By Katy Savage Standard Staff

It’s been a year since the opening of Safford Commons, the affordable housing project in West Woodstock, was celebrated and tenants moved in.

Since then, police have responded to the complex 32 times.

Two months after people moved in, police broke up an underage drinking party there and returned the same day to arrest Bradley Parker of Hartford for an outstanding warrant for a burglary in Hartford.

Police have responded to civil matters, family fights, verbal disputes, a trespass order request and juvenile incidents. Police recently arrested Justin Olson, 27, at Safford Commons after he allegedly put a woman victim in a headlock while she was holding her son. Olson pleaded innocent to the charge.

“We get more calls from there than anywhere else in the town,” Woodstock Police Chief Robbie Blish said.

The village police department patrols the town 40 hours a week. Blish said Safford Commons is taking up more town hours, which are already limited with speed enforcement on Church Hill and Prosper Road, per residents’ request, and patrols in Taftsville and South Woodstock.

Safford Commons, a $9 million project, broke ground September 2014 after being delayed a decade because of a lengthy legal battle with neighbors that went all the way to the state Supreme Court.

Glenn Barr, one of the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case, lives beside Safford Commons. He called the people who built it “visual terrorists” and said the construction ruined his view of wildlife, like deer and turkey.

“It doesn’t really fit in with West Woodstock at all,” he said.

Michael Hirschbuhl, another neighbor, notices a police cruiser there every week. He’s said there’s late-night noise and cigarette smoke.

“I fear everything that we were warning people about has either come true or will come true,” said Hirschbuhl.

More Affordable Housing Coming?

There are 28 units in at Safford Commons now and more could be coming nearby with the help of Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity is proposing a three-bedroom and a two-bedroom duplex in a lot near Safford Commons. The homes would be sold to families for a price not to exceed 30 percent of their annual income.

The project is expected to cost $350,000. Construction could begin as early as March and the homes could be available next fall. It would take up one of four lots in part of Safford Commons’ original permit, reserved for affordable homes.

Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Heather Steliga was approached by Twin Pines Housing Trust about the lots for sale. She is aware of the police activity at Safford Commons and said that hasn’t deterred Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity’s pursuit of the building project.

“The need for affordable housing in this area is so great,” she said.

When asked if the police activity at Safford has discouraged applicants, Steliga said, “I hope not. I think these kinds of incidents can happen anywhere. It is, by and large, a peaceful community.”

Habitat seeks families who are willing to help build their own home. They have to be “hardworking.”

“We know the families (in need) are out there,” Steliga said.

But: “We’re having a hard time identifying families,” she said.

Hirschbuhl said this is the type of housing he wanted for Woodstock from the start.

“I would have loved to see that whole development be a Habitatstyle development so people had a chance for home ownership so they could be vested in the community,” he said.

The lots at Safford Commons are for sale for about $25,000. There are no plans for the remaining lots at this time.

“We haven’t actively pursued the other lots,” said Twin Pines Housing Trust Project Manager Will Giblin.

Safford Commons has a lengthy application for its rental units that asks potential tenants about income, employment history, childcare and medical expenses, in addition to previous housing and copies of social security cards for every household member.

Giblin acknowledged there have been problems.

“We have evicted some people due to those problems,” he said.

Twin Pines manages Safford Commons in addition to a number of other affordable units in the Upper Valley.

Giblin said it’s not common for Twin Pines to evict someone.

“A lot of our projects, we don’t evict people for years and years,” he said, though he didn’t have details.

Multiple calls to Twin Pines Director of Property Management Jennie Gibson weren’t returned.

Safford Commons has a waiting list of 30 people.

In all, Giblin said, Safford Commons has been positive for the community.

“We’re very pleased with it,” Giblin said.

Residents: Police Presence Is ‘Nice’

Residents of Safford Commons praised the maintenance personnel but criticized the landlord’s lack of response to certain situations.

“Trying to get a lot of help out here if there’s a problem, it’s hard,” said Samantha Fitzgerald, 27, who moved in last year.

Fitzgerald works at Dunkin’ Donuts in Quechee and lives at Safford Commons with her four children.

On Monday afternoon she sat outside her apartment smoking a cigarette. There was a camper parked near her and bins of wires and electronics on the ground.

There are “people taking pictures that shouldn’t be taken,” she said, mentioning that a neighbor had taken a picture of her belongings on the lawn earlier that afternoon.

“The landlord already knows we’re trying to clean everything up, moving things out because it’s a little crowded,” she said.

Fitzgerald said she’s had issues with neighbors, but like other Safford Commons residents, she liked the community.

“It’s nice to be able to let our kids hang out in the road,” she said.

The residents at Safford Commons plan to keep living there. They have only just heard of the project with Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity but welcomed the idea.

Rebecca Friedman, 34, has lived at Safford Commons for a year. She said a woman above her smokes inside her home.

“I’ve reported to Safford Commons multiple times…she does it anyways and they don’t seem to enforce it,” Friedman said.

Friedman works as a nurse. She grew up in Woodstock and formerly lived in her parent’s basement. Friedman “loves” living at Safford Commons she said, even though there have been neighbor issues.

“The cops do come by quite a bit, which is nice. It’s nice to have police presence,” she said.

Interested families can contact Upper Valley Habitat For Humanity Executive Director Heather Steliga at 457-5726 or executivedirector@uppervalleyhabitat.org.

This article first appeared in the September 29, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.

By Justin Smith, Standard Correspondent

Two goals by senior Anna Dieffenbach led an organized and aggressive offensive attack as the Woodstock girls soccer team pulled away for a 4-1 victory over Springfield at home Tuesday night.

It was the second meeting in six days between the two schools as the Wasps extended their winning streak to four. Woodstock coach Greg LaBella credited a more aggressive, organized attack with boosting his team’s confidence.

“We came in confident against them having just played them the other day and knowing how they play. We have been working on our attack moving the ball forward and our highlight of the week at practice was attacking — moving forward with pushing the ball to the outside, helping us spread the shots around,” said LaBella.

The strategy would work early in the game as Dieffenbach took an outside pass from McKenzie Dalton, cut it back and blasted an outside shot just beyond the 18-yard marker to score her first goal of the night. The Wasps controlled the ball much of the first half in their offensive end, but would only score one more time before the break. Off a set play, Hannah Milstone sent a pass up ahead to freshman Olivia Marsicovetere who broke free and put the ball in the back of the net as Woodstock took a 2-1 lead into the half.

Woodstock started the second half much like it ended the first: on the attack. The relentless forward attack would finally pay off midway through the second half when Dieffenbach scored her second goal of the night. Her second deep shot soared over the head of the Springfield keeper and just under the crossbar.

“The coaches are always telling me to be more aggressive, they have for years. Being a senior on this team, I know that I have to be. I have more confidence in my outside shot now. I see the potential in this team and I see our improvement as we are figuring each other out,” said Dieffenbach The fourth goal on the night would come off an outside pass from sophomore Alexa Tsouknakis to a wide open Dalton in front of the net. Dalton buried the shot into the back corner to cap the scoring. Dalton had a strong night in the midfield for the Wasp winning many loose balls and keeping the Wasps on transition as they moved forward with the focused attack.

“My role as midfielder in our attack is to have connecting passes,” Dalton said LaBella also spoke highly of his midfield and defense including players like Sarah Findeisen, Milstone (center back), Sadie Kuhn (outside mid) and Rosalie Geiger (outside back).

