Saturday, March 26, 2016

 

Berlin News to Know February 18th

BERLIN NEWS TO KNOW February 18, 2016
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This communication is put together and distributed on a volunteer basis by resident Corinne Stridsberg simply in an effort to share information and build community, it is not from the town of Berlin.
Please share this with your Berlin friends and neighbors.  If you're not already receiving this news directly by email, send an email to request this to corinnestridsberg@gmail.com.
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For current news look for "BerlinVermont" on facebook for a constant flow of information.  You don't need to be a facebook user to access it, but if you do use facebook, be sure to "Like" it:

For historical news look for "BerlinVermont Memories" on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BerlinVermontMemories
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Notes:
Town Reports are back from the printers and available at the Town Office. 

Please be sure to check out the video on Banjo Dan's (Dan Lindner) project.  In a quick five minutes he touches on a variety of stories that the songs on this album are about which I think you'll find quite interesting.... and it includes Berlin!!

Did you mark your calendar yet  for the annual Pie Breakfast at Rumney Elementary School? Save the date - Saturday, March 19th.  More details to come.

Below you will find:
BANJO DAN'S SONGS OF VERMONT #4
“LET’S GO FISHING” - FREE CLINIC TO TRAIN INSTRUCTORS
INTRODUCTION TO BEE KEEPING - FREE PRESENTATION
LOCAL CHI RUNNING CLINIC 
BASEBALL & SOFTBALL SIGNUPS
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
VOTER INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
BERLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOARD OF DIRECTORS CANDIDATES
SURVEY REGARDING SCHOOL GOVERNANCE / SCHOOL MANAGEMENT
TOWN MEETING DAY LUNCH
TATUM'S TOTES - FOR KIDS GOING INTO FOSTER CARE
BUS STOP CONVERSATIONS IS ONLINE
BERLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION & SCREENING
CHARTER CHANGE REVISITS BERLIN POND ISSUE
JOB OPENING: OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR AT GMT (GMTA) - BERLIN REGION
ANNUAL ALL YOU CAN EAT PIE BREAKFAST AT RUMNEY MEMORIAL SCHOOL
MORE ON DAN LINDNER
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BANJO DAN'S SONGS OF VERMONT #4
The Sleeping Sentinel: Banjo Dan's Songs of Vermont #4 - Dan Lindner has a brief video to tell you about the project he's working on which is a must see.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1081560633/the-sleeping-sentinel-banjo-dans-songs-of-vermont
Note, support through this Kickstarter campaign is vital for this project to continue and those who support this effort will receive advance copies of the CD and potentially other incentives.
If you missed the previous post on this topic, it's included at the end but really what you need to know is in the video at the above link.
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“LET’S GO FISHING” - FREE CLINIC TO TRAIN INSTRUCTORS
The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is seeking volunteers to become “Let’s Go Fishing” instructors so they can pass on Vermont’s phenomenal fishing tradition to the next generation of Vermonters.
Fish & Wildlife will host a one-day training workshop for new instructors to the “Let’s Go Fishing” program on March 12 at 190 Junction Road in Berlin.
Instructors in the “Let’s Go Fishing,” all volunteers, go on to organize and instruct clinics in their communities for young people and their families.  The class in informal and it is not necessary to have a high level of fishing expertise to become an instructor, Hart said.
Participants in the training workshops will learn how to teach a fishing clinic, in addition to learning about fishing ethics, aquatic ecology, fisheries management, habitat conservation, tackle craft and, of course, the basics of casting.
Those attending the “Let’s Go Fishing” training workshop receive a certificate that says they passed the course. There is no cost to participate, and lunch is provided.
The workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pre-registration is required and you must be 18 to participate. Register by March 1 by calling 505-5562.
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INTRODUCTION TO BEE KEEPING - FREE PRESENTATION
Sheri Englert of Vermont Bee Keeping Supply will present an Introduction to Bee Keeping on Thursday, February 25, from 6:30 pm until 8:00 pm at the Barn at North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier (73 Elm St Montpelier). Bee keeping is an increasing popular endeavor for those who not only enjoy fresh honey, but also want to help bee populations expand.
