The Bridge, March 15, 2012

We honor Margot George in publishing this issue on historic preservation. Margot was a moving force behind historic preservation in Montpelier until her untimely death in De-cember 2008, and her energy, intelligence and commitment to historic preservation con-tinue to inspire us today.

In this issue we feature stories about several architects and construction fi rms who are giving new use and life to historic buildings. On the editorial page of this issue, we also refl ect on the power-plant building shown above, which was constructed in 1909 on the Winooski River in East Montpelier during the early enthusiasm over the promise of elec-tric power. Th e building was torn down this past January.

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Connecting Montpelier and nearby communities since 1993 | MARCH 15–APRIL 4, 2012

Th e Historic Preservation Issue

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An 1840s house gets the energy-efficient treatment

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BUILDING TRANSFORMATIONS

Local architects bring new life to old structures

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HEARD ON THE

STREETAt the end of last week, March 9 through 11, we had big flocks of mixed red-winged

blackbirds and grackles coming through . . . a couple hundred at a time, feeding on seed we ground-scatter and making a glorious racket. We have not ever seen so many, day after day. Then the heat wave hit, and they were gone. We are anxiously eying the weather report and the trees, feeling that Vermont’s reliance on weather predictability in maple and fruit production is on the line. And last night, a lone woodcock was twittering overhead at dusk.

—Nona Estrin

Nature WatchCleaning Up

Get a little more soaked drying your clothes. Both Montpelier coin laundries have moved toward fixed-price drying. Only four machines left at Launderama on Barre Street allow

guessing the quarters you’ll need; otherwise, no matter how damp or dry, spring for $2.50 for 40 minutes to start the machines, or $2 at Capitol City Laundromat on Elm Street for 35 minutes. Need just a few more minutes? Full fare. The culprit? According to Janice Hayward, manager at Capitol City Laundromat, propane prices shot up last July, forcing the choice.

Buttoning Up

Just in time for this historic preservation–themed issue, Karissa Trepanier of Weatherization and Renovation of Montpelier LLC (WARM) advised that WARM had been entered in a

contest and recently learned they were first-prize winners from Efficiency Vermont for Best of the Best in Home Performance with Energy Star: Best Retrofit—Pre-1900 Farmhouse Honor. WARM, owned by Elliott and David Curtin, weatherizes homes across Vermont. Efficiency Vermont’s 2012 award was presented on February 8 at the Sheraton Conference Center in Bur-lington. The award honored a WARM-reinsulated pre-1900 farmhouse in Waterbury, which now enjoys an estimated annual energy savings of 71.62 percent, according to Trepanier.

Lawyering Up

The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) and Vermont Commission on Women host a panel discussion and luncheon at Montpelier’s Unitarian Church on Wednesday, March

21 at noon, celebrating Women’s History Month. The discussion, Women of Change: Mak-ing Strides in Women’s Legal Rights in the 1970s and ’80s, will be led by Vermont Law School professor Cheryl Hanna and will include attorneys Sandy Baird and Mary Just Skin-ner, Vermont senator Peg Flory, and retired Vermont Supreme Court justice Denise Johnson. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested.

VHS Education and Public Programming Director Tess Taylor says, “[The] event coin-cides with the commission’s publication of the sixth edition of The Legal Rights of Women in Vermont, a handbook to help the layperson understand legal rights and responsibilities under state and federal law.” The handbook can be found online at women.vermont.gov.

VHS is soliciting information on women who played significant roles in obtaining women’s rights in Vermont and plans to incorporate that information in the Vermont Women’s His-tory Project website, highlighting the role that women have played in shaping Vermont’s his-tory, and providing information for students, researchers and others. Taylor notes that during March a resolution will be offered in the State House to highlight contributions of Vermont women in history and society. To attend the March 21 event, contact Tess Taylor at 479-8505 for more information or visit vermonthistory.org/women.

Bulking Up

National Life Group recently reported total customers served at about 820,000, and show 590,000 as life insurance and annuity customers, up from 570,000 last year. After a

69 percent increase in net income from 2009 to 2010, they’ve increased in 2011 by another percent and a half, or $1.8 million. They report their statutory surplus (“money set aside after reserves to ensure we can meet our commitments”) “at a record high—$1.14 billion at the end of 2011,” and they paid out $1.6 billion in benefits.

Although people may be encountering troubled waters, life insurance and annuities com-panies can still see growth. National Life spokesman Chris Graff offers two reasons: Their investments track the S&P 500, which is up, and, “We actually do well in uncertain times. People are concerned about their financial futures, so they look to the products we offer as part of the long-term solution.”

Dust-Up

A clash of interests is developing at the State House over S.238, a bill making Vermont IDs and drivers’ licenses accessible to migrant workers. Migrant Justice, formerly the

Vermont Migrant Farmworker Solidarity Project, favors the bill enabling workers to get to town for supplies, appointments, etc., without requiring rides from their employers. But the Vermont Bankers Association (VBA), representing banks obliged by the federal Patriot Act to ask for valid identification to open accounts, worries about unintended consequences. VBA President Christopher D’Elia said, “We are very understanding of the farming community’s needs for transportation” but VBA fears undermining the validity of documents Vermonters routinely use to open accounts, as required by the Patriot Act.

While the VBA appreciates the need for migrant workers to have freedom of movement, they don’t want it to happen at the expense of bank customers, who, D’Elia said, would be forced to produce additional documentation to satisfy the Patriot Act if driver’s-license validity is weakened. The VBA also doesn’t want banks to become vulnerable to the risks of enabling transactions that are illegal in the eyes of that act. Asked about a special driver’s license, like a permit, D’Elia pointed out that that idea poses unintended consequences, too, because it opens the possibility for such permit-holders to be selectively targeted.

Mixing It Up

Snowflake: a Winter Chaos Conference, an informal annual conference for systems think-ers and chaos-theory aficionados, occurs March 23 to 25 at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

The 20th anniversary of the original conference involves “the application of systems analysis to exploring the emergence of order out of complexity in virtually every field of study. The conference is a series of presentations by several scholars, this year mainly on topics of con-sciousness, education, neurofeedback, evolution and social action,” according to Frederick Abraham, director of Waterbury Center’s Blueberry Brain Institute, event host. More infor-mation on this free event is at blueberry-brain.org.

—all items by Bob Nuner

P.O. Box 1143, Montpelier, VT 05601Phone: 802-223-5112 | Fax: 802-223-7852 montpelierbridge.com; facebook.com/montpelierbridge

Published every first and third Thursday

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Subscriptions: You can receive The Bridge by mail for $50 a year. Make out your check to The Bridge, and mail to The Bridge, PO Box 1143, Montpelier VT 05601.

Copyright 2012 by The Montpelier Bridge


Capitol NotebookSTATE HOUSE NEWS & COMMENTARY

by John Odum

At the time of the writing of this col-umn, the Vermont legislature is still on its town-meeting break. This is

not to say that there isn’t legislative activity at all, it’s just dialed way down and hidden from view. When the legislature returns, lawmakers will start looking toward the end-game and the final disposition of a host of introduced bills.

One surprise came in the report that the Senate will indeed hold hearings on the so-called “death with dignity” bill, otherwise known as the “physician-assisted suicide” bill. Whichever you choose to call it (which, of course, roughly correlates to how you feel about it), it’s the bill that would afford some terminal patients the opportunity to end their lives at a moment of their own choosing.

The bill has been up before, and it’s a pe-culiar animal in that polls tend to show broad support for its passage and yet it can’t seem to pass. It likely won’t this time, either, when all is said and done. That’s because the “fors” have never truly organized as a force, while the “againsts” have.

Oregon’s end-of-life law was passed at the ballot box. As with anything on a ballot, forces rose for and against, and, in the end, the vote largely mirrored the opinion polls. But in Vermont’s legislative arena, until the supporters can get as loud as the opponents, this bill will have trouble.

And it’s not alone—here are some of the many bills that are likely doomed to oblivion, given the calendar and their subject matter:

H.68, sponsored by Manchester Democrat Jeff Wilson and Burlington Democrat Rachel Weston, who recently left the House and was replaced by fellow Dem Jill Krowinski. H.68 would change the motor-vehicle statutes so that “no person shall possess a lighted tobacco product in a motor vehicle which is occupied by a child under 18 years of age.” Although there are obviously plenty of folks who feel strongly about smoking, this one doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. H.116, sponsored by Democratic Representative Margaret Cheney, would have much the same effect but lower the cutoff from age 18 to age 14. More ap-pealing for some, perhaps, but still an issue nobody is excited to debate in the media.

There is a slew of bills like H.60, sponsored by Republican Representative Robert Lewis of Derby. In a bill long enough to write on a napkin, H.60 would simply eliminate

the current income sensitivity provisions on property tax, starting immediately. It’s one of those “do it so you can say you did it” bills put forward by some GOP lawmakers that have about as much chance to get a hearing in the Democratic-controlled legislature as I have to be named Miss USA.

Hinesburg Democrat Bill Lippert has in-troduced a bill, H.106, that would require police Tasers to be equipped with an undeter-mined electronic recording device to produce a usage log. That log would then be open for viewing under the state’s public-record laws. Without a groundswell of support, leadership is unlikely to invite the kind of drawn-out public controversy that recently accompanied police requests for Tasers in Montpelier—al-though it is the kind of bill that could very suddenly generate a great deal of support if word starts circulating.

H.212 is another no-chance-in-a-million-years bill, but differs from H.60 in that it’s bipartisan (one of its sponsors is longtime Democratic Representative Kenneth Atkins of Winooski). This bill would again allow for the use of lead sinkers for fishing. Like its cousin, H.60, it could virtually be written on a napkin (although you’d have to use both sides, as this one has several cosponsors).

Here’s a bill, currently in the government operations committee, where it will languish, wither and go the way of all things: H.262 has 13 bipartisan cosponsors, which suggests that it may have a chance to get a hearing, but for the fact that it’s a bill which would ban automated election campaign phone calls (otherwise known as “robocalls”). Rather than create new regulations, it would simply write robocalls out of allowed communica-tions. Appealing as this may be, robocalls are simply too much a staple of both major parties’ campaigns—particularly the state-wide campaigns. Why? Because robocalls are absolutely dirt cheap. So long as they are the lowest-cost method to reach a large number of voters quickly, expect them to stay a part of the electoral landscape.

Now, anything could happen with these bills, but the opportunity for that anything to happen is rapidly fading away, and next year’s session is the start of a whole new biennium, so supporters of these efforts—and many others—will have to start from scratch if they don’t get traction quickly.

John Odum was a longtime political blogger and online journalist. He lives in Montpelier.

Making the Cut

Tickets ($10–$25) at the door, at Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, and at capitalcityconcerts.org. Audience members age 19–35 pay just $15 at the door!

CAPITAL C ITY CONCERTS PRESENTS

Johannes Brahms: Opus 111, No. 2Ernest Chausson: Concerto for Violin, Piano & String quartet André Prévost: Mobiles for Flute and Strings

“A marvel of intimate conversation.”

—The Gazette, Montreal

MUSICA CAMERATA MONTREALSunday, March 18, 3:30 pm • Unitarian Church of Montpelier


by Joy Worland

March is Women’s History Month and a perfect time to explore and celebrate quality feminist books

for children and young adults. An excellent resource for this is the 2012 list of rec-ommended feminist books, compiled by the American Library Association’s Amelia Bloomer Project. A diverse mix of fiction and nonfiction, the list includes biographies of women who changed the world with their courage and social activism, futuristic hero-ines who challenge dystopian confines all too easy to imagine, and athletes whose physi-cal strength and skills invalidated perceived physical limitations of the female body.

The project is part of the Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association’s Social Responsibility Round Table. It takes its name from famed 19th-century women’s rights advocate, journalist and suffragist Amelia Bloomer, whose name also came to represent the baggy trousers worn by women dress reformers. The list of recommended feminist books is compiled by a committee of nine public, school and academic librar-ians from all over the country, who critically assess hundreds of recently published books to create the list. Below are some of the 2012 selections.

Tillie the Terrible Swede, by Sue Stauffacher, is the story of Tillie Ander-son, who exuberantly embodies the spirit of Women’s History Month and the Amelia

Bloomer Project. From the first time Til-lie saw a bicycle, she knew she wanted to ride seriously. Rigorous physical training, sewing skill that helped her create unique racing clothes, and her indomitable spirit prepared her to race. In her first 100-mile race, she broke the women’s record for speed. She quickly gained national attention, but continued to face unfair tactics from jeal-ous competitors and race organizers, and criticism from male racers who found her athleticism unwomanly. But she and her bi-cycle also became symbols of women’s eman-cipation. This book shares powerful mes-sages of perseverance and independence in a lighthearted way combined with whimsical illustrations, making it a perfect (and true) story for picture-book lovers.

Beryl Markham was another barrier-breaking woman, famous for her solo flight from England to North America in 1936. Promise the Night, by Michaela Mac-Coll, is a fictionalized telling of her colorful childhood. It’s no surprise that a girl who grew up to be a record-breaking aviator was

a nonconformist, spirited child, and this book is full of adventures she had growing up in Kenya. From the local Nandi tribe she learned skills unusual to any white person, but especially a girl. Her skill with horses helped her become the first female licensed horse trainer in Kenya. Between chapters about her girlhood are quotes from her journal as she is making her famous trans-Atlantic flight. This book has action, adventure, his-tory and anthropology, but is most appealing because of its intrepid heroine.

Moving into the 21st century and the young-adult category, Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens and Laura Goode’s Sister Mis-chief portray fierce contemporary young women destroying stereotypes and reshaping cultural expectations. The plot of Beauty Queens could easily be too campy, but Bray manages to tell the story of teen beauty pageant contestants stranded on an almost deserted island with delightful satire and humor while also critiquing politics, con-sumerism and narrow definitions of gender and gender expectations. Pageant contes-tants from each state must find a way to survive, applying a wide variety of skills to situations they never expected to experience. Unexpected alliances and abilities surface and, while it never ceases to entertain, this book also shows great personal growth and an increase in compassion and social con-sciousness for many of the girls.

The characters in Sister Mischief take on suburban Midwest high-school norms, gen-der bias in hip-hop music, first love, race and parental expectations. Main character Esme is vulnerable yet strong, passionate and artistic. Just the song lyrics and rhymes she writes for her band make this a worthwhile read. Each of the three girls in the band, Sis-ter Mischief, struggles with different issues related to her personality and background, and, ultimately, each succeeds in standing up to convention in unique and brave ways. The book wraps inspiring, heartbreaking and empowering moments into an engaging and entertaining plot.

When She Woke, by Hillary Jordan, from the young-adult list, also has great adult appeal. In this futuristic retelling of The Scarlet Letter, people who are considered criminals are chromed, their skin perma-nently colored to convey the nature of their crime. Hannah Payne’s skin is colored red at the start of the book, signifying she has had an abortion. Society is overrun by religious zealots who have forsaken any semblance of separation between church and state, and Hannah is cut off from her family and the man who impregnated her. Her journey from believer to independent thinker and her increasing resistance to the totalitarian world around her makes for a cautionary yet very readable tale.

Joy Worland is the director of the Joslin Memorial Library in Waitsfield and a member of the Amelia Bloomer Project Committee. She lives in Montpelier.

Read to Celebrate Women’s History MonthRecommended Feminist Books for Kids and Young Adults

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by Cassandra Hemenway Brush

What do you get when you mix a couple of songwriters in with eight classes of third- and fourth-grad-

ers? Not surprisingly, the answer is nine songs

written by the children themselves, in the case of the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra Song-fest Project’s songwriting residency at Mont-pelier’s Union Elementary School in January. The project culminates in a concert on March 31 at St. Augustine Church in Montpelier.

In addition, orchestra director Paul Gambill has created a Kickstarter page (see sidebar) to raise funds to underwrite the second phase of the songfest project: commissioning ar-rangements of the songs for the orchestra to accompany the students at the concert.

The songwriting process came out of two hour-long sessions at the school dur-ing a weeklong residency, followed by a performance that wowed the entire Union Elementary School community. Now the children will perform their work alongside 43 musicians in the chamber orchestra. In addition to the Songfest Project’s work, the concert will also feature a children’s choir in “Mass of the Children,” by England’s contemporary composer John Rutter. Also featured is the 21-member chorus Sounding Joy! of Randolph, conducted by Marjorie Drysdale, who, together with her assistant, Grace Chris, is also preparing the children’s chorus of about 30 voices recruited from throughout central Vermont.

The Songfest Project, coordinated by UES music teacher Hilary Sales, resulted in songs with lyrics about subjects as varied as “Ver-mont Strong,” soldiers, maple syrup and just plain wanting to “get out of here.” The students are slated to sing “Vermont Strong” for the legislature later this year.

“This was one of the most amazing and valuable residencies that I’ve ever had the privilege to be a part of,” Sales said. “I loved the way that the songwriters honored each and every idea that was put forward by the kids and then helped to gently guide them to the final product.”

In fact, the kids earned a mention in a concurrent house resolution which hon-ors “the spirit of Vermont Strong online, in music, and as a commemorative license plate.” Among the list of reasons for the reso-lution is the statement: “Whereas, a group of third- and fourth graders at Union Elemen-tary School have written a song, Vermont Strong, with the lyrics ‘Life can be hard, When the weather turns wrong, But I am

Montpelier Chamber Orchestra Concert to Feature Nine Songs Written by UES Students

Screening at GMFF!

March 24, 2pm, Pavilion

March 25, 4pm, Savoy

www.littlehousebighouse.com

Donald Sosin, Kid Pan Alley songwriter, collaborating with Union Elementary School students. Photo courtesy Paul Gambill.


Vermont [Vermont Strong]. . . .’”“It was a really amazing process,” Gambill

said, explaining that Kid Pan Alley songwrit-ers Paul Reisler and Donald Sosin spent the week in the school cowriting songs with the kids. Gambill and Reisler have worked to-gether on a similar project in Nashville, Ten-nessee. There they created an album called “Kid Pan Alley Nashville,” which earned a Grammy nomination. The Montpelier proj-ect will be available as a digital download.

The idea for the project came out of the Montpelier Cham-ber Orchestra’s desire to engage in more community outreach, Gambill said.

“We wanted to do more community out-reach, to serve our community and get more people involved and in the concert hall,” Gambill said, adding that “the fun thing is to connect chamber music with the community. We want kids to be play-ing instruments and going to concerts; this got them writing music.”

As it turned out, it wasn’t only the kids who wrote music dur-ing the residency. Each of the four third- and fourth-grade classes wrote a song, and the teachers also wrote one along with Principal Owen Bradley. Gambill explained that Brad-

ley had scheduled a regular meeting with the teachers, but instead of the proposed agenda, he sent them down to the music room to work with the song writers, “and he did it too,” Gam-bill said. The result, “We are Union,” fea-tures the lyrics, “Who has touched my heart

today/And whose have I touched back/Who has cared and who has shared/And who has dared to dream/I look around and see/The power of you ’n’ me/We are

Union, We are Union School.”Three members of the chamber orchestra

have written the arrangements to go with

the songs: principal cellist and composer Mi-chael Close, cellist Paul Perley and composer

and pianist Nancy Taube.

“It was such an af-firming experience for the kids,” said Gambill. “The par-ents said it was all the kids talked about that week. . . . The big challenge is for the or-chestra to do a project like this, but we ex-pect the benefits to be really strong as well. . . . We expect that the Songfest Project is the beginning of regular community-engagement projects by the [Montpelier Chamber Orchestra] as we work to bring our music to audi-ences of all ages and throughout the com-munity.”