Woodstock hopes to take the confidence from the four-game winning streak and the aggressive attack into its next game versus Hartford on Friday night in Woodstock.

This article first appeared in the October 6, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.

By Virginia Dean, Standard Correspondent

POMFRET — Something is missing along this scenic route that leads to Barnard and beyond, something that was around for over 40 years and stood as a towering signature for not only most traditional dairy farms but one in particular.

The Fox Valley Farm, owned by Jim Lewis, recently lost one of its wooden stave silos that had been leaning precariously for a number of years. Like a lighthouse marking the shoreline, it had become an endearing landmark for most travelers along Route 12, particularly as it became more and more angulated.

“A lot of people stopped this summer to take its picture,” said Jim. “I’d say over a hundred. It seemed like every day someone would pull up their car and get out. It’s nothing to brag about — it was just leaning.”

Making the decision to pull down the 18-by-40-foot structure about two weeks ago, Jim – along with sons Scott and Jeff and grandson, Adam — related that the fear of it falling spurred the family members to act. But the task was not as easy as it might have appeared.

“They tried a couple of times to get it to go down,” said Anna Lewis, Jeff’s wife. “They took some slats out and then tried to push it over but that didn’t work. So they then decided to pull it. Jeff lifted Scott up into the bucket on the tractor, and Scott hooked some chains to the iron bars that went around the silo. Then Jeff began to pull. It started to move but they thought that it would go the wrong way.”

Unwaveringly, the two men kept pulling, and finally the 40-yearold, Southern hard white pine silo fell nearly to the spot where they planned.

“It does look different,” said Adam who took a video of the event. “We’re not used to it yet, but in the long run, it will help us out.”

With the silo gone, the large square barn door that sat behind it is now exposed.

“Now we can put round bales into it and they’ll land right in front of the cows,” said Adam. “We’ll be catching up with the times and changing from square to round bales this year. That means we’ll go from making 16,000 square bales to roughly 5-600 a year.”

With a total herd of 130 Jerseys and Holstein, 60 of which are milked, the Fox Valley Farm has been around since the turn of the 20th century when Jim Lewis’s grandfather, Robin J., built the house and barn. There, Lewis’s father, Ora Cobb, also lived and raised his children. Now, Jim has brought up his own children and grandchildren there.

An addition to the original 1910 section of the barn was added in the late sixties, Adam related.

“That original part is held up by 8-by-8 beams on the top and wooden pegs that hold it together,” he said.

Of the two silos that accompanied the newer portion of the barn, one was built in the mid-’80s and the other, 10 years earlier. This was some 100 years after the first modern silo, an upright wooden one filled with grain, was invented and built by Fred Hatch of McHenry County, Illinois.

Used to store grain or fermented feed known as silage, the original wooden type did not have the lasting power of its galvanized metal or cement counterparts, according to the Lewis’s neighbor and cousin, Paul Doton.

“Losing the Lewises’ silo wasn’t surprising,” said Doton, who also owns a nearby dairy farm in Barnard. “You have to think of all the juices that result from that fermentation. Those will begin to rot the wood over time.”

So, even with a conventional concrete base and intermeshed metal hoops tightened directly across stave edges, the Lewis silo could not only stand up to its own internal ingredients, labor intensive upkeep, and environmental factors but also to eventual non-use.

“Three years ago, we contracted with Spring Brook Farm in Reading,” said Scott. “The farm makes cheese and, because of the specific kind, we couldn’t use fermented feed for our cows. So, we stopped using the silo altogether.”

As a result, the hoops — whose purpose is to hold the silo together — began to loosen and needed to be adjusted periodically. Although inexpensive and relatively easy to build, the wooden walls were difficult to make airtight which also promoted decay. Leaks and silage losses required constant maintenance. Worse yet, the bottom began to rot.

“We’d been thinking of pulling it down for quite a while,” said Jim. “We knew we should be getting on the ball and getting it back in shape. We’d have to get inside the silo and push it out and tighten up the hoops.”

It took about five minutes for the silo to be razed and, after it was, cars began to stop and line up alongside the road to look at the empty space that once held what many considered a timeless and valued feature of the Lewis landscape.

“All its materials have been sold,” said Jim. “Some have bought the best of the wood, and a man from Lyme, New Hampshire, purchased the top. The rest we’ll cut up for scrap metal that will be used somehow.”

This article first appeared in the October 6, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.

With a nip in the air and colorful leaves still clinging to the trees, it’s the perfect time of year to stretch your legs and hit the trail. The fifth annual Peak to Peak event invites locals and visitors alike to explore the walking paths of Woodstock, on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
The event takes place on the Woodstock Village Green, where participants can learn about local recreation and conservation organizations, play family-friendly games, and join expert guides for specialized hikes up Mt. Peg or Mt. Tom. Walkers who make it to the top of the peaks can enjoy apple cider, cheese, crackers and art activities to reward their efforts. The event is free and open to the public. Wood-fired pizza will be available on the Green from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., with sales benefitting Woodstock Union High School’s Earth Beat club.
You can grab a Walk Woodstock Map and explore on your own, or meet at the Green for one of these scheduled hikes:
• Peak to Peak Challenge. Summit both Mt. Tom and Mt. Peg, stopping at the village green for lunch. Departs 10 a.m. Hearty, five miles round trip.
• Mt. Peg History Hike. Explore the landscape history of Mt. Peg with a local historian, with special focus on the golf course that used to occupy its slopes. Departs 10 a.m. Easy, 1.5 miles round trip.
• Yoga Hike. A moving meditation along the gentle slopes of Mt. Peg. All levels welcome. Departs 10:30 a.m. Easy, two miles round trip.
• Mt. Tom Hike. Join a Sierra Club trip leader to hike the historic Faulkner Trail to South Peak for a panoramic view. Departs 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Moderate, 3.5 miles round trip.
• Peak at the Park: An Adventure for Young Hikers. Become a junior ranger on this family trek as you cross a covered bridge, climb a mountain and discover secret gardens. Departs 12:30 p.m. Easy pace over moderate terrain, two miles round trip.
Peak to Peak is made possible with the support of many partners, including Billings Park Commission, Earth Beat, Green Mountain Club, Holt Survey Associates, Inner Lift Yoga, Sustainable Woodstock, Upper Valley Sierra Club and Upper Valley Trails Alliance.
In addition to Peak to Peak, the weekend includes two other Boots to Boats events:
• Art, Nature and Community: Recreation in the Cornish Colony. Oct. 15, 10 a.m. at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. What did the Cornish Colony artists do for fun outside? Join a park ranger for this walk from the shore of the Connecticut River through Blow-Me-Down Farm, and up to the home of America’s greatest sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Park at Blow-Me-Down Farm along Route 12A. Moderate hike, approximately two miles one way. Call 603-675-2175 ext. 106 for more information.
• Film screening of “Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story” a documentary about the first woman to through-hike the Appalachian Trail. She did it in 1955 at the age of 67. Light refreshments provided, 15-minute discussion with a through-hiker after the 45-minute film. Call 802-457-3368 ext. 222 for more information.
The Boots to Boats initiative, supported by a grant from the National Park Foundation, encourages participants to recreate on their public lands and waters in and between Vermont and New Hampshire’s only national park sites, via the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and the Connecticut River National Blueway. From yoga hikes to public paddle days, guided events have been offered throughout the summer and into fall. For more information, or to plan your own Boots to Boats adventure in any season, check out nps.gov/mabi/boots-to-boats-adventures.htm.

