August 12, 2009
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THE Since 1889 75 Cents HaHardwick ◆ Greensborord ◆ Craftsburyw ◆ Wickolcott ◆ Walden ◆ Stannard Gazette ◆ Woodbury ◆ Calais ◆ Cabot ◆ Marshfield Wednesday, August 12, 2009 Volume 120, Number 31 Funding In Place, Ground Breaking Near For New Health Center by Tommy Gardner approached five area banks before ter, which will be built near the old HARDWICK — The St. Johns- the organization’s finance commit- Lamoille Valley Railway bed, on a bury non-profit organization North- tee reached an agreement with Com- site an old sawmill once occupied. ern Counties Health Care has settled munity National last week. Those were the two biggest on a bank to provide the bulk of Northern Counties received an hurdles Northern Counties had to money for a new $1.1 million health $882,000 shot of stimulus money jump before going ahead and search- care center, to be built at the base of last month, and will use $435,000 of ing for myriad contractors who will Slapp Hill. that for the new center. The rest of have a piece of the construction ac- According to Northern Coun- the stimulus money will be used to tion, Cooney said. The next step is to ties chief executive officer Kevin improve services in its other health put the various construction compo- Cooney, Community National Bank centers, in Island Pond and Con- nents — carpentry, cement-work, will loan the organization the cord. electrical, plumbing — out to bid. $740,000 needed to construct the “Things are going slowly but Cooney said this should hap- 6,500 square-foot medical center. steady,” Cooney said. pen quickly, in the next couple Community National is based in The health center was granted weeks, because he wants to have all Derby, and has about a dozen a permit from the Hardwick Devel- the variables identified in time for branches throughout Northern Ver- opment Review Board in late July. the next Northern Counties board mont. Cooney said the state has granted meeting, Aug. 26. He hopes to break Cooney said Northern Counties right-of-way status for the new cen- See FUNDING, Page Eight Wastewater Plant Springs A Leak, Town Locates Inspector Milfoil Liza LaCasse of Greensboro Bend inspects a Hobie Cat Catamaran for invasive species Sunday at Caspian Beach as this group Parts For A Bargain Price from East Montpelier watches. LaCasse shares the job with Liz Gebbie and Joe Ely. Boat inspections will be done until Labor Day weekend. (photo by Vanessa Fournier) by Tommy Gardner Gochey said, because the town al- Brimblecomb is under contract CABOT — After being informed ready had a spare lined up. with United Water, a New Jersey- of a leakage problem at the 8-year- “It’s not a big deal,” he said. based utility that boasts millions of old wastewater treatment plant, “Things are fine at the plant right customers from coast to coast, and town officials sealed a deal that could now.” was unable to comment publicly allow them to purchase refurbished But Gochey did note it is a sign about the wastewater plant or the replacement parts at one-fifth the the membranes in the plant are replacement parts. cost of new parts. reaching the end of their life expect- Town Clerk Tara Rogerson con- Circus Smirkus And GRACE According to Select Board mem- ancy. At the July Select Board meet- firmed she was asked by the Select ber Larry Gochey, the leak came in ing, Jim Brimblecomb, the chief Board to place a purchase order for one of the plant membranes, which plant operator suggested purchas- 18 membranes, so the town could are filters that allow passage of clean ing used membranes, which could lock in the $1,000 price. The differ- Find Federal Funds Stimulating water while blocking off solid waste. be found from $1,000 apiece. New ence for taxpayers between a pur The leak itself is not an emergency, membranes run about $5,000. See LEAK, Page Eight by Tommy Gardner present the gallery shows and stage Putnam said workshop direc- Smirkus for 12 years, helps recruit Art can stimulate the eyes and extravaganzas. tor Gray handles most of the logis- talent “from all over the world” for ears, but a couple local arts organi- According to GRACE executive tics, such as ordering supplies and the summer program and its annual zations also received some stimu- director Carol Putnam, the stimulus coordinating workshops. Stark man- circus performances around Ver- lating news, in the form of money money will pay for “about a quarter ages the gallery space at GRACE mont and New England, according Vermont Milk Company from the American Recovery and of (the) combined incomes” for the headquarters, in the Old Firehouse to LeClair. He noted the stimulus Reinvestment Act. organization’s workshop program on