Addison County Independent

College ski teams tuned up for carnival

Christian Woodard — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:01:17 -0500

FRESH OFF HIS giant slalom win at the Williams Carnival last weekend, Middlebury College junior Andrew McNealus will lead a strong Panther Alpine ski team in the Middlebury Carnival this weekend at the Snow Bowl. Photo by Cory Ransom

HANCOCK — While the Middlebury College men’s basketball team has basked in the spotlight during its superlative season, athletes from the college’s Alpine ski teams have also been highly impressive — with multiple individual wins across all disciplines.

This Friday and Saturday, Middlebury College will host its 89th annual Winter Carnival, the fifth stop on the Division I ski circuit, and the site of this year’s NCAA Regional Championships.

“The Alpine and Nordic teams have been strong this season, placing third or fourth at every carnival, but it’s really the individual performances that have been exciting,” explained Alpine Head Coach Stever Bartlett.

On the Alpine side, Middlebury College junior Andrew McNealus will enter this weekend as a medal threat, having notched his first ever NCAA collegiate win at the Williams College Carnival last weekend. Sophomore Hig Roberts will also seek to build upon an impressive season, having won the slalom event at the Dartmouth Carnival in January.

Middlebury Nordic skier Patrick Johnson, a senior, has also turned heads, having secured four individual victories so far this season.

“Patrick has been amazingly consistent and powerful in his racing,” said Nordic Head Coach Andrew Gartner.

The women’s Alpine and Nordic teams have provided strong supporting roles this season. Junior Christine Schozer has notched five top-15 results in downhill races, and freshman Annie Pokorny has been in the top 10 in three cross-country ski races.

Despite the scant snowfall in the Champlain Valley this winter, the Middlebury College Snow Bowl up Route 125 in Hancock has provided optimal training conditions this season, and the Panther skiers hope to capitalize on that this weekend.

“Skiing at our home mountain will be a huge advantage, it’s a tricky hill,” McNealus said. “We’ve had a few great days up there, and the team is looking really good. I’m excited to see what we can do this weekend.”

Nordic events will be run at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, relocated from the Rikert Ski Touring Center in Ripton due to a lack of snow.

The University of Vermont and Dartmouth College will be the teams to beat. The Catamounts won the first two carnivals of the season, but had their streak broken on home soil by Dartmouth in January.

“UVM will be tough to top in the overall ranking, but you never know, if our Alpine and Nordic fire all at once, it could be good,” Coach Bartlett said.

Nearing the end of the season, teams will use the Middlebury Carnival to try and qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Bozeman, Mont., in March. The Middlebury Alpine team has already qualified four men — juniors Bryan Shpall and McNealus, and sophomores Nick Bailey and Roberts — but Schozer and freshman Katelyn Barclay are still looking to gain a berth to the championship.

The Nordic team likewise has qualified four athletes: seniors Chase Marston and Johnson, sophomore Benjamin Lustgarten and Pokorny. Three other Panthers — senior Sophia McClelland, and sophomores Stella Holt and Rachel Hall — will each use the Middlebury Carnival to try and secure a spot at the NCAAs.

Classes are cancelled at the college on Friday, and organizers hope that students and community members will take the opportunity to come and support Middlebury’s only Division I athletic teams as they compete against the best in the East.

WILLIAMS RESULTS

This past Friday and Saturday, the Middlebury ski team placed third at the Williams Carnival. Dartmouth won (869), followed by Vermont (840), Middlebury (690) and New Hampshire (634). The men’s GS team placed three in the top seven to win the event.

McNealus won the GS with a time of 1:45.34. Finishing in fifth was Bailey in 1:45.90, followed closely by Roberts in seventh (1:46.03). Roberts paced the pack in the slalom, finishing sixth in 1:30.14. Shpall came in 13th (1:31.74), followed by Liam Mulhern in 15th (1:32.19).

