Current News

Burlington, Monday, February 7, 2005 - City Market, Onion River Coop presented the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) with a large check in the amount of $3,719 from funds raised through the sale of Christmas trees this past holiday season.
$222 of the money raised was matched through a new Neighbor to Neighbor program through Shurfine, a conventional grocery supplier to City Market. Shurfine gives City Market credit, which accrues over time. City Market can then use the money as matching funds for their own efforts. The Trees for COTS project meets the criteria for the matching funds program.
Cumulatively, over the past 7 years, City Market has raised a total of $15,780 for COTS, through the Trees for COTS program. All proceeds are used to provide shelter and services to Vermonts homeless families and individuals.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:

BURLINGTON, Vt.--Champlain Colleges Hotel Management program is now being offered at the Colleges satellite campus in Mumbai, India. The program joins the Software Engineering and Business programs, which were established there previously.
Peter Straube, director of the hospitality management program, reports the hotel industry is growing by leaps and bounds in Mumbai--formerly known as Bombay--as evidenced by new upscale properties including Marriott, Sheraton, Royal Meridien and Leela Kempinski hotels near the airport.
In Mumbai, they are creating entirely new downtown zones to handle the rapid growth of the business sector, Straube said. Theres a huge demand for supervisors and managers in their hotel industry.

Meghan Mathon Named General Manager of EnSave
EnSave Energy Performance, Inc. announces the appointment of Meghan Mathon as its new General Manager. Ms. Mathon assumed the responsibilities of retired EnSave co-founder and General Manager, Paul Ohlson.
EnSave is an energy services company that works exclusively in the agricultural sector helping farmers save energy. EnSave works with public benefits corporations, electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, and state and federal organizations to design and implement energy conservation programs for farmers across the United States.
Ms. Mathon will lead EnSaves growth according to a 5-year Master Plan developed with EnSaves Board of Directors. She will build and maintain budgets and cash flow projections, oversee program development and implementation, and supervise all staff.

Wolf Multimedia Studio of Jericho, Vermont has recently completed a video DVD entitled Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, Snowflakes in Motion. With Musical contributions by Vermont musicians The Samples and Stowe musician Bill Bischak, and narrations by Jericho residents Wayne Howe and Dick Squires, this DVD takes the viewer into the life of Wilson Bentley.

LSI will provide new custom built computers, with a large number of cases to choose from for your own colors and style you need. They will be dealing with New and Used or Refurbished systems as well. Parts and upgrades for there customers and anyone wanting to upgrade or trade in for a larger one.

The ALS Association of Northern New England
Hires Larry Lewack as Executive Director
Larry Lewack has been hired as Executive Director by the local chapter of the ALS Association. A long-time Burlington resident, Mr. Lewack brings fourteen years of non-profit management experience to this leadership role. His prior nonprofit roles include three years as Director of Barrier Free Justice Vermont, which serves victims of crime with disabilities. Before that, he was Coordinator of the Community Network for Children, Youth & Families, which works to improve supports to victims of child abuse and their families.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently named M. Hunter Ulf, AIA, as a Richard Upjohn Fellow. He accepted the honor from the Institutes President at a gathering of AIA leadership in Washington, DC. The Richard Upjohn Fellowship is reserved for members of the AIA who serve on the Institutes National Board of Directors. Ulf just finished a three-year term as the Director representing the New England Region for the 73,000-member organization. During his term, Ulf chaired the Gold Medal and Firm of the Year Advisory Jury, which selects recipients for the highest Institute honor. He served as a member of the Joint Committee of the AIA and Associated General Contractors, and chaired the Institutes Convention Site Selection Committee, which identifies the locations for their 23,000-attendee annual conventions.

The Women Business Owners Network (WBON) announces that Brooke Hauge Trottier, Attorney at Law, is the new chapter coordinator for the Upper Valley chapter.
Brooke is a graduate of Vermont Law School has a law practice in South Royalton, Vermont. Her specialties include real estate transactions and estate planning, purchase and sales contracts, title searches, title insurance, deeds and other documents of transfer, last will and testaments, durable powers of attorney for health care, living will and terminal care documents, general or durable powers of attorney, and trusts. She can be reached at (802) 889-9401 or by email at [email protected].

CCTA Board of Commissioners Establish New Bus Fares
Commissioners Vote Unanimously to Increase Passenger Fares
Burlington, Vermont: Members of the Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA) Board of Commissioners adopted a new fare structure on Wednesday night, a move that is designed to generate an additional $171,280 per year in fare box revenues for CCTA.
The following new fares will take effect on February 21, 2005:
Adult cash fare: $1.25

Adult 31-day pass: $42.00

Adult 10-ride ticket: $10.00
Discounted cash fare: 60 cents

Discounted 31-day pass: $21.00

Discounted 10-ride ticket: $5.00
CCTA's commuter services will follow the below fare structure:
PARC 31-day pass: $18.00
Montpelier LINK Express:

One-way cash fare: $4.00

31-day pass: $125.00

10-ride ticket: $40.00

Brattleboro Chamber Holds Annual Dinner
Braving the elements of a huge weekend blizzard that buried the region under nearly two feet of snow, the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Dinner right on schedule Saturday, January 22. Over 120 area business people turned out for the gala, enjoying the hospitality of the Putney Inn and the music of The Phyllis Isaacson and Bill Shontz Quartet. The highlight of the evening came with the presentation of the Person of the Year and Corporate Citizen of the Year awards, a long-standing tradition of the Chamber.

Jericho home needs removal

A home built by Larry Westall has been ordered to be removed as its positioning is a hindrance to the health and habitat of muskrats and migratory birds in the homes nearby wetlands. The $240,000 home is on Browns Trace Road and has remained vacant since it was built in 2000.

The house is one of two that Westall built in close proximity on that property. A second home was also outside the buffer zone, though they built a shrub hedge to serve as a barrier between their home and the wetlands to solve the problem.

Local option tax proposed

State lawmakers are considering providing some towns with a permanent alternative to property tax which will pay for municipal services. Already, one third of Vermont communities have this option, though only Manchester, Williston and Stratton utilize it.
Burlington is asking that voters approve a 1 percent sales tax that would be under a separate program, unconnected to those that will expire in 2008. The decision as to which communities will have the opportunity to collect money from this additional sales tax will be made by lawmakers.