Chamber Honors Excellence Concluded a Highly Preliminary Department-By-Department Her Neighbors Bee’S Wrap, Dr
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MONDAY EDITION ADDISON COUNTY Vol.INDEPENDENT 31 No. 24 Middlebury, Vermont Monday, October 28, 2019 48 Pages $1.00 Special United Bristol Police District Middlebury woman pleads Way section innocent in flagger fatality expansion reshelved MIDDLEBURY — A Haven Junction. • A special section profiles By CHRISTOPHER ROSS “It was good to get feedback Middlebury woman on Oct. 21 If convicted, 49-year-old the many ways the United BRISTOL — After and comments from people,” pleaded innocent to felony charges Jennifer Bergevin faces up to 15 Way of Addison County surveying town residents, the said Bristol Police Chief of drugged driving and gross years in jail — on each count, serves those in need. See Bristol Town Wide Police Bruce Nason, even though the negligent operation of a vehicle according to a court affidavit filed Pages 19-30. District Committee (PDC) committee decided not to add — both with death resulting by Vermont State Police Trooper decided at its Oct. 23 meeting more police officers or expand — in connection with an Aug. Jacqueline June, lead investigator to recommend maintaining its coverage to the entire town. 23 incident during which she is in the case. She had initially been the status quo. (See Bristol, Page 47) alleged to have struck and killed a cited for gross negligent operation construction site flagger near New (See Bergevin, Page 37) New site picked for solar farm Low Lily takes College proposal stage at THT • Brattleboro-based folk draws opposition band Low Lily brings 20 By JOHN FLOWERS years of talent to town. MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury College and Encore See Arts Beat Page 10. Renewable Energy have shifted the proposed location of a 5-megawatt solar farm that would be built off South Street Playoffs reach Extension, spurring objections from around a dozen people quarterfinals who turned out at an Oct. 24 • Many local high school informational meeting about the teams hosted postseason project. games this past weekend. The solar farm in question had originally been slated for See Sports, Pages 33-34. (See Solar, Page 14) City budget BEE’S WRAP WAS honored as the Addison County Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Business of on pace for a the Year at the annual breakfast meeting last Thursday. Chamber President Rob Carter and Emily Gaynor presented the award to Sarah Kaeck, center, owner and founder of Bee’s Wrap. $61K increase Photo courtesy of Joanna Banks-Morgan By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — After the Vergennes City Council Kinkead paints Chamber honors excellence concluded a highly preliminary department-by-department her neighbors Bee’s Wrap, Dr. Fred Kniffen and HOPE receive 2019 awards budget review of city spending with a brief look at the police • Cornwall artist creates MIDDLEBURY – The Addison County their employees and the community. force at its Oct. 22 meeting, portraits of 250 people for Chamber of Commerce recognized a local business, Bee’s Wrap started with a question facing many Vergennes City Manager Matt fun, camaraderie. individual, and nonprofit organization with awards families and home cooks: How can we eliminate Chabot offered council members See Page 2. during its annual meeting held on Oct. 24, at the plastics in our kitchen in favor of a healthier, more a highly speculative 2020-2021 Middlebury Inn. sustainable way to store our food? potential spending increase of Bee’s Wrap, located in Middlebury, received the The company creates wraps that provide a $60,888, or 2.7 cents on the 2019 Business of the Year Award, which recognizes versatile and durable solution for sustainable municipal portion of the tax rate. businesses that have grown, while providing food storage and has seen rapid growth since its Chabot immediately qualified excellent products or services while doing well by (See Chamber, Page 13) (See Vergennes, Page 18) PAGE 2 — Addison Independent, Monday, October 28, 2019 THESE NUMEROUS SMALL portraits make up Rebecca Kinkead’s “A Neighbor Project,” which will adorn the Cornwall artist’s studio and will occasionally be loaned for exhibit. Independent photos/Steve James Cornwall artist escapes solitude by painting her ‘neighbors’ I should probably figure out New Orleans in 2005. Kinkead including one from Wisconsin Kinkead tells stories with 250 portraits something with my life.” was haunted by the images of with 10 members. Among the By JOHN FLOWERS Kinkead on Oct. 19 invited She went back to school, at children trying to find a sense of families was that of Stacey CORNWALL — Cornwall people to check out the completed Minnesota State University, normalcy in the midst of a natural Rainey and Cort Boulanger, who resident Rebecca Kinkead had project, consisting of 7-inch-by- where she earned a master’s catastrophe. She couldn’t afford brought with them a picture of imagined a solitary artistic career. 