Performances are scheduled at St. Au-gustine Church in

Montpelier on Saturday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. and at Chandler Music Hall in Ran-dolph on Sunday, April 1, at 4 p.m. The Montpelier concert will feature the Song-fest works as well as the featured “Mass of the Children,” Mozart’s overture to Don Giovanni, and “Knoxville, Summer of 1915,” for soprano and orchestra, by the American composer Samuel Barber set to a poem by James Agee, with Marjorie Drysdale as so-prano soloist.

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Treat Yourself!

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March 19–21St. Augustine ChurchMontpelier6:30 PM each evening

Questions?Ges Schneider, 223-2151

Kickstarting the Project

Everything costs money, and when it comes to artistic proj-

ects, funding can be hard to find. Montpelier Chamber Orchestra director Paul Gambill is taking ad-vantage of a new forum for raising funds by using kickstarter.com, a website that describes itself as “the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects.”

The way it works is that the group seeking funding sets a time-line (in this case 35 days) to raise a set goal, in this case $2,500. The funding for this project will be to underwrite the orchestra’s arrange-ments to the nine songs that came out of the UES Songfest residency.

How does it work? Anyone can pledge anywhere from $1 to $500 or more. Each level of pledging gets a slightly different gift—smaller pledges get a digital download of the music, and pledges of $500 or more will net the donor a 45-min-ute house concert. Credit cards are not billed until the entire goal is met.

To see the Songfest Project Kickstarter page, go to kck.st/yDQUZD.

—Cassandra Hemenway Brush

Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!

They say that soldiers don’t cryBut I know that they cry insideThey’ve seen the worst of mankindThey’ve seen their friends dieThey’ve been trained to be braveAnd never show they’re afraidThey’ve got to stay calm‘cause they’ve got to move onTo keep the flame alive fighting for freedom

—excerpt from I Want to Sing a Song for the Soldiers, by Paul Reisler, Donald

Sosin and Mrs. Quinn’s third-grade class

We’ve got the power to help each otherEven when the power goes outWe can get where we’re goingWhether its muddy or snowingEven when the roads are washed awayWhen the storms blow inThat’s when we beginTo be VermontVermont strong

—excerpt from Vermont Strong, by Paul Reisler, Donald Sosin and

Mrs. Pine’s third-grade class


Editor’s note—the margin of difference is given in parentheses, when applicable.

MontpelierMayor: John Hollar 2160City clerk: John Odum 1205, Michael

Marinelli 1087 (5.15 percent)Green Mount Cemetery commissioner: Jake

Brown 2102Park commissioner: Kip Roberts 1984School commissioner (2 seats): Jennifer Ca-

hill Bean 1650, Charles Phillips 1817City councilor, District 1: Andy Hooper

592City councilor, District 2: Thierry Guerlain

575, Nancy Sherman 371 (21.56 percent)City councilor, District 3: Alan Weiss 661Article 2—City budget: Yes 1777, No 763

(39.9 percent)Article 3—School budget: Yes 1757, No 819

(36.4 percent)Article 4—Recreation budget: Yes 1935, No

619 (51.5 percent)Article 5—Mayor compensation: Yes 2031,

No 543 (57.8 percent)Article 6—Council compensation: Yes

2006, No 568 (55.9 percent)Article 7—School commissioner’s compen-

sation: Yes 1929, No 638 (50.3 percent)Article 8—School reserve fund: Yes 1852,

No 595 (51.4 percent)Article 9—$870,000 infrastructure bond:

Yes 1828, No 700 (44.6 percent)Article 10—Local option sales tax: Yes 828,

No 1740 (35.5 percent)Article 11—Local option rooms, meals

and alcohol tax: Yes 1198, No 1377 (6.9 percent)

Article 12—Charter change for petition requirement: Yes 1329, No 1081 (10.3 percent)

Article 13—Advisory on regional public safety service: Yes 1882, No 576 (53.1 percent)

Article 14—$41,000 for housing trust

fund: Yes 1668, No 849 (52.5 percent)Article 15—$293,975 for Kellogg-Hubbard

Library: Yes 1884, No 685 (46.7 percent)Article 16—$3,075 for CIRCLE: Yes 1963,

No 584 (54.1 percent) Article 17—$2,000 for Central Vermont

Community Action: Yes 1608, No 899 (28.3 percent)

Article 18—$6,000 for Central Vermont Adult Basic Education: Yes 1708, No 815 (35.4 percent)

Article 19—$5,000 for Central Vermont Community Land Trust: Yes 1484, No 1023 (18.4 percent)

Article 20—$5,000 for Central Vermont Council on Aging: Yes 1828, No 697 (44.8 percent)

Article 21—$18,000 for Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice: Yes 2004, No 544 (57.3 percent)

Article 22—$6,000 for Community Con-nections: Yes 1682, No 862 (32.2 per-cent)

Article 23—$3,500 for Family Center of Washington County: Yes 1701, No 822 (34.8 percent)

Article 24—$2,500 for North Branch Nature Center: Yes 1644, No 897 (29.4 percent)

Article 25—$500 for Friends of the Win-ooski River: Yes 1486, No 1042 (17.6 percent)

Article 26—$400 for Good Beginnings of Central Vermont: Yes 1427, No 1051 (15.2 percent)

Article 27—$1,500 for Green Mountain Youth Symphony: Yes 1456, No 1070 (15.3 percent)

Article 28—$5,000 for Meals on Wheels: Yes 2169, No 395 (69.2 percent)

Article 29—$1,500 for Montpelier Veterans Council: Yes 1597, No 896 (28.1 percent)

Article 30—$1,250 for People’s Health and Wellness Clinic: Yes 1795, No 749 (41.1 percent)

Article 31—$2,000 for Project Indepen-dence: Yes 1703, No 803 (35.9 percent)

Article 32—$3,000 for RSVP: Yes 1507, No 975 (21.4 percent)

Article 33—$2,000 for Sexual Assault Crisis Team: Yes 1877, No 654 (48.3 percent)

Article 34—$500 for Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Yes 1855, No 671 (46.9 percent)

Article 35—$5,000 for Vermont Center for Independent Living: Yes 1664, No 842 (32.8 percent)

Article 36—$5,000 for Washington County Youth Services Bureau: Yes 1673, No 833 (33.5 percent)

Article 37—$15,000 for Washington County Basement Teen Center: Yes 1528, No 971 (22.3 percent)

Article 38—$1,950 for Washington County Diversion Program: Yes 1578, No 876 (28.6 percent)

Article 39—$3,500 for Lost Nation The-ater Youth Program: Yes 1278, No 1199 (3.2 percent)

Article 40—(by petition) Resolution re-garding corporate personhood: Yes 1967, No 503 (59.3 percent)

Article 41—(by petition) Resolution regard-ing food independence: Yes 1948, No 461 (61.7 percent)

Article 42—(by petition) $40,000 for circulator bus: Yes 1663, No 843 (32.7 percent)

Barre CityWard 2 alderman (2 years): Michael Boutin

212, Jeffery Friot 192 (5 percent)Spaulding H.S. budget: Yes 693, No 684

(0.6 percent)All other budget articles passed except:General fund budget: Yes 537, No 833

(21.6 percent)Home Share, Now: Yes 627, No 725 (7.3

percent)

BerlinSelectboard (2 years of 3): Peter Kelley(Correction—Selectboard (1 year) posi-

tions uncontested: Craig Frazier and Ture Nelson)

CalaisElementary school director: C. Scott

Thompson

East MontpelierTreasurer: Donald Welch

MiddlesexSelectboard (2 years): Mary Alexander

Moretown(Correction—Selectboard (1 year) positions

uncontested: Clark Amadon and Tom Martin)

NorthfieldSelectboard (3 years): Brad DennySelectboard (2 years): John Quinn IIIArticles approved except:Bond for buried utilities on south side of

the green: Yes 406, No 591 (18.6 per-cent)

Charter revision: Yes 380, No 590 (21.7 percent margin)

Property tax exemption for Masonic hall: Yes 434, No 572 (13.7 percent)

$2,000 for Central Vermont Economic De-velopment: Yes 459, No 538 (7.9 percent)

$800 for Home Share, Now: Yes 471, No 504 (3.4 percent)

WaitsfieldSelectboard (2 years): Logan Cooke

WarrenHarwood school director (3 years): Dan

Raddock 128, Rosemarie White 121 (2.8 percent)

Selected Election Results from Central Vermont

Vermont Early Educators United-AFT will host U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Voices for Vermont’s Children, and Vermont Parents United/the Vermont Workers Center

Community Conversation on Early Childhood EducationBE A PART OF THE DISCUSSION!

Saturday, March 17 :: 10:30 am Montpelier High SchoolFood and children’s activities provided

T&T Repeats Thrift Store

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by Sandra Vitzthum

My house was built in 1840 just above the floodplain in Montpe-lier. When we moved in 20 years

ago, it burned 2,000 gallons of oil a year.After we moved in, we insulated the ceiling

of the second floor with as much cellulose as we could afford (nearly 18 inches), and we bought new storm windows.

We also keep the secondary spaces—bed-rooms and parlor—cold (about 45 degrees) while focusing heat in the living spaces—kitchen, study and living room. These are usually about 70 degrees. We no longer have to heat our basement, but it remains 40 de-grees or warmer.

We now use less than 100 gallons a year, plus about 300 gallons of propane and 4 tons of wood pellets.

With federal tax credits and rising oil prices, many homeowners in Montpelier are buttoning up their old houses. Around 80 percent of the houses in town are considered historic, and they were built using different principles than contemporary construction practice. This can create problems when new methods are applied to old houses.

General PrinciplesWeatherizing is about more than thermal

resistance. Air infiltration is usually even more important in a house. Vapor and mois-ture must also be taken into account to avoid future mold problems.

In general, twice as much heat is lost through the roof of a house as through the walls. While thermal resistance is very im-portant on the top of a house, air infiltration is more important for walls and windows.

Old houses need to breathe. They tend to survive best if they can breathe both toward the interior and exterior. However, a lot of moisture can enter the structure from the “winter warm” side, so we usually compro-mise by sealing off moisture from the inte-rior and letting the structure breathe to the exterior.

As houses are sealed up against air infiltra-tion, interior air pressure and quality and vapor management become more critical.

Foundations and SlabsMany of Montpelier’s old homes have dry-

laid stone foundations. These are radically different from a reinforced poured concrete wall, and severe structural damage can occur if they are insulated incorrectly. The differ-ence is that dry stone (and the soil immedi-ately outside) has to stay warm all winter. If it gets too cold, frost can heave the stones.

Having seen some of these failures, I con-sulted with a structural engineer and a great concrete contractor. We decided to keep the stone wall warm from grade level down to the bottom of the wall, and spray closed-cell foam on the inside of the granite foundation blocks. These sit on top of the stone wall and are about 2 feet high. The timber frame rests on these blocks. We also kept the sill beam uncovered. This is critical for keeping the beam dry and solid. Ideally, a ledger is built along the bottom of the beam to guide the foam and to protect the beam.

We allowed a crack to develop between the top of the foundation wall and the beginning of the foam. This lets moisture wicking up from the stone wall evaporate rather than wicking further up to the sill beam. The foam has to be protected from fire with a cementitious or similar covering.

The last step was to insulate carefully all around the perimeter of the house with at least 2-inch-thick rigid board extending 4 feet horizontally from the foundation just under the ground surface.

We could not easily insulate under our slab because of height issues. Because the base-ment is relatively cool—40 degrees, while the earth below frost is 55 degrees—we didn’t worry about this. Instead, we installed the very best moisture barrier (15 millimeter Stegowrap) and interior perimeter drains, along with a sump pump.

For houses in Montpelier’s valley, near or in floodplain with clay soil, it is better not to dig drainage trenches on the outside of the foundation. These drains clog over time and become a destination for water under pressure all around the house, making your basement even wetter. (I found this out the hard way.)

Walls and WindowsMany houses in Montpelier were built dur-

ing an almost wildly innovative period, the growth of the lumber industry in Vermont (1815 to 1850). Some houses have solid verti-cal slabs, or planks for wall structure. My house has solid 2x6s laid flat.

There isn’t a lot of literature on this sub-ject, but I can say from experience that it is more important to seal air paths for our old houses than to insulate their walls or replace their windows. We had mahogany single-glazed storm windows made for the entire house and sealed them over the original, uninsulated windows with special screws and felt. These windows have half-sash screens, meaning the bottom half of the glass can be exchanged for a screen in warm months so that we don’t have to take down and put up the storms each season.

Especially if you have original plaster walls, it is important to seal up any holes in the win-dows and any holes or cracks in the floors, and to repair any cracks in the plaster. This lets the house breathe but not leak air. For an old house, this is better than putting plastic or foil on the inside surface of the wall.

RoofsGo all-out for insulation under the roof.

Current wisdom recommends closed-cell foam directly on the underside of the rafters. This prevents any air leakage up through the roof. It is imperative that the structure can breath through the top of the roof, however.

A less expensive solution is cellulose. If it is dense-packed, it is pretty much impervious to moisture.

Mechanical Systems and Ventilation

Any mechanical device inside a sealed house needs to have a dedicated air intake. This includes pellet stoves and gas stoves. It should also include dryers.

Vermont’s energy code now requires ex-haust fans in both bathrooms and kitchens. This is good for drawing fresh air into the house but can also cause a problem with air pressure. If the pressure inside a house drops below the outside pressure, moist air can be sucked into the house, and this can cause mold.

Rather than considering a mechanical ven-tilation system, like an energy recovery or a heat recovery system, I like to recommend a passive air intake. This is a simple plastic sleeve that penetrates the exterior wall in a room whose temperature matters least (like a basement). It has a flap so that no air can be lost outside; air can only be drawn in when pressure drops inside. This simple device costs nothing to operate and is easy to clean.

Sandra Vitzthum is a member of the AIA and is LEED certified. She specializes in traditional design and ecological design. sandravitzthum.com.

From the Ground Up Weatherproofing An Old House


Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!(Local advertising works. Call Carl or Carolyn, 223-5112 to place your ad today.)

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The Bridge


by Bob Nuner

Dan Clar, of Clar Construction Inc., and Matt Gould are refurbishing an 1890s house in Montpelier’s

Meadow neighborhood. The two-story, flat-roofed house has seen better days, and Clar and Gould talked about some of their work to make the old new. With sun pouring in the windows on a March day, Clar explained that their scope of work was “gutting the house almost down to the bare bones and revising the floor plan” for today’s living, while maintaining, where possible, original finishes and flooring, original staircase and exterior doors, and, when using new materi-als, blending them as nearly as possible with the original materials. At the same time, because this is 2012, the revised floor plan allows a modern kitchen and bath and en-larged closets for storage “to accommodate a modern lifestyle.” Asked how long the renovation would take, Clar estimated four to five months.

In what once might have been the house’s parlor, replacement windows sit in their card-board cartons awaiting installation, ready to replace previously installed and “pretty inaccurate,” now rotted, single-light replace-ment insulated windows from the 1980s, cloudy from failed seals. Clar Construction is replacing them with metal-clad wood-core insulated windows that use newer win-dow construction technologies but, Gould pointed out, represent the original “grill style” of the house when it was first built: two panes in the upper of the double-hung sashes over two in the lower.

Discussing energy performance, Clar said that the house had “had a halfway decent job of blown-in cellulose insulation” prior to this renovation effort, but that, where they had gutted the house to the studs, they had substituted foam insulation, to get the most insulation value possible in the house’s walls, which, because of its age, are only 4 inches thick.

One of the variables of what one leaves

and what one “guts out” involves return on investment. If the plaster walls are sound, there’s less compelling reason to remove them and put in new sheetrock. “If it’s sound, we left it,” Clar said. “There’s always a delicate balance” between “how much do we demo[lish] and how much do we keep.” He continued, “At the beginning stages of the project, we try to do some financial com-parisons” between what to keep and what must go. “It’s an imprecise science at best, but that’s the conversation that takes place early on,” Clar added.

An interesting sidelight to the task of matching materials arose in conversation about matching the existing flooring: Clar said that when he phoned Lathrop’s hard-wood mill in Bristol and said he needed to match “some 2-inch select yellow birch flooring” (not the standard 2.25 inch width) mill owner Tom Lathrop appraised the situa-tion immediately, “and said, ‘you’re working in Montpelier,’” and further offered which of two mills would have originally milled the flooring. That’s an aspect of renovation, returning to mills or suppliers who may have supplied previous materials, that connects the chain of builders from one generation to the next, Gould pointed out.

Renovations of historic houses involve com-promise. Of course, there’s the construction budget that drives many decisions, but there are other considerations. One owner may be more concerned with energy efficiency than another. The focus of the owner may differ and other aspects of a house’s renovation may take precedence. Gould also pointed to safety codes that may, for instance, demand changes in stairwell configurations or win-dow sizes (for safe egress). While renovators work to retain door hardware where feasible, or perhaps retain a cast-iron floor grate for use in a new mud room, an attractive but damaged entry door may have to be sacri-ficed, its detailed elements repurposed for use elsewhere in the house.

Looking at sound plaster walls, the trans-formation from plaster to Sheetrock is smooth

and will be invisible once paint unifies it. The archeology of past renovations reveals it-self in the gutting preparatory to renovation. In this case, the house had previously been converted into a duplex, so the staircase had been walled off to separate the downstairs from the upstairs apartment entry. Now the newly uncovered newel post is temporarily protected by a ’60s-looking box of oriented strand board, but only as it awaits refurbish-ment with its railing, part of the renovation of the “butchered” staircase that will make it a feature of the house again.

Upstairs, Clar pointed out, “Matt care-fully dissected the floor to allow the new flooring to be woven in to the old flooring.” The 1890s house had been previously reno-vated, perhaps during the 1940s. Gould said, “It’s kind of cool; you know, people hide some newspaper in the walls or something,” sending a silent greeting to the next genera-tion of builders. The house, home to genera-tions, also has stories to tell each generation of craftsmen as they renew it for another family who will soon enjoy its light, warmth and spaciousness.

Clar Construction Forges Together Old and New in Refurbishing Project

30 Years in Central Vermont

David Lathrop Carpentry

229-0921

Framing to Finish • Design • Energy Mindful

Fixing Up

You’ll see a small crane parked behind Bethany Church for the next two or three weeks, its boom reaching up beside the church’s steeple. It’s there to facilitate

preventative maintenance and interior renovation of the steeple and bell assembly. The renovation is to be paid for by a bequest from the late Margot George, former parishioner and a strong supporter of historic preservation. The project manager, ar-chitect Steve Frey, says that Jan Lewandoski of Restoration and Traditional Building in Stannard will do the reconstruction. Lewandoski is a published authority on timber framing and the reconstruction of church steeples.

—Bob Nuner


Dance Camps!June 25–29 Hip Hop Immersion ages 9–13; 9am–2pmJuly 9–13 Making Dances: Modern, Jazz, Ballet ages 9–12; 9am–2pmJuly 16–20 The Magic Box ages 4–6; 9–11amJuly 16–20 Creative Movement & Ballet ages 6–8; 10am–12:30pmJuly 23–27 Hip Hop and Ninja Dance! ages 6–8; 9–11amJuly 23–27 Capoeira Kids ages 8–12; 9–10:30am

Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio18 Langdon St., Montpelier 229-4676 cdandfs.com

Call for a brochure or visit our website!