Read these stories and more on the eEdition, new edition available Wednesday nights, pick it up a copy on the newsstands Thursdays or subscribe.

A Fall Attraction of a Different Color

Zeus, a 9-year-old zebra who lives on top of a hill in Reading, above a covered bridge, has become a tourist attraction. (Katy Savage Photo)

Top Stories

Permit Could Be Required for PYNK
Staff Report

Local Scouting Troop to Cease
by Curt Peterson, Standard Correspondent

Quechee Woman, Sister Injured in Tragic Wrong-Way Crash
Staff Report

A Fall Attraction of a Different Color
by Katy Savage, Standard Staff

A Nice Guy and Girl Celebrate 65 Years
by Rick Russell, Standard Correspondent

Story Memorial Hall – 100th Anniversary
A Town Hall, and a Historic Clock, Turn 100
Turning Back the Clock: Winding Story Memorial Hall’s Clock is a Family Tradition

Clerks Handle Early Voting in a Controversial Election
by Curt Peterson, Standard Correspondent

Woodstock Town Manager: ‘Snow Dump is 60 Percent Complete’
by Michelle Fields, Standard Correspondent

Vermont Standard Wins Newspaper of the Year Honor Again

Suicide 6 Ski Area Has New Manager
by Virginia Dean, Standard Correspondent

Old Ski Lift Charis Sell Out In Minutes
Staff Report

Bridgewater Select Board will Meet Wednesday to Discuss Future of Bridgewater School
by Linda Maxham, Bridgewater Corners

Woodstock Faulkner Trail Improvements Lead the Way to Artistic Collaborations

Miranda Johnson controls the ball on attack, moving up the field in the game against Rutland. (Rick Russell Photo)

Wasps Field Hockey Thrilled With Tie
by George Calver, Standard Staff

The Excitement Is Back for Girls Soccer
by Katy Savage, Standard Staff

OBITUARIES
Helen Goodwin
Horace ‘Red’ Glaze
Ronald Walker
Thomas Rhoad
Vera Hoisington

WitchCraft Event At Killington
A new event in Killington was held at the Snowshed Lodge at Killington Resort over Columbus Day weekend.

Apples & Crafts Event
The annual Apples and Crafts fair put on by the Woodstock Rec Center hosts artists and crafters at Bailey’s Meadow Field in Woodstock.

Photos: GMHA Foliage Ride
The Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA) hosted its annual Fall Foliage Trail Ride this past weekend. With foliage near peak in the area.

WUHS Field Hockey
The Woodstock lady wasps took on Rutland as home in a match up that ended in a tie game.

Staff Report

Cindy Parker took the day off work to log on her computer at 10 a.m. Sept. 30. Suicide Six was selling ski chairs and she wanted to be sure she got one.

Parker used to teach ski lessons at Suicide Six. Her kids grew up skiing there and her family used to walk up the mountain in all seasons, sit on the empty chairs and take photos or have conversations. The mountain is important to her and she wanted to have a piece of its history.

Parker, who moved to Colorado three years ago, heard about the ski chair auction on Facebook. She logged in to buy her $350 chair, but the website froze and when she checked back three hours later, the chairs were gone.

Sixty chairs sold out in 15 minutes.

“I was bummed,” Parker said.

So many people tried to get a chair that the computer server crashed and there were reported technical difficulties with web partner AdminSports. Woodstock Ski Runners Vice President Christopher Adams doesn’t know for sure how many people tried to buy a chair, but he said 114 got through to the website before being told there were no more chairs.

The chairs are 38 years old and were sold as the resort upgrades to a new $1.5 million Leitner-Poma of America, Inc ski lift, complete with four-seat chairs, to be installed and running by December. Proceeds of the sale benefited Woodstock Ski Runners.

Adams said half the money will go toward the racing program. The other half will go to the Friday Program, which allows 13 area schools to use the mountain at a discounted rate on Friday afternoons.

Adams knew the chairs would be popular.

“A lot of people who have become dedicated skiers made their first turns at Suicide Six,” Adams said.

Suicide Six is one of the oldest ski resorts in the nation. The lift has been there since 1936. The chairlifts are novelties to some.

Peter and Melissa Gebhardt got lucky. Peter won a chair at a Ski Runners golf tournament auction.

The Gebhardts live less than a mile from Suicide Six and can see the mountain from their house. The family spends most of the winter on the mountain. They ski after school and all weekend.

“We’re big fans of Suicide Six,” Melissa said.

Peter plans to make the ski chair into a bench near his river. He wasn’t surprised the chairs sold so fast.

“I thought it would be fun to have a little piece of history,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of families feel the same way.”

There have been requests for chair Nos. 6 and 80, Adams said. Chair 80 is the last chair on the lift. This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the resort.

There have been so many requests that Woodstock Ski Runners has an internal joke about it.

“Some of the mountain staff might be standing by with a can of black spray paint and a stencil. They can make any chair any number they want it to be,” Adams said.

Woodstock Inn and Resort is holding the other 20 chairs. Chair No. 1 will go to auction later in the year.

Woodstock Ski Runners is taking names for a waiting list and will give chairs to them if the original buyers don’t show for pick-up day.

This article first appeared in the October 13, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.

By Katy Savage, Standard Staff

A recent ad, published in the Mountain Times’ Sept. 21 edition, depicted the Killington Pico Area Association as a pig that demands money from the select board. It suggests the KPAA only benefits some businesses — the businesses are piglets in the cartoon that feed off the pig. The select board members are puppets being controlled by the pig (the KPAA).

“The last (ad) tipped the community over the edge,” said Mountain Times editor and co-publisher Polly Lynn Mikula. She said she heard complaints from church groups, advertisers and people who “just want to see progress,” she said. “The nature of them was more destructive than enlightening.”

The ad was one in a series taken out by resident and former select board member Jim Haff, before the Mountain Times said it wasn’t publishing political cartoons anymore.

The cartoons (whose illustrator is unknown) have caused uproar in Killington and have brought into question ethics of the KPAA, a private nonprofit that supports the resort and other businesses and relies in part, on taxpayers to be sustainable.

Mikula’s husband, co-publisher Jason Mikula, serves on the board of directors of the KPAA. (The Vermont Standard also pays membership dues to the KPAA).

“I have a basic belief that if businesses want businesses to succeed then businesses should invest in themselves,” said Haff, who formerly served on the select board.

Haff owns the Butternut Inn and Pancake House in Killington. He spends $1,000 to $1,500 in advertising costs each year, he said. He’s advertised against the KPAA and other town issues, he said.

“The philosophy of the KPAA to use the town as a tax vehicle to fund their operations, I don’t believe in it,” Haff said. “I guess the American way is dead.”

The KPAA formed in January 2015.

It took over the former Killington chamber of commerce, which had a reported $173,000 in revenue in 2014. Six months after the KPAA formed, KPAA members presented a contract to the town, in which the KPAA said it would manage all the town’s marketing and events, taking over the town-funded Economic Development and Tourism Department and also employing the town’s marketing coordinator Amy Morrison part-time.

The goal was to create “one Killington,” uniting the town, businesses and KPAA, making Killington a four-season town at a time when ski season sales were down in the Northeast.

The town has budgeted about $162,000 to sponsor about 15 events, according to the most recent town report. It budgeted another $66,000 or so in marketing.

