCY NOW AVAILABLE. FIND US ON FACEBOOK Where the living is easy Woodstock alumna to lead Gov's Institute Once a student, Elizabeth Frascoia is now the executive director of GIV The Governor’s Institutes of Vermont (GIV) is excited to announce that this month the nonprofit organization will welcome Elizabeth Frascoia as its new executive director. This is the first time that a graduate of the Institutes has taken this leadership role, and she is only the fifth executive director in GIV’s 38 years. Frascoia participated as a student in the arts and math institutes while she attended Woodstock Union High School, and later spent many summers on staff. Most recently, she led the Governor’s Institute on the Arts for nine years. She brings a passion for building community and leading complex teams, which she did for several technology startups in New York City after earning a degree from Harvard University. Frascoia also brings some unusual qualifications. As a professional trombonist and vocalist, she has performed with artists such as Adele, Michael Bolton, and Ice Cube, and appeared on national TV shows such as Saturday Night Live, American Idol and The Tonight Show. “I know GIV changes lives: receiving a scholarship to the Arts Institute allowed me to expand my horizons, Submitted Elizabeth Frascoia and gave me the confidence to embark on a music career which has taken me from a small town to performing all over the world. I am This is the first time that an alumnus of the Institutes has taken this leadership role. excited to help more Vermont high school students be able to access these world-class programs!” Board Chair Jane Campbell noted that the board’s selection was “the GIV held summer online Quality caregiving at home— so you may simply be family again please visit giv.org. We offer affordable, quality in-home care for your senior family Do you have the traits of an Ideal members, CAREGIVER? to give you the peace of mind If so, we would love to hear that your from loved one is you! We are hiring, hiring, hiring! Members of our caregiving team enjoy the following benefits: • Competitive Wages to working in facilities with less stress • Health Insurance for Eligible Employees • Full-time, part-time, temporary and per diem opportunities to fit your schedule • Paid Training & Orientation • Career Ladder opportunities within the company • Sense of fulfillment knowing you made a difference • Safe environment with COVID protocols/education in place for caregiver & clients culmination of a nationwide search that brought in an exceptional candidate pool. She stood out for her deep understanding of GIV, unique and diverse skill set, and passion and commitment to bringing the outsized impact of this powerful organization to future generations of young people.” Ms. Frascoia takes over from Kaomi Taylor Mitchell MPA, GIV’s executive director for the last 11 years, during which GIV greatly expanded its offerings and doubled down on its educational equity mission. Taylor Mitchell reported: “Elizabeth and I started in leadership positions at GIV at exactly the same time, so she’s been a huge part of guiding and executing GIV’s recent successes and I’ve seen firsthand the intelligence, energy, resourcefulness and deep commitment she brings. I foresee great things to come!” immersions in 2020 due to the pandemic, and programming for summer 2021 will be announced soon. All Vermont 9th, 10th, and 11th graders are eligible to apply, and tuition is designed to be affordable for every family. 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The Mountain Times • Jan. 13-19, 2021 STATE NEWS • 5 By Rep. Jim Harrison Last Wednesday, Jan. 6, we saw a sharp contrast between legislative life in Vermont and in the Congress in Washington, D.C. This contrast couldn’t have been more stark — one: unusually quiet, orderly and historic but subdued, By Sen. Alison Clarkson and the other: noisy, chaotic and shockingly violent. One affirming and one rocking our firm faith in the sanctity of our democratic process. In Vermont, the Legislature gathered in a hybrid of in-person and Zoom attendance to be sworn in for a new biennium of public service. I was one of 19 senators who went up to the State House in Montpelier to be sworn in live in the Senate chamber. Our other 11 colleagues attended remotely and we could see An untraditional start On Jan. 6, the Vermont Legislature convened for the start of the 2021-22 biennium. Normally the first week has its share of tradition, as well as some pomp and circumstance, with the swearing in of all 180 lawmakers along with the State’s constitutional officers and the Governor’s Inaugural address, which are all done in Montpelier. The State House is filled with families, friends, guests, past governors and more. There is often a school or choral group singing “Our Green Mountains.” Not in 2021. This year, most of the events were virtual, much like how the legislative session ended last year. Governor Scott gave a brief speech via Zoom to a joint session (House and Senate) of the Legislature on Thursday afternoon and chose to give his expanded speech to a television audience Thursday evening. Legislators met their new committee colleagues and began their work online. As a footnote to the swearing in of the state’s top two office holders, both oaths were administered by Chittenden residents: Vermont Chief Justice Paul Reiber for Governor Scott and Federal Judge Peter Hall for Lt Governor Molly Gray. In his speech Thursday, the governor, while complimenting Vermonters on their collective efforts with the state’s response to the pandemic, called for unity in tackling the recovery and the challenges ahead. He highlighted investments in public health, economic relief, housing, and more over the course of the pandemic. He asked the Legislature to collaborate with his administration and build on that progress to address disparities in education and childcare, promote economic