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(802) 446-6100North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Street, MontpelierFor complete descriptions, a brochure or to register,call 229-6206 or visit www.NorthBranchNatureCenter.org.

Summer Camps 2012Day Camps for Curious Kids, Ages 3-14Forest and pond explorations, games, hikes, live animals, nature study, crafts, friends, and fun!Half-day camps for preschoolers ages 3–5Full-day camps for kids 1st–4th gradeField trip–based camps for kids 5th–8th grade

Avian Wonders • June 25–29Forest of Mysteries • July 2–6Summer Scientists • July 9–13Green Mountain Trekkers • July 16–20Go GEO: Girls Exploring Outdoors • August 6–10

Scholarships available for all camps.

North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Street, Montpelier

Forest and pond explorations, games, hikes, live animals, nature study, crafts, friends, and fun!Half-day camps for preschoolers ages 3–5Full-day camps for kids 1st–4th gradeField trip–based camps for kids 5th–8th grade

Avian Wonders • June 25–29

Summer Scientists • July 9–13

August 6–10

Scholarships available for all camps.

Summer Camps 2012

by Nat Frothingham and Marsha Barber

About a month ago, the Montpe-lier firm Gossens Bachman Archi-tects won the national 2011 John

M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing (The Bridge wrote about it in Heard on the Street, February 16). Their design and the sweeping renovations that followed dramatically transformed a large, down-and-out 1920s apartment block in Windsor, Vermont.

In Montpelier, given the numerous ex-amples of the architectural achievements of Gossens Bachman, news of the John M. Clancy award was welcome but hardly as-tonishing.

Greg Gossens and Tom Bachman became business partners in 1990 and got their start in Montpelier with a small office on Lang-don Street. In 1997, they designed and built a new architectural office at 85 Granite Shed Lane along the edge of the Winooski River. They put on an addition to that building in 2007. With its imaginative use of glass and

wood and open space and its commitment to energy conservation and photovoltaics, the Gossens Bachman offices show off the firm’s enthusiasm for modern architecture and their sensitivity to the environment.

In the 20 or so years of their partnership, Gossens and Bachman have contributed a number of memorable architectural elements to Montpelier. Among these are the Hunger Mountain Coop (1997), the Kellogg-Hub-bard Library addition (2000), the metal Riv-erside Office Building at 535 Stone Cutters Way along the Winooski River (2004) and, in recent months and weeks, the near-total rehabilitation of 58 Barre Street, once St. Michael’s (Catholic) High School and soon to be the renovated Montpelier Senior Activ-ity Center with 14 accessible senior apart-ments.

“Right now we have six people,” said Bachman about the firm’s decision to re-main small. “We like being small. “When we designed our office, we specifically sized it so that we would be no more than 10 [people].”

Montpelier Architects Bring Modern Life to Old Buildings

Summer Camps!

NAMCO apartments in Windsor. Photo courtesy Gossens Bachman Architects.


“We work as a team,” Bachman explained; everyone in the office works on the design aspects of a project. Bachman said that a friend of his at a big architectural firm jok-ingly told him that compared to a traditional view of success, Gossens Bachman was “aspi-rationally impaired.” He laughed at that.

If “small” is one value of the firm, listen-ing to clients and figuring out what a group of people or a community want is another value. “We never want to go into a com-munity or project with a preconceived idea,” Bachman said.

When asked what his vision for a project might be, he answers, “We don’t envision anything yet. We want to hear what your needs are.”

He wants to find out what his clients think are the issues. What his clients want to spend on the project.

Kellogg-Hubbard Library In discussing historic preservation, Bach-

man reiterated the firm’s strong enthusiasm for contemporary architecture. The firm’s approach to the Kellogg-Hubbard Library is a good example of how Gossens Bachman handled a historic building that was adding new space.

“We renovated the existing building, tak-ing it back to the way it was originally built. The addition . . . almost doubled the size of it. Our purpose is that new construc-tion should look like new construction,” he added.

With the Kellogg-Hubbard addition, the aim was to be sympathetic and compatible. The existing building uses granite, and the addition also uses granite. “But we used it in different ways, with a different texture and a different pattern and size than the original did.”

Again, the window treatment acknowl-edged the big, double-hung windows of the original building. “But,” said Bachman, “we used a different material with a more con-temporary window.”

Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre Street

At 58 Barre Street, the task was to give fresh use to a building that had once been a school, then a senior center and a school administrative office. The building was se-verely damaged by fire in December 2009.

The Gossens Bachman plan calls for a renovated senior center of the first and sec-ond level with much of the same activities as there were before. But, Bachman said, “A much, much better space.” There will be 14

units of housing for the elderly on the top two floors, all one-bedroom units.

Affordable Waterfront Housing, Burlington

Gossens discussed a number of architec-tural projects that had been fulfilling. He spoke with great enthusiasm about a Water-front Housing project right on the lake in Burlington. The project site was a piece of marginal land that had been saved through the efforts of then-mayor Bernie Sanders and others for affordable housing.

“All the enemies came out of the wood-work,” said Gossens of the battle to build an affordable-housing project with views of the lake. The opponents were factions from the expensive waterfront condos.

The battle lasted eight years. But the City of Burlington held firm, and an affordable housing project designed by Gossens Bach-man with good views of the lake was even-tually built. “I thought it was a really cool project,” Gossens said.

NAMCO Block Rehabilitation in Windsor

The National Acme Manufacturing Com-pany (NAMCO) was a Windsor-based manu-facturing concern that made a four-spindle au-tomatic lathe and flourished in manufacturing from about 1898 to the end of the 1920s.

The large NAMCO apartment block was designed as worker housing, with 72 apart-ments covering 85,000 square feet. When it was built, the NAMCO block was seen to be progressive in that it accommodated workers’ families instead of typical men’s “shift housing” where two men employed in manufacturing but on different shifts would share the same bed. When the block was constructed from 1920 to 1922, it was the largest apartment block in Vermont.

“It’s probably the scariest building we’ve worked on,” said Tom Bachman. During the 1920s, Bachman said, it was a really nice place to live. “Families started there before they went out and bought their house. It had a great reputation. But over time it was pur-chased by an out-of-state landlord . . . and it

was really run down.”On a field trip to the site, Bachman and

others were examining the ceilings. “We pulled down a ceiling tile, and hypodermic needles would fall out,” he said. “Probably half the building was abandoned. It was a pretty violent place.”

In 2007, Housing Vermont and its local partner, Rockingham Community Land Trust, teamed up to renovate the NAMCO block with Gossens Bachman as the architects.

Talking about the NAMCO block’s trans-formation, Bachman said. “We restored the front of the building. It’s just a beautiful building, with an undulating front much like you would see in Boston’s Back Bay. In-side, it was a total gut from side to side. We put in a contemporary elevator tower with bridges and walkways. It was originally 72 apartments. The owners wanted less density. It went from 72 apartments to 58. When the project started, the block was burning 60,000 gallons of oil. When we finished, they were down to 19,000 gallons of oil.”

SongFest PAUL GAMBILL, ConductorMozart: Don Giovanni OvertureBarber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915

Marjorie Drysdale, soloist

Rutter: Mass of the ChildrenMarjorie Drysdale, soprano; Robert Eddy, baritone; Sounding Joy chorus and Sounding Joy Youth Chorus

Kid Pan Alley Songs: Eight songs composed by Union Elementary School students arranged for orchestra (only at St. Augustine's performance)

SAT., MARCH 31; 7:30PMSt. Augustine's Church, Barre St., MontpelierSUN., APRIL 1; 4:00PMChandler Music Hall, RandolphAdults: $15; Seniors: $12; Students: $10; Children 10 and under: FreeFor more information: www.montpelierchamberorchestra.org

Sponsored by Velco with additional support from VT Community Foundation and VT College of Fine Arts

Montpelier Architects Bring Modern Life to Old Buildings

Above, Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier. Photo courtesy Gossens Bachman Architects.


Described as “Montreal’s most venerable chamber music ensemble,” the seven-

member group Musica Camerata Montreal will perform Sunday, March 18, at the Uni-tarian Church in Montpelier at 3:30 p.m. Many of the ensemble’s members are mem-bers of the Montreal Symphony. Artists include Luis Grin-hauz (violin), Van Armenian (violin), Andrew Beer (vio-lin/viola), Lambert Chen (viola), Marieve Bach (cello), Berta Rosenohl (piano) and Karen Kevra (flute). The ensemble has performed in Canada, the U.S., Costa Rica and Argentina, and its members have performed individually in venues that range from international festi-vals, dance concerts, broadway and national radio concerts to Grammy-award-winning

recordings. Musica Camerata’s repertoire in-cludes more than 300 works from the 18th to the 21st centuries

The afternoon’s program will include Brahms’ String Quintet No. 1 in F major, opus 88; Ernest Chausson’s Concerto for

Violin, Piano and String Quartet, opus 21; and 20th-century Canadian André Prévost’s Mobiles for flute, violin, viola and eello.

More information and ticket orders are

available at capitalcityconcerts.org, and tick-ets may also be purchased at Bear Pond Books. Capital City Concerts notes that while tickets range from $10 to $25, audi-ence members age 19 to 35 will be charged a maximum of $15.

—Bob Nuner

Capital City Concerts Presents Musica Camerata Montreal

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PRUNING FRUIT TREESand annual pruning maintenance.

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Upcoming EventsFRIDAY, MARCH 16Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood TraumaDiscuss how exposure to trauma during early childhood causes continuing negative effects, and learn about local resources and what can be done to help local children.9–11 a.m. Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre. RSVP with Jill, 262-3292, ext. 113, or [email protected].

AIDS Awareness Day at the State HouseWear a red ribbon and show your support for Vermonters liv-ing with HIV/AIDS.9 a.m.–noon. Card Room (just outside the cafeteria), State House, Montpelier. 229-5754.

Discover Waldorf Early EducationWhile children play, parents hear about the philosophy of Waldorf early education and the objectives of the nursery, preschool and kindergarten programs. 4:30–6 p.m. In Montpelier (preschool and nursery): Child’s Garden, 155 Northfield Street. In East Montpelier (kindergarten and nursery): Farmhouse, Orchard Valley Waldorf School, 2290 VT Route 14. 456-7400.

The Logger: Dinner and a ShowRusty Dewees, better known as “The Logger,” joins diners, then performs his stand-up routine (rated SC: some cussin’).Dinner: 6 p.m., Woods at Wihakowi, Northfield, $25 (by reser-vation only). Show: 8 p.m., Northfield Middle and High School, auditorium, $20. Benefits the NMHS Interact Club (junior Rotary) and the NMHS Booster Club. Tickets at 778-0205 or [email protected].

Let’s Not Forget Irene: Benefit ConcertFeaturing Vermont music greats Paul Asbell, Dave Keller and Sara Grace. Concert goal is to raise $10,000 for families in the U-32 district who are still struggling to recover.6:30 p.m. U-32 High School, Gallison Hill, East Montpelier. $30 adults, $20 students. Tickets at Buch Spieler in Montpelier, 229-0321, ext. 2242, or [email protected]. u32.org.

Naturalist Journeys Lecture Series: Tracking SpiritJoin anthropologist Ann Armbrecht for a pilgrimage to east-ern Nepal and reflections on what the presence or absence of spirit reveals about the cultural dimensions of sustainability.7 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier. By do-nation. 229-6206. Sponsored by North Branch Nature Center.

Bedrazzled! A Drag BallWith DJ Square-Hip. Drag performances by the Goodwives and more. Refreshments.7 p.m. Plainfield Community Center, 153 Main Street (above the co-op). $7 suggested donation; benefits the Freeride Montpe-lier bicycle collective. freeridemontpelier.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17Cabot Maple FestivalPancake breakfast, sugar on snow, maple desserts, Cabot cheese, crafts, children’s activities, live entertainment, bingo, St. Patrick’s Day dinner and dance, and more.9 a.m.–7 p.m. Downtown Cabot. Complete schedule at cabotchronicle.org.

Build Your Money Muscles GroupChange your financial consciousness and improve your relationship with money, develop healthy financial habits, increase your cash flow, and experience financial security.9:30–11:30 a.m. Micro Business Development Office, 327 Route 302, Berlin (next to SW Rentals). Free. Margaret, 477-5214. Event continues Saturdays, March 24 and 31.

Page PalsYounger library patrons read with, chat, or game with teen and tween volunteers.10 a.m.–noon. Kellogg-Hubbard children’s library, Montpelier. Free. 223-4665. Event repeats Saturday, April 7.

Family Fun DayWard off midwinter doldrums with entertainment, activities and refreshments for children of all ages. Hosted by the Fam-ily Center of Washington County.10 a.m.–1 p.m. Union Elementary School, 1 Park Avenue, Montpelier. Free. fcwcvt.org.

Maple Celebration at the Montpelier Winter Farmers’ MarketSample traditional sugar-on-snow with local, homemade pickles and doughnuts. Vendors will feature maple in many of their products. Live music by Marge and John Butterfield.10 a.m.–2 p.m. Gym, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier. Carolyn, 223-2958 or [email protected]. Market happens every first and third Saturday through April.

Poets’ and Writers’ Reading11 a.m. Cutler Library, Route 2, Plainfield. Free. 454-8504 or cutlerlibrary.org. Event happens every third Saturday.

Community Conversation on Early Childhood EducationWith U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Voices for Vermont’s Children and Vermont Parents United/the Vermont Workers Center. Food and children’s activities provided.10:30 a.m. Montpelier High School. Free. Martha, 525-3946. Hosted by Vermont Early Educators United-AFT.

Tree-Pruning WorkshopWith John Snell of the Montpelier Tree Board. Learn to use hand tools to prune trees, from understanding and evaluating the structure of a tree to making cuts. Bring pruning shears.1–2:30 p.m. Meet at Hunger Mountain Coop, Montpelier. Free. Event repeats Monday, March 19, and Saturday, March 24.

Art’s FirstFree art activities for youth age 7–10.1–3:30 p.m. Studio Place Arts, Barre. Register at 479-7069.

Moon GroupWith Mary Anna Abuzahra. Track the moon cycle in your astrological natal chart, gain self-awareness and learn a help-ful way to study astrology.2 p.m., Private office, 34 Elm Street, Montpelier. $10–$20. Preregistration required; contact Mary Anna, 272-0827. Group repeats April 14 and May 19.

Shape-Note Singing School Ian Smiley leads tunes from The Sacred Harp. All welcome; no experience necessary. 6–8 p.m. Tulsi Tea Room, 34 Main Street, Montpelier. By do-nation. Ian, 229-4008 or [email protected]. Event happens every first and third Saturday.

Benefit Cider Pairing Dinner at Cider House BBQ & PubFour-course dinner of traditional Irish offerings and Southern comfort food. Each course paired with a different hard cider made in Vermont or the UK. Raffle and door prizes.6 p.m. Route 2, Waterbury. $55 individual, $100 couple; benefits Pride Vermont Festival. Reservations required at 244-6828. ciderhousevt.com.

Contra DanceAll dances taught; no partner necessary. All ages welcome. Bring soft-soled shoes.8–11 p.m. Capital City Grange, 6612 Route 12 (Northfield Street), Berlin. $8. 744-6163. Event happens every first, third and fifth Saturday.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18Snowshoe/Hike with the Green Mountain Club, Montpelier SectionModerate walk or snowshoe along Cotton Brook Road in Moscow. Distance depends on group and conditions. Contact leader Ken Hertz, 229-4737 or [email protected], for meeting time and place.

Contact Improv Class and JamLearn to cultivate your awareness and listening skills, find ease in your movements and safely move with other people. Accessible to all levels of skill and mobility. 10–11 a.m., class; 11–noon, open jam. $5–$10 sliding scale class and jam, $3–$5 jam only. Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon Street (third floor), Montpelier. 318-3927.

Capital City Concerts Presents Musica Camerata Montreal Led by Montreal Symphony Orchestra assistant concertmas-ter Luis Grinhauz, the group performs works by Brahms, Chausson and Canadian composer André Prévost.3:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier. $10–$25; tickets at Bear Pond Books, capitalcityconcerts.org or at the door as supplies last.

MONDAY, MARCH 19Cardio-Dance and Yoga with Allison MannA cardio workout with great moves and music, complemented by sustained yoga postures to strengthen, lengthen and bal-ance the musculature. Drop-ins welcome.Noon–1 p.m. Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon Street (third floor), Montpelier. $12. 229-4676 or cdandfs.com.

Tree-Pruning WorkshopWith Geoff Beyer, Montpelier Tree Warden. Learn to use hand tools to prune trees, from understanding and evaluating the structure of a tree to making cuts. Bring pruning shears.4–5:30 p.m. Meet at Hunger Mountain Coop, Montpelier. Free. Event repeats Saturday, March 24.

Lenten Mission: Experience God with Spirit and Hope6:30 p.m. St. Augustine Church, Barre Street, Montpelier. Gesualdo Schneider, 223-2151. Continues March 20 and 21.

Plainfield Book Club6:30 p.m. Cutler Memorial Library, Route 2, Plainfield. Free. 454-8504 or cutlerlibrary.org. Event happens every third Mon-day.

Vermont Renewable Energy Options: Discussion on Wind EnergyDiscussion and Q&A on issues related to developing renew-able energy in Vermont, with a focus on wind turbines on the Lowell Mountain ridge. Panelists include Gabrielle Stebbins, Avram Patt, and Steve E. Wright. Presented by Goddard’s BA in Sustainability program.7–9 p.m. Haybarn Theater, Goddard College, 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield. 454-8311 or goddard.edu.

TUESDAY, MARCH 20Teen Advisory Group MeetingShare your thoughts and ideas for a teen-friendly library. Snacks provided. 3:30 p.m. Waterbury Public Library. 244-7036.

Cooking and Booking Join librarians and New England Culinary Institute students to read a book and make a treat. For all ages.4–5 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard children’s library, Montpelier. Free, but preregistration required at 223-4665. Event repeats Tuesday, April 17.

Creating CeremonyWith Fran Weinbaum, life coach. Learn the universal ele-ments of ceremony and discuss different types of ceremonies. Bring an idea for a ceremony you would like to create. 6–7:30 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. $5 member/owners, $8 nonmembers. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected].

Lenten MissionSee Monday, March 19, for description.

First Meeting of the Barre Travel Club Trip to Spain and PortugalMake plans to visit Madrid, Seville and Lisbon. Hosted by Ilene Gillander, travel counselor. All welcome.7 p.m. Community National Bank, 316 North Main Street, Barre. 479-2329 or [email protected]. Sponsored by the Ameri-can Council for International Studies.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21Mindful Business Success Circle Networking GroupFor service professionals and small-business owners working to make a difference in their communities and the world. Thirty minutes of optional sitting meditation, followed by an hour of networking and one-on-one connection with peers.10:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Shambhala Center, 64 Main Street (third floor), Montpelier. Free. RSVP at 225-5960. Event hap-pens every third Wednesday.

Women of Change Panel Discussion Lunch and panel discussion on women’s rights in the 1970s and ’80s, led by Cheryl Hanna and featuring Sandy Baird, Peg Flory, Denise Johnson and Mary Just Skinner.Noon. Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier. Free. RSVP with Tess, 479-8505 or [email protected]. Sponsored by the Vermont Women’s History Project and the Vermont Com-mission on Women.