The above cartoon ran as an advertisement in the Sept. 21, 2016 edition of the Mountain Times.
(Image Provided by Jim Haff)

Morrison resigned Sept. 30, saying her last day is Oct. 14.

Morrison said in an email that she’s accepted a position leading the Stowe Area Association and the controversy didn’t impact her position.

“I have enjoyed my time at the KPAA, and feel that we accomplished a lot as an organization and a community,” she said.

Morrison received about $31,000 in town money, according to the town report.

“It’s taxpayer money when (businesses) should be supporting themselves,” said resident Vito Rasenas who maintains a blog that refers to this issue continually.

Despite being critical about how Morrison’s work and the KPAA is funded, Rasenas praised what Morrison did for the town.

“She ran things pretty well and obviously somebody noticed,” Rasenas said.

The KPAA had an annual meeting the night Haff’s ad published. The executive board highlighted the organization’s success, saying KPAA’s revenues are up 60 percent since it formed and there are 33 new members. The KPAA has about 200 members in total.

“I think we’ve done a very good job moving the town in the right direction. I think that summer business is growing and that’s really our focus to become a four-season resort,” said Vince Chiarella, who owns Box Office Works. He’s on the KPAA board.

“I think it’s been a great thing and I think the town has seen a lot of improvements,” he said.

Chiarella has been in business for 4 1/2 years.

“If the businesses are successful… it keeps property taxes down,” he said.

The KPAA is closely tied to the resort. Killingon Pico Businesses Development Manager Tracy Taylor and President Mike Solimano are both KPAA executive board members. Town Manager Deb Schwartz is also on the executive board.

The resort has invested $5 million in summer activities over the past two years, especially investing in mountain biking.

Taylor said the partnership between the businesses, KPAA and town has been successful.

“It’s sure easier when we’re all pulling in the same direction…not everybody agrees with that,” Taylor said in a phone interview. “I think the proof at the end of the day is trying to reach those objectives,” He said the resort is “way, way better off than we were three years ago.”

Other chambers are struggling with current funding models.

The Manchester chamber of commerce shut down inApril. Membership dropped off by half over the past two years due to changes in health insurance.

The Manchester chamber lost its $70,000 in revenue from members as a result and sought appropriations from 18 towns last Town Meeting but failed to get voter support.

“Technology is changing and relevancy is changing,” said Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce Director Marji Graf.

The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce supports nine towns. Members pay dues, which start at $250 a year depending on the number of employees Graf said an option tax has been talked about.

“None of my towns will go for it,” Graf said.

It’s not unusual for a resort and towns to be close with the chamber.

Woodstock Inn and Resort General Manager Gary Thulander is president of the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce.

Woodstock taxpayers contribute to maintenance and custodial costs of the town building, which the chamber pays rent for.

But other chamber directors agreed the Killington’s model of funding the KPAA is unique.

“The Woodstock Inn is a huge economic driver in the community but they aren’t looking to brand everything as the Woodstock Inn. Killington does that,” said Woodstock Chamber Director Beth Finlayson.

Killington select board chair Patty McGrath called the KPAA a “vehicle” for collaboration. She admitted the funding of it might not be perfect.

“I find Jim Haff’s cartoons really, really unfortunate because they really don’t tell the story of what’s truly happening,” said McGrath, who owns the Inn at Long Trail and McGrath’s Irish Pub.

“Anytime you make our town more popular to tourists everybody wins,” she said. “The KPAA has never asked us for more money,” she said. “(Haff suggests) some business get special status but he doesn’t offer any proof or any backing.”

Haff ran for McGrath’s select board seat in March, but lost by about 60 votes.

McGrath said the town’s sponsorship of events have helped her business.

“When you do things like that it helps the resort and it helps all the businesses because all those businesses all get business.’ When those businesses get business they are collecting option tax.”

The revenue from option tax money (more than $800,000) goes to support the town’s economic development and infrastructure, including beautification efforts.

KPAA executive board members weren’t sure if Morrison’s replacement would work for both the town and KPAA as before. But McGrath saw it as an opportunity for the KPAA’s executive committee to make a change.

This article first appeared in the October 6, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.

By Katy Savage, Standard Staff

BRIDGEWATER — The Volunteer Fire Department wants to make the former Bridgewater school its new fire station.

Bridgewater Fire Captain Josh Maxham and Fire Chief Ed Earle presented the idea at the Bridgewater select board meeting Tuesday.

The project would cost an estimated $1.5 million. The back half of the former school building would be taken down and the front half would be reworked to store fire trucks and equipment. They also want to replace the roof, windows and insulation. There would be a large community room so the town can continue holding annual town meetings there.

“The bottom line is if the town’s going to continue having a fire department we’re not going to be able to operate out of that department forever,” Maxham said, referring to the fire department’s current building, built in 1955. The building is two stories.

It’s “very tight,” said Maxham.

The fire department has five pieces of equipment in the building. The department’s new 2006 engine had to be designed small enough to fit in the building.

“That’s not the way it should be done,” Maxham said, saying new equipment should be bought “to fit the needs of the town and community.”

The select board appeared supportive Tuesday with board member John Timken, Jr. calling it “a great idea,” he said.

Maxham explained the redesign of the school building is in preliminary planning stages. The fire department will be presenting its plans with architectural renderings at an informational meeting Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. regarding the building’s future.

The building is 100 years old and was used daily before residents voted to close the school in 2014. Bridgewater students were sent to the newly formed Prosper Valley School in Pomfret.

The school district transferred ownership of the building to the town for $1 after it closed.

A survey was sent to residents last year that asked what should be done with the building.

There were 142 people who responded — 84 wanted to convert the site into a multi-purpose structure, 48 wanted to sell the building, two voted for rehabbing the building and eight voted for pursuing other options.

The building is beside the town offices. The town pays for the electric and heating bill and has so far spent about $2,400 this year. Last year the pipes froze in February and expenses were $32,000. Insurance money covered the cost.

This article first appeared in the October 6, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.

Staff report

Vermont State Police and Springfield police are surrounding a cornfield near Stoughton Pond in Perkinsville on Tuesday afternoon looking for a suspect in a Springfield credit union robbery.

Police say the man is armed and he used a 9mm handgun to hold up a local credit union around 12:30 p.m. The suspect then fled in a stolen car up Reservoir Road then crashed the vehicle on the Plains Road Extension, according to reports.

Police dogs are being called to the scene, according to Springfield Police Lt. Mark Fountain and Det. Shaun Smith.

Update, 3 p.m.: Police could not locate the suspect in the field.

Read these stories and more on the eEdition, new edition available Wednesday nights, pick it up a copy on the newsstands Thursdays or subscribe.

On the Clock

Dozens gathered to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Story Memorial Hall and to look at the restored clock, like Merle Bushkin does here. (Rick Russell Photo)

Top Stories

Wells Running Dry As Region Copes With Drought
by Katy Savage, Standard Staff

Hartland Board Ignores Petition, Proceeds with Intersection
by Katy Savage, Standard Staff

Barnard Awards Fire Station Project Bid
by Curt Peterson, Standard Correspondent

Safford Commons Tax Bill Doubles After Lister Error
by Michelle Feilds, Standard Correspondent

Junk Gone, But Struggles Remain for Hartland Man
by Katy Savage, Standard Staff

Story Hall Marks 100th with Well-Attended Celebration
by Tom Kenyon, West Windsor

Directory Lauds the ‘Amazing Cast’ of ‘Cabaret’
by Virginia Dean, Standard Correspondent

Brendan Schwartz makes the catch in the game against BFA on Friday, October 14 in Woodstock. (Bruce Longley Photo)

Boys Soccer Blanks Mill River
by David Miles, Sports Correspondent

Undefeated Records Raise Stakes in Rivalry Football Game
by David Miles, Sports Correspondent

OBITUARIES
Anne Brooke
Robert Matthews

Fall Foliage Organ & Brass Concert
The Brownsville Church organized a concert presenting organist Christian Huebner, Skip Downing on trumpet and Diane Fleck on French horn. Pie was served after the performance.