opportunity and job growth, and make Vermont more affordable for working families. And while Scott supports investment in childcare, he ruled out any new payroll taxes for such efforts. Other items of note: • Supporting downtowns of all sizes through Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts; • Creating a more flexible education system from “cradle to career;” • The need for increasing the number of taxpayers while not increasing taxes; • Reducing the cost of unemployment insurance to employers without negatively impacting benefits to those unemployed; • Supporting employers through renewed business grants for those businesses that have been detrimentally impacted by Covid. More details on the governor’s priorities will be forthcoming in the administration’s budget proposal on Jan. 26. The Legislature’s first week, however, was overshadowed by the events in Washington where, as you know, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building to disrupt the certification of the November election. Following a statement of strong condemnation by the governor and a push for Trump to resign or be removed, the Legislature approved a resolution with essentially the same message. In just over a week, former vice president, Joe Biden, will become President. It is time, in my view, to move ahead and find ways to unite the country. Perhaps Vice President Pence and President-Elect Biden should meet and send that message together. In the “be careful what you say” category, last May in announcing my candidacy for re-election, I stated that I would not shy away from the choices we will need to make as a state given the many uncertainties of the pandemic. Little did I know that our new House Speaker, Jill Krowinski, would appoint me to the influential House Appropriations Committee. The committee of 11 returning members (seven Democrat, four Republican), is charged with crafting the House version of the state budget, generally using the governor’s Harrison > 6 Stark contrasts between legislative life in Vermont and D.C. For the first time in Vermont history, the legislative leadership is entirely female. them up on the big screens in the chamber. When we take this oath of office – all of us swear to uphold and defend the constitutions of both of our state and of our country. For the first time in my legislative life, the State House was practically empty on this normally exciting first day of a new biennium. It is usually a crush of families and friends coming to celebrate their loved ones being sworn in, and to experience the moderate pomp and circumstance of the launch of a new biennium. Despite the fact that few were physically present in Montpelier, there was a palpable sense of the historic nature of this new biennium. Not only were most members of the general assembly sworn in remotely, via Zoom, but for the first time in Vermont history, the legislative leadership is entirely female: Speaker of the House, President pro tempore of the Senate and the majority leader in both the House and the Senate. In addition, the new Lt. Governor is female. I am delighted to have been elected the Senate majority leader – and am excited to see what this leadership team will accomplish. While the federal legislature was sworn in on Jan. 3, both the state and federal Legislatures had one job in common on Jan. 6. Both bodies had to begin the process of certifying the votes of the general election. Vermont’s canvassing committee — made up of House and Senate members — was appointed in the morning and met with the secretary of state, and his election team, that afternoon. After reviewing the vote cast and tallied for each state wide official: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary Clarkson > 6 LOCAL PEOPLE. LOCAL SERVICE. Home Comfort – All season long! BEAT THE HEAT! Get on the schedule for an air conditioning or Mini Split AC Unit Installation. 0 % Down - 0 % Interest For up to 36 months Call us now at 866-326-0535 Table of contents Local news....................................................................2 State news.....................................................................5 Opinion.......................................................................10 Calendar......................................................................16 Puzzles........................................................................19 Living ADE..................................................................20 Food matters...............................................................23 Pets..............................................................................28 Horoscopes.................................................................29 Columns......................................................................30 Classifieds/Service directory....................................34 Real estate...................................................................36 Mou nta i n Ti m e s is a community newspaper covering Central Vermont that aims to engage and inform as well as empower community members to have a voice. Polly Lynn Mikula ................................Editor & Co-Publisher Jason Mikula ...................... Marketing/Advertising Manager & Co-Publisher Brooke Geery ..................Assistant Editor, Business Manager Lindsey Rogers ............... Marketing/Advertising Consultant Millie Bache .................... Marketing/Advertising Consultant Krista Johnston .................................. Head Graphic Designer Katy Savage Julia Purdy Curt Peterson Gary Salmon Dom Cioffi Mary Ellen Shaw Paul Holmes Merisa Sherman Dave Hoffenberg Virginia Dean Flag photo by Richard Podlesney Ed Larson Sandra Dee Owens Brett Yates Kevin Theissen Robin Alberti ©The Mountain Times 2021 The Mountain Times • P.O. Box 183 Killington, VT 05751 • (802) 422-2399 Email: editor@mountaintimes.info mountaintimes.info
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