Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center Board of Trustees, based in Berlin, elected Mike Dellipriscoli as the new chair during their annual meeting on Wednesday. He will be joined on the board by two new trustees, Sandy Rousse and Marilyn White. Dellipriscoli has been on the CVMC board since 2012 and succeeds Greg Voorheis as chair. Dellipriscoli is Assistant Vice President – Strategic Analysis at the National Life Group in Montpelier. He joined National Life Group in 1988 and has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. A native of Philadelphia, Dellipriscoli graduated from Villanova University with a degree in mathematics and earned his MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Vermont Business Magazine In the country’s annual health checkup, Vermont ranks #2 this year when compared with other states – according to United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings Annual Report. Hawaii was first; Louisiana was last. Vermont scored high rankings for its low violent crime rate, low infant mortality rate and low percentage of uninsured residents; the study said it faces challenges related to its disparity in health status by education levels, high prevalence of excessive drinking and high incidence of pertussis. Vermont joins other Northeast states in “Top 10” – Massachusetts (#3), New Hampshire (#5) and Connecticut (#6). Vermont was first in 2007, and again in 2009-2011 and has been second since. The state was #20 in 1990, the first year of the report.

Vermont Business Magazine Through a grant provided from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) has launched a multi-pronged outreach effort focused on improving water quality in compliance with the Vermont Clean Water Act (VCWA) which was made law this past spring. The CCRPC will work with municipal staff and boards to provide information about the requirements for municipalities triggered by the VCWA and also work with them on options such as stronger municipal protections against flood hazards and river corridor erosion, stormwater master planning, and other town plan or zoning changes to improve water quality. CCRPC staff will also update fluvial erosion hazard/river corridor maps for the towns and assist them with compiling existing information to use in developing implementation plans under the municipal roads stormwater general permit.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, US Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called on the US Department of the Interior to provide robust federal funding to support the protection of the diverse plant, fish, and wildlife species in the Silvio O Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge. In a letter to Secretary Sally Jewell of the Department of the Interior, the senators urged the Department to continue funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and to prioritize the Conte Refuge – which is of great environmental and recreational importance but is in need of more than $14 million for necessary upkeep and improvement projects. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) did not sign the letter.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of Fire Chief Steven Locke as the City’s next Chief Engineer of the Burlington Fire Department. Chief Locke comes to the City of Burlington following more than 20 years of service with the Hartford, Vermont Fire Department, including seven years as Fire Chief, three years as the President of the Vermont Career Fire Chiefs Association, and currently five months of experience serving as Interim Town Manager of Hartford. Mayor Weinberger will request the City Council’s approval of this appointment at its December 21, 2015 meeting. If approved, Chief Locke will start his service for Burlington on February 1, 2016. Deputy Chief Peter Brown is currently serving as the Interim Fire Chief following former Chief Seth Lasker’s retirement on October 31, 2015, and will continue until February 1.

by Mike Faher/The Commons By their own admission, members of the four-state Connecticut River Valley Flood Control Commission aren’t used to having visitors or lengthy discussions at their meetings. So their December 4 meeting was an anomaly as the commission’s tiny boardroom in Greenfield, Mass., was packed with three Townshend residents and two state lawmakers concerned about chronically low tax-loss payments and perilously low water levels at Townshend Dam. There was some good news for the Vermont visitors: The commissioners agreed to call in the US Army Corps of Engineers, which operates Townshend Dam, to discuss Townshend Lake maintenance issues and other questions.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont State Police is reporting that at approximately 8:20 pm on December 9, 2015, the Northfield Police Department received a report of some type of explosion at a residence on the corner of North St and Maple Ave in the town of Northfield. Further reports indicated that there were injuries, and the explosion occurred within a multiple-unit apartment building. The Northfield Police and Fire Departments responded, as did Troopers from the Middlesex barracks. Neighboring homes were evacuated and the Vermont State Police Bomb Squad was called to assist and render the area safe. Upon initial investigation, a homemade explosive device was discovered. The Vermont State Police bomb squad rendered the device safe, and after a sweep of the scene, declared the area clear of any further danger. At that time, evacuated residents were contacted and advised that they could return home.

by Deb Markowitz, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources The last time I was in Paris, the temperature was unbearable. The country was suffering through a record-setting heat wave that caused the deaths of over 100 people. Needless to say, our visit to this beautiful and historic city was cut short, but strong memories of the trip stayed with me. Such deadly heat waves, as well as floods, fires and droughts, have become common across the globe. The impacts of climate change are already here, and cities, states, and countries are struggling to address the consequences.

VT Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Deb Markowitz, second from the left, participates in COP21. Courtesy photo

Vermont Business Magazine Dynapower Company, the global leader in energy storage inverters, is closing out 2015 with a record 75-megawatt (MW) backlog of orders for its energy storage inverter family. The company also passed 250 MW of total installed systems, strengthening its position as the industry's leading supplier of bi-directional inverters for energy storage applications. The backlog is due in part to the company's agreement with Tesla, under which Dynapower supplies 250 kW inverters as part of Tesla's Powerpack Commercial battery system for large commercial and utility customers. It's also driven by record US storage deployments this year, which have already exceeded 100 MW as of the third quarter, according to a GTM Research and Energy Storage Association report.

Vermont Busness Magazine Northern Power Systems Corp (TSX: NPS), a next generation renewable energy technology company based in Barre, has announced that substantial technology-driven operational improvements to its flagship Northern Power 100 kW wind turbine platform have been demonstrated to materially decrease the delivered Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of wind power produced by its turbines.

"The current LCOE makes the Northern Power platform even more affordable for farmers, local businesses and on-site generation users trying to limit the ever increasing cost of electricity," said Reinout Oussoren, VP of Global Sales. "Small wind is now an even more viable alternative for comme rcial and industrial users."

Vermont Business Magazine The Golden Eagle Resort in Stowe, VT is making its impact on the community with a donation of furniture which was originally planned to be discarded following an extensive redecoration. The furniture, which includes credenzas, pictures, lighting, mirrors and night stands, was donated to the Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity for sale in its ReStore. In making the announcement The Golden Eagle Resort’s General Manager Andrew Cournoyer said, “We are pleased to make this donation to an organization that has made such a positive impact in our community, and we know the furniture will be put to good use.”

The Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity ReStore sells donated new and gently used furniture, appliances, housewares and building supplies to the public and the net proceeds go towards building energy-efficient and affordable homes for low-income families in northwestern Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine TDI New England has announced that seven electricity suppliers from Canada and the United States have expressed interest in transmitting up to 3,200 MW of power over the 1,000 MW New England Clean Power Link in response to the Open Solicitation process conducted by the company. The expressions of interest, which were due December 4, 2015, are part of the Open Solicitation process overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”). The process seeks to identify parties interested in purchasing transmission rights on the Clean Power Link. Details regarding the potential suppliers are confidential.