Oyster Stew Supper, 2016
The 60th annual East Barnard Oyster Stew Supper held at the Community Hall had a line of guests waiting to be served throughout the night.

Peak to Peak Hike, 2016
The annual Peak to Peak hikes put on my Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park was held on Saturday, October 15. Participants chose from a variety of hikes guided by MBRNHP volunteers traveling up Mt. Tom or Mt. Peg in Woodstock. Herb Swanson Photos

Story Memorial Hall, Centennial
A celebration of the 100 years of Story Memorial Hall in West Windsor was held on Saturday, October 15.

Cross Country Ski Swap, 2016
A ski swap was put on by the Woodstock Nordic Ski Runners program.

Pasta and Politics, 2016
The Windsor County Democratic Committee hosted “Pasta and Politics” on Saturday at Damon Hall in Hartland.

WUHS Boys Soccer vs Mill River
The Woodstock Boys Soccer team took on Mill River on Monday, October 17 delivering their fourth shutout of the season with a 4-0 score at home.

Woodstock Football vs. Windsor at James T. McLaughlin Athletic Field in Woodstock on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.

Woodstock versus Windsor. Every year it is the biggest game on both team’s schedule, but the stakes in this year’s regular season showdown have never been higher. Never have both squads entered their final game undefeated.

It might surprise some to realize that the two rivals did not always end the season against one another. When current head coach Ramsey Worrell played for Woodstock from 1990 through 1993, the two teams often met in mid-season.

But by the time assistant coach Zack Scott followed Worrell on the Woodstock roster, graduating three years later, the game had been moved to its current end-of-the-regular-season status. And although many years both teams had strong seasons, not once were both teams fielding unblemished records when they squared off on the gridiron. Scott’s senior game in 1996 stands out to Worrell, who played under longtime coach Jim McLaughlin, known as Coach Mac.

“I remember it vividly. My brother, Temple, broke the 1,000-yard barrier, in the game. And my dad was head coach for the game because Coach Mac was away at a funeral,” Worrell said.

Two weeks later Woodstock went on to win its first of its 10 state championships, defeating Lyndon 17-14 in the finals Twice Woodstock and Windsor have met a second time in the Division III state finals, a real possibility again this year considering the way both clubs have pummeled the rest of the competition. Woodstock won both of those contests, 39-21 to complete its first undefeated season in 2001 and 27-7 ten years later.

This year, as the Wasps and the Yellowjackets have steamrolled foe after foe, the two teams have been on a collision course. U-32 led Woodstock late in the third quarter before the Wasps pulled away to win 29-7. The Raiders played Windsor even closer, losing 28-21. Otherwise both teams have won every game on their schedules by at least 30 points.

“We’ve been playing them one game at a time, just like we were supposed to,” said quarterback Luc Issa. “Still we’ve kind of had one eye on this game most of the year. It’s going to be a big one.”

Alex Blaiklock concurred: “We’ve been excited to play this game all year long. They are good and they are tough. It’s the top two teams in the division. It should be a great game.”

Both teams have largely been successful at focusing on their weekly opponent, all the while knowing what loomed at the end of the schedule.

“Now we can finally talk about it,” said Worrell. “It’s two really good teams that should make for a fun, exciting game. It should be one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever had here. I’m hoping the town and the community all come out to support the team.”

This article first appeared in the October 20, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.

The classic Broadway musical production of ”Cabaret,” will be at the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre on Oct. 21-23 and Oct. 27-31. For more information about the production and to book tickets, visit pentanglearts.org/cabaret or call (802) 457-3981.

By Virginia Dean, Standard Correspondent

Ultimately, the success of any theatrical production depends on one factor: casting.

So says Director Joey Murray who is preparing for the opening night tomorrow of the Broadway musical “Cabaret” at the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre.

“We have an extraordinary company of actors for our production,” said Murray in a recent interview. “It’s an amalgamation of Broadway and Woodstock; newcomers and stage veterans. Everyone in our company brings with them a crucial set of skills and unique gifts.”

With auditions taking place over the last several weeks in New York and Woodstock, the perfect company of actors and musicians were found, according to Murray.

“Casting ‘Cabaret’ is a bit of a tall order considering what a demanding piece it is and all that the show requires, not to mention when mounting the 1998 revival production, you need actors/ musicians, so you really need a company that can do it all,” said Murray.

Set against a backdrop of 1931 Nazi Germany, the musical turns 50 this year and is the result of the inception and original direction of Harold Prince, American theatrical producer and director best known for his Broadway musical productions.

The story opens at Berlin’s Kit Kat Klub — a sordid cabaret — where the master of ceremonies or Emcee, along with the nightclub’s girls and waiters, warms up the audience.

At the same time, a young American writer, Cliff Bradshaw (played by Rob Brinkmann) arrives by train and meets Ernst Ludwig (played by Collen Doyle) who offers him work and recommends a boardinghouse, owned by Fraulein Schneider (played by Kim Meredith).

Enter 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles who forms a relationship with the young writer, despite his confusion over his sexuality.

Innovative for its time, “Cabaret” has undergone cultural nips and tucks since the mid-’60s, but remains steadfast to its initial message of fascism, nationalism and tolerance versus prejudice.

“As an actor, you try to connect with each character you play,” said Mike Backman, who assumes the role of Herr Schultz, an elderly Jewish fruit-shop owner who quietly and sweetly woos the owner of his boardinghouse, Fraulein Schneider. “I’ve had to work to really understand and empathize with his passiveness, particularly how dismissive he is to the Nazi threat that is surrounding him in pre-World War II Berlin.”

As an acknowledged gay man, Backman relates that it is in his nature to want to change things, to move to greater tolerance or to stand up and fight for something he believes in.

“When my husband and I first moved to Vermont and the debate about civil unions was raging here, we both got very involved, going around the state to work at fairs and talk at rotary clubs to help people be able to put a real face to this issue that was so new to so many,” said Backman.

Now, to play a wonderful, sweet man — as he types his character — who doesn’t leave Berlin when he has a chance to escape the growing repression of the Nazi regime, is a bit of a stretch, he notes.

“I’ve really had to think about how much change he has already seen in Germany,” said Backman, “and to understand why he would be so content just to live his life, running his fruit stand with love and happiness without wanting to fight the growing Nazi threat that’s there.”

As a result, Backman has to force himself not to tear up at the end of the musical acts as part of what he notes is a “powerful play with an incredible group of people”.

“It’s painful, but so much the reality of so many people then and similar to many even now,” he said.

For Nicolette Hart, who plays Sally Bowles, the biggest challenge in taking on her role has been balancing the source material and the iconic nature of the story line.

“It’s finding my own truth within the script of the stage version and ultimately unearthing my Sally Bowles both in body and character,” said Hart.