On the women’s side, Schozer led the squad in the slalom, coming in 13th in 1:39.24. Placing 29th was Mary Sackbauer in 1:44.53, followed by Yina Moe-Lange in 37th (1:46.56). In the GS, Moe-Lange led the Panther finishers, placing 25th in 1:53.33. Sackbauer was next in 27th (1:54.57), followed by Schozer in 28th (1:54.63).

Only one race took place for the Nordic teams, with the classic relay event cancelled. The men performed well in the 10K classical event, placing third. Lustgarten and Johnson led the group, finishing the race in fifth (27:24) and sixth (27:27) places, respectively. Rounding out the scorers was Marston, who finished 11th in 27:53.

McClelland paced the women in their 10K classic race, finishing 17th in 33:13. Emily Attwood finished in 22nd place (33:35), followed by Pokorny in 24th (33:55).

Editor’s note: Reporter Bronwyn Oatley is a junior at Middlebury College.

Lawmakers call for new search rules: Backlash continues after Duclos Death

John Flowers — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:00:28 -0500

MONPTELIER — House and Senate lawmakers on Monday are drafting legislation that would clearly define search-and-rescue protocols for Vermont emergency responders in connection with lost or injured hikers, this in the wake of the tragic death of 19-year-old Levi Duclos on a Ripton trail last month.

It is too late in the session for new bills to be filed into Legislative committee. But Rep. Willem Jewett, D-Ripton and House majority whip, said the House Government Operations Committee on which he serves will be able to develop an initiative to bring to a vote before the 2012 Legislature adjourns. He said he will make drafting such legislation “a priority” during the coming weeks.

Jewett said he discussed Duclos’ death and ideas for preventing a future tragedy during a Feb. 17 closed door meeting with Vermont State Police leaders, other public safety officials and Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith.

“It was a very productive meeting,” Jewett said on Monday. “I think we communicated that, process-wise, the Government Operations Committee will be taking this up… We are going to take testimony and hear some of the painful opening up of this in a public forum. It was important for us to look each other in the eye and get a feeling of where this is going process-wise.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Vincent Illuzzi, R-Orleans, has drafted legislation to be considered by the state Senate. That legislation proposes to establish a seven-member “backcountry search-and-rescue study committee” to draft specific protocols for searching for missing hikers, a process he said should include local emergency responders. In the meantime, the bill calls for the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife to take the lead in backcountry search-and-rescue operations while defining specific roles for local emergency responders.

INCIDENT SPARKS OUTCRY

All of this comes in the aftermath of the death of Levi Duclos, a New Haven resident and 2010 graduate of Mount Abraham Union High School. Duclos went hiking with his dog on Jan. 9 along the Emily Proctor Trail in Ripton and his family got concerned when he hadn’t returned as scheduled early that evening.

Kathy Duclos, Levi’s aunt and a family spokesperson, told the Addison Independent this week that the family, in addition to calling 911 (at around 8 p.m.), organized its own search that night that continued into the early morning hours of Jan. 10.

But Vermont State Police, according to family members, did not mobilize a broader search involving other local responders, such as fire departments and rescue squads.

Current state law gives Vermont State Police primary responsibility for finding lost hikers and other missing people in areas of the state that do not have municipal police departments. Vermont is one of only five states that require its state police to find and rescue people who are lost or missing outdoors, according to Howard Paul, a public information officer and member of the board of directors of the National Association for Search and Rescue.

Information supplied by the Vermont Legislative Council indicates that while Vermont has “an extensive number” of first responders and emergency service personnel with specific training and experience conducting outdoor search and rescue operations, only four civilian organizations are approved by the department of public safety to provide search-and-rescue assistance in Vermont.

“If we had had the help of a search-and-rescue team, the outcome could have been different,” Duclos said in a statement to the Addison Independent. “We had trusted that calling 911 was our only option for soliciting search-and-rescue assistance. While the family searched, one and sometimes two state police officers were on the scene at the trailhead (with Levi's car) and stayed all night, but did not participate in the search.”

