Robin Roberts
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The Mountaineers are New Restaurant, The Social, Fighting Weeds with Coming to Town / p.6 Opens on Main Street / p.10 Andrew in Calais / p.17 Home Improvement F r e e , & GardeningIndependent May 19–Juneand Local8, 2021 Energy Disclosure Ordinance Tweaked, Approved From By Tom Brown Ebbets he Montpelier City Council last week approved a controversial or- Field to the Tdinance that would require resi- dential home sellers to disclose to pro- spective buyers the amount of energy Montpelier they use to heat, cool, and run their homes — but not right away. Rec After hearing complaints from resi- dents who suggested that the website Meeting a baseball used to produce the required Vermont Home Energy Profile was not ready for legend here in town primetime, the council agreed to post- pone making the ordinance mandatory until July 1, 2022. The original ordinance called for the Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, depicted here on a stone plaque at the Montpelier Rec Field, started law to become mandatory in July of this in Montpelier but went on to play in the major leagues. Photo by John Lazenby. year. The additional year of voluntary compliance would give the operators of By Ken Libertoff the site, Clearly Energy, time to improve the user experience, the council said. y grandmother Libertoff — my mom spent much time poring over Although these seats were far from the The council also reduced the cap on the a stern, unhappy, divorced the advice from Dr. Spock. plate and some distance from the action, amount of fines for non-compliance from Mwoman — lived in a basement Grandma Libertoff seemed moody and they were filled with real blue-collar $1,000 to $500, once the mandatory apartment in what is now called the Car- troubled, but I suppose that being a Brooklyn fans who cheered and booed phase begins. roll Gardens section of Brooklyn. The divorcee in the early 1950s was a social in response to activities on the field, Realtors and others spoke strongly dwelling had no windows, creating a stain that was hard to remove. Although energizing the air with catcalls and ador- gloomy ambience. For some reason, the she taught in a local elementary school, ing commentary while overloaded bags see Ordinance, page 13 apartment light fixtures seemed to be there was nothing warm or tender in of popcorn and containers of beer were limited to 40-watt bulbs. And adding to her presentation. Even to me, she was spilled with reckless abandon. the frightening atmosphere was the pres- cool and distant, and she was certainly Grandma Libertoff was not a big ence of a small freight elevator that went challenged when it came to showing af- spender. As a matter of fact, in all the from the sixth floor right down to the fection. time we went to games together, we never ECRWSS PRSRT STD basement. Its final stop was not simply But she and I had one, and to my once munched on a hot dog or a heap- Montpelier, VT Montpelier, Permit NO. 123 U.S. Postage PAID adjacent to my grandmother’s apartment, recollection, only one endearing connec- ing container of fries. Our ritual was to but it opened right into a small back tion and bond, and that was our mutual bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches room, sort of a storage space that I slept devotion to . the Brooklyn Dodgers from home and take them out during the in when I stayed over. baseball team. home team’s seventh inning stretch. And Several times a day and sometimes in added to the game-day menu were care- the evening, the elevator would descend Ebbets Field fully wrapped Oreo cookies — enough and open with some stranger, usually a When I stayed at grandma’s place on for each of us to have five or six — and burly and unshaven man of ample size, occasional weekends, she took me to Grandma’s thermos of water, water that lugging garbage pails or discarded house- nearby Ebbets Field — the Dodgers’ was cold when we headed out to the ball- hold items through the little room and neighborhood park — a sacred setting park, but which went lukewarm while out a back door. to many. It was a short jaunt from that sitting for an hour or two in the warm It probably would not surprise you dark cave of her apartment — a setting Brooklyn sun. Still, it was better than that I did not sleep well at my grandma’s that I was already referring to as “the nothing. apartment. But when I complained to dungeon.” Saturday was Ladies Day at Perhaps to prove my mettle with my my mother, she dismissed it with little Dodger games, and for 75 cents, women grandma, I had my own ritual. As soon regard, waving me off; telling me “to young and old would be entitled to a grow up.” Looking back, I doubt that grandstand seat for a mere three quarters. see Robin Roberts, page 13 