Killington chairlifts through the decades tell a tale of challenges overcome, improved experiences By Karen D. Lorentz The decommissioning of the K-1 Base Lodge, which began after a final “tear down party” on March 20, 2022, was the last step in the transformation of the Killington K-1 base area to the thoroughly modern base worthy…

Staff report After abruptly closing in January due to contamination, the Vermont Farmers' Food Center (VFFC) is planning to reopen by next fall. A work plan was recently submitted to the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) detailing next steps for mitigation after high levels of tetrachloroethylene (TCE), a carcinogen, was found in the soil beneath…

Mud challenges local road crews By Katy Savage Some town officials are calling this mud season the worst ever. Killington Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth said eight roads were “borderline passable” over the weekend. “They were the worst I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Hagenbarth said. ”It was so unusual how bad it was.” Hagenbarth almost…

By Curt Peterson Killington Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth told the Select Board March 14 that negotiations are underway to purchase two new police cruisers for the Killington Police Department (KPD). Although there are only around 1,407 residents, there can be 20,000 people in town if there’s an event or a busy weekend. Managing a police…

By Curt Peterson The Windsor Central Unified Union School District (WCSU) board finance committee asked the building and grounds committee for their “go-ahead” Monday night, March 21, on a sewerage system upgrade at the Woodstock Middle/High School campus. WCSU director of finance and operations Jim Fenn said a current bid for the project is $372,300,…

By Liora Engel-Smith/VTDigger Vermont is at the tail end of its most potent Covid-19 wave to date, but the pandemic’s financial implications continue to squeeze the state’s hospitals. The latest budgetary pressure point were on display last week when executives from Vermont’s second-largest hospital asked state regulators to allow a 9% increase in service charges…

$175 million for staff is 30% more per hour, capital projects announced, too By Karen D. Lorentz Vail Resorts recently announced a $20 per hour minimum wage for all 37 of its North America resorts, effective for the 2022-23 ski-and-ride season. The company also announced capital improvement projects total of over $300 million, which is…

By Jack Lyons/VTDigger A 30-year effort to reintroduce passenger rail service to Burlington is scheduled to succeed this summer. Rail travelers will be able to board in Rutland and travel to Burlington on the trail, and Burlington residents will be able to travel south — all the way to New York City and points beyond…

By Liz DiMarco Employers from Vermont to Vancouver are facing unforeseen difficulties in attracting qualified workers, but there are jobhunters over 55 who know all too well the challenges of finding meaningful employment. Ageism is more pervasive than ever, and harsh reality is difficult to deny. Accelerated technology, plus political and socioeconomic factors, tend to…

By Brett Yates On March 17, the Pittsfield Select Board accepted a bid by G&N Excavation to construct a new municipal sand shed at a cost of $340,678. Pittsfield will use the shed for the storage of sand and salt for winter road maintenance. No other company responded to the town’s public tender, which Pittsfield…

March 2022 marks 50 years since Meals on Wheels, the nation’s premier nutrition program for seniors, was funded. And for Vermont’s aging population, it has become a lifeline for many — a lifeline that begins with a bustle of activity around the state. About 12:30 p.m. more than a dozen volunteers filed into the Bugbee…

By Brett Yates Chittenden’s village center could get a new look. At a Select Board meeting on March 14, the Chittenden Planning Commission presented a trio of landscape renderings whose designs would change the way drivers and pedestrians experience a pair of adjacent intersections in the heart of the town. Last year, Chittenden sought to…

Staff report After the Slate Valley Unified Union District budget failed 861-853 on Town Meeting Day, a budget revote is scheduled for Wednesday, April 13. Voters will be asked to approve a $26,236,547 budget — $33,500 less than the proposed budget narrowly defeated on Town Meeting Day, March 1. Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell said she was…

By Karen D. Lorentz The season-pass landscape has erupted with many options that can be perplexing to skiers and riders trying to decide which pass to take advantage of for an upcoming season. Multi-mountain passes have driven down the cost of skiing for people who ski or ride more than a few days each winter.…

By Victoria Gaither How long has Beth Roberts, the owner and founder of Killington Boot Camp, been in the fitness business? “My mom will tell you that it goes back to when I was 5 years old. I would invite the neighborhood kids over to run obstacle courses in my backyard,” smiled Roberts. Little did…