By Lani Duke
School back in session at Castleton
CASTLETON—Castleton Elementary students returned to school Oct 31 after evacuating the school the day before. A small fire in a ceiling junction box caused officials to move students by bus to Castleton Village School to assure they would be warm and safe.
Noticing a smoky odor at the Elementary, staff evacuated the school and the Castleton Fire Department arrived, the Rutland Herald reported. Staff and students carried out the emergency response plan smoothly, and they went home at the usual time. The facilities manager told superintendent Brooke Farrell that a $200 repair had fixed the junction box. Farrell noted that the wind storm earlier in the day had not caused or contributed to the junction box failure.
Wanted: town manager
FAIR HAVEN—Fair Haven is looking for a new town manager. Jonas Rosenthal, former Poultney town manager, has been leading the community since March. Rosenthal thought he would be out of a job and a new town manager installed by September, he told the Rutland Herald. But Select Board Chair Robert Richards projects that the decision may well be in January. The town would like to have a new manager settled in by the first town meeting, he commented.
Richards believes a town manager must make a commitment to the town, to want to live in the community or be able to make a good case for not living there. His other priorities are that the new manager be both a good money manager and a good personnel manager.
This is Fair Haven’s second pass at filling the permanent position. Earlier in the year, the board narrowed the field to three or four good candidates, Richards said. The candidate they chose rejected the salary offer.
The case of the vanishing cemetery commissioners
MIDDLETOWN SPRINGS—Middletown Springs voted to establish a cemetery commission in 1902, but there have apparently been no cemetery commissioners on town ballots for the past 50 years. That lack puts the Select Board in the position of serving as de facto cemetery commission. A search of the available information did not clarify whether the town had officially disbanded the commission or merely neglected it, John Arsenault reported to the Middletown Springs Select Board Sept. 18. The Town could put commission revitalization on its Town Meeting 2018 ballot.
The town budget includes a reserve fund for the Old Cemetery, depositing $1,000 to $3,000 each year for the past 12 years or more. It has been used for mowing and trimming but has a $6,175 balance plus $2,000 allocated in the FY 2018 budget.
New businesses open in Castleton
CASTLETON—Third Place Pizzeria owner Andrew Breting has announced he will open The Lounge next door to his business by the time students return to campus after their December break. It will have a new menu, eight taps, and a variety of wines with daily specials, he told the Castleton Spartan. He described the menu as high-end pub style while holding the cost down. The 16- to 20-person bar will have additional table seating plus servers and personal lounge areas, with the intent of creating a relaxed atmosphere. Its over-21 ambiance separates it from being a “wild, crazy hangout,” he said.
Castleton Corners sports a pair of new businesses with the opening of Total Fitness and All-Star Nutrition, both owned by Elanit Greenman and Mike Robertucci.
Total Fitness offers Zumba, aerobics, and toning classes.
All-Star Nutrition specializes in Herbalife shakes and other merchandise, along with wellness evaluations and weight loss challenges. All fitness levels are welcome. It is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