Film Screening: FlowDocumentary on the world water crisis. Discussion follows. With the Central Vermont League of Women Voters and Vermont Natural Resources Council.5:30–7:30 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. Free. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected].

Herbal Support for the Musculoskeletal System With Rebecca Dalgin, VCIH graduate. Explore long-term tonics that support the musculoskeletal system and herbal support for acute or chronic injury. Make a topical formula.6–8 p.m. Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 250 Main Street, Montpelier. $15 VCIH members, $18 nonmembers. Register at 224-7100 or [email protected].

Hurricane Irene Support Group for Northfield ResidentsShare your story, listen to others, learn coping skills, build community and support your neighbors. Refreshments pro-vided. Led by Jennette DiFazio and Glennis Drew.6 p.m. Northfield Senior Center, 68 Wall Street. 279-8246 or 345-0042.

see UPCOMING EVENTS, page 16


Book Reading and Discussion: Farms and Garden SeriesMarch’s book: My Garden (Book), by Jamaica Kincaid. Dis-cussion led by Rachael Cohen. Books available for loan at the library. Part of a monthly series through April.6:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Free. 223-3338. A Ver-mont Humanities Council event.

Lenten MissionSee Monday, March 19, for description.

99 to 1: Why Wealth Inequality Matters and What We Can Do About ItPresented by Chuck Collins, nationally known scholar/practi-tioner on wealth inequality, guest speaker at Goddard’s MFA in Sustainable Business and Communities program residency.7–9 p.m. Haybarn Theater, Goddard College, 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield. 454-8311 or goddard.edu.

THURSDAY, MARCH 22Advanced Social Media Workshop for BusinessesWith Patrick Ripley. Learn how to expand and manage social media presence using sites and tools such as Facebook, Twit-ter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Hootsuite.8:30–11:30 a.m. College Hall, Vermont College of Fine Arts, 36 College Street, Montpelier. $25 for members of Montpelier Alive, Barre Partnership, Revitalizing Waterbury or CVEDC, $35 nonmembers. 728-9101 or montpelieralive.org.

Introduction to Square Foot GardeningWith Peter Burke. Workshop covers planning, raised beds, permanent paths, soil, grid planting, watering, trellis, succes-sion plantings, maintenance and weed management.6–7 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. $10 member/owners, $12 nonmembers. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected].

Ukulele Group All ages and abilities welcome.6–8 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 46 Barre Street, Montpelier. 223-2518. Event happens every second and fourth Thursday.

Readings by Local Authors Robert and Charles Barasch Father and son read from their respective published works, including novels and poetry.

6 p.m. Blinking Light Gallery, 16 Main Street, Plainfield. Free. 454-1275 or blinkinglightgallery.com.

Barre Legislative UpdateLegislators from Barre City and Barre Town discuss key issues they are working on in this legislative session. Q&A follows. Part of a series of nonpartisan forums.6–7:45 p.m. Aldrich Public Library, 6 Washington Street, Barre. Free. Marianne, 476-4185. Sponsored by the Greater Barre Democrats.

Winter Bike Workshops: Commuting Safely, Night Rides and LawsLearn about equipment for visibility for road riding and safety on technical terrain, lighting your way, and ways to stay vis-ible, as well as current Vermont laws for cyclists.6–8 p.m. Magic Wheel, 34 Granite Street, Barre. $25 or two Onion River Exchange hours. Register at 477-7800, ext.18, or [email protected]. magicwheel.org. Final workshop in winter series.

Ecumenical GroupSongs of praise, Bible teaching, fellowship.7–9 p.m. Jabbok Center for Christian Living, 8 Daniel Drive, Barre. Free. 476-3873. Event happens every second and fourth Thursday.

FRIDAY, MARCH 23The Alexander TechniqueWith Katie Back. Improve your sense of well-being, feel more present and alive, and regain natural grace and poise. For all ages and bodies. Bring a mug and a blanket or mat.5:30–7:30 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. $3 member/owners, $5 nonmembers. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected].

The Parisii Quartet and Pianist Philippe BianconiOne of the world’s premier string quartets is joined by stellar pianist Bianconi for an evening of Debussy and Franck. Part of the TD Bank Celebration Series. 7:30 p.m. Barre Opera House. $10–$28. Tickets at 476-8188 or barreoperahouse.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24Jimmy Kennedy BreakfastMenu features biscuits and gravy, veggie scramble and break-fast gumbo. Silent auction.8–10 a.m. Cafeteria, Twinfield High School. $12 adults, $10

children 14 and under; benefits Twinfield’s eighth-grade canoe project. Tickets at 426-3213, ext. 201 or 207.

Build Your Money Muscles GroupSee Saturday, March 17, for description and information.

Tree-Pruning WorkshopWith Dave Wilcox, state forester for Washington County. Learn to use hand tools to prune trees, from understanding and evalu-ating the tree’s structure to making cuts. Bring pruning shears.10 a.m.–1 p.m. Meet at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpe-lier. Free.

Transition Town Montpelier Potluck and GatheringGood food, good discussion and community support for these changing times. Bring a potluck dish and your own dishes and utensils. All welcome.Noon–2 p.m. Trinity Methodist Church, 137 Main Street, Montpelier. Free. Event happens every fourth Saturday.

Ski with the Green Mountain Club, Montpelier SectionModerate ski in Groton State Forest. Snow conditions will determine location and length. Meet at 1 p.m. at Montpelier High School. Call leaders George Longenecker and Cynthia Martin, 229-9787, for more details.

The People’s Day SpaOpen to all affected by Irene flooding. Get practical, hands-on tools for stress reduction, healing insomnia and boosting immunity with herbs and food. 1 p.m. Montpelier Community Acupuncture, 79 Main Street, Montpelier. Free, but registration required: contact Christina at 279-4670 or [email protected].

End of Winter Sock-Monkey MadnessTurn your old holey winter socks into a wonderful, wacky friend. Needles, thread, stuffing and a few add-ons provided; bring old socks and any special add-ons you want. For all ages.1–2 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard children’s library, Montpelier. Free. 223-4665.

New England Fiddle and Cello Workshop, Dance and ConcertWith Jessie and Greg Boardman. Share traditional and con-temporary tunes with others in a relaxed setting. Culminates in a contra dance featuring tunes learned throughout the day.1–2 p.m., advanced; 2–3 p.m., intermediate; 3–4 p.m., begin-ner; 4–5 p.m., dance. Summit School, 46 Barre St, Montpelier. $25 adults, $10 kids. Evening concert at time and location to be determined ($12 adults, $8 kids). 917-1186, [email protected] or summit-school.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS, from page 15

Live MusicBAGITOS28 Main Street, Montpelier. All shows 6–8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 229-9212 or bagitos.com.Every SaturdayIrish/Celtic session, 2–5 p.m.Friday, March 16John MowadSaturday, March 17St. Patrick’s Irish session party, 2–5 p.m.Jazz with Karl MillerSunday, March 18Brunch with Eric Friedman, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.Tuesday, March 20Jazz with Karl Miller Wednesday, March 21Acoustic blues jam with the Usual Suspects and friendsThursday, March 22Sarah Wallis and Ben BushmanFriday, March 23Good To Go (bluegrass)Saturday, March 24Don & JennSunday, March 25Doc Rogers (old-time), 11 a.m.–1 p.m.Tuesday, March 27Jazz with Karl Miller Wednesday, March 28Acoustic blues jam with the Usual Suspects and friendsThursday, March 29Erika Mitchell and friendsFriday, March 30John Mowad TrioSaturday, March 31The Wall Stiles

BIG PICTURE THEATER48 Carroll Road (just off Route 100), Waits-field. Most shows by donation. 496-8994 or bigpicturetheater.info.Saturday, March 17Reel It In (Irish), 7:30 p.m.Wednesday, March 21Valley Night with First Crush (indie/pop), 7 p.m.Wednesday, March 28Valley Night with Mind the Gap (folk), 7 p.m.Saturday, March 31Clint Bierman and the Necessary Means CD release party, 9 p.m.

BLACK DOOR44 Main Street, Montpelier. All shows start at 9:30 p.m. with $5 cover unless otherwise noted. 225-6479 or blackdoorvermont.com.Friday March 16Afinque (salsa)Saturday, March 17Wooden Dinosaur CD release party (indie/folk), 9 p.m.Wednesday, March 21Swing night with the Missing Cats, 7:30–10 p.m.Friday, March 23Pocket Vinyl (live music with live painting), 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.Saturday, March 24Small Change (Tom Waits tribute)Friday, March 30Swift Technique (funk/hip-hop)Saturday, March 31Miriam Bernardo and Sara Grace (soul/folk/funk)Wednesday, April 4Swing night, 7:30–10 p.m.Thursday, April 5Old-time night with Katie Trautz and friends, 6 p.m.

CHARLIE O’S70 Main Street, Montpelier. 223-6820.Every TuesdayKaraokeEvery ThursdayBingo for Vermont Foodbank, 9 p.m.Friday, March 16Mr. Yee and friends with DJ Bay 6Saturday, March 17Blue Moon St. Patty’s JigdownFriday, March 23Abby Jenne and the Enablers (rock)Friday, March 30Dollfight with Spit Jack (punk/rock)Saturday, March 31Woedoggies (bluegrass)

FRESH TRACKS FARM 4373 Route 12, Berlin. 223-1151 or [email protected], March 16Borealis Guitar Duo (Celtic/Americana/Scandinavian/klezmer), 5–8 p.mFriday, March 30John and Marge Butterfield (jazz/blues/folk), 5–8 p.m.

NUTTY STEPH’S CHOCOLATERIERoute 2, Middlesex. All shows 7–10 p.m. un-less otherwise noted. 229-2090 ornuttystephs.com.Every ThursdayBacon Thursdays, hot music and live conver-sation, 6 p.m.–midnight

SKINNY PANCAKE89 Main Street, Montpelier. 262-2253 or skinnypancake.com.Every SundayOld-time sessions with Katie Trautz and friends, 4–6 p.m. (intermediate to advanced players welcome to sit in)

Ø TheaterCOMEDY OF ERRORSShakespeare in the Hills presents the Bard’s romp about the mix-up of two sets of twins. Directed by Naomi Flan-ders and featuring local actors.March 16–25. 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m., Sundays. Haybarn Theater,Goddard College, Plainfield. $16 adults, $14 seniors and students, $6 children. Tickets at 229-4191.

CABIN FEVER FOLLIESA cabaret-style mud-season commu-nity variety show. Bring dinner andbeverages; prize for best table decor.March 30–April 1, 7:30 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m. Valley Players The-ater, Route 100, Waitsfield. $10. Tickets at 583-1674.

CALL TO PLAYWRIGHTSVermont Playwrights Circle seeks 10-page or 10-minute scripts by Vermont authors for Ten-Fest in August. For more information, contact Jeanne, [email protected], or visit vermontplay wrightscircle.org. Deadline is March 31.

Æ

SUBMIT YOUR EVENT!Send listings to calendar@

montpelierbridge.com. Deadline for the April 5 issue is Friday,

March 30. Listings may be edited for length, clarity and style. High-resolution photos also welcome.


Rug Hooking: Open Class for All LevelsBring any questions you have on a project you’re working on or get help starting a new one. Shop open for supplies. 1–5 p.m. Green Mountain Hooked Rugs, 2838 County Road, Montpelier. $25. Register at 223-1333 or vtpansy@green mountainhookedrugs.com. greenmountainhookedrugs.com.

Dramatic Reading of Harry Truman in HellAn original absurdist fantasy by Vermont playwright Tom Blachly. Read by local Vermont actors. Opportunity to pro-vide feedback to the author and the cast after the reading. 4 p.m., Parlor, Bethany Church, 115 Main Street, Montpelier. Free. Tom, 426-3955.

Greater Barre Democrats Caucus and Pizza SocialHelp select delegates from Barre City and Barre Town to the May 26 state caucus to nominate a presidential candidate. Delegates must have voted Democratic in the primary.4:30 p.m., delegate selection; 5 p.m., pizza. Aldrich Public Library, 6 Washington Street, Barre. Must be a registered Barre voter to participate. Tommy, 476-7819, or Laura, 476-3373.

March Madness Ham Bean Dinner 5–7 p.m. Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main Street, Montpelier. $10 adults, $5 children under 12. Reservations encouraged but not required: 223-2577.

Traditional New England DanceDavid Millstone calls classic New England dances to music by the Homegrown Chestnuts house band. No partner needed. Bring soft-soled shoes and a dessert to share.7:30 p.m., beginner lesson; 8 p.m., dance. Capital City Grange, 6612 Route 12 (Northfield Street), Berlin. Merry, 225-8921.

The Attic Series: Big Hat, No CattleKevin Macneil-Brown, Mike Ricciarelli and David Blythe play a house concert of western-style swing with a smattering of country and Cajun songs and tunes.7:30 p.m; preconcert potluck at 6 p.m. Montpelier. $12 suggested donation. For directions or reservations (recommended), contact Susan at 229-1403 or [email protected].

Leo KottkeThe acoustic guitar master has invented a new language for six- and twelve-string guitars. He is also a gifted vocalist and very funny on stage. Part of the TD Bank Celebration Series. 8 p.m. Barre Opera House. $10–$30. Tickets at 476-8188 or barreoperahouse.org.

SUNDAY, MARCH 25Lake Champlain Waterfowl WatchAs winter transitions into spring, spend the day visiting waterfowl hotspots in search of migrating ducks and other water-loving birds. 7:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Carpool from the North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Street, Montpelier. $25 nature center members, $30 nonmembers, free for teens. Register at 229-6206.

Film Series: Migrant Workers in Vermont, Immigration and GlobalizationExplore what life is like for Vermont’s undocumented workers, as well as global influences and policies. Today’s film: Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth. Facilitated discussion follows.3–5 p.m. Unitarian Church of Montpelier, 130 Main Street,

Montpelier. Free. Madeline, 229 5951. Event happens every second and fourth Sunday through April.

Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra Annual Family ConcertThe orchestra and the Green Mountain Youth Symphony per-form works portraying musical images of animals. Conducted by Lou Kosma and Robert Blais.3:30 p.m. Barre Opera House. $15 adults, $12 seniors, $5 stu-dents. Tickets at barreoperahouse.org or at the door.

MONDAY, MARCH 26Todd Lecture Series: General Romeo Dallaire Dallaire was the Canadian commander of UN forces in Rwanda prior to and during the 1994 genocide. Hosted by the School of Social Sciences.7 p.m. Plumley Armory, Norwich University. Free. 485-2633 or [email protected]. Part of a series through March 29.

Adult Book GroupCopies of the book available at the library. New members welcome.7–8 p.m. Jaquith Public Library, Old Schoolhouse Common, Marshfield. 426-3581, [email protected] or marshfield.lib.vt.us. Event happens every fourth Monday.

TUESDAY, MARCH 27Medicare and YouNew to Medicare? Have questions? We have answers.3–4:30 p.m. Central Vermont Council on Aging, 59 North Main Street, Suite 200, Barre. Free. Register at 479-0531. Event happens every second and fourth Tuesday.

Breaking Through the Matrix: Cultivating a Rich Spiritual Practice through Mindful LivingWith Amy Miller, Buddhist nun and teacher. Explore your relationship with yourself, others, and the physical world and how mindful living can bring a happiness and less stress.6–8 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. Free. 223-3338. Weekly series continues through April 17.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28Healing With BeesPresentation and demonstration by Reyah Carlson, interna-tionally known apitherapist.Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 46 Barre Street, Montpelier. Free. 223-2518.

Preschool Discovery Program: Returning RedwingsKids age 3–5 celebrate the return of feathered friends, learn more about this territorial Vermont bird and take a walk to catch a glimpse of one.10–11:30 a.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Street, Montpelier. $5 per child. 229-6206. Event repeats Thursday, March 29.

Glorious Glacier National Park: Geology and Wildlife With geologist Peter Watt. Part of the weekly Osher Lifelong

Learning Institute spring series.1:30 p.m.; doors open at 12:30 for brown-bag lunch. Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier. $5 suggested donation. 223-1763 or [email protected].

Techniques and Tips for Successful Plant PropagationWith Joann Darling of Gardens of Seven Gables. Learn best practices for starting perennials and annuals from seed, dividing, and choosing soils, growing mediums and rooting solutions. 6–8 p.m. Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 250 Main Street, Montpelier. $10 VCIH members, $12 nonmembers. Register at 224-7100 or [email protected].

International Movie Series: Little Sparrows In the midst of an Australian summer, three sisters face choices, change, growth and the reality of their last Christmas together when their mother’s breast cancer returns.7 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. Free. 223-3338.

Ecstatic DanceFreestyle boogie with DJ using Gabrielle Roth’s mediative dance form, 5Rhythms.7–9 p.m. Plainfield Community Center. $5–$10 donation. Fearn, 505-8011 or [email protected]. Event happens every fourth Wednesday, and first and third Wednesdays at the Worcester Town Hall.

THURSDAY, MARCH 29Preschool Discovery Program: Returning RedwingsSee Wednesday, March 28, for description.

Hurricane Irene Support Group for Waterbury ResidentsShare your story, listen to others, learn coping skills, build community and support your neighbors. Refreshments pro-vided. Led by Ellia Cohen and Christina Ducharme.6 p.m. St. Leo’s Hall, 109 S. Main Street, Waterbury. 855-767-8800.

Todd Lecture Series: Rebecca Skloot Skloot is the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, summer reading for the Norwich freshman class. Cohosted by the Schools of Math and Science and of Humanities.7 p.m. Plumley Armory, Norwich University. Free. 485-2633 or [email protected]. Final event in series.

Art & ExhibitsBIGTOWN GALLERYNew oil paintings and collage by Warren artist Nancy H. Taplin.99 North Main Street, Rochester. March 21–April 29. Reception Saturday, March 24, 5–7 p.m. 767-9670 or bigtowngallery.com.

CENTRAL VERMONT MEDICAL CENTERFrom Vermont to Italy, works by Ray Brown. 130 Fisher Road, Berlin. Through April 6. cvmc.org.

CITY CENTERGroup exhibit by the Art Resource Asso-ciation, works in various media by central Vermont artists.89 Main Street, Montpelier. Through April 6.

CITY HALL Portraits by Nancy Smith.39 Main Street, Montpelier. Through March 10. 225-6489 or 229-9416.

CONTEMPORARY DANCE & FITNESS STUDIODiscography, new work with disks in grids by Janet Van Fleet.18 Langdon Street (third floor), Montpelier. Through March 28. 229-4676 or cdandfs.com.

GODDARD COLLEGEThe History of Goddard College, 1969–1979, photographs, films and archival documents, curated by Goddard staff member and alum-nus Dustin Byerly.Pratt Center Library, Goddard College, 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield. Through June. 454-8311 or goddard.edu.

GOVERNOR’S GALLERYSound Proof, black-and-white photographs of Vermont musicians by Matthew Thorsen.109 State Street, Montpelier. Through March. Photo ID required for admittance.

GREEN BEAN ART GALLERYBorn in Vermont, watercolors by Sienna Fontaine.Capitol Grounds, 27 State Street, Montpelier. Through March. [email protected].

KELLOGG-HUBBARD LIBRARYBlack, White, and Color, acrylics on board by Barb Leber (first floor), and Birmingham

and Beyond, pastels and oils by Cheryl Dick (second floor).135 Main Street, Montpelier. Through April 23. 223-3338.