STATE POLICE RESPONSE

The Addison Independent reached out to Col. Tom L’Esperance, director of the VSP, for comment on the draft legislation and the aftermath of the Duclos search. L’Esperance responded with this written statement:

“Commenting on a piece of legislation that has not been officially filed is not appropriate. And regarding the unfortunate death of Levi Duclos, it would be unprofessional to comment about an open investigation, as the final autopsy report is incomplete.”

Lt. Gary Genova, commander of the VSP’s New Haven barracks, said the “state police are always open to looking at ways to improve anything we do, whether it is search-and-rescue related or any type of service we provide.”

Genova noted that since the Duclos case he has met with representatives of the Starksboro, Lincoln, Bristol and Ripton fire departments for an “after-action review” of the response to the incident and what skills and capabilities the four departments could lend in future searches.

“We want to find out if they want to be a viable resource in future missions and then provide training if in fact they want to do that,” Genova said. “We left it that each of the departments will go back and do an assessment of the level to which they want to be involved in these types of rescue missions.”

Genova said he is aware of the public outcry in the aftermath of the Duclos case and the extent to which local citizens are willing to help.

“I am very, very happy to see the amount of passion that agencies have to help — that is huge,” Genova said.

“What we are really doing is trying to grab ahold of the amount of passion that is out there and harness it in a way that would be useful in the future.”

LEGISLATURE EYES CHANGES

While the case remains open, Kathy Duclos provided a few additional details: First, that the state’s medical examiner recently phoned the family to report that Levi had not broken his leg and had merely sustained a bruised shin. Investigators at the scene had originally suspected a serious leg injury, as they had reported signs that Levi Duclos had attempted to slide himself down the trail.

His body was found around three miles from the trailhead.

Kathy Duclos also revealed that Levi's dog, Duke, had stayed by his side and was with Levi when he was found the next day. Duke survived unharmed, Duclos said.

Asked if the family is considering litigation against the state in connection with Levi’s death, Kathy Duclos replied, “No comment.”

State officials were candid in voicing their concerns about how the Duclos incident was handled and said they would work to improve the situation.

“We need to roll to the trailhead right away, establish a base camp, get all the assets — whether they are the state police, the local game wardens, local fire departments or whoever,” Jewett said. “Get them rolling to the trailhead… and then figure out the smartest way to get to the person. It will be a difficult experience to get into this, but it will be a valuable one.

“The standard needs to be, ‘We go out and get everyone as quickly as we can, every time,’” Jewett added.

Jewett acknowledged receiving calls of concern from all corners of the state in the aftermath of Duclos’ death. Interest in the case and the state’s seeming lack of clearly defined search/rescue protocols for hikers has been fanned recently by an extensive article by Middlebury resident Cindy Ellen Hill that has run in VT Digger and the Addison Independent.

While Jewett is taking a lead on search-and-rescue legislation in the House, Illuzzi is leading a similar effort on the Senate side. He has asked Legislative Council to draft language that would:

• Establish an seven-member “backcountry search-and-rescue study committee” whose duties would also include: reviewing the state’s existing procedures for search-and-rescue in backcountry areas; considering models in other states for supervision of backcountry search-and-rescue operations; evaluating whether such operations would be conducted in a more timely and efficient manner if supervised by a state or non-governmental entity other than the Vermont Department of Public Safety; considering the feasibility of establishing an online database of missing persons that would provide automatic notice to first responders; developing methods of financing search-and-rescue operations; establishing an “outdoor recreation search-and-rescue card” available for purchase by users of outdoor recreation resources on a voluntary basis to help reimburse the expenses of search-and-rescue missions; imposing fees on recreational and outdoor licenses and permits; allowing for recovery of expenses from any person whose negligent conduct required a search-and-rescue response; and proposing any statutory changes that the committee identifies as necessary to improve the conduct and supervision of backcountry search-and-rescue activities in Vermont.