Mill Street. funds will allow Wunderle to begin Hardwick’s Grass Roots Art and director — Michael Gray — and its As the group prepares to start scouting as early as September, in- Community Effort (GRACE) and exhibition director — Kathy Stark. working on its budget for next year, stead of having to wait until next Prepares To Liquidate Greensboro’s Circus Smirkus were “We are pleased,” Putnam said of Putnam said the stimulus money spring because of a shortage of funds. each awarded stimulus money last the federal money. “This is for retain- helps solve a $10,000 dilemma in a “We would have had to dramati- by Tommy Gardner close its doors. A liquidation occurs “We don’t have a manager or a week. Executive directors for both ing those jobs. We’re just hoping we bad economy. cally reduce the amount of time HARDWICK — The Vermont when a company goes bankrupt and bookkeeper,” Burr said, “and I’m organizations are breathing sighs can keep all of our workshops going.” Circus Smirkus executive di- (Wunderle) is employed,” LeClair Milk Company, which launched its its assets and property are redis- not getting paid to do this. But we’ll of relief that their programs will be Those workshops are what es- rector Ed LeClair echoed that senti- said. “We would have then had to business in 2006 in the Hardwick tributed among its creditors. certainly file (for bankruptcy) as able to continue providing shows sentially define GRACE. The nonprofit ment, saying thanks to the stimulus really scramble next year.” Industrial Park, and which went In the case of VMC, the two soon as we can.” without breaking their budgets, for organization conducts workshops at funds, next year already looks a Saying nothing fuels success like out of business last month after main creditors are the Union Bank, Board members are also em- at least another year. nursing homes and senior centers and little brighter for the 22-year-old more success, LeClair said the Big three years, is now about to begin a which owns the property and the ployed full-time other places than GRACE received $10,000, and other places all around the state. The Greensboro institution. LeClair said Top Tour is the organization’s “flag new chapter: Chapter 7. building, and the Vermont Economic the now-defunct milk company. Circus Smirkus received $9,500. resultant art pieces are often featured the $9,500 will pay for about half of ship program and our biggest re- The milk company will begin Development Authority, which owns Burr is a vegetable farmer in Each of the organization’s executive in gallery exhibitions and slide shows. artistic director Troy Wunderle’s cruiting tool” for Circus Smirkus’s the process of liquidating its assets the milk company equipment. Ac- Monkton. Board member Chantale directors said the money will be used With its staff of six, GRACE conducts annual salary. annual summer camp in Craftsbury. within the next few weeks under cording to Sam Burr, of the VMC Nadeau works for the state and to help pay for the people who as many as 500 workshops a year. Wunderle, who has been with .See CIRCUS, Page Fourteen Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings, board of directors, Chapter 7 pro- she and her husband own a dairy after an inability to pay its debt ceedings are proceeding slower than farm in Holland. forced the dairy processing plant to expected, for a number of reasons. See ASSETS, Page Four Reward Offered For Cemetery Old Town Road Boundaries Vandals; Flood Ordinance Considered Spark Confrontation by Will Walters advised by the state that a written by FEMA. “We almost have to adopt the state on what notification the CABOT — The Select Board resignation must be entered into this,” Gulka said, referring to the town needs to give to affected prop- by June Pichel Cook through the church property on 1 and showed photographs of the discussed recent damage at the Elm the record. Gulka then discussed prototype provided by the state. erty owners, and whether only own- CRAFTSBURY — A confronta- Coburn Hill. The right of way is the unlocked gate. He said “No Tres- Street Cemetery last week and was the new flood plain maps the town The new maps show 10 to 12 ers of properties with buildings need tion between Mission New England remnants of a Coburn Hill road passing” signs were removed. informed by Town Clerk Tara received and discussed the need for properties in the village and a num- to be informed. Member Ted Domey church members, unidentified dirt washed out in the flood of 1997, Ward maintained the gate, an Rogerson the Cemetery Commission the town to adopt a flood hazard ber in Lower Cabot in the flood plain, suggested all property owners be bikers, and a gate, allegedly locked, which altered a stream bed.