Sheri and her husband, Marke, have introduced over 200 people to the delights of bee keeping over the past two years. Sheri’s passion for bees began almost 20 years ago. Then a couple of years ago, Sheri and Marke decided to combine her love for bees and Marke’s woodworking skills and opened Vermont Bee Keeping Supply.
This presentation is free and open to the public, sponsored by the Central VT Chapter of UVM Extension Master Gardeners
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LOCAL CHI RUNNING CLINIC 
Would you like to run efficiently and stay injury free while logging your miles? 
The Chi Running Essentials Clinic includes several hours of instruction in a single 1/2 day course. Certified Chi Running Instructor Sarah Richardson will guide you through exercises and drills designed to leave you with a clear sense of what the Chi Running technique feels like in your body. We will not be doing lots of running (contrary to what you might imagine), so no matter what condition you are in, have no fear. We will spend time alternating between demonstrations, fun exercises and technique drills ... the nature of the day will be relaxed, full and inspiring. You will get lots of personal attention and enjoy a rich learning experience packed with good information to help you run injury-free for the rest of your life. 
When: Saturday, February 20th
Time:
8:45am-1:45pm
Where:
Berlin Elementary School Gymnasium
Cost: $125 per individual or $200 for a pair
Pre-Registration Required
Register at: 
https://riseandshine.coachesconsole.com/chi-running.html
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BASEBALL & SOFTBALL SIGN-UPS
The baseball and softball season is right around the corner. There will be two sign-up nights on March 17th 6-7pm and March 21st 6-7pm at the Berlin Elementary School Library.
The registration fee for the first child is $35. If you have two or more players it is $70 for a family rate. Checks can be made payable to the Montpelier Rec Dept. After April 1st a $5 late fee will be assessed.  All registration forms are available on the school website at www.berlinelementaryschool.org and will also be available at the sign-up nights. 
(Please Note: when filling in your child’s age on the registration form use the applicable baseball or softball “age chart form” to determine your child’s league age. ) 
We need coaches!!! Anyone who would like to help coach will need to fill out a volunteer form. The volunteer form can be picked up in the front office at school.
If you have any questions please contact Jason Giroux at Jason.d.giroux.mil@mail.mil or at 802-505-4014 
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UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
Sewer Commission meets Monday, February 22nd 7pm at the Town Office.
Pre Town Meeting is Monday, February 29th 6pm at Berlin Elementary School.
Town Meeting is Tuesday, March 1st 10am at Berlin Elementary School There are a couple items on the floor to be voted on including a request from Capital City Grange to have their taxes exempted.  Lunch will be available for $5 served by the Berlin Volunteer Fire Dept. & Ladies Auxiliary.  Polls are open 10am – 7pm.
The Development Review Board meeting for March 1st has been cancelled. 
Berlin PTNA (Parent Teacher Neighbor Assoc) Thursday, March 3, 6:30pm at the school
Berlin Elementary School Board meeting, Monday, March 14 6:!5pm at the school
Central VT Little League Sign-ups March 17 & 21 6pm at the school
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VOTER INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
If you are a Vermont resident you can register to vote on line at: https://olvr.sec.state.vt.us
You can also stop by the Town Clerk's office to register.
The deadline to register to be able to vote on Town Meeting Day, which includes the Presidential Primary Election, is Wednesday February 24, 2016 at 5pm (the Town Clerk's office will be open late to accommodate those wishing to register to vote).
Early / Absentee Ballots for registered voters can be requested from the Town Clerk.
Please call 229-9298 with questions.
Note: Same day voter registration does not become effective in Vermont until January 2017.
Pre Town Meeting is Monday, February 29th 6pm at Berlin Elementary School.
In Berlin, Town Meeting is Tuesday, March 1st 10am at Berlin Elementary School. The polls will be open 10am - 7pm.
Join your friends and neighbors for lunch at the school served by the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department / Ladies Auxiliary, only $5.00.
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BERLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOARD OF DIRECTORS CANDIDATES
Only one of the school board seats is contested, this is unfortunate as although nobody likes to lose, having a choice is good.  The last time there was a contested school board seat, it was won by only one vote.  Get out and vote as each and every vote counts!
The folks who are on the ballot running for seats on the Board of Directors have sent in the following information:
JASON GIROUX
Dear Berlin Voters,
My name is Jason Giroux. In October I was appointed to be on the Berlin Elementary School Board. The position I took is up for re-election this town meeting day. My name is on the ballot and I would really like to continue to serve on the Berlin Elementary School Board. 
