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Vermont Business Magazine The Automaster has completed the final details of their BMW showroom renovation and celebrated its completion with a ribbon cutting ceremony held on November 11, 2015. Deconstruction began on November 24, 2014. The total renovation included stripping the existing building down to the structural steel and rebuilding a completely updated showroom, with an expansion of 980 square feet of new showroom space to the existing footprint. Construction of the new state-of-the-art facility was completed in June.

“The new BMW showroom features an open, airy and welcoming space for both our guests and our employees,” said Dale Fillion, General Manager of The Automaster. “The renovation included the addition of many new amenities, like the Isetta bar (a complimentary refreshment bar) and a lot of new, state-of-the-art technology, like the new iDisplay ,” Fillion noted.

Vermont Business Magazine Following years of planning and development with the Southeastern Vermont region’s business and non-profit community, residents and municipalities, the work of developing the Green Building and Services Economy in the Brattleboro area is under way. The work began with the development of the region’s federally recognized strategic economic development plan (CEDS), and continued through a lengthy funding process with Vermont state and federal partners. On Wednesday, December 9, Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) and Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) will convene approximately 50 businesses, organizations, local and state government officials for a series of initial workshops during the official launch of the region’s Green Economy Cluster project.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin today announced a pilot program to test in Vermont a new treatment option for opiate addiction. Under the pilot, offenders coming out of Marble Valley Correctional Center in Rutland will now be offered naltrexone, an injected, long-acting medication that reduces the urge for opioid drugs like heroin or prescription painkillers. Naltrexone works by blocking the body’s opiate receptors, preventing the effects of opioid drugs from getting to the brain. A person must be opioid-free for at least a week before receiving the injection of naltrexone, which is then administered monthly, to support recovery. The Health Department has trained more than 50 health care providers in the protocols for administering naltrexone. Naltrexone is not an opiate, and is not a replacement or maintenance medication like methadone or buprenorphine.

Vermont Business Magazine Property tax rates and public education spending will both go up next year, but both slower than the current year. The Commissioner of Taxes has released forecasts related to education tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year, FY2017. The statutorily required forecasts are a joint effort between the Agency of Education, Department of Taxes, and Joint Fiscal Office. This year the forecast shows that the projected average homestead property tax rate will rise by 1 cent to $1.535 per $100. The projected average nonresidential property tax rate will rise by three tenths of one cent to $1.538. The projected average income rate will go down slightly from 2.74% in FY2016 to 2.72% in FY2017 (which begins on July 1, 2016). The average tax bill for all three types of payers is projected to increase 1.12%.

Vermont Business Magazine Cathedral Square was recently awarded a $100,000 affordable housing grant through the TD Charitable Foundation’s Housing for Everyone grant competition. The grant will be used to help fund the construction of Elm Place, a new affordable housing community in Milton, Vermont. Cathedral Square’s Elm Place will be a service-enriched senior housing community located on a smart growth site in the heart of Milton’s downtown. This thoughtfully positioned property will sit adjacent to UVM Medical Center’s Milton Family Practice and near the senior center, pharmacy, grocery store, churches, and library, with sidewalks providing walking access to all of these services. Features will include a community room with kitchen, lounge, elevators, laundry facilities, storage, underbuilding parking, and an outdoor courtyard for social gatherings. The building will be energy efficient and the first certified Passive House multifamily building in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $15.6 million to the State of Vermont to help finance improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment. The funds will be primarily used to upgrade sewage plants and drinking water systems, as well as replacing aging infrastructure, throughout the state. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program, administrated by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Vermont Bond Bank, received $6.8 million. EPA’s funding provides low-interest loans for water quality protection projects to make improvements to wastewater treatment systems, control pollution from stormwater runoff, and protect sensitive water bodies and estuaries.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont National Guard announces that 5 personnel from Vermont's Operational Support Airlift (OSA) Detachment are deploying to the Horn of Africa in support of United States Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM). "The Vermont National Guard is very proud of their contribution to regional security and stability in the Horn of Africa," said Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, the adjutant general. "It's important to remember that America's military is still forward deployed across the world performing numerous missions to include not only combat operations but humanitarian and training missions. The Vermont National Guard's deployment to the Horn of Africa is a testament to the strength, professionalism and readiness of our National Guard as an asset to the Total Force."

Today, on World AIDS Day, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) condemned price gouging by pharmaceutical companies on lifesaving drugs to treat the disease. “The biggest problem in caring for those with AIDS is no longer mainly a medical or scientific problem – the crisis is access to affordable drugs,” Sanders said. “People are dying in America because they can't afford to pay the outrageous prices for medicine they need to live. In the richest nation in the world, we must do everything possible to get people the medicine they need at a price they can afford.”

Last year, one in five Americans – 35 million people – were unable to afford to fill their prescriptions. The price of Daraprim, a drug taken by AIDS patients, was recently increased 5,000 percent overnight.

by Erin Mansfield vtdigger.org State regulators have released more details on a major health care reform deal that would change significantly the way the health care industry runs in Vermont. Al Gobeille, the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, told the House Health Care Committee on Monday that he expects to have the terms for an all-payer model agreement with the federal government in December. The terms sheet would be the framework for an agreement that the Green Mountain Care Board would continue to negotiate with the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services to create a first-in-the-nation statewide all-payer system.

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Vermont Business Magazine The 5^th Annual Ri Ra 5K Santa Run presented by New England Federal Credit Union to support Camp Ta-Kum-Ta will be held on Sunday, December 6, 2015. The race starts outside of Ri Ra Irish Pub on Church Street at 10 am and concludes back in front of Ri Ra Irish Pub. The Ri Ra Santa 5k run returns to Burlington, VT again this year after proving to be a big hit the last four years for the community. Runners from all over New England and Canada will join in on the fun. All race participants receive a Santa suit to be worn during the event and to keep. Plus FREE, full hot breakfast for all participants after the race courtesy of Ri Ra Irish Pub.

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board will hold a Rate Review Listening Forum from 1 pm to 2 pm on December 3, 2015 on the 2nd floor Board Room located at 89 Main Street, City Center, Montpelier, VT. During this time, Health Policy Director, Judy Henkin will give a brief overview of the Board's role in health insurance regulation, and then we will devote the remaining time to listen to the voices of Vermont Businesses about their experiences and needs with health insurance in Vermont. There will be a sign-up sheet available for comment at the meeting. For those who are unable to attend this meeting, they can submit written public comment, either by email, [email protected], or by mail, 89 Main Street, Montpelier VT. They may also submit verbal comment by calling the Green Mountain Care Board at 802-828-2177

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Christmas tree industry received one of its early customers yesterday when Governor Peter Shumlin arrived at Isham’s Family Farm in Williston to select and cut a tree for the state Pavilion Office Building in Montpelier. The Governor’s annual tree-cutting event not only signals the start of tree-hunting season for many Vermonters, but also draws some well-deserved attention to Vermont’s robust Christmas Tree Industry, which supplies over 134,000 trees to Vermonters and customers throughout New England and as far away as Bermuda.

Governor Shumlin, Chuck Ross and Mike Isham. Courtesy Vermont Ag Agency