Current News

Governor Peter Shumlin today reiterated that Hurricane Irene is currently heading for the United States and is expected to make landfall sometime this weekend. The current track of the storm has Irene crossing into Vermont as a Tropical Storm overnight Sunday into Monday. A Tropical Storm designation is based on the fact that maximum winds could be between 39 and 73 miles-per-hour.
The Governor, after a briefing today with state and federal emergency officials, said the storm is expected to bring heavy rains and wind starting late Sunday, and could cause flash flooding throughout Vermont and high winds with widespread power outages. Additional briefings on the track and progress of the hurricane will continue throughout today, Friday and the weekend.

More than a hundred opponents of a proposed wind farm staged a rally on the lawn of Green Mountain Power’s headquarters Wednesday afternoon, hoping the utility would abandon plans to build 21 turbines on Lowell Mountain.
Bearing signs and chanting ‘Solar, not wind,’ the group was at GMP to deliver a letter addressed to president and CEO Mary Powell and signed by 120 opponents of the plan.
‘The desecration of the Lowell Mountains that will result if the Lowell project moves forward is, to us, irreversible and unacceptable,’ the letter stated. ‘Our efforts to resist this project will not fade if this project moves forward.’

Union Institute & University (UI&U), a private, non-profit university based in Montpelier, has announced the appointment of Roger Allbee to its Board of Trustees. Allbee is a leader in the advancement of agriculture in the United States and former secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets.
‘Roger Allbee’s knowledge, experience, expertise, and lifelong commitment to Vermont will help Union make a lasting, positive impact on higher education initiatives in Vermont and beyond,’ said Roger H. Sublett, president of Union Institute & University. ‘We are honored that he has chosen to serve on Union’s Board of Trustees.’

The US Small Business Administration reminds Private Non-Profit Organizations (PNPs) in Vermont that September 22, 2011 is the deadline to submit Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications. The loans are available from the SBA because of the severe storms that occurred on December 1-5, 2010.
Eligible non-critical PNPs located in Chittenden, Franklin and Lamoille counties in Vermont are eligible to apply to SBA. Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

FairPoint Communications has made a $3,000 donation to the Vermont Foodbank to help the Foodbank provide 18,000 meals.
‘FairPoint is proud to support the Vermont Foodbank in its vital role of helping fight hunger,’ said Michael K. Smith, Vermont state president. ‘Almost 1 in 6 Vermonters doesn’t have enough to eat and the Vermont Foodbank steps in to fill the void.’
The Foodbank distributes food to its 280 partners around the state so that Vermonters can visit community food shelves, pantries and meal programs. There are hundreds of thousands of our Vermont neighbors ‘ including children, seniors and working families ‘ who are unable to put enough food on the table.
‘We thank FairPoint for this contribution, especially now, as we brace for the possibility of less federal assistance to help with the growing number of Vermonters who are hungry,’ said John Sayles, Vermont Foodbank CEO.
Source: FairPoint Communications

Not all of the excitement of the Champlain Valley Fair happens on the midway. Each year hundreds of Vermonters discover they have money waiting to be returned to them when they visit the Vermont State Treasurer’s Office unclaimed property booth.
The booth is located in the Robert E. Miller Expo Centre exhibitor’s area and will be open throughout the fair’s 10-day run, from August 27 through September 5. Booth visitors simply enter their names in a computerized database to see if any of the more than $52 million in unclaimed financial property is theirs. There are more than 275,000 individual listings.

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce hosted the White House Business Council at BioTek in Winooski on Wednesday afternoon. Vermont business leaders had the opportunity to connect with Administration officials and share their ideas for how the Obama Administration can continue to grow the economy and put Americans back to work
The discussion focused on the importance of expanding investments in innovation and industry. ‘If we as a people can adopt a strategic vision where policy is dictated by the priority to preserve the USA as the world’s beacon for innovation, our future can be very bright indeed," commented BioTek Vice President, Adam Alpert, as he welcomed the White House Business Council and attendees.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) today announced plans to transport and lift into place the center arch span of the new Lake Champlain Bridge this Friday, August 26, weather permitting. The public will be able to watch the transport and lift, but some marine and vehicle traffic restrictions will be in place. There will also be a webcam showing the event (see link below).
‘The arch lift will provide clear and tangible evidence that we’re moving very close to reopening the Lake Champlain Bridge to the public,’ said NYSDOT Commissioner Joan McDonald. ‘This is an exciting and historic moment for the people in the region who heavily depend on the bridge for their livelihoods. I would like to extend my appreciation to them for their patience as we move forward toward the final phase of the project.’

Champlain Bridge, August 24, 2011, NYSDOT.

The legislature hired contractors, Lawrence O Picus and Associates, to evaluate Vermont’s education finance system per Act 45 of 2011. Two public hearings are scheduled on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, to seek public input as part of the Picus and Associates’ evaluation of Vermont’s education finance system.
The purpose of these hearings is to gain an understanding of the issues and concerns facing citizens and education stakeholders regarding the financing of K-12 education in Vermont. Lawrence O. Picus and Associates will use the information from these public hearing sessions to help guide their study. Individuals testifying at the hearings are asked to address three specific questions:
 What do you think are the two or three major advantages or strengths of the
current Vermont funding system?
 What do you think are the two or three major shortcomings of the Vermont
school funding system? For each, what recommendations do you have for

Having completed its beta testing, and with the Phase I project nearly complete, ECFiber began connecting its first customers today. Eight customers have been beta-testing the system for the past two weeks, getting sustained 5Mbps symmetrical service.
The Barnard General Store, one of the beta sites, has been offering the experience to customers via WI-FI, and has been finding folks on their doorstep at all hours, trying out the system.
‘It’s been amazing,’ says Kim Furlong, one of the store’s proprietors. ‘Because so much more of what we do is online, it is truly a joy to reap the reward of high-speed internet. Dial-up, and even satellite, is such a time-robber. Fiber is very different ‘ you can be more efficient, and that is exciting. At the same time, I have some trepidation. People are going to relocate here more permanently because of what is available, and that is probably going to change the fabric of the community.’

Dale Tatro, President of Tatro Brothers Concrete in Hyde Park, Vermont, is retiring from the construction business and has retained the Thomas Hirchak Company to sell all of his rolling stock, equipment and tools.
The auction will be held at their 878 Route 15, Hyde Park location on Tuesday, September 27th at 10 am. Auction will be available for online Real Time Bidding through www.proxibid.com/ThomasHirchak.
Highlights include: Concrete Pump Truck, Dump Trucks, Hydraulic Excavators, Skid Steer & Wheel Loaders, Pick Up Trucks, Trailers, Crane Truck, 18,000 Square Feet of Symons Forms, Finishing Equipment, and more.
Tatro has been in business for 24 years.
Source: August 22, 2011 Thomas Hirchak Company www.THCAuction.com

Landlords, tenants and municipalities now have a place to find Vermont’s law on the legal health and safety requirements of rental housing: www.rentalcodes.org. The website features checklists of the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants, including links to relevant codes and contacts. The website was developed by the Attorney General’s Office working in conjunction with the Vermont Housing Finance Agency and other state agencies and stakeholders as a part of a safe rental housing study committee.