By Curt Peterson More than 30 people attended Hartland’s second public meeting on Thursday night, Jan. 27 to discuss how the town might best invest $1,050,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Everyone attended virtually but Rendy Strawbridge of Barron Hill Road, who sat with Town Manager David Ormiston in Damon Hall. Of the…

By Polly Mikula The Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC) met with the town of Killington and its residents via Zoom Thursday, Jan. 27, for a public hearing on the town of Killington’s tax increment financing (TIF) application. The town hopes to utilize future incremental municipal and education property tax revenue to finance planned infrastructure that…

Dear Editor, Editor’s note: The following letter is an adaptation of the testimony Art Malatzky gave to the Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC) on Jan. 27. VEPC is considering the town of Killington’s application to utilize future incremental municipal and education property tax revenue to finance debt, if approved by the voters and incurred for…

Staff report Lauren Anderson has been to the 2014 Pyeongchang Olympics and the 2018 Sochi Olympics, where she watched her daughter Jamie Anderson nab two gold medals and one silver, but Anderson will have to watch the 2022 Olympics on her couch in Hartland. “It’s weird what is happening in the world,” Anderson said. “I…

Skiing competition has returned to Killington for the 2021-22 ski season. Last week Killington Resort hosted the Eastern Cup Slalom on Highline. The races took place over four days: about 80 women raced on Saturday and Sunday; and about 100 men raced on Monday and Tuesday. As usual for an Eastern Cup, racers were from…

Randy Crossman, a 62-year-old woodworker and seventh-generation Vermonter from Rutland, has crossed the halfway mark in his goal to summit Pico Mountain 365 times in 365 days, a project he calls “PicoSummit365.” He began the project in summer 2021 and just recently exceeded 200 hikes. Crossman is an avid outdoorsman who committed to this goal…

By Katy Savage The Vermont Farmer Food Center on West Street in Rutland has been ordered to shut down after failing to submit a work plan to the state to remediate a contamination problem. Kimberly Caldwell, an environmental analyst at the Department of Environmental Conservation, said the owners of the property missed a Jan. 17…

The 2022 tax season officially opened Monday, Jan. 24 at both the federal and state levels. This is the date that the IRS and Vermont begin accepting and processing personal income tax returns for tax year 2021. The Vermont Dept. of Taxes offers the following tips to make filing and getting your refund easier and…

Staff report, VTDigger PAWLET—A Supreme Court decision has confirmed that Slate Ridge must permanently shut down and pay the town of Pawlet $46,603. Neighbors have long expressed concerns and fear about the operations at the controversial paramilitary training facility, owned by Daniel Banyai, which has hosted local militia groups. Slate Ridge has garnered national attention;…

By Curt Peterson Keri Bristow, Windsor Central Unified Union School District board member of Woodstock chaired the second official Zoom meeting of the board’s recently created district renaming committee on Jan. 24. Unlike some school district rebranding projects, WCUUSD doesn’t have any controversial ethnic or racial issues with either the district name or its athletic…

Broken water line, asbestos displace students until March most likely By Katy Savage Castleton Village School abruptly closed for two months starting Tuesday, Jan. 18 after a broken water pipe and an asbestos problem damaged half the building. About 100 middle school students and 20 teachers from Castleton Village School moved to Castleton Elementary to…

By Curt Peterson Windsor Central Unified Union School District (WCSD) Superintendent Sherry Sousa told the Mountain Times she understands the rationale behind the Agency of Education’s abandonment of the in-school “Test to Stay” program this week. “Surveillance testing didn’t address the Omicron proliferation,” she said. “A few weeks ago 500 tests netted only four positive…

By Brett Yates The Pittsfield Select Board voted last Thursday, Jan. 20, to delay its annual Town Meeting until May 3, 2022. On Jan. 14, Gov. Scott signed Act 77, which temporarily suspends the state law requiring town meetings to take place on the first Tuesday in March, citing Covid-19’s “potential to jeopardize the health,…

Newcomer adapts to Vermont life By Victoria Gaither Rutland, Vermont, is one of those cities that can make you or break you! Just ask newcomer Stella Shalem, who traded in the beaches of Miami, Florida, for the cold of Rutland. “I had to learn everything about how to dress for the cold,” Shalem said. “Not…

The Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) has been informed that Executive Director Ed Bove will be stepping down from his position in the coming year. Bove has been with the commission for 14 years and has served as executive director for the last eight. Under his steady leadership the RRPC has received membership contributions from…