MEN’S STOREExploring the Form of the City and the Archi-tecture of the Body, oil paintings by architect Ward Joyce. 30 State Street, Montpelier. Through April 20.

SHOE HORNDogs, Penguins, a Pig and a Frog, paintings by Jody Stahlman.8 Langdon Street, Montpelier. Through April. [email protected].

SKINNY PANCAKEPeople, drawings and paintings by Glen Co-burn Hutcheson of gods, saints, locals and the artist’s mother, among others. 86 Main Street, Montpelier. Through March. 262-CAKE.

SPOTLIGHT GALLERYDrawings by Montpelier artist Gowri Savoor.136 State Street, Montpelier. Through April. vermontartscouncil.org.

STATE HOUSELiving Connections: Voices and Visions from Shared Lives, photographs by Mary Claire

Carroll and text by Deborah Lisi-Baker ex-ploring new directions in disability services around the state.State House cafeteria (second floor), Montpe-lier. Through March 30. 828-0749.

STUDIO PLACE ARTSStorytime, multimedia group show exploring the human impulse to construct narratives, and Never Forget, multimedia group show on the creative journey of women.201 North Main Street, Barre. Through April 7. 479-7069 or studioplacearts.com.

VERMONT COLLEGE OF FINE ARTSG. Roy Levin (1930-2003): A Retrospective, collected works of mixed media and found objects.College Hall, 36 College Street, Montpelier. March 20–31; noon–4 p.m., Tuesday–Fri-day; 1–3 p.m. Saturday. Reception Saturday, March 31, 5–7 p.m. Phillip. 828-8636 or [email protected]

VERMONT HISTORY MUSEUMVermont agricultural murals by Grace Brigham, depicting maple sugaring with draft horses, apple picking, farmstead views, chickens, and dairy and beef cows.109 State Street, Montpelier. Through spring 2012. 828-2291 or vermonthistory.org.

see UPCOMING EVENTS, page 18

[email protected]

FESTIVALGREEN MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVALFocus on Film puts on more than 150 events in four downtown Montpelier venues in their 15th annual fes-tival. Special guests, film competitions, discussions and films of all kinds for everyone.March 16–25. Montpelier. $9 single admission (discounts for students and seniors), $80 10-ticket punch card, $150 full festival. Tickets and more information at 138 Main Street, Montpelier, or greenmountainfilmfestival.org


FRIDAY, MARCH 30Plant It and They Will Come: Gardening with Native PlantsDiscuss the merits of planting with natives, consider the threats stemming from invasive plants and learn which plants you can use to attract pollinators, butterflies and birds.7 p.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Street, Montpe-lier. By donation. 229-6206.

Annual Poetry Slam Hosted by Geof HewittInterested poets, ages 13 through adult, should prepare two original poems, three minutes or less in length. Prizes awarded to the top three poets. All welcome.7 p.m. American Legion Post 59, Waterbury. Free. 244-7036 or [email protected]. Sponsored by the Water-bury Public Library.

The Transcontinental Piano DuoElaine Greenfield and Janice Meyer Thompson perform a pro-gram of dances and variations, including works by Dvorák, Schubert, Debussy, Fauré and Liszt, on two pianos.8 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main Street, Montpelier. $20 suggested donation. 223-2424, [email protected] or transcontinentalpianoduo.com. Sponsored by Bethany Center for the Arts.

SATURDAY, MARCH 31Build Your Money Muscles GroupSee Saturday, March 17, for description and information.

Catholic Daughters’ Annual Flea Market Antiques, collectibles, white elephant, food concession and bake sale. 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Central Vermont Catholic School, 79 Summer Street, Barre. $1, free for children under 12. Patti, 249-7780. Sponsored by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.

Needle Felting WorkshopLearn how to needle felt one figure: Mother Earth, King Winter or Lady Spring. 10 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. Farmhouse, Orchard Valley Waldorf School, 2290 VT Route 14, East Montpelier. $25. 456-7400.

Wild Edibles Slideshowwith George Lisi and Annie McCleary. View images of local wild edibles and learn sustainable harvesting, how to put wild edibles by for winter and ways to offer gratitude to the plants.12:30–2 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. $2 member/owners, $3 nonmembers. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected].

Montpelier Chamber Orchestra: SongfestWorks by Mozart, Barber and Rutter, and performance of Kid Pan Alley: songs by Union Elementary School students arranged for orchestra.7:30 p.m. St. Augustine’s Church, Barre Street, Montpelier. $15 adults, $12 seniors, $10 students, free for children 10 and under. montpelierchamberorchestra.org. Concert repeats Sunday, April 1.

SUNDAY, APRIL 1Walk with the Green Mountain Club, Montpelier SectionEasy walk along a portion of the East Montpelier trails. Some unpaved roads. About 6 miles.Contact leader Ken Hertz, 229-4737 or kenneth.hertz@ myfairpoint.net, for meeting time and place.

Spring Pruning WorkshopZach Leonard walks you through why, how and when to prune the plants in your yard and gardens, especially fruit bearing plants and trees. Intro-level workshop. All welcome.1–3 p.m. Elmore Roots Fruit Tree and Berry Nursery, 631 Symonds Mill Road, Elmore. $10. Register at 888-3305 or [email protected]. Event repeats Sunday, April 15.

Calling for Mud Contra Dance and Chili DinnerWith Damn Yankee String Band and caller Rachel Nevitt. Family-friendly event for all ages.2:30–4:30 p.m., dance; 4:30–5:30 p.m., dinner. Capital City Grange, 6612 Route 12 (Northfield Street), Berlin. Dance: $5 individual, $12 family; dinner: $5 adult, free for children. 223-3320 or [email protected].

Planning Freeride’s Part in All Species DayPlanning and costume-making session for the All Species Day parade. Bring costume-making stuff and creativity. Freeride provides “bicycle thingys” and a hot-glue gun.3–5 p.m. Freeride Montpelier, 89 Barre Street. $5 suggested do-nation or Onion River Exchange hours. freeridemontpelier.org.

PoemCity Kick-off with Sydney LeaSydney Lea, Vermont’s poet laureate gives a reading and takes questions from the audience in this kick-off to PoemCity 2012, 30 days of poetry and poetry events. Reception follows4 p.m. House chamber, State House, 115 State Street, Mont-pelier. Free. montpelieralive.org/poemcity or kellogghubbard.org/poemcity.

Montpelier Chamber Orchestra: SongfestSee Saturday, March 31, for description (no Kid Pan Alley performance at this concert). Note change in time and venue.4 p.m. Chandler Music Hall, Randolph. $15 adults, $12 seniors, $10 students, free for children 10 and under. |montpelierchamberorchestra.org..

MONDAY, APRIL 2Business Networking Luncheon: Top 10 Key Marketing ConceptsWith guest speaker Amy Mattinat of Auto Craftsmen. Bring your own lunch.11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Conference room, Community National Bank (second floor), 316 North Main Street, Barre. Free. Mary, 479-7439 or [email protected].

Herbal Medicine Making With Betzy Bancroft, VCIH core faculty. Learn about teas, infused oils and tinctures, administration and dosage, and how these preparations can be used to make other remedies.6–8 p.m. Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 250 Main Street, Montpelier. $10 VCIH members, $12 nonmembers. Register at 224-7100 or [email protected].

Classic Book Club6 p.m. Cutler Memorial Library, Route 2, Plainfield. Free.Daniel, 793-0418. Event happens every first Monday.

Autobiographica with Leland KinseyAcclaimed Vermont poet Leland Kinsey uses his own work to explore writing poetry from life experiences, then offers an in-session workshop for creating your own “life poems.”7 p.m. Hayes Room, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main Street. Free. montpelieralive.org/poemcity or kellogghubbard.org/poemcity.

The Tell Off: Live Competitive Storytelling Tournament of ChampionsSix winning storytellers from extempo go head to head, each regaling the audience with a 10-minute, first-person, original, true story told live on stage without any notes or reading. Once-a-year special event with cash prizes!7 p.m. Studio Place Arts, Barre. $5–$10. 479-7069 or extempovt.com.

TUESDAY, APRIL 3Breaking Through the MatrixSee Tuesday, March 27, for description.

The ABCs of ItPoet Pam Ahlen leads a workshop on using the abecedarius as an organizing principle for poetry. The form is both an order-ing device like an acrostic and intriguing word play.7 p.m. College Hall, Vermont College of Fine Arts, 36 College Street, Montpelier. Free. Register at director@montpelieralive .org or [email protected]. montpelieralive.org/poemcity or kellogghubbard.org/poemcity.

UPCOMING EVENTS, from page 17

Support GroupsTURNING POINT CENTERSafe, supportive place for individuals and their families in or seeking recovery.• Alchoholics Anonymous, Sundays,

8:30 a.m.• Making Recovery Easier workshops, Tues-

days, 6–7:30 p.m.• Wit’s End Parent Support Group, Wednes-

days, 6 p.m. • Narcotics Anonymous, Thursdays,

6:30 p.m. Open daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 489 North Main Street, Barre. 479-7373.

KINDRED CONNECTIONSFor anyone affected by cancer. Get help from Kindred Connections members whohave been in your shoes. A program of the Vermont Cancer Survivor Network.Call Sherry, 479-3223, for more information. vcsn.net.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUPFor anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one.Every other Monday, 6–8 p.m., through April 16. Every other Wednesday, 10–11:30 a.m., through April 11. Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre. Ginny, 223-1878.

BRAIN INJURY SUPPORT GROUPSOpen to all survivors, caregivers and adult family members. Evening group facilitated by Marsha Bancroft; day group facilitated by

Kathy Grange and Jane Hulstrunk.Evening group meets first Mondays, 5:30–7:30 p.m., DisAbility Rights of Vermont, 141 Main Street, Suite 7, Montpelier, 800-834-7890, ext. 106. Day group meets first and third Thursdays, 1:30–2:30 p.m., Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier, 244-6850.

GRANDPARENTS RAISING THEIR CHILDREN’S CHILDRENFirst Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–noon, Barre Presbyterian Church, Summer Street. Second Tuesdays, 6–8 p.m., Wesley Methodist Church, Main Street, Waterbury. Third Thursdays, 6–8 p.m., Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main Street. Child care provided in Montpelier and Waterbury. Evelyn, 476-1480.

HURRICANE IRENE RECOVERY WORKERS’ SUPPORT GROUPStrengthen relationships and get peer sup-port and help processing emotions. Led by Ellia Cohen and Christina Ducharme.Every other Monday, 3:30 p.m. (next meetings March 19 and April 2). Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier. 855-767-8800.

LIVING WITH ADVANCED OR METASTATIC CANCER Second Tuesdays, noon to 1 p.m. Cancer Cen-ter resource room, Central Vermont Medical Center. Lunch provided. 225-5449

WRITING TO ENRICH YOUR LIFEFor anyone affected by cancer. Third Tuesdays, noon to 1 p.m. Cancer Center resource room, Central Vermont Medical Center. 225-5449

BEREAVED PARENTS SUPPORT GROUPFacilitated by Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice (CVHHH).Second Wednesdays, 6–8 p.m. CVHHH, 600 Granger Road, Berlin. Jeneane Lunn, 793-2376.

CELIAC AND FOOD ALLERGY SUPPORT GROUPWith Lisa Masé of Harmonized Cookery.Second Wednesdays, 4:30–6 p.m. Central Vermont Medical Center, conference room 3. [email protected].

CANCER SUPPORT GROUPThird Wednesdays, 6 p.m. Potluck. For loca-tion, call Carole MacIntyre, 229-5931.

MAN-TO-MAN PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUPThird Wednesdays, 6–8 p.m. Group meets at Bethany Church, 115 Main Street, Montpelier, on March 21. (Regular location: conference room 2, Central Vermont Medical Center.) 872-6308 or 866-466-0626 (press 3).

MAMA’S CIRCLE GROUP Support for parenting in a group setting. For babies, toddlers and preschoolers; books, toys and light refreshment available. Hosted by Good Beginnings of Central Vermont.Thursdays, 10 a.m.–noon. 172 River Street, Montpelier.

NAMI: CONNECTIONA peer-led, recovery-oriented group for indi-viduals living with mental illness.First and third Thursdays, 6–7:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. 800-639-6480 or [email protected].

DIABETES DISCUSSION GROUPFocus on self-management. Open to anyone with diabetes and their families.Third Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. The Health Center, Plainfield. Free. Don, 322-6600 or [email protected].

MEN’S GROUPMen discuss challenges of and insights about being male.Thursdays, 6:15–8:15 p.m. 174 Elm Street, Montpelier. Interview required: contact Neil Davis, psychologist-master, 223-3753.

DIABETES SUPPORT GROUPFirst Thursdays, 7–8 p.m. Conference room 3, Central Vermont Medical Center. 371-4152.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUSTwelve-step program for physically,emotionally and spiritually overcoming overeating.Fridays, noon–1 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main Street, Montpelier. 223-3079.

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND, MONTPELIER CHAPTERFirst Saturdays. Lane Shops community room, 1 Mechanic Street, Montpelier. 229-0093.

FAMILIES OF COLOROpen to all families. Play, eat and discuss is-sues of adoption, race and multiculturalism. Bring snacks and games to share, and dress for the weather.Third Sundays, 3–5 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier. Alyson, 439-6096 or [email protected].


Weekly EventsBICYCLINGOpen Shop NightsHave questions or a bike to donate, or need help with a bike repair? Come visit the volunteer-run community bike shop.Mondays and Wednesdays, 5–7 p.m. Tuesdays, 6–8 p.m. Freeride Montpelier, 89 Barre Street, Montpelier. By donation. 552-3521 or freeridemontpelier.org.

SPIRITUALITYChristian ScienceGod’s love meeting human needs.Reading room: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.; Tuesdays, 5–8 p.m.; and Wednesdays, 5–7:15 p.m. Testimony meeting: Wednesdays, 7:30–8:30 p.m., nursery available. Worship service: Sundays, 10:30–11:30 a.m., Sunday school and nursery available. 145 State Street, Montpelier. 223-2477.

CRAFTSBeaders GroupAll levels of beading experience welcome. Free instruction available. Come with a project for creativity and community. Saturdays, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. The Bead Hive, Plainfield. 454-1615.

FOODLenten Fish DinnerBaked fish, soup, salad, vegetable, potato, beverage and dessert. Fish sticks and mac and cheese also available. Weekly raffles of gift certificates to local businesses. Fridays, 5–6:30 p.m., through March 30. St. Augustine’s parish hall, 16 Barre Street, Montpelier. $10 adults, $6 students, free for age 3 and younger, $29 family of four; benefits Central Vermont Catholic School. 793-4276 or [email protected].

GAMES Apollo Duplicate Bridge ClubAll welcome. Partners sometimes available.Fridays, 6:45 p.m. Bethany Church, Montpe-lier. 485-8990 or 223-3922.

HEALTHFree HIV TestingVermont CARES offers fast oral testing.Thursdays, 1–4 p.m. 73 Main Street, Suite 40, Montpelier. vtcares.org.

KIDS & TEENSThe Basement Teen CenterCable TV, PlayStation 3, pool table, free eats and fun events for teenagers.Monday–Thursday, 3–6 p.m.; Friday, 3–11 p.m. Basement Teen Center, 39 Main Street, Montpelier. 229-9151.

Story Time at the Waterbury Public LibraryMondays, age 18–36 months. Wednesdays, age 0–18 months. Fridays, age 3–6 years. 10 a.m. Waterbury Public Library. Free. 244-7036.

Library Activities for Kids• Story time, Tuesdays, Wednedays and Fri-

days, 10:30–11:30 a.m.• Crafts, first Tuesdays, 3:30 p.m.• Games, second Tuesdays, 3:30 p.m.• Lego club, third Tuesdays, 3:30 p.m.• Teen Advisory Group meeting, fourth Tues-

days, 3:30 p.m.• Chess club, Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. (call

Robert, 229-1207, for info) • Comics club, Fridays, 3:30–5 p.m., through

April 13• Young Adult Nights (games, movies, food,

crafting and more for youth age 10–17), third Fridays, 6–9 p.m.

Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. Free. 223-4665.

Youth GroupGames, movies, snacks and music.Mondays, 7–9 p.m. Church of the Crucified One, Route 100, Moretown. 496-4516.

Story Time and PlaygroupStory time: for children age 0–6. Playgroup: story, art, song, nature activities and coopera-tive games. Dress for the weather.

Story time: Mondays, 10 a.m. Playgroup: Wednesdays, 10–11:30 a.m. Jaquith Public Li-brary, 122 School Street, Marshfield. 426-3581 or [email protected].

Cub Capers Storytime and SongsFor children age 3–5 and their families.Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. Children’s room, Bear Pond Books, 77 Main Street, Montpelier. 229-0774.

Morning PlaygroupStorytelling inspired by seasonal plants, fruits and herbs with in-house astrologer Mary Anna Abuzahra, plus crafts, games and activi-ties. Walk follows. All ages welcome.Tuesdays, 10 a.m. Tulsi Tea Room, 34 Main Street, Montpelier. Free. [email protected].

Second-Language Story TimeTales in American Sign Language, plus monthly special events with native speakers.Tuesdays, 3 p.m. Cutler Memorial Library, Route 2, Plainfield. Free. 454-8504 or cutlerlibrary.org.

Story Time at Onion River KidsOutdoor adventure tales and childhood classics.Sundays, 10:30 a.m. 7 Langdon Street, Mont-pelier. 223-6025.

LANGUAGELunch in a Foreign LanguageBring lunch and practice your language skills with neighbors.Noon–1 p.m. Mondays, Hebrew. Tuesdays, Ital-ian. Wednesdays, Spanish. Thursdays, French. Fridays, German. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. 223-3338.

MUSICSing With the Barre TonesWomen’s a cappella chorus.Mondays, 6:30 p.m. Alumni Hall (second floor), near Barre Auditorium. 223-2039 or [email protected].

Capital Orchestra Rehearsals Community orchestra. No audition required. All orchestral players welcome. Culminates in April concert.Mondays, 7–9 p.m. U-32 School band room. Dan, 272-1789 or [email protected].

SPIRITUALITYDeepening Our Jewish RootsFun, engaging text study and discussion on Jewish spirituality.Sundays, 4:45–6:15 p.m. Yearning for Learn-ing Center, Montpelier. Rabbi Tobie Weisman, 223-0583 or [email protected].

Christian Meditation GroupPeople of all faiths welcome.Mondays, noon–1 p.m. Christ Church, Montpe-lier. Regis, 223-6043.

Shambhala Buddhist MeditationInstruction available. All welcome.Sundays, 10 a.m.–noon, and Wednesdays, 6–7 p.m. Program and discussion follow Wednes-day meditation. Shambhala Center, 64 Main Street, Montpelier. Free. 223-5137.

Zen MeditationWednesdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. 174 River Street, Montpelier. Call Tom for orientation, 229-0164. With Zen Affiliate of Vermont.

★ Meditation ClassWith Lydia Russell-McDade. Lightly guided Tantric meditation with pranayama (yogic breathing exercises). If you’ve never meditated before, please come a few minutes early. Thursdays, 5–5:45 p.m. Yoga Mountain Center, Montpelier. $5–$15 suggested donation. saprema-yoga.com.

SPORTSRoller Derby Open Recruitment and Recreational Practice Central Vermont’s Wrecking Doll Society in-vites quad skaters age 18 and up to try out the action. No experience necessary. Equipment provided: first come, first served.Saturdays, 5–6:30 p.m. Montpelier Recreation Center, Barre Street. First skate free. centralvermontrollerderby.com.