Hart is especially intrigued with the raw, unapologetic nature of her character, which lies in dark contrast with her self-professed naiveté and perpetual self-sabotage, she related.

“Sally represents the beautiful and the ugly, the tragic and the fantastical, the girl and the woman the light and the dark — all elements we as an audience, a people, and a world, can relate to and learn from and feel for,” said Hart. “The metaphorical mirror she unknowingly holds up to everyone she encounters creates an uncomfortable recognition of a multitude of human traits — the definition of happiness, the pursuit of wealth, the ability to love and be loved, and the great impact, be it beautifully enriching or tragically destructive, that one human can have to another.”

Hart is one of several Broadway actors involved in the musical. Joey Calveri and Tesha Buss also headline the Pentangle Arts production as the flamboyant and ghoulish Emcee and Fraulein Kost, a prostitute who rents a room in Fraulein Schneider’s boarding house.

Set design is by Carl Talent; costume design by Tracey Sullivan; light design by Janine Woods; sound design by Rachel Neubauer; and Production Stage Manager, Elizabeth Barnes-Flint. Musical direction is by Josh D. Smith and choreography by Susan Lamontagne.

“I’m thrilled to be back with Pentangle Arts bringing this smart, relevant and satirical political story back to life for the smart audiences of Woodstock and the entire Upper Valley,” said Lamontagne. “This has been a wonderful and artful collaborative experience with this dream production team and cast.”

Audiences can look forward to an “edgy, time-period appropriate story-telling dance that will transport them to the world of the early 1930s Berlin,” she related.

“The show will include both original Bob Fosse choreography that was adapted from the original Broadway Tony award-winning ‘Fosse’ that I performed in as well as my original choreography that pays homage to Mr. Fosse’s style,” said Lamontagne.

As choreographer, Lamontagne explained that it is essential to create the steps that bring the director’s vision to life.

“We have an amazing cast combining local actors and professional out-of-town New York actors who bring their own unique character interpretations to the stage,” said Lamontagne. “This is again another production not to be missed!”

For tickets or more information go to pentanglearts.org/cabaret or call 802 457-3981.

Woodstock hosted Windsor in the final regular season game of the year on Friday, October 21. Both teams were undefeated at the start of the game, Windsor kept that title beating Woodstock 27-20. Look for the story in this week’s Vermont Standard (read it here )
Woodstock plays on Friday, October 28 at home against Oxbow at 7 p.m. in the first round of the playoffs.
Rick Russell Photos

A portion of these photos will appear in the October 27, 2016 print edition of the Vermont Standard.
Click here if you are having trouble viewing the collection of photo galleries, click on an image below to view in a larger format and to see more photos. To see more photo galleries Click Here

Read these stories and more on the eEdition, new edition available Wednesday nights, pick it up a copy on the newsstands Thursdays or subscribe.

Looking for something to do for Halloween? Listing of events in the area…. click

A helicopter flies over Suicide Six to deliver concrete for the towers of the ski area’s new chairlift. (Rick Russell Photo)

Heavy Lifting

Top Stories

SU Plan: Reading, Barnard to Be Pre-K-2 Only
by Katy Savage, Standard Staff

Officials: Quechee Highlands Decision Could Affect Area Growth
by Katy Savage, Standard Staff

Woodstock Businesses Enjoy ‘Incredible’ Foliage Season
by Virginia Dean, Standard Correspondent

WUHS Alumna Talks About Katrina, Her First Novel
by Curt Peterson, Standard Correspondent

VINS Rehabilitates Young Bald Eagle
by Faaron Savage, Standard Correspondent

Prepare for the Next Irene, Come to This Meeting
by Michelle Fields, Standard Correspondent

AG Candidates Makes Opiate Fight a Priority
by Countney Lamdin, Lynn Publications

Lt Governor Candidates Talk EB-5, Marijuana at VPA Debate
by Michaela Halnon, Lynn Publications

BarnArts Ventures Into New Territory With ‘The Little Prince’

Local Artist to Be Featured at Brattleboro Exhibit

Woodstock Boys Soccer advances in Division III playoffs. Quest Holding controls the ball in the game against Lamoille on Tuesday in the first round. (Rick Russell Photo)

SPORTS

Fall Sports Scores and Schedule – click here

Boys Soccer Advances to Face Hartford in Quarterfinals
by David Miles, Sports Correspondent

WUHS Field Hockey Gains Momentum Into Playoffs
by George Calver, Standard Correspondent

Killington Resort Kicks Off Winter Season

Wasps Football Lose Hard-Fought Game to Windsor, Woodstock (7-2) earns No.2 Seed in Playoffs
by David Miles, Sports Correspondent

OBITUARIES
Doris Moxley
Frederick Kelly
James Beauregard
Paul Crete
Ruth Chandler

Cabaret, Performance
Pentangle Arts presents “Cabaret”. The show runs this weekend Oct. 27, 28, 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 30 at 4 p.m. with a special Halloween performance Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Glad Rags Sale
The glad rags sales held at the Masonic Hall in Woodstock twice a year, was held on October 22 & 23.

Helicopter delivered concrete and new chairlift parts on Suicide Six.

WUHS Football vs Windsor, Undefeated Teams
Woodstock hosted Windsor in the final regular season game of the year. Both teams were undefeated at the start of the game, Windsor kept that title beating Woodstock 27-20.

By Katy Savage, Standard Staff

Eric Wegner knows that he needs 1.38 gallons of water to flush a toilet and about 2.5 gallons of water for each minute of his showers. The numbers have become a daily concern.

Wegner lives on Biscuit Hill Way and his spring-fed water system has been dry for four weeks and counting.

Each week, Wegner fills a 400-gallon water tank in the back of his pickup truck and hauls it to his home.

“You really learn what conservation’s all about,” said Wegner.

He keeps a bowl of water in the sink to do dishes and he has a system for taking showers: “You get wet, you soap up…and you turn it on again and you rinse off,” Wegner said.

The National Weather Service has categorized Windsor County as an area in “moderate drought” while north of here is “abnormally dry.” But Wegner, who is vice president of the Woodstock Aqueduct Company, said this is the worst drought he’s seen in 30 years.

Wegner’s spring is nine-feet deep. He’s been trying to get Ottauquechee Well Drilling to dig him a well, but the company is so busy tending to other water shortages, that it told Wegner it will be a two-week wait.

George Spear, who owns the company, got home after dark on Monday and had a dozen calls on his answering machine — six more homes were out of water.

“I’m exhausted,” Spear said.

He’s talked to people who have been out of water for two months or more. He agreed with Wegner. It’s the driest he’s seen it.

Another Woodstock resident, Susie Chamberlin has been without water for two weeks.

Chamberlin, who lives in South Woodstock, had a 500-foot well drilled last week and still found no water.

She fills up once a week from a neighbor’s well and has “multiple hoses” connected to her spring.

For showers Chamberlin says she takes “under 5 minutes, just in and out.”

As far as toilets, “Pretty much the old saying, ‘If it’s yellow let it mellow, and if it’s brown flush it down.’” The South Royalton Water Department just issued a notice to users last Thursday, asking them to “refrain from any leisurely use such as car washing extended showers/baths, etc.”

Wegner also issued water conservation notices to the Woodstock Aqueduct Company’s customers. The groundwater system has three wells. Water is low, but the levels are starting to come back up in the lower well, Wegner said.