I have four children at Berlin Elementary school in Pre-K, 1st, 3rd, and 6th grade.  I am proud to be a resident of Berlin, and always try to be aware of any issues and/or activities within the school and town.
By continuing to serve on the School Board I will assist the other board members by setting the vision for our community, make and adhere to policies that keep our children safe and keep them on track for success in their education, prepare the budget for the school and assist in setting and achieving various goals for the school.
What I have brought to the school board and will continue to bring to the School Board is hard work, determination, leadership, organization, and dedication. I know that one board member simply cannot do the job alone, and I look forward to working as a team with the other board members. I work very hard, and I do not rest until all issues have been resolved.
On Town Meeting Day March 1st 2016 I hope I can earn your vote to continue to serve on the Berlin Elementary School Board.
Sincerely,
Jason D. Giroux
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CHRIS WINTERS
My name is Chris Winters and I am running for re-election to a three year seat on the Berlin Elementary School (BES) Board. I am an attorney and I work in the Secretary of State’s Office. I have four children. Two of them attend BES. I live in West Berlin with my wife Sarah, who is very active with the PTNA. We both have coached soccer and baseball for Berlin students. I love our small community and really appreciate everything Berlin has to offer. I want to continue making a difference in our town.
My first two years on the BES board have been both rewarding and frustrating. It has been a pleasure to work with and learn more about the dedicated staff we have at BES and their passion for doing right by our children. I am glad to be a part of that and am excited about the future for these kids. At the same time, the budget process is a difficult one and I have struggled mightily with some of our funding decisions. I think we have responsibly managed the budget to the best of our abilities in the face of a decline in enrollment and a difficult and shifting state funding mechanism.
I hope to focus more in the coming years on the necessary challenge of upgrading the deteriorating systems in our school building and achieving the goals we have set as a board around academic achievement, better communication and community involvement, making Berlin an attractive place to raise a family. I welcome your input on the many issues facing our school board today and would appreciate your vote on March 1st. 
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AMY TUCKER
Hello, my name is Amy Tucker, and I am running for re-election for the two-year Berlin School Board position.  Two years ago I joined a relatively newly structured Board in the midst of being faced with many different challenges within the school.  We have worked together to create several different Board goals in order to prioritize our focuses and I believe that although there has definitely been much accomplished, there is always more to be done.   I am the Berlin School Board representative on the School Board Negotiations Committee and we are currently negotiating the next contract. 
I would like to be given the opportunity to continue working on such an enthusiastic Board so I can be part of making quality decisions for both our community and students!  I am a resident of Berlin and have three children who all attend Berlin Elementary School and are actively engaged in sports and music programs. 
Thank you.
 Amy Tucker
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VERA FRAZIER
I would like to express my interest in continuing as a Board Member for the remaining one-year of an original three-year term. I offer several reasons why I believe I could help the school board as a fellow board member. I care about public education as a citizen and a parent. Public education is crucial in our community. I understand how excellent schools affect civic pride, property values and the sense of unity in a diverse town as Berlin. I am committed to Berlin, my family has lived in Berlin since 1963. I have served as a Board Member for over 6 years and feel that I can bring that knowledge to an ever changing board. My perspective will be informed by community members, staff, students and 18 years of business experience.
Thanks for your consideration.
Vera Frazier  
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GEORGE GROSS
My name is George Gross and I am running for a two year seat on the school board for Berlin Elementary School. I am the owner and operator of Dog River Farm on Route 12 where I live with my wife Julie and our two kids.
I was a public school teacher for 15 years and hold a Masters in Education and know my way around schools
I am interested in being a part of our elementary school board as we transition through a very interesting time in Vermont educational history. I feel I can provide very meaningful insight as to what makes a school run properly and successfully.
I hope to be a community member that you can speak to freely and openly to bring challenges and successes that you see with our school. 
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SURVEY REGARDING SCHOOL GOVERNANCE / SCHOOL MANAGEMENT
Under Act 46, approved by the legislature in 2015, a Washington Central Supervisory Union study committee (composed of representatives from the five towns) is studying whether there is a form of school governance-school management-other than our current system of six separate school boards that would aid us in providing a better education for all our PreK-12 students at a sustainable cost. The focus of the law is on the consolidation of school management (school boards); it does not speak to the issue of consolidating schools - i.e. fewer schools. With declining school population in the WCSU district and across the state, fewer schools may, in fact, become the norm; but that is not what is under consideration in the current study.
