Current News

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is recognizing the State of Vermont and the city of Burlington with its coveted ‘Doorknocker Award’ for their outstanding work in producing affordable housing. From creating a stable living environment for those with disabilities to providing rental assistance to homeless veterans, each community represents a model for developing innovative housing solutions to meet their specific needs. (See below for description of Vermont developments honored.)

David Ashley, Senior Vice President of Freeman French Freeman, will reach two milestones May 13 ‘ his 75th birthday and the day he retires after a 53-year career with Vermont’s oldest architectural firm.

Ashley joined Freeman French Freeman in 1958 after graduating with a BA in architecture from Yale University. He is the only member of the firm to have worked with its founders: Bill Freeman, through the ‘70s; John French, until he retired in ‘67; and with Ruth Freeman, who died in ‘71.

Ashley’s studies at Yale were conducted by many of the great names in architecture from that era, including Louis I. Kahn. Ashley attended Philip Johnson design critiques and standing room only Frank Lloyd Wright lectures. He was also active in the Marching and Concert Bands at Yale. Locally, he has been a member of the Enosburg and Westford-Fairfax Town Bands, the St. James Bell Choir and the Sterling Weed Orchestra of St. Albans.

Manufacturing Solutions Inc of Morrisville has received designation as a HUBZone certified small business concern (SBC). The HUBZone Empowerment Contracting program, enacted into law in 1997, encourages economic development in historically underutilized business zones - "HUBZones" by providing access to more Federal contracting opportunities.

‘This designation will give us and our customers a leg up in our efforts to secure government contracts,’ says business owner, Garret Hirchak. ‘We look forward to bringing more growth and innovation to this part of Vermont while offering clients from around the country the option for efficient and cost-competitive domestic manufacturing.’

Central Vermont Public Service (NYSE-CV) honored retiring leader Bob Young at the annual meeting of shareholders today, and set out a bold new vision aimed at improving value for customers, shareholders and the state of Vermont.
Lead Director Bill Sayre honored Young for transforming CV during his tenure as president, and presented him with a framed page from the Congressional Record that included a speech from Representative Peter Welch, D-VT, who feted him on the House floor.
‘When Bob Young became president, that utility faced many challenges,’ Welch said in the speech. ‘He faced them directly: rising costs, transmission system upgrades, a customer base that wanted reliable power but green power. Bob Young succeeded in making CVPS an award-winning company. He focused on customer service and environmental concern and stewardship, proving that green power could be reliable and affordable.’

Fletcher Allen radiologist Dr Kristen Destigter has received a $100,000 grant from the Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation, to help her further improve her efforts on the Imaging the World project by getting ultrasound technology in developing countries.
"In the developing world, maternal mortality and morbidity is very high," Destigter said.
She said that rate could be lowered by using portable ultrasound machines, which currently run around $8,000. She's hoping to use the grant to make a similar machine that's more affordable. The smaller machines will allow health care workers in rural areas to conduct ultrasounds as long as they have sunlight and cellphone reception. Solar power can charge the device in places where there is usually limited access to power, then with a phone network, an image can be sent like a text message.

The Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties Holly D. Miller building at 1110 Prim Road in Colchester has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star rating signifying the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency. The prestigious award is given to commercial buildings such as banks, supermarkets, hospitals, hotels and schools that use an average of 35 percent less energy and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

by Anne Galloway, www.vtdigger.org April 30, 2011 The Shumlin administration wants Entergy Corp to pay for any legal expenses the state may incur as it defends itself against a lawsuit Entergy initiated against the state two weeks ago.
That counterintuitive payment approach is called a ‘billback,’ according to a Department of Public Service official, who assured the Senate Finance Committee on Friday, such legal maneuvers are ‘an age-old tradition.’
If the state, for example, was bringing a case in front of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it could charge Entergy for the cost of hiring experts and lawyers, according to Sarah Hofmann, deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Service. The ‘causer,’ or the entity that caused the need for a legal suit, is liable for the cost, she said.

Construction of the new Rutland Academic Center for the Community College of Vermont has begun. CCV will be relocating its Rutland campus to new a new location at the corner of West Street and Wales Street in downtown Rutland. The new Academic Center is being constructed for CCV with occupancy scheduled for the end of this year, in time for spring semester classes starting January 2012. CCV has entered into a long term lease for approximately 32,500 sq. ft. with developer and construction manager DEW Construction Corp. of Williston. CCV selected the site over several other locations, stating the West and Wales location offered a prominent location in addition to on-site parking and the ability to expand as their enrollment continues to grow.

A national report confirms that renters in Vermont struggle to find affordable places to live. In 2010, Vermont is ranked the 15th least affordable state in the nation, according to a new report jointly released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Washington, DC-based housing advocacy group, and the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (VAHC).

First Wind Holdings, LLC (First Wind), (TSX - AQN): Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. (Algonquin) and (TSX - EMA) Emera Inc. (Emera) announced today that they have entered into an agreement to jointly construct, own and operate wind energy projects in the Northeast US.
First Wind has a 370 Megawatt (MW) portfolio of wind energy projects in the Northeast US including five operating projects and two projects near operation. These assets will become part of an operating company of which First Wind will own 51%. Emera and Algonquin are entering into a separate joint venture (Northeast Wind), which will own 49% of the operating company. Emera will initially own 75% of Northeast Wind and Algonquin will own the balance. Northeast Wind will invest a total of $333 million to acquire the 49% ownership of the operating company. This includes a $150 million loan to the operating company. The loan will be repaid within 5 years, or convert to equity in future projects.

Online advertised vacancies slipped by 123,800 in April to 4,322,300 according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine (HWOL) Data Series released today. The April decline follows a strong gain of 763,100 in the first quarter of 2011. Vermont was up 800.

Vermont's top elected officials, Seantors Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, Rpresentative Peter Welch and Governor Peter Shumlin, offered these remarks in reactioni to President Obama's announcement that Osama Bin Laden had been killed Sunday by US special forces in Pakistan.
Senator Leahy
May 1, 2011
When Secretary Clinton called me at home to alert me that the President would be announcing that Bin Laden was dead, many thoughts and emotions came quickly to the surface.
I thought of the countless lives ended and disrupted by this malevolent figure. Thousands of Americans and thousands more of other nationalities were innocent victims of his self-righteous venom, and so many brave men and women have died in the struggle to bring him to justice. Our thoughts and prayers again are with the 9-11 families and our service members overseas.
We are also mindful of the need for continued vigilance.