Wegner has been filling up on the company’s water system as he waits for his well. He considers the water one of the perks of working at the Woodstock Aqueduct Company.

“It’s like camping,” Wegner said.

While most are enjoying this season’s colors, Wegner is just waiting for the leaves to drop so the trees stop sucking up water from his spring.

“We really need water, fast,” Wegner said.

Those with spring water are worried about the future, past this winter season. An early frost would prevent water from seeping into the ground.

A covering of snow would keep the ground warm enough to keep water moving.

“We need a lot of snow,” said Spear.

Wegner isn’t concerned about the Woodstock Aqueduct Company’s water now, but if there’s a dry winter, “I’m concerned about the water levels next spring,” he said.

This article first appeared in the October 20, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.

Despite Rain and Snow, Dry Conditions Continue Throughout Vermont
Despite rain and snow this past weekend, state officials want Vermonters to be mindful of water use and to take steps to conserve water when possible. Abnormally dry conditions this spring and summer have taken a toll on water levels, and may impact drinking water supplies through fall and into the winter.

Low rainfall, combined with last years’ low snowpack and abnormally low spring runoff, has created ripe conditions for mild to moderate drought impacts around the state. National Weather Service data from April to October show that most of Vermont is experiencing a total rainfall deficit of about four to eight inches below average. In areas of the southern Connecticut River Valley, and in Grand Isle and Chittenden Counties, the deficit is as high as twelve inches.

“The precipitation this weekend may have provided some temporary short-term relief, but it’s not enough,” said Scott Whittier, Burlingtonbased meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “We need several of these systems to come through to ‘recharge’ the groundwater supplies before the ground freezes in winter.”

State agencies were notified last week of several situations where homeowners, farms, or town water districts were struggling with insufficient water supplies. A State Drought Task Force made up of representatives from several state and federal agencies has convened to coordinate information and response to emerging drought issues.

The task force has launched a crowd-sourced drought map to begin collecting data on where water supply shortages are occurring. Vermonters are being asked to report their low or dry drinking water wells using this online tool so areas of concern can be identified and assistance coordinated, if necessary. The task force is also issuing water conservation guidance for all citizens.

“Drought can become very widespread across a region or appear in very localized pockets,” said State Climatologist Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, a professor at the University of Vermont and member of the task force. “It is difficult to predict. We can be in an extended drought situation, or go from a drought to flood conditions in a very short space of time. That’s why it’s so important for people to have a conservation mindset as winter nears.”

Vermonters are encouraged to take these simple steps to reduce water consumption at home:

• Repair leaking faucets, pipes, toilets, or other fixtures as soon as possible.

• Run the dishwasher or laundry machine only with full loads.

• Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge for cold drinking water to avoid needing to run the tap.

• Avoid washing your car.

• Consider installing simple, cost-effective tools that decrease household water consumption. Aerators for kitchen sink faucets only cost several dollars and are simple to install, and water efficient showerheads can make a drastic difference in water consumption. Contact your local hardware store for availability.

If your drinking water well runs low or dry:

• Report your issue to the Drought Task Force using an online form.

• Do not use a tanker or fire truck to refill your drinking water well. It is an inefficient use of water and could contaminate your drinking water system.

• Conserving water will help prevent your well from running dry.

Drinking water wells that run low or dry can lead to a risk of illness. Drought does not generally affect the quality of the groundwater itself, but if a well runs dry and loses pressure, it may draw in contaminated water from nearby sources such as a septic system, or through small leaks in the system.

If you notice sediment or a change in the taste or color of your water, it may be a sign that your water supply is running low. To evaluate possible health risks, test your drinking water for bacteria. To order a drinking water test kit call 800-660-9997, or visit healthvermont.gov/enviro/ph_lab/water_test.aspx .

For more drought information and water conservation tips, visit anr.vermont. gov/about_us/special-topics/drought or call the Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division at 802-828-1535.

For private drinking water well and other safe drinking water resources and information, visit healthvermont.gov/enviro/water/safe_water.aspx.

Staff report

The National Weather Service is warning drivers of slick road conditions in the Woodstock area Thursday afternoon.

Forecasters say snow mixed with rain could cause slippery travel from now to 4:15 p.m.

By George Calver, Standard Correspondent

A goal by co-captain Lily Doton just under two minutes into overtime play elevated the Woodstock field hockey team to a 2-1 win against U-32 and into the second round of the playoffs.

U-32 led 1-0 at halftime, Wednesday afternoon at Frates Field, and for the bulk of the second period it looked like the visitors, seeded as No. 7 might pull out a victory over the second-seeded Wasps. But with just 7:33 remaining Miranda Johnson took a pass from Lily D’Anna and powered the ball past the Raiders’ goalie.

It appeared doubtful that Johnson would even play in the second half after being hit on the kneecap late in the first period, but the Wasps’ leading scorer during the regular season toughed it out and rescued the home team from a potential upset.

After tying the game, the Wasps pressed to finish off U-32 in regulation play, but the team from Montpelier, which had lost to the Wasps 4-2 earlier in the season, held the swarming Wasps at bay to force overtime.

Doton’s marker sent her team into elation.

Woodstock’s next opponent will be the winner of a game Friday between Otter Valley and Burr and Burton. The next postseason round will be played at Middlebury College at 3:30 p.m. on Monday.

Staff report

Downed trees from heavy, wet snow caused widespread power outages in the Woodstock area Thursday night and into Friday morning.

The outages, which hit about 7,900 homes as of 7:30 a.m., could last until Saturday, according to Green Mountain Power spokesperson Kristin Carlson. GMP has called for assistance from additional crews from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York, Carlson said.

Barnard (267) and Plymouth (194) have the most outages, as of 9:30 a.m. Crews in Barnard have been working to removed fallen trees all morning, according to scanner reports.

There were also some reports of accidents Thursday evening: one on Interstate 91 in Springfield and others on Route 9 in Brattleboro, according to the Vermont State Police.

There was also a close call in an accident on Route 4 in Woodstock on Thursday, but police said it was not weather related.

Update: The Woodstock boys soccer team’s Friday playoff game against Hartford has been postponed, according to Woodstock Athletic Director Justin Wardwell.

By Katy Savage, Standard Staff

HARTLAND — Fred Coley remembers what used to be on his property, before the town spent $70,000 to take it all away. There were wedding albums, art supplies, yearbooks and birth certificates. There was a toolbox full of hand tools, a construction trailer and a wall cabinet with his cameras — maybe 50 of them, he guessed. There were dozens of old trucks.

Coley stayed away as the town — armed with a ruling from a state Superior Court judge — hauled Coley’s possessions off the property.

“I was afraid I’d snap,” Coley said.

They took his trailers and his trucks — almost 300 tons worth of junk, town officials say.

“Nobody said a word to me,” Coley said. “They removed me like I was dead. The only problem is; I’m not dead.

“They should’ve had the courtesy to say, ‘Fred we’re going to do a number on you.’” Despite Coley’s claim that he wasn’t informed, the select board issued several notices and letters to Coley concerning the fines. When it came time for court dates, he failed to appear.

“I don’t think we had a lot of choice, of course things like that should not happen. There’s no need for things like that to happen, but things do,” said select board chair Gordon Richardson.

Coley, 83, has accumulated $40,000 worth of junk ordinance fines that he said he can’t pay.

How it got to this point is perplexing to those that know Coley.