Coed Adult Floor Hockey Equipment provided.Sundays, 3–5 p.m. Montpelier Recre-ation Center, Barre Street. $5. 363-1531, [email protected] or vermontfloorhockey.com.

THRIFT STORESTrinity Community Thrift StoreTuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sat-urdays, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Trinity United Method-ist Church, 137 Main Street (use rear entrance), Montpelier. 229-9155 or [email protected].

YOGASliding-Scale Yoga ClassesWith Lydia Russell-McDade.Weaving in seasonal poetry and myth, these intermediate-level classes help you build strength and flex-ibility while learning safe postural alignment. Saturdays, 10–11:15 a.m., Shambhala Center, Montpelier; Mondays, 5:30–6:45 p.m., River House Yoga, Plainfield. $5–$20 suggested donation. saprema-yoga.com.

Rhythmic Flow Vinyasa With Lori Mortimer.Tuesdays, 6–7:15 p.m., Through May 29. All Together Now, East Montpelier. $5–$15 suggested donation. 324-1737 or sattvayoga.wordpress.com.

★ indicates new or revised listing

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4Memories Are Made of ThisVermont history presented by Gregory Sanford, Vermont State Archivist. Part of the weekly Osher Lifelong Learning Institute spring series.1:30 p.m.; doors open at 12:30 for brown-bag lunch. Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier. $5 suggested donation. 223-1763 or [email protected].

Regional Cuisine of IndiaWith Delna Boyce. India has a wide range of regional flavors. Taste lentils made in four different ways—depicting north, south, east and west India—and take home recipes.5–6:30 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. $10 member/owners, $12 nonmembers. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected].

Intro to Basic Bicycle Maintenance Learn about finding the right bike for you, general upkeep, identifying your bike’s parts, brake systems, troubleshooting tires and basic emergency road repairs. Bring your bicycle.6:30–8 p.m. Freeride Montpelier, 89 Barre Street. $5 suggested donation or Onion River Exchange hours. freeridemontpelier.org.

They Do Still Write Them the Way They Used ToPoet Michael Palma refutes the notion that modern poetry is formless and self-absorbed and discusses contemporary poets who use rhyme, meter and figurative language to explore timeless, universal themes. 7 p.m. Hayes Room, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main Street, Montpelier. Free. montpelieralive.org/poemcity or kellog-ghubbard.org/poemcity. A Vermont Humanities Council event.

Movie Screening: Play AgainWhat are the consequences of a childhood removed from nature? This moving, humorous documentary follows six teenagers who typically spend five to 15 hours a day in front of screens on their first wilderness adventure.7–8:30 p.m. Grades building, Orchard Valley Waldorf School, 2290 Route 14. 456-7400 or playagainfilm.com.

Ecstatic DanceSee Wednesday, March 28, for description.7–9 p.m. Worcester Town Hall, corner of Elmore Road and Calais Road. $5–$10 donation. Fearn, 505-8011 or [email protected]. Event happens every first and third Wednesday, and fourth Wednesdays at the Plainfield Community Center.

THURSDAY, APRIL 5Take a Leap, Write a Poem!Poet Sherry Olson believes we can all be poets. She will bring ideas and poems to get you started generating your own work. Different generative exercises at each workshop.1 p.m. Hayes Room, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main Street, Montpelier. Free. montpelieralive.org/poemcity or kellogg hubbard.org/poemcity. Workshop repeats Thursday, April 19.

You Come Too: e.e. cummingsVHC Executive Director Peter Gilbert leads a discussion on the work of e.e. cummings. Read the poems in advance or read them upon arriving. Refreshments served. 5:30 p.m. Vermont Humanities Council, 11 Loomis Street, Montpelier. Free. RSVP encouraged at 262-2626, ext. 307; spur-of-the-moment participants also welcome. montpelieralive.org/poemcity or kellogghubbard.org/poemcity.

Science of Mind PrinciplesStudy group for inquiring minds of all faiths.6–8 p.m. Universal Rivers of Life, 28 East State Street, Suite 4 (second floor), Montpelier. 223-3427 or robin@universalrivers .com. Event happens every first and third Thursday.

Free Community Meals For All in MontpelierMONDAY 11 a.m.–1 p.m., Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street

TUESDAY 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Bethany Church, 115 Main Street

WEDNESDAY 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Christ Church, 64 State Street

THURSDAY 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Trinity Church, 137 Main Street

FRIDAY 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m., St. Augustine Church, 18 Barre Street

SATURDAY Second Saturdays only, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Trinity Church, 137 Main Street (hosted by folks from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and First Baptist Church)

SUNDAY Last Sundays only, 4:30–5:30 p.m., Bethany Church, 115 Main Street (hosted by Beth Jacob Synagogue)


ClassesCOACHINGSTILLPOINT ASSOCIATESEvery change means letting go of something, and every change opens up possibilities. Life coaching can support you in navigating life transitions with intention, strength and grace. Stillpoint Associates LTD, Fran Weinbaum, Life Coach, 249-7377 or [email protected].

DANCEBALLROOM DANCE CLASSESWith instructors Samir and Eleni Elabd. Tuesdays, March 27 and April 3, 10 and 17. Union Elementary School. Swing 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., tango 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. To register, call the Montpelier Recreation Department at 225-8699. For information, call 223-2921.

ClassifiedsREAL ESTATEARTIST, MUSICIAN SPACEStudios available this spring in assorted sizes at 46 Barre Street (site of Monteverdi and Summit School). Reserve your space and become a part of the Montpelier area’s center for the arts, learning and music. For details call Paul Irons at 223-2120 or 461-6222.

ESCAPE NEXT WINTERMature, responsible couple looking to rent furnished home/apartment with 2+ bed-rooms from October 2012 through February 2013, in Montpelier. Fly south and enjoy the winter while we take good care of your home. Contact Benjamin at [email protected].

STUFF FOR SALEBOSE HEADPHONESBose QuietComfort 15 Acoustc Noise Can-celling headphones. Nearly new; used once. Comes with zippered case and booklet. $325 value for $200. 223-4865.

SERVICESHOUSE PAINTERSince 1986. Small interior jobs ideal. Neat, prompt, friendly. Local references. Pitz Quat-trone, 229-4952.

ADVERTISE HERE!

Carl or Carolyn, 223-5112


by Jeremy Lesniak

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told about a child who has taken to tech-nology. Usually the storyteller is a rela-

tive who is both proud and dumbfounded as to how this could have taken place. Most of society has realized the affinity children have for learning all manner of technology, but they don’t understand why it happens so frequently. It’s actually very simple—chil-dren are not afraid.

Sure, there are all sorts of things chil-dren are afraid of—the dark, snakes, maybe even clowns. Technology, though, is rarely something that makes them afraid. It is this fundamental lack of fear that makes them so adept. The very same fear is what keeps many adults from developing proficiency.

Children are curious. They’re rarely con-cerned with the consequences of their ac-tions. This fear can be dangerous in the context of many things, but usually not with technology. They play with technol-ogy as they would with blocks or costumes; inspecting every detail and drawing out the inner workings. They don’t care if they break things, which leads them on a path to discover everything technology has to offer. They find cause and effect for the many set-tings, buttons and switches on a computer or television. These cause-and-effect conclu-sions are lost on many adults because we’re not as willing to explore. We’re afraid.

I’d like to encourage everyone to be a bit more willing to explore their technology. There’s a lot of knowledge that can be gained with minimal risk. Something as simple as the exploration of the menus on your televi-

sion could yield results you never imagined. One of my mantras, “You didn’t know that you didn’t know,” comes to mind. It’s only through exploration that we find what we don’t know. Like a child.

The Three Computer Tasks Everyone Should Know

As technology becomes more ingrained in our lives, it will become increasingly impor-tant to understand it. Here are the top three things everyone should know about their computer.

Learn how to clean it. Computers have vents that let air, as well as dust, flow through. Get a can of compressed air (don’t use an air compressor), turn off and unplug your computer, and learn what panels you can remove to blow out the dust. Never use a vacuum near a computer, as they generate static electricity. If you have a laptop, remove the battery before cleaning.

Learn how to protect it. Everyone, even Mac users, needs a good antivirus program that will automatically update and scan for infections. I like Norton Antivirus, for both the PC and Mac. It’s important that you learn how to check your antivirus and see that it is working properly. On a Windows computer, it’s also important that you use a separate program for finding and removing spyware. I recommend Super AntiSpyware. This program is easy to use and comes in a free version. The paid version allows you to automate some functions.

Learn how to spot trouble. Computers usually show symptoms that something is wrong or about to be. Most people use their computer enough to know how it should work. Yet when it starts acting differently, most ignore these changes. Those changes are never normal and should always be ad-dressed. The more dramatic the symptom, the sooner it should be addressed.

There you have it. If you don’t know how to do these things, I strongly urge that you learn. Just as a basic understanding of a car is good knowledge, the same can be said of your computer.

Jeremy Lesniak started Vermont Comput-ing (vermontcomputing.com) in 2001 after graduating from Clark University and opened a store on Merchants Row in Randolph in May of 2003. He also serves as managing editor for aNewDomain (anewdomain.net). He lives in Duxbury.

Learn Fearlessness from Children

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Tiny BitesCapital city diners got a new option for breakfast, lunch and dinner last week when the

Clean Slate Café opened in the space formerly occupied by the Thrush Tavern. A steady stream of curious diners stopped in during the eatery’s first week to check out the lighter, brighter space, decorated with global-travel-themed memorabilia. The kitchen is now open to the dining area, giving guests a glimpse into the space where executive chef John Beresford and his crew prepare diverse dishes including red-flannel corned-beef hash, almond-crusted tofu and turkey mole. The buttermilk biscuits, served at breakfast, are likely the biggest and fluffiest in town. Open seven days, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Browse the menu at cleanslatecafe.com.

Ice wine? Ice cider? If these terms spark curiosity, taste these unique beverages made from the concentrated sugars of frozen fruit at the first-ever Ice Wine Festival on Sunday,

March 18, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Jay Peak Resort. Admission is $30 and includes wine-tasting tickets good for all participating wineries, cheese and specialty food samples, and a souvenir wine glass. Sponsored by the Vermont Ice Cider Association. Visit vticewinefestival .com for more information.

The weekend of March 24 and 25 is the 11th annual Maple Open House Week-end at sugarhouses all over Vermont. Visitors are encouraged to visit sugarhouses to

taste and learn about Vermont’s liquid gold from the farmers who tap the trees and tend the evaporators. Find a list of area sugarhouses at vermontmaple.org. For those who can’t wait, the Capital City Farmers Market will offer traditional sugar-on-snow—with local pickles and homemade doughnuts—this Saturday, March 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Vermont College of Fine Arts gymnasium.

It’s time again for the most inspiring, fun and wildly alive culinary event of the year! Junior Iron Chef Vermont is a statewide competition where students prepare origi-

nal recipes that use local, farm-fresh foods and are appropriate for serving in their school meal programs. On Saturday, March 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction, young people from all over Vermont, including teams from Barre City and U-32, will chop, sauté and prove their meal-making mettle. Spectators are invited to enjoy live entertainment, games and fun children’s activities; purchase delicious lunch prepared by the Burlington School Project; and gather information about farming and food education. Admission is $3 per person or $5 per family. Find more information at jrironchefvt.org.

Bring the family for a rotten good time at the third annual Compost Cabaret. Singer-songwriter Kris Gruen and poet Geof Hewitt will headline this family-friendly event on

March 24 at the Old Labor Hall in Barre. A benefit for the Highfields Center for Compost-ing, the event also features tasty food created by chef Lee Duberman, of Ariel’s Restaurant in Brookfield, and a silent auction full of items from Vermont food producers, musicians and artists. I (Sylvia Fagin) will emcee the music and fun-filled evening, which runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The suggested donation of $10 helps make Vermont’s food and agricultural systems stronger, water and air cleaner, and carbon footprint smaller (food at additional charge). Visit highfieldscomposting.org to see more about the Highfields Center and the event.

Approximately half of Vermont’s milk comes from the labor of undocumented workers; between 1,200 and 1,500 migrants work on Vermont dairy farms. Learn more about

their lives and the policies behind them in a film series entitled Migrant Workers in Vermont, Immigration, and Globalization. Films are shown at 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Church in Montpelier. Upcoming screenings include Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth on March 25; and Silenced Voices on April 8. Each film will be followed by a facilitated discussion. For more information, contact Madeline at [email protected].

Black beans, pinto beans, Great Northern beans, lentils. Beans are a great source of protein and a growing market for Vermont farmers. Bean farmers Jack Lazor and Joe Bossen will

speak on Growing Dry Beans for an Emerging Market at 6:15 p.m. on April 10 at Kellogg-Hubbard Library. They will speak about the opportunities and challenges in grow-ing and sourcing beans in Vermont, with a discussion to follow. Lazor, owner of Butterworks Farm in Westfield, has grown dry beans for local and regional markets since 1995. Bossen, owner of Vermont Bean Crafters, sources locally and regionally grown dry beans from six different farms for his products. Each will share insights gleaned from the direct experience of growing or purchasing dry beans in Vermont, inspiring a discussion that will aid in in-forming an emerging market. This lecture is free and open to the public and is presented by UVM’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture, which is online at uvm.edu/~susagctr.

Is your food genetically modified? Vermont Right to Know GMOs is a recently-launched website that serves as a clearinghouse for information related to genetically modi-

fied organisms (GMOs) and the current Vermont legislative effort to require the labeling of genetically engineered food products sold at retail outlets in Vermont. Vermont Right to Know GMOs is a collaborative project of the Northeast Farming Association of Vermont, Rural Ver-mont and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. Learn more at vpirg.org/gmo.

Diginvt.com is a new, interactive website that provides visitors and Vermonters simple access to authentic and quality food experiences in Vermont. Users can search by region,

events, or type of location like eatery, farmstand, or cheesemaker. DigInVT is a project of the Vermont Agriculture and Culinary Tourism Council, which consists of representatives from Vermont agriculture, culinary and tourism organizations committed to promoting and preserving Vermont’s working landscape.

—compiled by Sylvia Fagin; send food news to [email protected]

Central Vermont Food News


Hands-On Gardenerby Miriam Hansen

In March, there is one burning question on every gardener’s mind. How early can I plant? Last year we had a super early

spring followed by numerous snowstorms. This year we’ve had a roller coaster of a winter, but, judging from birds and buds, we may be in for an early spring.

I’m feeling so optimistic about this grow-ing season, I decided to grow sweet potatoes this year. I’ve ordered my sweet-potato slips from Steele Plant Company in Gleason, Ten-nessee. They seem to offer the best deal: free shipping on 24 slips of any two varieties for $21. I’ve chosen two northern varieties—Georgia Jets and Beauregard—both about 90 days to maturity. If they go in the ground the beginning of June, they should be ready to harvest at the beginning of October. I split the order with a few friends and am really looking forward to digging my own home-grown sweet potatoes!

I’ve got celery, parsley and onions grow-ing under lights. My experiment with start-ing two-year-old onion seed between moist paper towels was a resounding success. Ger-mination rate was about 90 percent. The only thing I’ll do differently next year is to start checking the seeds after three or four days. The first seeds germinated so quickly, many of them had long sprouts beginning to tunnel into the paper towel by the time I got to them. I lost some in the planting and some actually seemed to want to grow upside down! Still, of the six large flats of onions I’m growing, only one is a little sparse. I know that sounds like a lot of onions, and it is, but the Prisma shallots, Copras, cippolinis and red marble onions I grew last year are storing exceptionally well in the root cellar, so I am not too concerned about an overabundance.

I also started some parsley seed between paper towels in a plastic bag and planted them in flats when the seeds began to germi-nate. I compared that to soaking seed for a week. At this writing, the seeds germinated in a paper towel are up and the other flat is still loitering.

By mid-March I’ll have started all the let-tuce and greens for transplanting into the cold frames and greenhouse. In spite of the extreme temperatures, this winter is the first year we’ve enjoyed a continual modest har-vest of claytonia, kale, spinach and arugula throughout the winter. All this in a one-ply greenhouse with old, ripped row cover draped over the beds!

At the end of March I’ll start some early broccoli and a couple of types of cauliflower. The Fedco catalog says that Symphony and Snow Mystique are only suitable for fall harvest. Luckily I didn’t read the catalog

carefully last year, because I grew the most gorgeous heads of Symphony, planted mid to late March, set out early May and harvested in late July! I’m glad I forgot to read the instructions. Given how much better I do with early cauliflower than late, I’m going to try doing both an early and a late crop and compare yields. I love a challenge.

This idea of planting different varieties at different times, both in terms of when you plant as well as differing days to maturity is an important consideration for the home gardener.

When I first started gardening, I used to plant everything on Memorial Day. Little by little, as the years have gone by, I’ve learned to stagger plantings and plan for harvests that extend over a longer period of time. I mark my seed packets with different planting times. Some broccoli gets started in March and some, like Fiesta, get started in June for a fall crop. Since most cabbage-family plants (brassicas) prefer cool weather, I’ll start the fall seedlings in the basement under lights. The same is true for cabbages.

Last year we had a bumper crop of cab-bage, but since I started them all at the same time, we lost some to splitting. They were mature too early for fall storage, and, despite a fabulous couple of coleslaw recipes, we just couldn’t eat them fast enough. I hope to solve that problem by staggering my seeding a bit and also growing one early crop and one for fall. After all, I start lettuce every two weeks or so to have lettuce from spring to fall. Why not stagger cabbage seeding a week apart?

Remember that when the catalog or seed packet marks days to maturity, they’re talking about days from transplanting out. Clearly this is not true for vegetables like carrots, beets and other vegetables that we seed di-rectly, but it is true for all the plants we start indoors and set out in the spring, summer or fall. When you start broccoli seeds directly in the garden, you count days of maturity four to six weeks after they come up.

Late March is also a good time to start perennial flowers and herbs. As soon as my order arrives from Park’s, I’ll get busy seed-ing. The last full moon in May falls on May 24. I’m guessing that’s also the last frost of the season. Between black plastic, row covers and other season extenders, I suspect I’ll be listening to the birds and the buds and set-ting out many plants in early May. Happy gardening!

Miriam and her husband, David, live in East Montpelier, where they grow most of their own vegetables, berries and meat on less than 1/4 of an acre. Your questions and com-ments are welcome. You can reach Miriam at [email protected].

Birds and Buds

Community Herb Workshopsat Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism

Herbal Support for the Musculoskeletal System with Rebecca Dalgin, VCIH GraduateWednesday March 21st, 6-8 pm

Techniques and Tips for Successful Plant Propagationwith Joann Darling, Gardens of Seven GablesWednesday March 28th, 6–8 pm

Herbal Medicine Making with Betzy Bancroft, VCIH Core FacultyMonday April 2nd, 6–8 pm

Secrets of Our Cycletwo-part series with Abigail Houghton, VCIH GraduateMondays April 9th and 16th, 6–8 pm

250 Main Street, Suite 302, Montpelier

Pre-registration required for all workshops.

Contact 224-7100 or [email protected].