The committee would report its findings and recommendations — together with draft legislation if any legislative action is advised — to the general assembly on or before Jan. 15, 2013.

• Request that in the interim, the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife “develop and implement a protocol establishing responsibility and authority for backcountry search-and-rescue operations in Vermont.” That protocol — due by Sept. 1 this year — would give Fish & Wildlife the lead responsibility for backcountry search-and-rescue operations in Vermont, while defining specific roles for area fire departments, emergency medical services providers, first responders, and other available community search-and-rescue providers.

In essence, Illuzzi believes the state should marshal the same resources and effort in finding a lost hiker that it does in its search for a downed aircraft.

Illuzzi, chairman of the Senate’s Economic Development Housing and General Affairs Committee, said he will likely introduce the legislation as a rider on another public safety-related bill already making the rounds in the Statehouse.

“My heart goes out to (the Duclos) family and that young man’s friends,” Illuzzi said.

“Everyone assumed that a young and healthy man would be walking out of those woods.”

QUICK RESPONSE IS CRITICAL

Indeed, such assumptions must be laid to rest, according to Ceredwyn Alexander, an EMT and captain of the Ripton Volunteer Fire Department. She said the general public is unaware of the manpower and special precautions needed to retrieve and stabilize people suffering from hypothermia in the frigid conditions such as Levi Duclos was battling during the night he died.

Alexander said if a search-and-rescue group knows where the distressed hiker is, it will usually muster a two-person “hasty team,” carrying minimal equipment, to rapidly get to the site. The team will administer aid and, if the hiker can walk, get him or her down as quickly as possible.

If the person can’t walk, the hasty team summons more help and does not try to move the hiker. That’s because a person suffering from hypothermia cannot be put through physical stress.

“We say that a cold heart is a fragile heart,” Alexander said, noting that if cold blood in the patient’s extremities is pumped through the heart, it can cause cardiac arrest. And an unconscious person has lost the capacity to re-warm him or herself, she said.

“You need 20 or 30 people to move a person properly,” Alexander said, noting the need to have plenty of strong arms to ensure the patient is not dropped or jostled to a great extent.

Alexander was candid in her outrage about how the Duclos search was handled.

“Assuming that the VSP was handling the actual search, Lincoln and Ripton Volunteer Fire Department should have been notified so that we could properly assemble our people for the rescue,” Alexander wrote in an e-mail to Illuzzi, Jewett and other officials.

“Another point is that the local departments train constantly in different aspects of search and rescue,” she added. “Lincoln, in fact, has several members trained in back country rescue, while Ripton has members specially trained in the search for mentally impaired and autistic people (given the nearby presence of the Silver Towers Camp).”

Alexander said hers and other local fire and rescue departments would have been happy to turn out for the search for Duclos.

“The most important thing to me is that local authorities need to get notified when someone is lost in their jurisdiction; we know the trails,” Alexander said.

“We shouldn’t have to be reading about this in the newspaper.”

That sentiment was echoed by Dan Ober, chief of the Lincoln Fire Department. In a letter to the editor appearing in this issue of the Independent, Ober states, “As head of the organization designated by the state as the primary emergency response agency for the town of Lincoln, I was greatly dismayed that we were not notified of the event immediately. We have responded to many similar incidents in the past and have resources and local knowledge at the ready. I understand because of the tragic outcome in this case passions run high and I also am viewing this with the benefit of hindsight, but I cannot help but think we may have been helpful if we were involved earlier.”

Rep. Mike Fisher, D-Lincoln, added his voice to those mourning the Duclos family’s loss.

“Well meaning people got together and made the best decision they could, late at night,” Fisher said. “We all look back and… question that decision. My main complaint is that everyone who was needed in this situation wasn’t there. I live in Lincoln and I have buddies on the fire department who pride themselves for their back-country rescue expertise and rescue.”

