Current News
by tim
Brattleboro Chamber Holds Annual Dinner
Braving the elements of a huge weekend blizzard that buried the region under nearly two feet of snow, the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Dinner right on schedule Saturday, January 22. Over 120 area business people turned out for the gala, enjoying the hospitality of the Putney Inn and the music of The Phyllis Isaacson and Bill Shontz Quartet. The highlight of the evening came with the presentation of the Person of the Year and Corporate Citizen of the Year awards, a long-standing tradition of the Chamber.
by tim
Jericho home needs removal
A home built by Larry Westall has been ordered to be removed as its positioning is a hindrance to the health and habitat of muskrats and migratory birds in the homes nearby wetlands. The $240,000 home is on Browns Trace Road and has remained vacant since it was built in 2000.
The house is one of two that Westall built in close proximity on that property. A second home was also outside the buffer zone, though they built a shrub hedge to serve as a barrier between their home and the wetlands to solve the problem.
by tim
Local option tax proposed
State lawmakers are considering providing some towns with a permanent alternative to property tax which will pay for municipal services. Already, one third of Vermont communities have this option, though only Manchester, Williston and Stratton utilize it.
Burlington is asking that voters approve a 1 percent sales tax that would be under a separate program, unconnected to those that will expire in 2008. The decision as to which communities will have the opportunity to collect money from this additional sales tax will be made by lawmakers.
by tim
Powerline project is approved with stipulations
The state's Public Service Board has approved Vermont Electric Power Co.s proposed $130 million Northwest Reliability Project. The project will include the construction of over 64 miles of new and larger powerlines, spanning from West Rutland to New Haven, and along the western edge of the state to South Burlington.
The board has required that VELCO make some changes to this route, asking that they bury the powerlines for 1.4 miles through Shelbourne, despite the additional $3.4 million it will likely cost the company. Many people are worried about scenery blockage and the impact these new structures will have on their businesses.
by tim
The Environmental Board goes extinct
After decades of service to the state of Vermonts best interests, the state Environmental Board will go out of existence. This nine-member crew and its similar body, the five-member Water Resources Board, will be replaced by an Environmental Court and a judge.
In the past, this nine-member crew has made decisions and set standards based on first-hand experience. It has kept 100-unit motels out, and enabled Walmarts to come in. The Environmental Boards decisions have almost always sparked debate, though their devotion to wildlife is usually apparent. Gov. Howard Dean supported the workers of the Environmental Board, but after the Senate refused to confirm his reappointment of its head members, they eventually had to be replaced.
by tim
Union Bank Opens St. Albans Loan Center
Ken Gibbons, President & CEO of Union Bank, is pleased to announce the
January 28th opening of Union Bank's new Loan Center, located in the Saint
Albans Professional Building, 120 North Main Street, downtown St. Albans.
The Union Bank Loan Center is staffed by Mike Curtis, Vice President,
Commercial Services, and Carol Allen, Commercial Lending Assistant - both
long-time veterans of the St. Albans banking scene. Mike and Carol will be
responsible for cultivating and maintaining business relationships by
providing innovative and personalized financing solutions to clients in
the St. Albans area.
Union Bank's Loan Center will offer a variety of borrowing options,
including commercial loans and lines of credit, small business loans,
commercial real estate loans, equipment financing, residential mortgages
by tim
Josette Noll of Otter Creek Awnings & Patio Rooms in Williston, VT has been awarded a Betterliving Excellence Award-Gold Certificate from Craft-Bilt Manufacturing. As a Gold Certificate winner, Noll was recognized as being in the top 15% of sunroom designers in the nation. Noll specializes in 3- season patio rooms and year round sunroom design throughout Vermont and has been with Otter Creek Awnings & Patio Rooms for the past 4 years.
Otter Creek Awnings & Patio Rooms of Williston, VT is pleased to announce that Cindy Chittenden has been awarded a Betterliving Excellence Award-Silver Certificate from Craft-Bilt Manufacturing. The award places Chittenden in the top 25% of all Sunroom designers nationwide. Chittenden has been with Otter Creek awning for the past 3 years and specializes in 3-season patio rooms and sunroom design throughout Vermont.
by tim
The Addison County Chamber of Commerce Publicity & Promotions Committee is
pleased to announce that Northlands Job Corps has been chosen as the
February 2005 Business of the Month. Northlands Job Corp is located on
MacDonough Drive in Vergennes.
Sitting down and chatting with Center Director, Chris Kuhn and Tracy
Steen, Community Relations Liaison, I learned that Northlands Job Corps
opened their doors in Vergennes June 1979 which marks their 25th
anniversary this year. The National Job Corps will be celebrating their
40th anniversary in 2005. The Northlands campus is located on 66 acres and
offers nine vocational programs in the following subjects: Auto Body
Repair, Auto Mechanics, Business, Computer Support Specialist/Information
Technology, Culinary Arts, Facilities Maintenance, Health
Occupations/Certified Nursing Assistant, Urban Forestry and Welding.
by tim
DALE CARNEGIE TRAINING ANNOUNCES LAUNCH
ESSEX, VT (January 31, 2005) -- The local Dale Carnegie Training® office, Vermont Training Solutions, Inc., announces the launch of their newest workplace series Get Down to Business. Consisting of 6 bi-monthly sessions, these free 90-minute workshops focus on topics and tools to increase communication and productivity in the workplace.
The series begins with "Personalities: Capitalizing on Our Differences", to be held on Thursday February 10, 2005 at The Best Western Windjammer Conference Center. Sessions run from 8am to 9:30am, with the next topic to be announced soon. Participants may attend as many or as few of the six sessions as they would like. Registrations accepted via phone (879-7219) or e-mail ([email protected]).
by tim
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida and WILLISTON, Vermont, January 31, 2005 & Greg Hahr, President/ CEO of LibertyQuest Mortgage and Lou Dunham, President/ CEO of Ameribank, are pleased to announce the execution of a letter of intent to create a joint venture, named Ameribank Mortgage. The new company will become a subsidiary of Ameribank upon regulatory approval.
According to Mr. Hahr, Ameribank Mortgage is committed to setting the highest standards of excellence throughout the mortgage financing experience. Our team of professionals will guide customers through the wide variety of mortgage programs to find the right home loan that meets their needs at the lowest rates and fees possible.
by tim
Area CPA Firm awarded Presidents Award and Managing Partner to be Installed as Chairman of National CPA Organization
Kittell, Branagan & Sargent, the St. Albans, Vermont based accounting and consulting firm has been named to receive the 2005 Presidents Award presented by cpasnet.com. The firm was selected from among the 44,000 accounting and business consulting firms across the nation. Dana Kittell, CPA, managing partner and one of the founding partners of KB&S will formally receive the award at the annual meeting of the organization in San Antonio later this year. In addition, he will be installed as the Chairman of the organization for a three-year term.
by tim
NORTHGATE APARTMENTS ONE STEP CLOSER TO RESIDENT OWNERSHIP
[Burlington, VT] Representative Bernie Sanders joined Northgate residents and funders today to commemorate a major accomplishment in advancing the long term preservation of Vermonts largest resident-controlled rental housing complex. Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE), an investor in multifamily housing, donated its ownership stake in Northgate Apartments to one of the nonprofit owners, greatly reducing the cost of transferring the complex to the residents.
As Burlington Mayor, I led the fight to prevent the loss of this critical affordable housing resource and ensure that it could remain an affordable, great place to live for the foreseeable future, Representative Sanders told the crowd. I applaud Fannie Maes donation of its interest and congratulate the residents in taking a huge step to extending resident control, he said.