MOU NTA I N TIMES Vol. 50, No. 32 Fat FREE. Sugar FREE. Gluten FREE. Every page is FREE. Aug. 11-17, 2021 Blueberry power Blueberry season is wrapping up, but it's not too late! Grab a pint at a local farmers market or pick your own, then try this E-licious recipe. Page 23 Chris Karr to replace Claffey on Killington SB By Curt Peterson Killington Select Board member Chuck Claffey was about a half-year short of completing his first term on the Board when he sold his house and moved to Mendon, requiring him to resign from his seat. Chair Steve Finneran and Jim Haff (the remaining two Se- lect Board members) appointed a replacement for Claffey to Submitted avoid tie votes on town issues, Tuesday, Aug. 3. Prior to their Jane Ramos selection, Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth was authorized to solicit letters of inter- LOCAL LIBRARIAN est from residents who “My goal is to SELECTED TO SPEAK would like the job. IN RENO THIS FALL Four respondents — help keep the Submitted Killington Library Di- Mike Miller, Chris Karr, ship sailing in its Brian and Calista Budrow and their two young children moved to Rutland after Stay-to-Stay. rector Jane Ramos will Don Martin and Roger speak at a convention Rivera — expressed inter- current direction," in Reno, Nevada in Oc- est. After a discussion in tober. The conference executive session, Haff Karr said. The Budrow family finds their theme is “The biggest and Finneran chose Karr. little library.” “I like the stability the town government has right now, groove in the Rutland community Page 4 after a period of turmoil,” Karr told the Mountain Times. “My Calista to open a new houseplant shop downtown this fall goal is to help keep the ship sailing in its current direction.” Karr is well-known in Killington, and has been a resident By Katy Savage for nearly four decades. RUTLAND—In March 2020, just days “It just really took over during the pan- “My parents brought me to Killington to ski in the ‘70s before the state shutdown due to the corona- demic,” she said. “You’re at home, so you’re when I was a kid,” Karr said. “I moved here in the ‘80s, and I virus pandemic, Calista Budrow moved into collecting plants to take care of. That’s when I think the town has always been in my blood. I love it.” a new house with her family in Rutland. She really started learning more about some vari- Karr heads the Karr Group, which owns popular busi- brought her small collection of houseplants eties that were less common to me before.” nesses including the Pickle Barrel Night Club, Jax Food and with her. A year later, Budrow has more than Budrow, 34, isn’t alone. Plant retailers Games, The Foundry at Summit Pond, Mad Hatter’s Scoops, 100 plants in her 2,000 square foot house. reported a surge in sales during the pan- Charity’s 1887 Saloon, and the Waterwheel Trading Post. Budrow has everything from small succu- demic, as people found comfort in having Karr > 2 lents, to hanging plants, to large floor plants. Budrow > 3 DANGEROUS HEAT EXPECTED THIS WEEK The National Weather Police shoot, kill Service is expecting Route 100 in Plymouth to dangerously hot and aggressor in Hartford humid conditions for close for a month HARTFORD—An inves- the remainder of this tigation continues into the week for most of the By Ethan Weinstein Aug. 5 fatal police shooting state. High humidity Beginning Aug. 30, Route weeks prior to the planned responding culverts, will be of a man in Hartford. could make it feel like 100 in Plymouth will be closed closure, according to VTrans. about $1.8 million. The Hartford police 100°F or hotter in some for a month, with the possibil- If bedrock is found during Willey Earthmoving Corp. officer who was attacked locations. Poor air ity of an extended closure. construction on bridge 114, of Windsor will handle the and subsequently fired his quality due to wildfire Crews will replace two bridges Route 100 may stay closed for construction. duty weapon is Cpl. Eric smoke is also a possi- and culverts. A detour around an additional three weeks. The culverts, which chan- Clifford, a 12-year veteran bility again this week. the construction adds over 7 The closure will take place nel the flow of Reservoir of the Hartford Police Dept. Find water to cool off! miles to the through-trip and during some of peak leaf peep- Brook, do not meet hydraulic The deceased man was goes over 100A, which will also ing season. And the detour will standards and fall into the identified as Joseph John be under construction for the likely back up traffic. categories