Sen. Claire Ayer, D-Addison, said she will keep a close eye on legislative efforts to prevent future hiking tragedies.

“The approach, I think, in both the House and the Senate will be to look at what are we doing now; what everybody else is doing; and what is wrong with our system that would allow this to happen,” Ayer said. “There are all kinds of people saying, ‘We would have gone out,’ but there isn’t a system in place to make sure the people who should know about it, know about it. This family had no idea that that’s what happens when you call state police. I sure was shocked.”

But Ayer and Illuzzi added that the VSP’s ranks are thin, leading to manpower shortages throughout the early morning.

“Firefighters will tell their families, ‘If something really bad happens, call the fire department,’” Ayer said. “And these are volunteer fire departments because they know the police aren’t going to come. There are just so many (state troopers to go around). We have to figure out what resources we have and get a new system.”

“The VSP is still a relatively small police force,” Illuzzi added, “and we can't expect them to respond to every rescue, and therein lies the problem.”

Reporter John Flowers is at johnf@addisonindependent.com.

Charlotte resists senate district switch

John Flowers — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:50:57 -0500

MIDDLEBURY — The state Senate will soon redraw its district boundaries as is required every 10 years after a federal census, and many Charlotte residents are panning a proposal that their town be absorbed into the Addison County senatorial district.

“I oppose this proposal because moving Charlotte into the Addison County senatorial district dilutes our — i.e., Charlotters’ — rights as voters,” said Charlotte resident Donna Spielman, who initiated a petition opposing the proposed Addison County and Charlotte district.

A seven-member Vermont Apportionment Board (VAB) was charged last year with redrawing House and Senate district lines to reflect the latest census numbers in a manner that is consistent with the Constitutional standard of “one person, one vote.”

Based on those numbers, each Vermont Senate district should have roughly 21,000 citizens per senator. One of the VAB’s biggest challenges in tackling the Senate map was reconciling a state population that has shifted to the northwest part of the state while responding to increasing citizen requests to fracture a Chittenden County district that has six senators — 20 percent of the total makeup of the state’s highest chamber.

The VAB ultimately recommended a solution it said would correct the population surge in Chittenden County while allowing Rutland County — which has seen a population decrease — to keep its three senators. The plan calls for Brandon to leave the Addison County senatorial district and re-join Rutland County, while Charlotte would be woven into the Addison County district.

Many Charlotte citizens and lawmakers are opposing the plan, however, arguing that the town’s school services, shopping interests and cultural amenities are oriented toward Chittenden County. Opponents of the switch — who have been testifying at Senate hearings and have mounted a petition drive — also said they are largely unaware of Addison County issues and do not have a relationship with local media or the county’s two state senators, Harold Giard, a Bridport Democrat, and Claire Ayer, an Addison Democrat who coincidentally grew up in Charlotte.

“As a town, we are very much turned to Chittenden County,” said resident Valerie Graham, who signed Spielman’s petition. “There is very little employment in town, so a huge majority of the residents work in Chittenden County.”

Graham said she and her neighbors have had little knowledge of Addison County issues and political candidates. Traffic in Charlotte tends to go north rather than south, she added.

Spielman said 181 people have signed her online petition and 40 have signed the petition in local stores.

Salisbury resident and former state Sen. Gerry Gossens was a member of the VAB and recalled testimony the panel received at hearings it convened throughout the state last year.

“In the case of Charlotte, we checked with the board of selectmen, and we asked for a semi-official response to this suggestion, and they came back and said they didn’t see any problem,” Gossens said. “We had two or three Chittenden County members on the board, all of whom said, ‘This makes sense.’”

Gossens reiterated that Rutland County needs Brandon’s population or it runs the risk of a court challenge of its right to maintain three senators.