The study committee is charged with producing either a specific recommendation or an update on its progress by June 30, 2016. Any recommendation will be voted on by the citizens of each of our five towns of Berlin, Calais, East Montpelier, Middlesex, and Worcester.
This survey of the residents of our five towns is a critical piece of the work of the study committee that will allow the committee members to understand more deeply the values and ideas of the citizens we represent so that any recommendation can reflect those aspirations and feelings. The committee has worked with students from U-32's classes in statistics and journalism on this survey and will continue to collaborate with the students on the analysis and presentation of the results to the communities of WCSU.
Please complete this short questionnaire by March 2, 2016. It should take no more than 15 minutes. Please click the survey link below:
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TOWN MEETING DAY LUNCH
Tuesday, March 1st join your friends and neighbors at Berlin Elementary School for lunch provided by the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department and Ladies Auxiliary. 
Soup - Vegetable or Corn Chowder
Sandwiches - Egg Salad, Tuna Salad, or Ham Salad
Dessert - Tapioca or Chocolate Pudding
Beverage - Coffee Decaf. or Reg., Tea, Hot Chocolate, or Punch
Only $5.00
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TATUM'S TOTES - FOR KIDS GOING INTO FOSTER CARE
Green Mountain United Way is seeking donations to support the Tatum's Totes program which provides backpacks or diaper bags for babies and children being removed from their home into foster care. Backpacks are filled to help bring comfort and provide items that children need during sudden transition. We are looking for personal care items, books, water bottles, art supplies, journals, stuffed animals, gloves/hats, rattles, blankets, small games or toys and other useful items able to fit in backpacks. All size/age backpacks needed as well. New items only please. Each bag will be designed by age and gender and delivered to DCF for children in need. Contact Pam at pbailey@gmunitedway.org for more info and to donate items. Thank you!
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BUS STOP CONVERSATIONS IS ONLINE
Current issue includes:
Creating a Generation of "Givers" at Calais Elementary.
Common Level of Appraisal and other Mysteries of School Funding.
Washington Central wants to hear from you - take the quick survey to tell the Act 46 Study Committee what is important to you.  
Assembly on Opiate Addiction at U-32 
See current events, board minutes and pictures of the Latin Dinner Dance in the current issue of Bus Stop Conversations: http://www.u32.org/grades9-12/images/pdf/bus_stop/bus_stop2.17.16.pdf
Also, if you’d like to subscribe to Bus Stop Conversations and receive it in your in box every two weeks during the school year, please send us an email. Send to: dwolf@u32.org with "subscribe Bus Stop" in the subject.
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BERLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION & SCREENING
Friday, March 18, 2016 - For students not currently enrolled in Preschool at Berlin Elementary, who will be 5 years old ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2016.
Please call Cally Clifton, Administrative Assistant, at 223-2796, Ext. 121, to schedule an appointment to register your child for next fall’s kindergarten class. A copy of your child’s birth certificate, current immunization record and two documents verifying your legal residence must be brought with you on registration day.
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CHARTER CHANGE REVISITS BERLIN POND ISSUE
Pub. 2/18/16 Times Argus by Gina Tron
MONTPELIERMontpelier is hoping it can take back control of Berlin Pond and its source of drinking water.
Residents will vote for a charter change on the upcoming March 1 Town Meeting Day ballot, but if it passes it could mean more bad blood between Montpelier and Berlin on the issue of the pond.
“I think it sets a bad precedent giving one municipality control over assets that lie in another municipality,” said Ture Nelson, Berlin Select Board chairman, on Tuesday. “Personally, I’m against it.”
“I do want to be a good neighbor to Berlin, but I don’t want to do it at a price of our drinking water,” said Montpelier City Councilor Dona Bate.
Article 14 of Montpelier’s ballot asks residents to vote on whether Montpelier should have the authority to regulate and protect its water supply. If Montpelier residents vote in support of the charter change, it still requires approval from the Legislature.
Debate over how Berlin Pond is used has gone on for years, even playing out in court, and hasn’t always been pleasant.