of “serious” and Howard, 35, of Bradford. entirety of the bridge projects, Public Information “poor” conditions. An autopsy performed by reducing traffic at times to a Consultant Shawna Kitzman Although not noted by the Chief Medical Exam- Living single lane. At the moment, stated that VTrans views both VTrans, travelers from the iner’s Office in Burlington there is no truck detour, so all the 100 and 100A construction south could take Route 103 to identified the cause of his Courtesy HPD ADE vehicles will be forced to deal as a single project. Route 4, arriving in Killington death as gunshot wounds Cpl Eric Clifford WHAT'S HAPPENING with 100A’s steep passages. VTrans estimates that the by way of Rutland. While to the chest, and the man- THIS WEEK? The Aug. 30-Sept. 26 combined cost of replacing longer in distance, this route ner of death as homicide — shot by law enforcement. Howard Over 200 local events! timeline is tentative; a final an- the 50-year-old bridges, 114 involves larger roads that had no prior involvements with the Hartford Police Dept. and Page 16 nouncement will be made two and 115, as well as the cor- permit higher speeds. Shooting > 13 2 • LOCAL NEWS The Mountain Times • Aug. 11-17, 2021 Most Mendon Woodstock EDC votes to spend taxpayers will $110K on marketing firm By Katy Savage WOODSTOCK — The streets of Woodstock are busier rants, housing and diverse stores. pay less than ever this summer, but the Woodstock Economic De- “We’re lacking in a lot of areas,” he said. “We don’t have velopment Commission is looking toward the future. housing for staff or anyone else that wants to come.” Increased home valuations, lower The EDC board voted 6-2 on Thursday, Aug. 5 to spend Meanwhile, Malik said he’d rather see the money help municipal tax rate, surplus, state $110,000 on a marketing firm to bring more visitors, busi- current businesses. nesses and residents to town. “I’m not in support of it because as a consumer, what education formula explained The board agreed to hire Class Four, a firm in Burlington, brings me to places is not direct marketing, it’s the fact that By Brett Yates to film and photograph 12 events in Woodstock over 10 there’s something to do,” Malik said. MENDON — A previous article in the Mountain Times, months, which will be used on future social media promo- EDC chair Jon Spector said the platform would be built “Tax rate plunges in Mendon” (July 28), misstated the tions and marketing campaigns. over 10 months, though he stressed marketing efforts municipal tax rate in Mendon for 2021–2022 as 0.3973%. The The proposal will now go to the Woodstock Select Board wouldn’t begin until they’re needed. correct rate is 0.3793%. for approval. “We won’t go to market if we can’t handle the volume,” Following publication, several readers wrote in to express The proposal comes at a time when EDC member Patrick Spector told his colleagues. “I think we can all agree that concerns about the townwide reappraisal that, by boost- Fulz, the owner of Sleep at some point in our ing Mendon property valuations this year, resulted in the Woodstock, and other The board agreed to hire Class Four, a firm lives, we’re going to lowered tax rate alluded to in the article’s title. Some worried business owners said need it.” that the tax rate, despite its significant decline (from 2.0545% they are at capacity. Fultz in Burlington, to film and photograph 12 The EDC’s budget to 1.5377% in the total said his motel has been comes from Wood- events in Woodstock over 10 months. residential rate), had “We have been sold out on weekdays stock’s 1% option tax, not fallen sufficiently — something he hasn’t which declined about to offset the enormous instructed that seen in his eight years of ownership. 30% from 2019 to 2020, to about $200,000. The budget for rise in Mendon’s “It’s just not normal traffic flow,” Fultz said in an inter- Class Four would be spread over three years. Grand List and that our tax amount is view outside of the meeting. “I’m calling it revenge travel. This isn’t the first time an outside company has been they’d end up with a adjusted by the People couldn’t do anything for 1 ½ years and now they are.” hired to market Woodstock. The EDC hired Boston- higher property tax bill But Fultz said the traffic won’t last. based Warner Communications for $70,000 in 2016. as a result. CLA and that we “This traffic we’re having right now is foliage traffic, it’s Warner brought travel writers and bloggers to town after On the whole, these just insane,” Fultz said.