Current News

The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has announced that additional tax-exempt bond issuance capacity may be available under the Recovery Zone Facility Bond (RZFB) Program, created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the Stimulus Act), enacted by Congress in 2009.
“Thus far, VEDA has preliminarily committed all of Vermont’s $135 million in special tax-exempt bonding capacity under the Stimulus Act,” said VEDA Chief Executive Officer Jo Bradley. “However, there is no guarantee that every project approved earlier this year will succeed in finalizing all project details before the December 31, 2010 bond commitment deadline. Therefore, since it is vitally important that Vermont make the best and highest use of every dollar in tax-exempt bond issuance capacity allotted by the federal government, VEDA is inviting additional proposals, in case excess bonding capacity suddenly becomes available.”

Maple Center Motors, a family-owned business that sells used vehicles in St. Johnsbury, is one of numerous Vermont businesses improving its bottom line and the quality of light in its workspace by switching out inefficient T-12 fluorescent lighting technology and installing energy-efficient lighting through ‘newLIGHT,’ a limited-time program offering increased lighting rebates through Efficiency Vermont. The program was created to help Vermont businesses prepare for a new mandate from the US Department of Energy that will phase out T-12 fluorescent lamps by mid-2012.
Working with a lighting contractor or distributor, Vermont businesses can take advantage of newLIGHT rebates that will cover 50-90 percent of equipment costs. In turn, businesses can save up to 25-50 percent on their lighting energy bills through the program, and avoid having to upgrade when replacement T12 lamps become difficult to purchase after the phase out.

Hoping to ensure no one goes cold this winter due to lack of crisis fuel assistance, The Vermont Country Store today committed $17,000 to this year’s CVPS Shareheat campaign.
The Vermont Country Store will add $15,000 to Central Vermont Public Service’s $100,000 commitment for the upcoming winter to increase the pool of funds available to match contributions from the public. The Vermont Country Store will also donate $2,000 to Ski For Heat, an annual cross-country ski fundraiser for Shareheat held each winter at Wild Wings Ski Touring Center in Peru.

Operators at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant terminated an unusual event at 8:28 pm Sunday evening, according to Laurence Smith, manager of communications at Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee.
The Unusual Event was declared at 7:05 pm, due to a loss of some control room alarm circuits. The problem was traced to an internal power supply which has since been restored. All control room alarm circuits are functioning properly, according to Smith's statement. The plant continues to operate at 100 percent power.
An unusual event is the lowest of four emergency classifications as defined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Doug Racine, candidate for governor, announced Friday that he will request a recount of the gubernatorial primary election results. In the meantime, the top three Democratic vote getters - Racine, Peter Shumlin and Deb Markowitz - sent out a "unity letter" Sunday.
The Vermont Secretary of State has released the unofficial certified results, which showed Racine behind Shumlin by fewer than 200 votes. The official vote totals will be posted at the secretary of state's Web site Tuesday.
On Monday, the three Democrats sent "A Message of Unity" email, saying that Peter Shumlin will campaign as the presumptive nominee, but all three will work together to elect a Democrat because of their shared values and desire to defeat Republican Brian Dubie in November. See letter below.
Racine held a press conference at the Richmond Town Center Friday afternoon to announce his decision.

There are small signs of impending construction, like cleared lots or scaffolding, and then there are big signs. The Demag CC1800 at the Burlington International Airport is definitely the latter. Employed to complete the north end expansion of the airport’s parking structure, the CC1800 or the “Big Crane” rolled into the airport a few weeks ago on 30 tractor trailer loads.
Rented from Amquip out of Pennsylvania, the 1800 and its Superlift has a capacity in excess of 600 tons. It is being used to help construct two additional levels of parking by erecting 417 precast double tees, each 60’ long and weighing 60,000 apiece. To handle this type of load, a two-foot thick gravel crane pad was constructed around the perimeter of the parking structure. A 12-inch thick hardwood timber mat tops the gravel to further distribute the load.

Earlier this week, Inc. magazine recognized Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), ranking it 106th among the fastest-growing private advertising and marketing companies in the United States. Dealer.com, the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, experienced three-year sales growth of 286% between 2006 and 2009. Overall, Dealer.com was ranked number 1,056 on the fourth annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The Inc. 5000 list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy - America's independent-minded entrepreneurs.
"The leaders of the companies on this year's Inc. 5000 have figured out how to grow their businesses during the longest recession since the Great Depression," said Inc. president Bob LaPointe. "The 2010 Inc. 5000 showcases a particularly hardy group of entrepreneurs."

The Nordic Educational Trust was created in 1988 by former Roundtable member, Ross Anderson and his wife, Gail, to provide scholarship grants and other financial aid to assist deserving students from Chittenden and Grand Isle counties in pursuing technical education at two-year post-secondary institutions. To date, the Trust has awarded over 40 need-based scholarships to Vermont students; support that is not predicated on previous academic performance, yet has in many cases provided the opportunity for life-altering educational experiences. Effective this summer, oversight and administration of the Trust and scholarship recipient selection, has been transferred to the Vermont Business Roundtable, in recognition of its long-standing focus on education as an economic development strategy.

Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) have announced $5.7 million in federal funding to help Vermont households utilize ‘smart meter’ systems and install solar thermal and solar hot water technologies.
The non-profit Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, which operates Efficiency Vermont, will administer a $700,000 project to complement smart grid technology being deployed across the state due to an earlier $69 million stimulus investment. This outreach project will install energy use monitors and provide information and access to technical support to help approximately 750 low-income households better understand their energy use and identify savings opportunities.

To continue to stay ahead of rising demand for wireless voice, 3G multimedia and Internet access in Chittenden County, Verizon Wireless has expanded its local network with a cell site in Williston.
Consumer Advantages

New cell site provides increased wireless voice and 3G data coverage for the Williston Village area and along I-89 between exits 11 and 12, as well as the surrounding area
Expanded 3G data coverage in Williston lets more customers using notebook computers or smartphones:

A looming disaster threatened by the combination of early-maturing apples and a hitch with visas for the guest workers to pick them has been averted, according to Senator Patrick Leahy and Vermont apple growers.
With apple crops ripening 10 days to 14 days early this year, at least 19 orchards in Vermont and New York, and many more throughout the Northeast, had encountered an extra form-filing step in the annual process of recruiting temporary workers from Jamaica. The added step – Request For Evidence (RFE) process requirements – comes in the aftermath of an 18-month investigation of the Jamaican Central Labour Organization.
The process of approving visas for seasonal workers, under the longstanding H-2A guest worker program, is handled by two federal agencies: the U.S. Department of Labor, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a unit of the Department of Homeland Security.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation on Friday will reopen the I-89 northbound entrance ramp at Exit 8 in Montpelier. The exact time has not been fixed, but it likely will be sometime after the morning rush commute. But by the end of the day, VTrans anticipates having the ramp open. The ramp was not scheduled to be reopened until September 3, so opening the ramp tomorrow means it will open a week ahead of schedule.
The detour signs will remain up until after the ramp is opened, so there will be a very short time when the ramp is open but some detour signs are still in place. VTrans anticipates traffic patterns regarding the Interstate to be back to normal by the weekend.
Source: VTrans. 8.26.2010