For workshop details and descriptions, visit

vtherbcenter.org

All welcome

First meeting

TUESDAY, MARCH 20Community National Bank316 North Main Street2nd floor conference room

Hosted by Ilene Gillander, ACIS Travel Counselor

For more information, call 479-2329 or e-mail [email protected]

American Council for International Studies announces

THE BARRE TRAVEL CLUB 2013 TRIP

SPAIN & PORTUGALVisit Madrid, Seville, Lisbon and more

Emerge YogaKripalu • Yoga TherapyPre- & Postnatal Partner Labor/Birth Workshops

Classes offered at various locations.

www.emergeyoga.net802.778.0300 • [email protected]

Amy LePage-Hansen, CYI

Sugar on snow

Maple Syrup Celebrationdonations appreciated

Saturday, March 17 • 10–1

Last few winter markets . . .

April 7 & 21, 10–2Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier

Market moves outdoors May 5!montpelierfarmersmarket.com | Find us on Facebook

Live

music!

Marge & John

Butterfield


Real Estate TransactionsMitofsky, Bryan D. Corbett, Lorna and Ball, Craig C. 1 Crestview Drive 10/4/2011 202,000 SingleEdgar, Jacob and Holmes, Deirdre Shaw, Alan and Anne Marie 19 First Avenue 10/4/2011 187,000 Multi (2) Corbett, Lorna L. Sovacool, Benjamin 251 Berlin Street 10/5/2011 155,000 Single Zorn, Arthur B. & Nancy F. Condit, J. Douglas and Hewitt, Karen L. 37 Loomis Street 10/6/2011 275,000 Single McIntire, Burtt W. and Linda P. Geer, Ruth 34 Cityside Drive 10/11/2011 288,000 SingleMaxfield, Mary B. and Bizzozero, Debra Surette Halstead, Adelaide and Halstead, Spencer T. 30 Sibley Avenue 10/11/2011 225,000 Multi (2) McCloud, Lucinda B. Central Vermont Community Land Trust Inc. (CVCLT) 160 Main Street, unit 1 10/13/2011 98,500 CondoCVCLT Smith, Patricia K. 160 Main Street, unit 1 10/13/2011 120,000 Condo Pratt, Thomas O. and Theresa A. Mendizabal, Edmar 177 River Street 10/17/2011 113,500 Multi (2) Reilly, Dorothy S. & Jeremiah P. Reed, Paul and Halasz, Alexandra 20 Baldwin Street 10/19/2011 350,000 Single Hock, Jedediah Sprague, Linda M. and Ashford, Brent C. 6 Independence Green 10/21/2011 142,900 Condo Allbee, Roger and Ann Casey, Elizabeth 215 Barre Street, unit A108 10/24/2011 162,900 Condo Fein, Ellen Revocable Trust Pelletier, David M. and Ellis, Pamela J. 13 Terrace Street 10/31/2011 294,000 Single CVCLT and Monteagudo, Graciela Hazelton, Emily L. 188 Barre Street 10/31/2011 105,000 Single Shouldice, Carole B. Revocable Trust Turtledove Enterprises LLC 68 Main Street 11/17/2011 200,000 Comm Bottamini, Diane M. and Wemitt, Lynn M. Muse, Joshua T. and Rachel D. 119 College Street 11/17/2011 232,000 SingleJAJ LTD Overlake Park LLC 139 Main Street 11/21/2011 493,500 Comm Bagnall, Carlene Trust Gordon, Jennifer I. and Kessler, John W. 19 Vine Street 11/28/2011 221,500 Single Ward, Ryan & Raelyn Healy, Aaron D. and Zhang, Boya 224 Berlin Street 11/28/2011 180,000 Single Rosenberg, Eli S. and Kara S. Cummings, Rory 201 State Street 12/2/2011 160,000 Multi (2)Silberman O’Hara, Zia and Perei Morse, Phillip S. 4 Mechanic Street, unit 10 12/5/2011 149,000 Condo Abbiati, Georgianne S. Filonow, Heather K. 107 Freedom Drive 12/8/2011 165,000 CondoKennedy, Patrick T. and Kelly M. Watson, Charles W. III and Peggy A. 11 Dairy Lane 12/13/2011 199,000 SingleWhitehorne, Amy L. and Clark, Jessica E. Parr, Alexander S. Jr. 38 Deerfield Drive 12/15/2011 250,000 Single Floyd, Norman M. and Janette L. McDonald, Christopher W. and Menard, Amanda L. 41 Prospect Street 12/16/2011 170,000 Single Rochefort, Robert and Sheila Ribolini, Patricia R. Trust 8 Putnam Street 12/19/2011 116,000 CommRochefort, Robert and Sheila Ribolini, Stephen A. & Andrew S. 167 Barre Street 12/19/2011 199,000 Comm O’Rourke, Timothy and Kathy Galfetti, Teri 4 Sibley Avenue 12/20/2011 115,000 Multi (2)Carpenter, Daisy R. Living Trust Jones, Christian B. 5 Longmeadow Drive 12/21/2011 219,000 Single Freeman, Karen T. and Mallary, Peter T. Pritchett, Elizabeth F. 26 Murray Road 1/3/2012 395,000 Single SL Garand Company Inc. Ship Sevin LLC 157 Pioneer Center 1/17/2012 315,000 CommBabic, Lawrence and Joslyn, Patricia J. Munno, Nancy S. 22 Pearl Street, unit 1 1/18/2012 218,500 CondoRocheleau, Marcel and Kimmerly, Susanne Vance, Keith and Acacia Jackson 506 Elm Street 1/20/2012 198,000 Single Sulinski, Cathy Pilon, Lorraine M. 61 College Street, unit 2 1/31/2012 118,000 Condo

SELLER BUYER ADDRESS DATE PRICE TYPE

Monday, March 19Janna Clar, Executive DirectorMontpelier Senior Activity Center Project

Monday, March 26Mary Morris and Robert Dostis from Green MountainPower CorporationSmart Grid

Monday, April 2Sarah Seidman and Chrissy RohanVermont Horse-Assisted Therapy

Monday, April 9Judy HenkinGirl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains

Monday, April 16Montpelier “Citizen of the Year” Award Luncheon

For more information, call Rotary President Ed Flanagan at 223-2396.

You Are Invited to Join Us for Lunchat the Montpelier Rotary Club

Rotary meets most Mondays (except holidays) at 12:15 p.m. at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, 100 State Street, Montpelier.


Health-Care Costs Hobble UsTo the Editor:The editorial “A Conversation with Anya

Rader Wallack,” in the February 16 edition of The Bridge was an excellent summary of our broken health-care system and the Green Mountain Care Board’s role in fixing the mess. With Vermont’s health-care costs now topping $5 billion annually (the editorial had first said $5 million, but the mistake was acknowledged in their previous issue; much praise to the editors for doing that) and rising toward the $6 billion mark, with some 47,000 Vermonters still uninsured and thousands more so inadequately insured that they face financial calamity if they suffer an illness, we cannot keep going like this.

Think of how much money Montpelier could use to upgrade its aging and weary infrastructure, for instance, if the city did not have to budget for annual 7.1 percent increases in health-insurance premiums. Think of how many more small businesses might be able to fill our vacant storefronts or, for those already here, how they could expand and grow if they were not thwarted by health-care costs and worries.

Our system exacts further tolls beyond the economic. Think of the extreme emotional stresses on patients and providers caused by things like claim denials, preapproval prob-lems, network troubles and endless financial worries—all ways employed to deny care and preserve profit; think of the freedom of not having to worry about bankruptcy because of health care. I have felt the enormous pressure of this squeezing on me before; I have known the innumerable frustrations of fighting for my health care against the bottom line. These problems are unknown in systems that treat health care as a public good.

We cannot keep going like this. Like that English tennis player the editorial quoted, we have to have the courage to change our game. This is what the Green Mountain Care Board is charged with doing, and we need to keep up our courage in following through with it.

—Walter Carpenter, Montpelier

Affordable Housing Is a Human Right

To the Editor:I am member of the People’s Budget Cam-

paign of the Vermont Workers’ Center. I lived at Weston’s Mobile Home Park and lost my home in the flood. We had a mortgage of less than $24,000 when we lost our home.

What we found in the wake of the storm was that the situation for affordable housing in central Vermont was pretty dismal. We were lucky to find another home, but it is definitely not an affordable option. Now we have a mortgage of over $100,000 that is going to take the rest of our lives to pay back.

Since the flood, we have met so many people who struggle with finding a place where they can afford to live. Nobody should have to worry that they won’t have a place to call home. Housing is a human right!

We need a people’s budget that puts the needs of our communities—including safe and affordable housing—first.

—Donna French, Berlin

Guerlain Says ThanksTo the Editor:I’d like to say thank you four times, rela-

tive to my recent election to Montpelier’s city council as the new councilor from District 2.

First, to my sweet wife, Julie Hendrickson, who thought I was perhaps a little off my rocker to think of running but, once I was committed, was a fierce and tireless cam-paigner on my behalf.

Second, to the 100-plus people who ac-tively worked hard to get me elected, dis-tributing literature, hosting meet-and-greets, writing letters of support, etc. It was a won-derful, fun effort, and thrilling to see the depth and breadth of activity across the district and the city.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, to Nancy Sherman for her many, many years of dedicated service and work on behalf of our city and community. The hours are long and the thanks now and then in short supply, so let me say thank you again to Nancy, and thank you, too, for your strong campaign. I know that discussing the issues with voters of all stripes, on both sides of every issue, helped me better understand the challenges ahead. So thank you for your service, and for having run again; I’m very glad that I was not running unopposed.

And finally, thank you to the voters of District 2 for having put me in office; I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

—Thierry Guerlain, District 2 city councilor, Montpelier

Essay on Loss Touching and Heartfelt

To the Editor:I just wanted to thank Mark Billian for

his heartfelt and courageous story, in the last edition of The Bridge, about the loss of his daughter, Sarah. It was very touching.

—Conrad Boucher, Montpelier

Thank You, Montpelier VotersTo the Editor:As a delighted Montpelier citizen, I want

to take this opportunity to thank all of the Montpelier voters for turning out on Town Meeting Day to pass the circulator bus as well as all the other necessary articles for running our city. We should all be proud of all we voted in, as there were many compet-ing articles, each of which was important. I was concerned, as Article 42 (the circulator bus) was the last item on the third page of the ballot and might not attract voter inter-est. But lo and behold, it was taken seriously, and it passed!

I spoke with staff at the city clerk’s office, and they said that many new citizens regis-tered to vote from January 16 to February 29. My goal is to work with the Vermont Center for Independent Living to get as many citizens as possible registered to vote for this year’s general election on November 6. I want everyone’s voice to be heard!

Green Mountain Transit Agency (GMTA) is thrilled that the voters passed Article 42 as we head toward the second year of opera-tion. By July 1 we will have a full year under our belt; with an average of the 12 previous months, GMTA will then take a look at the routes and make adjustment to the more and less traveled routes and times.

GMTA believes it takes three full years for a route to be established. By next year at this time, citizens will vote again, for the third year of operation, and ridership should be right up there. You only need to look at Shaw’s (our base), and you will usually see people waiting for one of the buses that con-nects with other buses. Taking the bus is very inexpensive, eco-friendly and convenient. It saves on gas and relieves parking congestion in the city. The price of cars and gasoline are good reasons for public transportation use. For many people, this is their primary mode of getting to places. We are lucky to have this transportation in central Vermont. Enjoy many happy rides!

—Irene Noella Badeau, Montpelier

A Painful Wake-Up Call

We dedicate this issue of The Bridge, with its focus on historic preservation, to Margot George, who gave so much of her intelligence, energy and personal conviction to the

cause of saving and preserving that fabric of our lives understood by the words “historic preservation.”

I have had good reason in recent days to miss Margot. She paid attention, and while paying attention is hardly glamorous, it’s that care and attention that is wanting in her absence.

Here’s a case in point.In preparing this issue, I wanted to celebrate an abandoned power-plant building along

Route 2 at the foot of Gallison Hill Road in East Montpelier. That building, power plant No. 4, was constructed in the early days of electric power and had noble proportions and wonderful detail, as if its builders were telling us that the coming of electric power would do good things for our lives.

About 20 years ago, I was given permission by Green Mountain Power (GMP) to visit the site of that building and go inside of it. I took photographs.

Recently, I consulted local historian Manny Garcia, who has spent the last five years of his life documenting the buildings, many of them industrial buildings, along the Winooski River. We talked about the early days of electric power in the area, and we wondered together about the civic enthusiasm that was apparent in power plant No. 4.

In the irony of things lost, even as we discussed the building, it no longer existed.In a recent phone conversation, GMP spokeswoman Dorothy Schnure advised me that

power plant No. 4 was razed in January. In a state of shock and disbelief, I asked a friend of mine to drive me out to the site. Sure enough, it was gone.

A follow-up message from Schnure listed a host of agencies that GMP consulted before demolition, including the City of Montpelier, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the Department of Environmental Conservation Waste Management office, the Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation (VDHP). Federal agencies consulted include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protec-tion Agency because of PCB contamination issues.

In my struggle with the loss of a building that I feel was part of our local history and had an unquestioned architectural value, I asked for an architectural comment from Eric Gilbertson, who was for many years the deputy state historic preservation officer at VDHP.

Eric wrote:The old power plant at the foot of Gallison Hill Road illustrates the care and concern that

was given to industrial buildings in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is far more elaborate and decorated than it would need to be to serve its purpose of housing a power generating facility. Modern industrial plants are just boxes to hold whatever.

We are all familiar with Vermont Yankee or the wood-chip plant in Burlington—both boring metal boxes built without thinking about what the visual impact of a mundane build-ing might have on the public, or for that matter on the workers who show up every day.

The demolition of the old power plant destroyed the beauty and craftsmanship that could still be enjoyed. The decoration spoke to the era of construction—I figured 1910 based on the design—actually it was built in 1909. Try to guess the date on the two new plants I mentioned above.

Now what makes this stand out so clearly? I would label the style Romanesque, based on the tall windows topped with round arches reminiscent of the aqueducts built by the Romans to carry water. Pilasters stand out from the flat wall and have decorative capitals at the top. They are large and oversized to visually reflect the strength needed to contain the power and vibration from a working power plant. The cornice projects out from the top of the wall with four decorative bands defining the top of the building. The brickwork could have been stepped out with no decoration to provide an overhang. The builders chose instead to use two different methods of brickwork to create rows of “dentils” (think teeth) to make a visually interesting multicomponent band.

The end result is a building with fine craftsmanship that says loudly that the owners are proud and prosperous.

I am convinced that the power-plant building could have been saved. Moreover, it could have been more than saved. It could have been put to a new use that would continue to tell the story of early electric power and the pride and craftsman that informed that era.

Was it George Santyana, writing not about historic preservation but about history itself, who wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”? Or in his-toric preservation terms, when we visit wanton destruction on buildings that deserve to be saved and that tell us of our past, we have not only trashed the past, we have also trashed the future.

Our Campaign to Benefit The Bridge

We continue to receive contributions to our annual campaign to benefit The Bridge, and we are sincerely grateful to our many readers and friends for their generous response

to our appeal for help.As of press time, The Bridge is within striking distance of its overall campaign goal of

$12,000.Please help us reach our campaign goal. Please write a check made payable to The Bridge

and addressed to: The Bridge, P.O. Box 1143, Montpelier, VT 05601. Please also feel free to drop off an envelope at our office, located on the lower level of

Schulmaier Hall on the Vermont College of Fine Arts campus.

LettersEditorial

see LETTERS, page 26

Mitofsky, Bryan D. Corbett, Lorna and Ball, Craig C. 1 Crestview Drive 10/4/2011 202,000 SingleEdgar, Jacob and Holmes, Deirdre Shaw, Alan and Anne Marie 19 First Avenue 10/4/2011 187,000 Multi (2) Corbett, Lorna L. Sovacool, Benjamin 251 Berlin Street 10/5/2011 155,000 Single Zorn, Arthur B. & Nancy F. Condit, J. Douglas and Hewitt, Karen L. 37 Loomis Street 10/6/2011 275,000 Single McIntire, Burtt W. and Linda P. Geer, Ruth 34 Cityside Drive 10/11/2011 288,000 SingleMaxfield, Mary B. and Bizzozero, Debra Surette Halstead, Adelaide and Halstead, Spencer T. 30 Sibley Avenue 10/11/2011 225,000 Multi (2) McCloud, Lucinda B. Central Vermont Community Land Trust Inc. (CVCLT) 160 Main Street, unit 1 10/13/2011 98,500 CondoCVCLT Smith, Patricia K. 160 Main Street, unit 1 10/13/2011 120,000 Condo Pratt, Thomas O. and Theresa A. Mendizabal, Edmar 177 River Street 10/17/2011 113,500 Multi (2) Reilly, Dorothy S. & Jeremiah P. Reed, Paul and Halasz, Alexandra 20 Baldwin Street 10/19/2011 350,000 Single Hock, Jedediah Sprague, Linda M. and Ashford, Brent C. 6 Independence Green 10/21/2011 142,900 Condo Allbee, Roger and Ann Casey, Elizabeth 215 Barre Street, unit A108 10/24/2011 162,900 Condo Fein, Ellen Revocable Trust Pelletier, David M. and Ellis, Pamela J. 13 Terrace Street 10/31/2011 294,000 Single CVCLT and Monteagudo, Graciela Hazelton, Emily L. 188 Barre Street 10/31/2011 105,000 Single Shouldice, Carole B. Revocable Trust Turtledove Enterprises LLC 68 Main Street 11/17/2011 200,000 Comm Bottamini, Diane M. and Wemitt, Lynn M. Muse, Joshua T. and Rachel D. 119 College Street 11/17/2011 232,000 SingleJAJ LTD Overlake Park LLC 139 Main Street 11/21/2011 493,500 Comm Bagnall, Carlene Trust Gordon, Jennifer I. and Kessler, John W. 19 Vine Street 11/28/2011 221,500 Single Ward, Ryan & Raelyn Healy, Aaron D. and Zhang, Boya 224 Berlin Street 11/28/2011 180,000 Single Rosenberg, Eli S. and Kara S. Cummings, Rory 201 State Street 12/2/2011 160,000 Multi (2)Silberman O’Hara, Zia and Perei Morse, Phillip S. 4 Mechanic Street, unit 10 12/5/2011 149,000 Condo Abbiati, Georgianne S. Filonow, Heather K. 107 Freedom Drive 12/8/2011 165,000 CondoKennedy, Patrick T. and Kelly M. Watson, Charles W. III and Peggy A. 11 Dairy Lane 12/13/2011 199,000 SingleWhitehorne, Amy L. and Clark, Jessica E. Parr, Alexander S. Jr. 38 Deerfield Drive 12/15/2011 250,000 Single Floyd, Norman M. and Janette L. McDonald, Christopher W. and Menard, Amanda L. 41 Prospect Street 12/16/2011 170,000 Single Rochefort, Robert and Sheila Ribolini, Patricia R. Trust 8 Putnam Street 12/19/2011 116,000 CommRochefort, Robert and Sheila Ribolini, Stephen A. & Andrew S. 167 Barre Street 12/19/2011 199,000 Comm O’Rourke, Timothy and Kathy Galfetti, Teri 4 Sibley Avenue 12/20/2011 115,000 Multi (2)Carpenter, Daisy R. Living Trust Jones, Christian B. 5 Longmeadow Drive 12/21/2011 219,000 Single Freeman, Karen T. and Mallary, Peter T. Pritchett, Elizabeth F. 26 Murray Road 1/3/2012 395,000 Single SL Garand Company Inc. Ship Sevin LLC 157 Pioneer Center 1/17/2012 315,000 CommBabic, Lawrence and Joslyn, Patricia J. Munno, Nancy S. 22 Pearl Street, unit 1 1/18/2012 218,500 CondoRocheleau, Marcel and Kimmerly, Susanne Vance, Keith and Acacia Jackson 506 Elm Street 1/20/2012 198,000 Single Sulinski, Cathy Pilon, Lorraine M. 61 College Street, unit 2 1/31/2012 118,000 Condo

A Note About Money MattersOur Money Matters column is taking a break during tax season. We look forward to running the column again after the pressure of tax season lifts.


by Anne Dillon

Last year at the end of October, UC Berkeley physicist Richard Muller, who formerly had been skeptical that

the Earth was warming, concluded his own, $600,000, two-year study (partially funded to the tune of $150,000 by the Koch broth-ers), undertaken to determine for himself whether or not climate change is real. His findings showed that the world’s surface temperature has risen 1.6 degrees Faren-heit (1 degree Celcius) since the 1950s, a finding that corroborated earlier findings of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-ministration and NASA. This temperature increase is largely due to the high levels of carbon that are dumped into our atmosphere each and every day. Scientists tell us that the acceptable upper limit of carbon in the at-mosphere is 350 parts per million. Presently that number is in the 392 range, and rising by a marker of two parts per year (prior to the industrial revolution it hovered around 275).

