Discover More from This Author: Polly

$50m Killington Forward phase filing approved

December 22, 2022
VEPC approval clears way for bond vote on Town Meeting Day By Polly Mikula The town’s Killington Forward plan is approaching actuality. The plan — two years in the making — aims to provide clean water, road improvements, development of a mixed-use Six Peak Killington village, and to create workforce and affordable housing. Over the…

‘One of the worst storms in history’

December 22, 2022
110K households lost power Staff report  The first major storm of the year brought nearly two feet of heavy, wet snow to the region and caused outages for 110,000 customers, according to Green Mountain Power. “This storm ranked as one of the worst storms in recent history,” said Kristin Carlson, GMP’s vice president of strategy…

Killington Valley Real Estate celebrates 50 years

December 22, 2022
By Karen D. Lorentz Fifty years ago on Oct.  15, 1972 Judy Storch founded Killington Valley Real Estate (KVRE) with Pat Denis. Sally Bridges became her partner after Denis left, and when Bridges left to become an appraiser, Storch became KVRE’s sole proprietor. She sold the business to Bret Williamson and his wife Kim in…

Casella debuts state’s first electric refuse collection truck

December 22, 2022
Pilot program launched in Killington, will serve the Rutland Region Casella Waste Systems introduced its Mack® LR Electric model, the first electric refuse vehicle in the state, in a ceremony at the Killington Grand Hotel on Dec. 9 in front of over 100 onlookers including local and state representatives, local business leaders, customers, employees, and…

RNESU eyes 10.71% budget hike

December 22, 2022
By Angelo Lynn/Addison Independent The Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union Board is well on its way to adopting a fiscal year 2024 budget with preliminary numbers projecting a 10.71% increase in spending, with certain line items like fuel seeing a 48% increase over the prior year. The Consumer Price Index (inflation) is around 9% over the…

Killington to remove beaver dams

December 22, 2022
By Katy Savage Killington is removing beaver dams to stop stormwater runoff and protect infrastructure. The town was granted a stream alteration permit from the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) on Nov. 23  to remove and downsize five beaver dams in a 6.1-mile stretch along the Ottauquechee River corridor. “The town of Killington has a…

Pittsford Village Farm awarded $335,834

December 22, 2022
Adds to $400K grant it received in May Staff report PITTSFORD —Pittsford Village Farm was awarded $335,834 from the Northern Border Regional Commission and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture rural development funding programs on Nov. 16. This is on top of a $400,000 award in congressional funding announced by Sen. Bernie Sanders in May. But…

And the stockings were hung….

December 22, 2022
By Rep. Jim Harrison The popular holiday poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement Moore, was first published nearby in a Troy, New York newspaper on Dec. 23, 1823. With this past weekend’s fresh snow cover, the visions of St. Nick depicted in the poem should be alive and well this week. My best…

National Forest Service urges caution on winter trails

December 22, 2022
Now that winter has finally arrived with lots of snow for snowmobiling fun, the U.S. Forest Service reminds snowmobile enthusiasts to put safety first out on the trails, not only in the national forest but on all lands. Carelessness and hazards beneath the snow can ruin your whole day. For this and other reasons, snowmobilers…

Gov. Scott’s annual tree cutting celebrates Vermont’s Christmas tree industry

December 22, 2022
Gov. Phil Scott and Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts visited White’s Tree Farm in Essex Dec. 9. to celebrate the arrival of the 2022 Christmas season with the help of Vermont’s farmers. The trees cut during this visit will decorate the Pavilion Building in Montpelier, which houses the Governor’s Office. “As we enter the holiday season,…

Vermonters urged to challenge broadband map data

December 22, 2022
The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is calling on all Vermonters to check their addresses on the FCC National Broadband Map and file a challenge if the information is incorrect. Correcting addresses that are incorrectly listed as served at speeds of 25/3 Mbps or greater by a wired or licensed wireless provider could mean millions…

Childcare centers statewide seek more workers

December 22, 2022
By John Flowers/Addison County Independent Add childcare centers to the list of industries struggling to find and retain employees amid what has become a shallow pool of workers since the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. Childcare facilities statewide, many of which operate on a thin margin, simply don’t have the resources to…

New fund pays early childhood education students to graduate early, join the workforce.

December 22, 2022
Students pursuing a certificate or degree in early childhood education can get paid to increase the number of college courses they take and graduate sooner. A partnership between the Community College of Vermont (CCV) and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) is leveraging funds secured by Vermont’s federal congressional delegation to pay students while they take…

New weatherization financing program available for Vermonters

December 22, 2022
Drafty, inefficient homes in need of weatherization will soon have a new affordable program available to them with the launch of the Weatherization Repayment Assistance Program (WRAP). The program, funded by $9 million from the state and overseen by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), will use an innovative on-bill payment model to help moderate-income…

Vermont takes No. 4 in latest energy efficiency state rankings

December 22, 2022
California ranks No. 1; Maine is most improved; Northeast leads nation As Americans struggle to pay rising energy bills, leading states have instituted energy efficiency policies that cut utility bills—especially for those who need it most—while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to the 2022 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. These policies can serve as models for…