Safety concerns cancel ice fishing derby
BENSON—Low water levels, rainy weather forecasts, and poor ice conditions led to Fair Haven Rotary Club’s cancelling its planned 45th annual Great Benson Ice Fishing Derby. This cancellation was only the second time the event has been cancelled.
Organizers decided to continue with the cash raffle, though, with such prizes as cash, greens fees, dining, ice fishing art, and an assortment of prizes from local businesses. Plans are already in place for next year’s derby, Feb. 24-25, 2018.
Castleton town offices expect completion by May 1
CASTLETON—McClure Construction expects to finish work on the new Castleton town offices by May 1. The single-story, standalone building houses offices for the town clerk, town manager, treasurer, and finance department, plus health and building inspector offices and a conference room.
Designed by NBF Architects of Rutland, the design is intended to emphasize functionality, said Mark Shea, Castleton town manager. Castleton residents may enter directly to the town clerk’s office and a counter where they can pay their tax bills. A person could take care of business and be out in five minutes, Shea postulated.
Erected next to the Castleton public safety building, home to the fire station and police station, the $903,000 project is, in essence, part of a “municipal complex,” Shea said. The improved convenience is immeasurable. Planning relied on the demographics of where people live, Shea noted. The location is well-positioned for a public safety building, and accessible to other communities via Routes 30 and 4.
The new building includes a vault built to national standards for containing such vital records as birth and death certificates and property deeds. The town will no longer be paying rent but instead investing in a property and building it owns. Rather than using a bond for the land and construction, the town gained a better interest rate by borrowing the money and paying it back in three years.
A surplus in the town budget may speed up paying down the loan balance even more swiftly than anticipated. If voters approve applying that excess to the loan at Town Meeting, covering nearly the entire final payment, there will be only a few thousand dollars left to pay on the loan, Shea commented.
Lobdells honored at Castleton
CASTLETON—During the Spring 2017 convocation Jan. 17, Castleton University President David Wolk named Scott and Toni Lobdell the school’s outstanding alumni of the year. Both are professional educators, having met at Castleton while pursuing their degrees.
She sits on the Castleton Community Center board of directors (currently vice president) and Castleton-Hubbardton School Board. He recently received the honor of being named Outstanding Volunteer at the Castleton Community Center and teaches at the Community College of Vermont, though retired from the public school system.
Castleton students take the icy plunge for Special Olympics
CASTLETON—Seven Castleton University students raised more than $1,500 for Special Olympics Vermont by plunging into Lake Champlain as part of the annual Penguin Plunge fund raiser. Castleton participants were Isaac Ryea, Mikayla Dambrackas, Alex Derosia, Jenna Ray, Cheyanne Borthwick, Briana Hake, and Emily O’Neill.
Some voting starts late
CASTLETON—Castleton voters will notice their voting starts later than usual. Hours for casting ballots are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 7. The time change was set up so that all towns voting on the Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union Act 46 merger are polling at the same time. In other years, voting began at 8 a.m. Absentee ballots must be received by the town clerk by the end of Election Day in order to be counted. For other questions, call Castleton Town Clerk Nedra Boutwell, 468-2212.
School notes
BENSON—Valentine’s Day and the 100th day of school pretty much coincided. Benson Village School fourth-graders combined the two by geometrically designing Valentine card holders. They could also write what they want to do before they turn 100 years old or what they would do if they had $100.
In math, fourth-grade science lessons focused on magnetism and electricity, learning where magnets come from, how to make static electricity and use electromagnetism, and how to make motion detector electric circuits.
Fifth-grade science headed toward a wider horizon, studying the interaction of geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. They have decided where each would prefer to live, considering not just weather but population density and cost of living.
CASTLETON—“Home ec” is not dead! Castleton Village School family and consumer science classes recently finished sewing projects and are studying safety guidelines. Eighth-graders made quilted pillows; seventh-graders, stuffed animals; and sixth-graders, hand sewn puppets.
CVS seventh-graders made catapults for a math project, which are becoming 3D models using a 3D printer. “Lifetime Activities” has begun on Fridays at CVS. The program’s goal is to introduce students in grades five through eight to activities they will enjoy for the rest of their lives.
The Castleton Village School Student Council recently raised more than $300 to donate to Ronald MacDonald House.
FAIR HAVEN—A Fair Haven High student was given a one-day suspension in January for possessing cigarettes on school grounds; a six-day suspension for possessing marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and alcohol on school grounds; and expulsion through Jan. 5, 2018, for possessing a compound bow and a rifle on school grounds. The student may petition for earlier readmission during the 2017-2018 school year and will receive tutoring at some location other than the school during the expulsion.
POULTNEY—Poultney High seniors are planning their springtime trip to New York City for Friday, May 5. Four buses will be leaving the school, each containing 52 students. PHS students are selling raffle tickets to raise the $20 per person bus costs and give each one some lunch money. Principal Joe DeBonis promised to make sure Poultney students at Stafford will have the opportunity to be included. Private cars may also be used if the busses fill up.
Celebrating heritage with soup and bread
GRANVILLE, N.Y.—First Friday at the Slate Valley Museum revels in the flavors that immigrant workers have brought to the American palate, shaping the culture of the Slate Valley for the past 177 years. Soup and Bread Night features Welsh potato and leek soup, Irish stew, Italian wedding soup, Polish borscht, Slovakian mushroom soup, and Jewish matzoh ball soup, March 3, 6 p.m. until the soup runs out. $5 per tasting cup. Rock Hill bakery in Glens Falls will provide the accompanying artisan bread.