“He’s been a fixture. He’s a very likable fellow. We don’t understand why this happened,” Richardson said.

Coley doesn’t have an answer as to why it happened. Neither does his wife, Joyce.

“It’s a sickness,” she said.

Coley’s psychologist tells him he’s a “hoarder” but Coley doesn’t like that term. Coley attributes his habit of collecting partially to growing up in the Great Depression.

“Do I get carried away? Yeah. I admit it,” Coley said.

100 percent recidivism

About 5 percent of Americans hoard.

“The recidivism rate for going back to hoarding is almost 100 percent,” said Burlington Housing Authority Retention Specialist David O’Leary.

The Burlington Housing Authority manages hundreds of affordable living apartments in the Burlington area. It’s taken an education-based approach to dealing with hoarders — the majority of whom are single, O’Leary said. BHA gives hoarders autonomy to work out the pros and cons of retaining so much.

“What you don’t do is go in and clear everybody’s stuff out,” O’Leary said. “It makes the person feel pretty terrible about themselves. They feel violated, angry, anxious.”

That makes the people “do what makes them feel comfortable and that is to hoard,” said O’Leary.

Hoarders are compulsive shoppers, they’re perfectionists and they have a hard time making decisions, said Psychologist Elena Marie Ramirez who specializes in hoarding.

“People who are hoarders are very good at hiding the way they’re feeling,” she said.

They find comfort in ritual and in collecting, Ramirez said.

“That’s what hoarding really is, it’s an extreme form of avoidance,” said Ramirez.

Burlington Housing Authority Retention Specialist Team Leader Mike Ohler sees hoarders often.

“You hear stories about someone’s grandparents who grew up in the depression and they never wanted to get rid of (anything),” Ohler said. “The common thread that runs through it is that most often they’re not feeling very good about themselves.”

‘I’m the stabilizing factor’

Coley’s life hasn’t been easy. Some of his children have been arrested, he said. There have been drinking problems in his family and abuse issues. Coley lost one daughter in the 1980s. She died in a car accident in Claremont after she fell into the wrong crowd. Coley thinks she was pushed out of a vehicle.

“As much of a rogue as I am, I think I’m the stabilizing factor,” Coley said.

Coley and his wife are not native Hartlanders (they moved from Connecticut in the 1950s) but they raised their six kids in Hartland. They’re both active community people, outgoing, well-known and well-liked.

Coley served on the board of the Hartland Unitarian Universalist Society. Joyce used to help with Girl Scouts and they attend dinners at the American Legion.

“There’s always the gossip. I felt bad the way it all ended up. What are you going to do?” said friend Hylene Devoyd.

Coley worked at Cone-Blanchard Machine Company in Windsor until he retired at 58.

Buying old vehicles and selling them was a hobby.

He remembers buying a loader that needed work on the transmission — a $3,000 to $4,000 fix he didn’t have. So it sat there.

Over time, motor homes and old cars took up all of Coley’s land, just sitting there.

“I bought and sold. The problem is I bought more than I sold,” Coley said.

Eventually he couldn’t pay to heat the old white house on the property and the family moved into a mobile home. Coley’s kids lived in separate mobile homes on the same property, all crammed together. But it wasn’t long before the vehicles sat there, vacant.

When it got to be too much so Coley and his wife moved to an apartment in Windsor and left the junk behind.

“He collected every car there was and he’d drive them and go pick up another one. That’s how he’s been,” Devoyd said.

She wasn’t hopeful that Coley would ever change.

“I understand once you’re a hoarder you’re always a hoarder. It’s like a disease and you can’t do much about that,” Devoyd said.

‘I’ll handle it myself’

Another friend, who did not want to be named, admitted Coley’s place “did look awful.”

“I know some of it was Fred’s fault but I also think the town didn’t do it quite right,” she said, comparing Coley’s hoarding problem to drug or alcohol addiction.

Coley’s middle-aged kids offered to take the property over. They’ve offered to help clean and to help pay, but when it came time to do the work, Coley was stubborn.

“I said, ‘I’ll handle it myself,’” Coley said. “We’ve kind of lost our connections as a family over it. It hasn’t been all that good.”’ It’s caused so much tension that his wife had a mental breakdown one day and moved out of their Windsor apartment, to a mobile home in Ascutney.

Coley and Joyce are high school sweethearts and July marked their 60-year wedding anniversary.

They’re not living together now but they’re not divorced. Joyce says divorce conflicts with her Christian beliefs.

“It was one of those things that just hit me. It was just hard for both of us,” said Joyce when asked about moving out.

Coley goes to Joyce’s to have dinners and watch television sometimes, but he doesn’t think they’ll live together again.

Coley says the apartment in Windsor is full of books and papers that he can’t throw away.

But he doesn’t let people inside.

This article first appeared in the October 20, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.

By Katy Savage, Standard Staff

After considering several options, including closing schools, the Windsor Central Supervisory Union is putting forward a restructuring plan to comply with Act 46.

Under the new plan: Reading and Barnard would be pre-K-2 schools, Woodstock would absorb Reading’s 3-6 grade students and Prosper Valley would take Barnard’s 3-6 grade students. Killington would be a pre-K-6 school and Prosper Valley a K-6 school. Woodstock Union High School-Middle School would remain as is.

The change would cost an estimated $75,000 for new staff.

The study committee deemed this the most cost-effective way to provide an equitable education to all. There will be a full-time principal in each building “wherever educationally practicable and sustainable,” according to an Aug. 1 draft of the “Guiding Principals of Unification.”

Act 46 is the state law incentivizing small schools to merge by 2018. Windsor Central’s proposal could impact Reading and Barnard students in particular.

In June, Reading had 54 students according to an enrollment report that month — 36 were pre-K-2 students while Barnard had 71 students — 42 of which were pre-K-2.

Attempts to reach Barnard and Reading Act 46 study committee members weren’t successful.

Act 46 study committee chair Justin Shipman suggested adult continuing education classes, civic meeting rooms and creative spaces could take up the extra space in the Barnard and Reading buildings.

The board is “hoping some really creative ideas are put forth,” Shipman said in an email.

Peter Clarke, who was hired as an Act 46 study consultant, said closing a school “should really be a last resort.”

But that’s been discussed as well.

The study committee laid out how a school would close in an Oct. 13 draft of its Articles of Agreement.

Woodstock would absorb Reading’s 3-6 grade students and Prosper Valley would take Barnard’s 3-6 grade students.

After four years of operating as a unified district, the draft document said the school board could vote to close a school. The board would hold at least three public hearings before voting to do so. The board would then seek approval by residents in every town. If approved, the unified school district would transfer ownership of the building to the town it resides in.

The draft articles of agreement also allows the school to determine a more appropriate configuration.

There would be intra-district school choice, to make this “a very attractive place to live and raise your children,” Clarke said.

The current study committee has high academic hopes for the district. By 2021, the school wants to become one of the best — competitive with the top 5 percent of schools in the state on test scores.

“I think that’s the most exciting thing about their proposal,” said Clarke.

Also by 2021, the committee wants a 12-student minimum in each class and a maximum of 20 students for grades K-3, 25 for grades 4-6, according to an August draft of its “Guiding Principals of Unification.”

The study committee is gathering feedback from residents in each town now and will seek voter approval of the proposal in March, around town meeting time. If voters reject the proposal, the study committee will be required to evaluate how to proceed by November 2017.

This article first appeared in the October 27, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.