By Lani Duke
Benson School kicks off Mileage Club
BENSON—The Mileage Club planned to set off from Benson Village School Oct. 10 with a school-wide, mile-long walk around the soccer field. Students can choose to walk at recess as part of the Mileage Club up to Thanksgiving break, supervised by an adult on recess duty who will stamp each participant’s “mileage marker card.” For every five miles they complete, students receive a “toe token charm” to string on a necklace or shoelace, if they want to collect them that way.
Towns receive fed transportation grant
Fair Haven is one of more than a dozen Vermont communities receiving a combined total of $3.5 million in state and federal funding for projects designed to make it easier and safer for people to ride their bicycles or walk, rather than use vehicles powered by fossil fuels. Fair Haven’s part of that overall package is $350,000 in federal funding toward a $437,500 project for a new sidewalk on the east side of Mechanic Street from Second Street to Fourth Street. The pavement leads into Fair Haven Union High School, creating a link between the town center and the school.
Poultney won $40,000 for a new sidewalk from Church Street to Fire House Lane.
State Agency of Transportation Bicycle and Pedestrian Program manager Jon Kaplan said these grants, announced Oct. 5, are part of a small-project funding initiative to make walking and bicycling safer, reduce traffic congestion, improve public health, and reduce personal transportation costs.
Friends For Education supporting winter recreation for kids
MIDDLETOWN SPRINGS— Friends For Education (FEE), a community support group for the Middletown Springs School, is again sponsoring children’s participation in the Pico Mountain ski and Giorgetti Park skate programs on Friday afternoons. Donations are always welcome and may be dropped off during school hours.
Poultney Mettowee NRCD collects stormwater grant
POULTNEY—Towns within the Castleton River watershed will participate in a joint project to identify sources of stormwater runoff and propose high-priority stormwater mitigation projects. A $28,000 Vermont Clean Water Fund grant will help the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District (PMNRCD) work with the Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC), Castleton, and Hubbardton to identify stormwater projects and ranking in the Castleton River’s headwaters, with additional outreach to Ira, West Rutland, and Pittsford.
Castleton town offices c take shape
CASTLETON—At the Castleton Select Board’s Sept. 26 meeting, Selectman Joseph Bruno reported that the vault walls containing radiant heat conduits have been poured, as have the floors. In hopes of being able to display a number of artifacts from the old town office, Bruno will ask the contractor about the cost of raising the ceiling in the lobby area. Raising the lobby ceiling will not increase heating expense because radiant heat does not rise to the ceiling the way that hot air heating does.