In large part our elevated carbon levels are due to our hopeless addiction to a fos-sil fuel economy, where moneyed, corporate interests pull the strings of puppets in Con-gress, blocking any serious hope of energy reform given that their addiction to this dirty oil money is as appalling as the aver-age taxpayer’s passivity in the face of it. In November of last year, findings published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC)—an esteemed United Na-tions panel that periodically reviews ongoing developments in climate research—reported that some of the extreme weather around the world is indeed a consequence of human-induced climate change, and we can expect these severe weather patterns to only worsen in the years ahead. Compounding the se-verity of this IPCC assessment, the U.S. Energy Department recently reported that greenhouse-gas emissions jumped by the highest rate ever in 2010.

Newsflash to parents and grandparents: If we continue dumping carbon into the environment at our present rate, our children and our children’s children will face a variety of devastating environmental, humanitarian and economic catastrophes, which will rock their world and render it unrecognizable. What can we do for them now so that this doesn’t happen? How can we lower carbon emissions so that these potential catastro-phes, which we have propelled willy-nilly into forward motion, are averted?

Here in Vermont, 350 Vermont, the state chapter of the environmental group 350.org, has launched the Fossil Fuel Freedom Cam-paign—a grassroots initiative designed to end our state’s reliance on fossil fuels. It is our hope that, because Vermont has a history of being first in the nation to launch ground-breaking progressive initiatives, other states in the Union will take note and follow suit. We are, as noted journalist Amy Goodman so aptly put it, “an incubator for innovative

public policy.” Given the proclivity of our elected officials to work with us instead of against us, we are very excited about being able to realize our vision of a fossil-fuel–free future and, in so doing, set a standard for the rest of the country to follow.

Partners in this initiative include the Vermont Workers’ Center, the Vermont Sierra Club, the Ver-mont chapter of the AFL-CIO, the Ver-mont Energy Educa-tion Program, and the Vermont Institute for Social Ecology—for only by combining the call for climate action with a demand for human rights and social justice can we move beyond incremental progress to achieve radical and transformational change. Any campaign that we can truly have faith in must also challenge the politics of business as usual. It must build “people power” out-side of the system in order to transform the political process itself so that we can change quickly enough to meet the global warming crisis in a time frame that is meaningful. This is why, for this initiative to be success-ful, citizens must become full, participatory partners in it.

Beginning in April and continuing through the summer, the Fossil Fuel Freedom Cam-paign will convene a people’s energy plan-ning process centered around citizen-based “energy innovation forums.” These forums

will be designed to be boldly innovative and intensely democratic and focus on such goals as achieving 90 percent renewable energy by 2025; establishing a transportation system that is fossil-fuel free by 2025; installing solar panels on every rooftop by 2025; creat-

ing a shared plan to maximize Vermont’s wind resources; and weatherizing all buildings in Vermont and ending fossil-fuel heating by 2025.

Everything about these forums will be consistent with the vi-sion of hope they’re based upon. On behalf of our children and our children’s children, we invite you to be a part of this dynamic initiative to transform our state, our nation and our world. Anyone and everyone who can participate is encouraged to volunteer by contacting 350 Vermont team leader David Stember at [email protected].

Nelson Mandela said, “We know what needs to be done—all that is missing is the will to do it.” Do we have the will to end our gross dependence on a fossil-fuel economy that is wreaking havoc with our lives? When looking at your children and your children’s children, ask yourself if you have what it takes to do what needs to be done.

And if you don’t . . . what will you tell the children?

Anne Dillon is a Waitsfield resident.

What Will We Tell the Children?

Opinion

We Vote for a Sound InvestmentTo the Editor:Once again the electorate of Montpelier

has demonstrated by an overwhelming vote its confidence in the community as a sound investment. The city and school budgets were approved by better than a two to one margin, and each of the 34 spending articles on a very long ballot was approved, many by the same margin or better. We have demonstrated a generosity of spirit in funding city services and nonprofit orga-nizations. This support has been provided, in many cases, not because we expect to benefit directly, but rather because the ben-eficiaries are fellow citizens for whom these

services are essential. That’s a commitment to community that makes Montpelier a very special place in which to live.

—David R. Abbott, Montpelier

Open Letter to Letter-WritersTo the Editor:Persons writing letters to the editor, espe-

cially technical letters, should make sure to include three important points of informa-tion:

• The units used in the letter need to be correct. For example “kilowatt” is a power unit and “kilowatt-hour” is an energy unit. That is, one kilowatt-hour of energy in half an hour is the same energy as one kilowatt-hour of energy in one hour. They both represent 3,600,000 joules, but in the first

case the power is two kilowatts and in the second case the power is one kilowatt. (See, for example, the Web page energylens.com/articles/kw-and-kwh.)

• Give references to your sources of infor-mation such that the reader can check it if desired. Terms such as “numerous studies” or “it is acknowledged that” give no indica-tion of the studies from which these state-ments have come from.

• Define your terms. Using terms such as “curie” with no definition leaves the reader with a problem of comparing radiation numbers and effects (See, for example, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ionizing_radiation, or google “curie.”)

It is not the responsibility of the editor or reader to make these points.

—Ronald and Anita Krauth, Middlesex, Vermont

WHAT DO YOU THINK?Send letters and opinions to [email protected].

Letters must be 300 words or fewer; opinions, 600 words or fewer. Deadline for the April 5 issue is Monday, April 2, at 5 p.m.

by Tom Salmon

The three members of the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) are about to get more free advice than all the

Boston Red Sox managers combined. That’s because the best case the opponents of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant have to shut the plant down is to convince the PSB that it is no longer worthy of a certifi-cate of public good. As state auditor, it is my duty to evaluate the performance of state government. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that state government has wasted a lot of taxpayer money trying to destroy a flawed but valuable asset.

Vermont’s attempt to close the plant last year was carefully worded to forbid the PSB from considering the plant’s application for a certificate of public good. Why? The PSB’s mission is, in part, “to ensure the provision

of high quality public utility services in Vermont at minimum reasonable costs, con-sistent with the long-term public good of the state.” Then-senator Peter Shumlin and his allies were afraid the PSB would make a de-cision based on its mission. Vermont Yankee produces baseload electricity at about 4 cents per kilowatt hour (kwh) and has offered

to renew contracts at about 6 cents. Wind turbines produce it intermittently at closer to 20 cents per kwh as mandated by the legislature.

Despite some seri-ous transgressions over the years by Entergy, the plant’s owner, the PSB could not ignore the cost factor, the near-zero greenhouse-gas emissions, taxes paid to the state and the im-pact of more than 1,000 jobs. When the cost of electricity is factored into the current eco-nomic climate for other Vermont businesses, it is easy to see why VY’s opponents would be worried. Now that Vermont’s defense of

that law has been rejected in federal court at great expense to taxpayers, we’re back to square one at the PSB.

The other portion of the PSB’s mission statement says: “The Board strives to achieve this mission by providing an independent, fair and efficient means of resolving public utility disputes; and by guiding the develop-ment of state utility policies and rules for public services to best serve the long-term interest of Vermont and its residents.” When it comes to independence and fairness, the PSB is under the microscope in a big way. The Green Mountain Care Board was sup-posed to be independent, too. But this facade of independence was torched by Governor Shumlin when he demanded that members of the board cancel plans to hire some com-munication help and they actually did.

PSB chairman Jim Volz and members David Coen and John Burke have the duty to remain objective in the face of shrill, ar-rogant antinuclear zealots who could care less about the practical issues involving en-ergy policy. Just as importantly, there is a

great opportunity. This is the opening for our state’s majority of pragmatic, reasonable Vermonters to insist on a practical, afford-able plan for our energy future. Realistic Vermonters understand that the threat of global warming far outweighs any perceived threat to safety from nuclear power.

Vermonters can demand that this source of inexpensive, virtually carbon-free baseload electricity be kept online to serve us, rather than out-of-state utilities. They can also demand that Entergy clean up its act and run the plant properly or sell it to a firm that can. Governor Shumlin’s plan to power the state with 90 percent renewable electricity by 2050 ignores the mission of “minimum reasonable cost” and the fact that renewables only produce power intermittently. Vermont-ers who understand this should say so before they are priced out of existence.

Vermont State Auditor Tom Salmon is a cer-tified public accountant and a certified fraud examiner. He lives in St. Johnsbury.

Public Service Board’s Duty Is to Remain Objective Regarding Vermont Yankee

Opinion

LETTERS, from page 25


by Peter Thomashow and James Tautfest

We support most of the Shumlin administration’s mental-health-care proposal. However, the ad-

ministration’s plan seriously underestimates the need for Level I psychiatric beds in northern and central Vermont. The current proposal is for a 16-bed hospital. Adding 25 to 30 beds in this part of the state, in addition to the ones slotted at Brattleboro, Rutland and Springfield, is needed to provide safe patient care.

The surgeon gen-eral’s 2003 report on mental illness estimated that ap-proximately 20 percent of the population is affected by a mental-health problem in any given year. Serious mental illness affects an estimated 4.7 percent of the population, or 29,610 Vermonters. Of these, only 169 are being treated in a hospital setting at any given time in Vermont. Even before the closure of 54 Level I beds at the Vermont State Hospital (VSH), 93 percent of the hos-

pitalizations were occurring in community hospitals.

We commend the governor’s plan for its integration of outpatient services, and we are impressed that the administration has made the mental-health bill a priority, as we have been in crisis mode for many years. We are alarmed, however, by the false dichotomy that has been defined and debated regard-ing “community” versus “institutional” lev-

els of care. A patient obtaining treatment in a Level I center is receiving psychi-atric care with the goal of stabilization and return to their community. Level I care in this debate

has been inaccurately described as “insti-tutional,” creating a false perception about the skilled clinical treatment needs of these patients.

The designated community hospitals (Fletcher-Allen, Rutland Medical Center, Central Vermont Medical Center, Spring-field Hospital and Brattleboro Retreat) began accepting involuntary (in addition to

voluntary) hospital admissions in the 1990s, and this significantly reduced the total bed number at VSH. The change that occurred in the 1990s was conditional, so that the VSH Level I beds would still be available when a community hospital needed to refer a patient for a Level I, intensive-care bed. VSH served as the intensive-care facility with the expertise to treat patients who were at greatest and most acute risk of harming themselves or others.

If a patient entered any emergency room in Vermont and had the profile of crushing chest pain, increased cardiac enzymes and an EKG suggestive of a heart attack, that pa-tient would be immediately transported to a tertiary care facility capable of treating such an emergency. That patient could not be safely treated at a community hospital. It is exactly the same in psychiatry. A very small (but extremely important) number of highly acute (usually potentially violent or assaul-tive) patients require a tertiary care-intensive setting. Community-based services are not certified or clinically equipped to treat this type of acute patient need.

On the night of the flood, 51 patients were (and needed to be) at VSH. The designated

hospitals had been running close to capacity, and emergency rooms were boarding and continue now to board patients who need psychiatric beds. We have been operating beyond capacity since that time and have had to turn away record numbers of patients who need hospitalization.

This lack of immediate access to intensive care greatly increases the possibility of an un-toward event occurring. The administration’s plan does not adequately address this need for the future. The total number of Level I beds should be in the 50 to 60 range.

We are writing as advocates for our pa-tients. The people we are all involved in treating are among the most vulnerable in our society. As physicians and nurses, we are calling for caution and prudence. We are so close to passing a historic bill that will shape the system of mental health care in Vermont for decades to come. Let safety and clinical excellence trump money and politics.

Peter Thomashow, MD, is director of inpa-tient psychiatry at Central Vermont Medical Center. James Tautfest, RN, MSN, CS, is nurse director of inpatient psychiatry at Cen-tral Vermont Medical Center.

Patient Safety Trumps Money and Politics

Opinions

by Jeanne Smith

In a page-one article of the February 16 issue of The Bridge, there was a story about two local primary-care medical

practices. I was a patient at one of these prac-tices, and I am offering a personal perspec-tive about the health-care services I received there.

I am a victim of sexual assault by a care-taker that began in my infancy and contin-ued for 12 years. In 1984 I decided that the silence of victims keeps these crimes happen-ing, so I challenged the statute of limitations to file a civil lawsuit against the caretaker. It was a stressful time in my life because of the publicity. I was raising two small children by myself. I brought my baby in for a checkup, and the doctor decided I looked tired. He poked a finger in my back muscles. I jumped because I had muscle tension from poor sleep. This doctor then told me that I had depression, which was caused by a chemical imbalance. He said he could cure depression with a chemical, like insulin for diabetes. He

said I was born this way and I would have to take this “medicine” for the rest of my life.

There were no objective tests for any kind of mental illness in 1984, but the doctor insisted that there would be one soon. There are still no objective tests; no blood or tissue or EEG test can diagnose any mental illness. Yet, I was pressured into taking these drugs despite my reservations. And when the drugs failed to cure my distress and when they cre-ated imbalances in my endocrine system and caused memory problems, which are the sine qua non evidence of brain damage, I was not weaned from the drugs. Instead, the “pro-vider” kept adding more and more mind- and behavior-altering drugs. Even though I almost died several times, it never occurred to any medical professional that maybe I was being poisoned by all the chemicals.

These drugs do not cure any biological illness. What they do is affect the autonomic system. They speed up or slow down a person’s heart rate and breathing and muscle tone. They affect appetite and alter normal endocrine balance. Soon after beginning

drug treatment, I developed low thyroid, diabetes, menstrual changes and high blood cholesterol, all of which needed control by further prescriptions of chemicals. I was also not informed that I would go through years of withdrawal agony as I detoxed from the drugs that the doctors insisted to me were not addictive.

I detoxed from the chemicals without medical assistance because the doctors do not know how to safely withdraw people from these drugs. As the drugs cleared my body my thyroid, blood sugar and blood fat returned to normal. I now take no medical chemicals of any kind. The tragedy is that while I was trusting the medicos, I did not receive therapy specific to trauma recovery that would have addressed my original dis-tress.

Recently, I became aware of the fact that one in five Americans, which includes one in 10 kids and one in four women (one in three elderly women), has been prescribed a psychiatric chemical. Here is a link to a Wall Street Journal article that documents

this practice: tinyurl.com/wsj315. This is a set of statistics that matches the statistic that one in four women in America is a victim of childhood sexual assault. It’s my duty to ask why these chemicals are such an accepted part of medical practice and why women, in particular, are being targeted as receptacles for these unproven treatments.

The purpose of this letter is not to assas-sinate the character of the doctor who was so careless with my life, but to alert people to the dangers of contemporary medical care that relies so heavily on pharmaceutical in-tervention. We subscribe to a myth that somehow doctors are smarter or more mor-ally fit than other people. This is the arro-gance of professionalism. Doctors and other medical professionals are workers who are selling their products and services. It’s time to drop the mystification. It’s time to hold all medical workers to the Hippocratic Oath, which states: First, do no harm.

Jeanne Smith is a Montpelier resident.

Psychiatric Chemicals Are Not Healthy Medicine

by Bernie Sanders

About 40 years ago, when I lived in the tiny town of Stannard, in the North-east Kingdom, I saw a young man

whose teeth were rotting in his mouth. It was a sight I never forgot. I also saw many adults in the area who had wide gaps in their mouths or no teeth at all. It turns out that lack of access to affordable dental care was and is not just a Vermont problem. It’s also a national problem, and it is too often ignored. As chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health Care, I recently held a hearing in Washington to shine a light on this issue.

This is what we learned: The United States is in the midst of a major dental crisis. At a time when the cost of dental care is extremely high, 130 million Americans have no dental insurance; one-fourth of adults age 65 or older have lost all their teeth; only 45 percent of Americans age 2 and older had a dental visit in the past 12 months; and more than 16 million low-income children go each year without seeing a dentist. Lack of dental

access is a national problem, but those who are most affected are low-income people, racial or ethnic minorities, pregnant women, older adults, those with special needs and those who live in rural communities.

The groups that need care the most are the least likely to get it. What we also learned at the hearing is that access to dental care is about more than a pretty smile. People with dental problems can be forced to live with extreme pain, which affects their quality of life, and a mouth without teeth may make it difficult to find and keep a job. Dental prob-lems can have a significant impact on overall health and can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, digestive problems and poor birth outcomes. In some cases, dental condi-tions have resulted in great tragedy, such as the death of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver of Maryland five years ago. In order to address the dental crisis facing millions of Ameri-cans, the U.S. Congress must take strong action now.

My office is working on a comprehensive piece of dental legislation, which will address

the following concerns: First, the United States needs more dental providers to serve those in need, and the providers need to work in areas where the need is greatest. We also need to expand the dental workforce to include allied dental providers such as dental therapists in order to extend the capacity of dental practices and reach underserved pop-ulations. Second, there must be a national call for those in practice to start serving more low-income people. Only 20 percent of the nation’s practicing dentists provide care to people with Medicaid, and only an extremely small percentage devote a substantial part of their practice to caring for those who are un-derserved. Third, we need to expand Med-icaid and other dental insurance coverage. One-third of Americans do not have dental coverage, and traditional Medicare does not cover dental services for the elderly. Finally, we are seeing improved access through the growth of federally qualified health centers (FQHC), which now provide dental services to over 3.5 million people across the country, regardless of their ability to pay. In my view,

FQHC dental clinics must be expanded. There is also great potential in bringing dental clinics right into schools. In Vermont, while we still have a long way to go, we are making good progress in expanding access to affordable dental care. In the last several years we have seen the number of commu-nity health centers expand from two to eight, with sites in 43 communities. Today, more than 110,000 Vermonters get their primary health care at FQHCs, including 25,000 who get their dental care at these facilities. Beautiful new dental clinics have recently been built or expanded in Hardwick, Burl-ington, Rutland, Plainfield, Richford, Mor-risville, Ludlow and Swanton. Island Pond has had an FQHC dental clinic for years. Further, we now have school-based clinics in Bennington, Burlington, Swanton and Tunbridge, providing dental service to about 2,000 children. Progress is being made, but much more needs to be done.

Bernie Sanders is a Vermont senator to the U.S. Congress.

Addressing the Dental Crisis


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Documents

The Bridge, March 15, 2012