But if Brandon returns to Rutland County, Addison County will need to replace that population from another source in order to maintain its two senators, Gossens explained. Charlotte, he said, seemed like the logical community for inclusion from population-heavy Chittenden County to the north.

“From a numbers of points of view, it works,” Gossens said. “From the point of view of some citizens and citizen groups, I am sure there will be some that will be very angry and some who will think it’s a pretty good idea. That’s not very unusual in trying to put together 150 House districts and 30 Senate districts. This was not done flippantly. We spent a lot of time on Chittenden County because there was a tremendous amount of pressure to break up that six-senator district.”

Sen. Jeanette White, a Democrat representing Windham County, chairs the Senate Committee on Reapportionment that has been taking testimony on reapportionment. She acknowledged the concerns voiced by Charlotte residents.

“We are trying to make as few changes as possible and still abide by the (reapportionment) deviation requirements,” White said.

She stressed late last week that it is not “inevitable” that Charlotte joins the Addison County senatorial district. She said the Chittenden and Franklin county delegations are working on alternative adjustments to the Senate map, set to be reviewed by the committee this week.

“There are parts of Charlotte that relate to Chittenden County and some parts that relate more to Ferrisburgh,” White said. “My goal is that this not be about who has the loudest voice, but in the end, to use our judgment about what makes the most sense.”

If you ask Rep. Mike Yantachka, D-Charlotte, he will tell you that leaving Charlotte in the Chittenden County senatorial district makes the most sense.

He said comments from his constituents have been running two-thirds in favor of maintaining the status quo.

“We sort of face Burlington, as opposed to Middlebury, as far as our interaction,” Yantachka said. “We have more cultural, economic and educational ties to the Burlington area and the communities to the north than … to the communities to the south of us.”

He noted Charlotte belongs to the Chittenden South Supervisory Union, and citizens primarily shop in Shelburne or South Burlington rather than in Vergennes and Middlebury.

“Going down to Middlebury gets to be a little bit of a hike,” Yantachka said.

He added Charlotters are familiar with all six of their current senators and recognize them as a formidable lobby or voting block when it comes to legislation they want passed in the Statehouse.

“Nothing against folks in Addison County, but for so many decades we have been oriented toward Chittenden County and most Charlotters would prefer to stay that way,” he said.

Yantachka acknowledged he has heard from some Charlotte farmers who are warm to the prospect of a political affiliation with Addison County and its rural, agricultural reputation. And proponents also note that Charlotte, like Addison County, has tended to vote Democrat for most of the past two decades.

Yantachka has had to disabuse some people of the misconception that Addison County would annex Charlotte, thereby changing its school system and regional planning affiliation, among other things.

“I had to tell them that, ‘No, no, all this affects is who you are going to vote for the state Senate,’” Yantachka said.

In the final analysis, Yantachka said Charlotters will strive to adapt to whatever Senate district map the Legislature adopts.

“My preference and the preference of most Charlotters, I believe, is to remain in the Chittenden County Senate district,” Yantachka said. “But it’s not going to be an earth shaking thing if the Senate does put Charlotte into the Addison Senate district.”

Sen. Tim Ashe, D-Burlington, is also a member of the Senate Committee on Reapportionment. He opposes the notion of moving Charlotte into the Addison County Senate district.

“To me, Charlotte has a natural relationship to Chittenden County,” Ashe said.

OTHER OPTIONS

Ashe believes the Legislature could justify not making any changes to its Senate map based in part on Vermont’s geography and demographics. But if it has to make a change, Ashe believes the more fair alternative would be for the status of Charlotte (population 3,700) to remain unchanged and instead for Huntington and Buel’s Gore (combined population approximately 1,200) to move from the Chittenden to Addison County Senate district. This change would narrowly comply with the court’s population deviation threshold, Ashe said.

“It would have the effect of disadvantaging fewer people,” Ashe said.

Giard said he is more than happy to welcome Charlotte into the fold.

