Williston
ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
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Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
AUGUST 24, 2023
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
PADDLE POWER
Williston elder inspires Dragonboat community BY JASON STARR Observer staff
The Dragonboat docks on the Burlington waterfront have become a well-established Lake Champlain landmark going on 20 years, and the throng of paddlers that gather for weekly training sessions are a familiar sight each Monday evening. But what people may not know is that among the local Dragonboat paddling crew is the nation’s oldest active participant in the sport. Louise Plouffe, 93, began paddling with Dragonheart Vermont during the 2006 season. The organization was founded two years earlier by Linda and John Dyer as a way to bring breast cancer survivors and their supporters together. Last summer, Plouffe moved out of the home on South Brownell Road in Williston where she had raised a family and moved into Williston Place, a senior living
community on Blair Park Road. She also gave up driving. But that hasn’t stopped her from meeting with her paddling tribe on Monday evenings, taking a seat alongside fellow breast cancer survivors and finding her paddling rhythm
“I’m 93. And every year I think this may be my last year, but I don’t know when it will be.” Louise Plouffe
on the water. “I love it,” she said by the lakeshore Monday as she prepared for another session. “You just forget about everything, if you have any problems, you don’t think of anything else but how to do it the right way.” see PLOUFFE page 9
Louise Plouffe, 93, of Williston is the oldest active Dragonboat paddler in the country. Plouffe is known for her paddling and her daily 40-pushup routine. OBSERVER COURTESY PHOTO
Plouffe is pictured on the right in Burlington on Monday preparing for a training session on Lake Champlain. OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR
Bus fares to return with increase The Burlington-to-Montpelier commuter link will make a new stop in Williston at Exit 12 BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Fares will return to Green Mountain Transit buses in January. VTDIGGER FILE PHOTO
The free ride lasted as long as it could. A return to Green Mountain Transit fares is coming at the end of the year, but they will come back with several changes. The $1.50 fare on Chittenden County bus routes was paused at the onset of the pandemic — March, 2020. Passengers boarded busses from the back door and no money was exchanged to reduce contact between riders and drivers. Federal pandemic relief and recovery funds flowed into the state in subsequent years, al-
lowing fare-free riding to continue. When federal funds ran dry in 2022, the state Legislature stepped up with funding to stave off the return of fares for another year. While there was some discussion last spring about sustaining fare-free bus service long-term, lawmakers didn’t appropriate the $2 million that it would require annually, said Clayton Clark, who started as GMT’s general manager this past January. “I don’t think there was an expectation that it would go on for three and a half years,” Clark said. The pause in fares has allowed GMT to modernize its
fare collection system. In the past, only cash was accepted on the bus, and the $1.50 fare would often turn into $2 because drivers were not permitted to give change. Buses were not set up to take debit cards or other digital forms of payment. Contractor Genfare has helped GMT install new fare boxes that accept cash and cards, as well as develop a GMT app that can be loaded with funds to allow people to scan their phones to pay. GMT will also sell pass cards that can be preloaded and scanned on the bus. The bad news? Fares are increasing to $2 across the county. see BUS page 9