Free, Independent and Local since 1993 / montpelierbridge.org PAGE 2 • MAY 19–JUNE 8, 2021 THE BRIDGE News Fiber Optic Internet Service Now Available From Consolidated Communications By Phil Dodd ew fiber optic internet service internet connection in Montpelier and for funding when it is available. As these download speeds. The Consolidated web- from Consolidated Communi- portions of surrounding towns were a opportunities become available, it moves site states that its current Montpelier area Ncations is now available to some copper-wire based DSL service from Con- us toward our goal of expanding broad- rates “are valid for one year. After one 5,000 homes in the Montpelier area, solidated and a coaxial cable service from band access to underserved areas.” year, standard rates apply.” and the early reports from new users Xfinity. Consolidated says it will continue Whether or not private companies such The rates include the rental of a wireless on Front Porch Forum and elsewhere offering DSL internet service to those as Consolidated will be eligible for state router, but taxes are extra. A salesper- regarding price and reliability are posi- who want it, but claims the fiber optic funding is unknown at this point, but it son said installation is now being sched- tive. The service will soon be available service is superior. is likely funding will be available to com- uled about a week out, where available, throughout Montpelier and in parts of Other local options include Skylink (a munication union districts. A communi- and that some promotions include two Berlin, East Montpelier, Middlesex, and relatively expensive satellite service) and cations union district is an organization months of free service. Worcester. two wireless 4G/LTE services, Cloud Al- of two or more Vermont towns that join Stan Brinkerhoff of Montpelier is ap- Last December, Consolidated an- liance and VTel Wireless. In addition, together as a municipal entity to build parently an early adopter of the Con- nounced plans to upgrade 1.6 million T-Mobile has recently begun offering a communication infrastructure, such as solidated service. He posted earlier this locations across its 23-state footprint to 5G home internet service to some homes internet service. month on Front Porch Forum: “So far the symmetrical, multi-gigabit speeds over in the area. CV Fiber is a communications union service has been perfect, except for about a five-year period, including more than With the pandemic, the importance of district designed to eventually provide 30 minutes of intermittent stability last one million locations in northern New reliable broadband service in Vermont has fiber optic service in 20 towns in Central week when I had to swap to a cell phone England. taken on even more importance because it Vermont, including Montpelier, Barre, to complete calls. The speed is consis- “In Vermont, the company will invest provides a way for people to work or at- and most surrounding towns. Created in tently fast throughout the day (900 mb nearly $140 million over the next five tend classes from home. Local real estate 2018, CV Fiber is still ramping up and upload and download). I am very happy years to bring fiber internet directly to brokers say the availability of good inter- is seeking volunteers for four of its com- with the Consolidated Communications 200,000 Vermonters,” Shannon Sullivan, net service is now an important feature mittees: Communications, Finance, Plan- product. I have not had to call techni- Corporate Communications Manager for for many buyers looking for a new home. ning and Development, and Policy. CV cal support since I purchased and had it Consolidated, said in an email. “Of those, The emergence of new internet options Fiber’s website says it is starting to plan installed.” 50,000 locations are on track to be com- and competition among providers is gen- projects in East Montpelier/Calais, More- Another Montpelier resident who pleted by the end of 2021.” erally seen as desirable. town, and Roxbury/Northfield. However, had the fiber optic service installed and Overall, Consolidated plans to install Vermont has been seeking to expand there is no timeline shown on the website. thought it was fast cautioned that the more than 2,000 miles of fiber optic cable broadband service for some time, but CV Fiber says on the website that “fi- fiber optic wire that comes into the house in Vermont. The new service, recently progress has been slow. Federal stimulus ber-optics is the best technology in the is fragile. She destroyed hers five hours opened up in parts of Montpelier and funds to expand internet service will soon world at delivering Internet service to after installation by moving heavy furni- Brattleboro, should be available by mid- be flowing to the states, however, and the homes and businesses.