Monday, June 24, 2019

MONDAY EDITION

ADDISON COUNTY

INDEPENDENT Vol. 31 No. 6

Night Fires moonlights • The folks who bring you solstice celebrations are offering a benefit concert. See Arts Beat Page 10.

River inspires Lincoln artist

• For Janet Fredericks, natural processes serve both as subject matter and as materials. See Page 2.

Eagle standout tops our team

• The 2019 Addison Independent Softball AllStar Team is unveiled on Page 16.

Ilsley Library goes mobile

• Organization bringing books, other resources from its Main Street building directly to the public. See Page 19.

Middlebury, Vermont

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Monday, June 24, 2019

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32 Pages

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Vergennes eyeing cuts to police force Council facing budget challenge at June deadline

By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — The Vergennes City Council last week began the challenge of creating the city’s 2019-2020 budget — and the tax rate needed to fund it — by learning that

funding for employees’ health care would cost $94,000 more during the next fiscal year, the current budget is in the red, and that City Manager Matt Chabot is recommending that two officers be cut from the city’s police force. At the end of last week’s council meeting officials talked about a municipal tax rate that could rise by 13 cents if they did not approve lower

police spending or find savings elsewhere in Chabot’s proposed $2.378 million budget. That figure does not include the sewer budget, which is funded by user fees. With other cuts already made to trim spending, the proposed budget is still about $9,000 more than current spending. The council will meet on Tuesday, June 25, and this week must make final the budget and

city tax rate for the coming fiscal year. State officials have not yet released school tax rates, but the city’s school tax rate is estimated to increase by a little more than 8 cents. Cutting the two officers from the police department would save about $147,000, or about 6.5 cents on the tax rate, Chabot said, because a penny on the tax rate raises about $22,500. (See Vergennes, Page 22)

Petition seeks to upgrade wetland status BY ABAGAEL GILES CORNWALL — A local effort to change the protected status of the Otter Creek Wetland Complex from Class II to Class I is in the early phases of development. This week, residents will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the initiative at two public meetings to be held in Salisbury and Cornwall on June 25 & 27. Currently, the 15,550-acre Otter Creek Wetland Complex has a Class II status, running 15 linear miles from Brandon north to the southern edge of Middlebury. Among other requirements, this stipulates the wetland has a 50-foot buffer (See Wetlands, Page 6)

Route 125 opens after washouts

EAST MIDDLEBURY — While local emergency responders spent some tense moments on Thursday, June 20, preparing for possible widespread evacuations and road washouts amid torrential downpours, a swollen Middlebury River forced only a temporary closing of Route 125 in (See Storm, Page 22)

THE MIDDLEBURY ROTARY Club recently bestowed its highest honor, known as the Stephen A. Freeman Award, to Habitat for Humanity of Addison County volunteer Michael “Mickey” Heinecken. Pictured here, from left, are Rotarian Roth “T” Tall, Heinecken, and Rotary club President Judson “Juddy” Hescock. Photo courtesy of T Tall

Rotary lauds Heinecken Civic group awards grants to 20 charitable causes

By JOHN FLOWERS MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury Rotary Club recently awarded a combined total of $44,500 in grants to local charitable causes and paid its highest tribute to former Middlebury College football coach Michael G. “Mickey” Heinecken for his contributions to Habitat for Humanity of Addison County. Kathleen Nilsson, who chairs Middlebury Rotary’s Charitable Assessment Committee, said the largest of the 20 grant awards

“I feel I’ve re-entered the team experience. Habitat for Humanity only functions because there’s a team of very dedicated people, all working toward the same goal.”

— Mickey Heinecken

— for $12,000 — was awarded to John Graham Housing & Services. The Vergennes-based

nonprofit operates a homeless shelter, transitional housing and other services for low-income folks with no place to stay. Other awards, ranging from $1,000 to $4,000, went to such organizations as the Addison County Parent/Child Center, Elderly Services/Project Independence, the Vermont Folklife Center and Friends of Middlebury Hockey. Rotary announced and distributed the grants at its gala held at the Middlebury Inn on (See Rotary, Page 18)