“I believe Charlotte would be an excellent fit for Addison County,” he said.

Giard and Ayer met with some Charlotte officials and residents last December to introduce themselves in the wake of the VAB report.

Ayer acknowledged the dissenting opinions on the proposed Charlotte move, though she added, “Someone has to move, because Chittenden County has gotten too big.”

Ayer said she will remain neutral on the issue until she hears all the facts and possible alternatives.

BRANDON LOOKS SOUTH

Meanwhile, there is no hue and cry in Brandon about the prospect of moving back into the Rutland County Senate district. Brandon’s regional planning is already oriented toward Rutland, as are many of the locals’ shopping tendencies. And Brandon has for many years leaned Republican in its voting, as has the rest of Rutland County.

Rep. Joe Acinapura, R-Brandon, said he hasn’t received any comments from constituents about the potential return of Brandon into the Rutland County Senate district. And he added Brandon’s political affiliation with Addison County has confused many residents over the years.

“Brandon has been like an orphan child, though both counties treat us well,” Acinapura said.

Acinapura himself has no problems with Brandon returning to the Rutland County Senate district.

“For our citizens, I think it would be easier for them to understand that the political environment and geographic environment are identical,” Acinapura said.

Reporter John Flowers is at johnf@addisonindependent.com.

Local program to boost number of meat cutters

John Flowers — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:46:52 -0500

LES FULLER, A meat cutter at Greg’s Meat Market in Middlebury, is on a committee that is looking to establish a meat cutter training program at the Hannaford Career Center. The two-year program is aimed at increasing the dwindling ranks of meat cutters throughout the state of Vermont. Independent photo/Trent Campbell

MIDDLEBURY — A group of educators, businesspeople and economic development officials is working with the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center to establish a training program aimed at filling the dwindling ranks in Vermont’s meat cutting industry.

The two-year program, which the career center will offer in collaboration with Vermont Technical College (VTC), could be offered as soon as this fall to adults (18 and over) who would be able to earn state certification for careers as meat cutters.

A 13-member advisory committee is currently putting together a curriculum for the program, which would include opportunities for on-line learning and hands-on practice at the Hannaford campus as well as at meat processing facilities throughout the state. As such, organizers believe the program will be accessible to students from throughout the region, including other New England states.

“We have been getting calls (from prospective students) from Connecticut and Maine,” Hannaford Career Center Executive Director Lynn Coale said of the attention the offering is already drawing.

The demand for meat cutters and slaughterhouses in Vermont is well chronicled and becoming more acute as the state advances its localvore movement and nurtures its reputation for natural agricultural products. Coale noted there are only a half dozen slaughterhouses in Vermont, including two in Addison County — Vermont Livestock in Ferrisburgh and Buxton’s Custom Cutting in Orwell.

There are also fewer meat cutters to staff those facilities and therefore meet the growing demand for Vermont-raised beef, pork and other meats.

“The present (meat cutting) workforce is heading for retirement pretty quickly,” Coale said. “They are dedicated to keeping their craft alive and want to share their skill-sets.”

Frank Read is one of seven busy meat cutters at Vermont Livestock. Read, a member of the advisory committee developing the new program, is in his 50s and is anxious to see more people step forward to fill in the ranks when he and his contemporaries leave the industry.

“There is more and more demand for local meat,” Read said. “To meet that growing demand… we need more cutters.”

But the younger generation hasn’t been flocking to the trade, Coale acknowledged — this in spite of the fact that the average beginning wage in the vocation is around $15.50 per hour, which can ascend into the mid-$20s per hour.

Part of the problem, Coale theorized, has been the lack of training programs that can lead to state certification for graduates. The state, Coale noted, rightfully imposes rigorous standards for meat processing — covering such areas as workplace safety, sanitation and product storage.

With that in mind, Hannaford Career Center and VTC successfully applied for $16,500 and $6,000, respectively, through the state’s 2011 Jobs Bill to develop a educational program that will turn out graduates who will meet state standards for meat cutting.