5-inch portraits of 250 people that degree in experiential education. to go to Louisiana to help. She let their late daughter, Tilly, to make It was going to be her, her art she painted during the course of Kinkead’s course load included her artwork express her feelings. their portrait complete. supplies, a beautiful setting six weeks. a ceramics class. She fashioned “It was just heartbreaking; I Indeed, Kinkead took all and hours to toil away amid the “It’s beyond what I could large sculptural pots, on a wheel. felt helpless,” Kinkead said. “I comers for a project that sounds of chirping birds and the have ever imagined,” she said. She was smitten. just started painting those kids, ultimately swelled to 250 people, wind caressing the bushes in “The energy, the support, the “It was an epiphany; it was as if it were another day in their each making a pilgrimage to her the meadow fronting her idyllic generosity of people and the like, ‘This is all I want to do,’” lives, thinking about what they front porch where they would home. enthusiasm. I love that it’s beyond Kinkead recalled. “I felt I could would be doing if the storm sit and chat with the artist as she But that scene got old very fast. me; it’s this thing that’s shared, speak for the first time in my life.” hadn’t happen. I started painting dabbed the canvass. “I was supposed to be relishing and I love it.” Kinkead moved to Boston them jumping rope, or swinging.” The initial portraits took this solitude, but I was like, ‘I Kinkead, 51, was a self- upon her graduation. Kinkead would return to around an hour each, and were need people,’” Kinkead said described “late bloomer” when “I thought I should be in a city Vermont, settling in Ferrisburgh more abstract in nature. Blank during a recent interview. it came to painting. She first and near my family,” before relocating faces, but nonetheless true to So she came up with what she put brush to canvass at age 30, she said. “It was the to Cornwall last form in terms of conveying facial called “A Neighbor Project,” following a longtime love affair But she found April. Her popularity contours, imbued with what she herself sketching a ultimate was on the rise, sensed as the energy of each through which she invited friends, with pottery. challenge neighbors and strangers to sit on “I got to be 28, I was new career path soon but something was person she painted. her front porch and have their waiting tables at Ken’s Pizza after her move, due to to sit with a missing: Contact She hit her stride a few weeks portraits painted. (in Burlington), and I decided financial realities. human being with others. And into the project, cutting her “I couldn’t afford — painting she imagined her painting time to as little as 10-15 a shelf in a ceramics Neighbor Project as minutes per portrait. studio,” Kinkead an image of providing a lifeline “It was the ultimate challenge lamented. “So I them, which to a parade of people to sit with a human being — thought, ‘I’m going to could come who could give her a painting an image of them, which teach myself to paint.” out completely much-needed dose of could come out completely And paint she did, unflattering.” humanity. unflattering,” Kinkead in the corner of her — Rebecca She launched acknowledged. “It became this small apartment. Kinkead the effort early this interesting thing about looking Through trial and error summer, sending a at someone, chatting with them and experimentation, general shout-out to while I’m painting, and having an she adopted her own anyone near and far who might individual record of this moment technique, working with oil want to have their portraits that we shared. Then they got to paint blended with cold wax, painted. Kinkead cast her invites see what I saw.” linseed oil and chalk. She through social media, Front Porch While no one told Kinkead credited artist Tad Spurgeon, Forum and word-of-mouth. they hated their portrait, a few formerly of Middlebury, for Turns out she didn’t have to do told her the end product was “not her experimentation in paint any arm twisting. how I see myself.” consistency. “Within the first 48 hours, I had Among those was Abi Sessions, “It gives the paint more 150 people respond,” she said former principal of Cornwall’s luminosity and more body, so with a smile. Bingham Elementary School. you can build it up without risk of Around 10 percent of her “When I saw my portrait I was it cracking,” Kinkead said of her subjects ended up being fellow upset,” she said candidly through paint mixture. Cornwall residents and around an email. “I thought I looked Her formula and wonderful, 75 percent were from Addison very stern and a little grouchy.