Plans call for VTC to offer coursework leading to an associate’s degree in custom cutting. Hannaford Career Center will offer a two-year program leading to state certification in the craft. The first year would give students instruction on such things as knife skills and occupational safety requirements. The second year of the program is to involve a paid apprenticeship, according to Coale, who at the end of this month will be visiting a meat processing plant in eastern Oklahoma to gather more information for the career center’s curriculum. The Hannaford Career Center kitchen will also serve as a training spot for students.

Meanwhile, program organizers are building relationships with the state’s meat processing facilities in an effort to provide hands-on experience for the students. Coale said the new program will ideally need between four and 10 students annually to work.

The meat cutting program will be a part of Hannaford Career Center’s adult education curriculum and will therefore depend on tuition paid by the students — not property tax dollars that help subsidize the career center’s regular offerings for area high school-age students.

Les Fuller, a meat cutter with Middlebury-based Greg’s Meat Market, is also a member of the advisory committee. He is pleased that the career center is going to be offering experience to students who he said would otherwise likely have to enroll in a chain store apprentice program.

“There is just not the opportunity for the younger generation to break into the industry,” Fuller said.

Reporter John Flowers is at johnf@addisonindependent.com.

Adams is chosen as new chief for ANeSU

Andrew Stein — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:31:56 -0500

BRISTOL — The Addison Northeast Supervisory Union (ANeSU) Tuesday evening hired a new superintendent to replace Evelyn Howard, who will step down this summer after 12 years on the job.

David Adams, current superintendent of Windsor Southwest Supervisory Union, will take over ANeSU’s top executive post on July 1. Adams will bring with him more than three decades of education experience, ranging from assistant superintendent of Vermont Southwest Supervisory Union in Bennington to principal of Mount Anthony Union Middle School in Bennington.

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Bristol OKs extraction zone maps

Andrew Stein — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:29:07 -0500

BRISTOL — With roughly 15 visitors scrutinizing their every move, Bristol planners at a Tuesday meeting approved two maps for the land-use section of the new town plan that indicate where gravel extraction would be prohibited in town.

Members of the Bristol Planning Commission hope this will resolve an issue that has long divided the town and enable them to put an updated town plan to voters in November.

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College plans $46 million replacement for 'Bubble'

Christian Woodard — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:25:08 -0500

MIDDLEBURY — After almost a decade in a temporary structure, the Middlebury College Field House will get a permanent home. The field house has been housed in an inflatable dome — the “Bubble” — off South Main Street since 2003, but last weekend the college board of trustees gave the green light for a permanent replacement.

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Orwell to vote on school spending hike, repairs

Andrea Suozzo — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:22:46 -0500

ORWELL — This Town Meeting Day, voters in Orwell will decide on a proposed 2012-13 elementary school spending plan that represents a 5.47 percent increase over the 2011-12 budget.

Like many proposed school budgets around the state, Orwell’s plan adds back many vital services that were cut due to the state’s Challenge for Change budget recommendations last year, according to Orwell Village School Board chair Glen Cousineau. The additional spending is necessary to maintain a high quality of education at the Orwell Village School, he added.

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Three vie for Lincoln treasurer

Andrew Stein — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:20:37 -0500

LINCOLN — Long-time Lincoln Town Treasurer Larry Masterson’s last term will expire next month, giving way to an unusual three-way race for town treasurer

In Lincoln’s only contested election on Town Meeting Day, Shawn Richards, Lisa Truchon and Linda Daybell are vying to fill the treasurer vacancy.

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Middlebury College social entrepreneur group faces its own challenges

Christian Woodard — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:16:17 -0500

MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury Center for Social Entrepreneurship, a Middlebury College department that helps budding social entrepreneurs solve the ills in society, is barely a month old, but it’s already lost its senior director.

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