“There is a lot of less-than positive reactions. Montpelier has been perceived as the Goliath and Berlin as David,” said Bate.
She said the city controlled the pond for more than 100 years. The pond is the capital’s sole source of drinking water.
In 2009, Barre Town residents Cedric and Leslie Sanborn were cited by Montpelier police to appear in court for kayaking on the lake. Bate said they were kayaking with the intention of being arrested. The couple brought that incident all the way to the Vermont Supreme Court, which, in 2012, ruled that the state — not Montpelier — had the right to regulate recreational activity on Berlin Pond.
The ruling essentially created “open access” to Berlin Pond for state-sanctioned recreational purposes, unless and until the state ceded its authority to regulate the pond to Montpelier. That is something they refused to do at the regulatory level, and a legislative fix proposed by Rep. Warren Kitzmiller, D-Montpelier, met resistance in committee and fizzled last year.
In 2014, a group called Citizens to Protect Berlin Pond was formed, and it petitioned the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources to restore the pond to Montpelier’s protection. That petition was backed by Montpelier Mayor John Hollar, the Montpelier City Council, Montpelier Conservation Commission and the Berlin Conservation Commission. Vermont Agency of Natural Resources rejected that petition to restrict access because experts in the field concluded that recreation was safe for the drinking water source.
Jed and Page Guertin, Montpelier residents, are unhappy with the state Supreme Court decision and Vermont Agency of Natural Resource’s stance. They claim that the court did not have the authority to open up the pond for recreation. They said there are no state regulations in Vermont regarding drinking water, and that is the underlying problem.
“Municipalities should have the right to control their drinking water source,” said Bate. “We should keep the water as pure as we can so that we use the least amount of chemicals to make it (potable according to) federal guidelines.”
She worries about recreation negatively affecting the drinking water, citing human waste from ice fishermen as an example.
Bate said she feels sorry that Berlin and Montpelier are butting heads on the issue, adding that she believes the majority of Berlin Select Board members are against the charter change.
“Even though there are about 37 different ponds within a 20-mile radius of Berlin where you can fish, boat and kayak, that doesn’t seem to be enough options for some,” she said. “That’s disappointing that people can’t understand that this is a pond that is a drinking water source.”
In a November 2012 nonbinding vote, Berlin residents strongly supported recreational use of the pond.
Barre’s drinking water comes from Orange Reservoir, and fishing is allowed on certain areas of that body of water.
Many people using Berlin Pond for recreation are from other nearby communities, not just Montpelier and Berlin.
“Just from a public policy standpoint, I think it would be a bad idea for this (charter change) to go through and be approved by the Legislature,” said Nelson. “To me its just bad public policy to allow one municipality to have control over another municipality. What would prevent another municipality from getting a charter change and approval from the Legislature for some other reason? It’s just the start of a slippery slope.”
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JOB OPENING: OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR AT GMT (GMTA) - BERLIN REGION
Join our team of operations supervisors responsible for the daily field support & supervision of us drivers at Green Mountain Transit (formerly CCTA & GMTA).
Responsibilities include:
Providing support & assistance to drivers & customers & facilitating customer service.
Participating in training new bus drivers.
Assisting with accident investigations.
Some Saturday work is required. Other responsibilities include conducting on – board driver evaluations, monitoring radio communications, & field / road observation.
The ideal candidate will have a college degree, experience as a driver, & supervisory experience. Other transportation or similar experience may be substituted. A CDL with passenger endorsement is required or the ability to obtain one with 90 days of the date of hire.
GMT has a generous benefit package that includes health, dental & vision insurances, life; AD&D, short – term disability, & long – term disability insurances; retirement through a 457 plan, with company match after 1 year of service, a flexible spending plan & health reimbursement arrangement, Employee Assistance Program, & free and unlimited rides on all GMT bus routes.
To apply for this position, please download an application from cctaride.org. Submit the application, along with a cover letter & resume in one of the following ways (no phone calls please): via email to jobs@cctaride.org, via fax to (802) 864 - 5564, or via mail to: GMT, 15 Industrial Parkway, Burlington, VT 05401.
GMT is an Equal Opportunity Employer & committed to a diverse workforce.
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ANNUAL ALL YOU CAN EAT PIE BREAKFAST AT RUMNEY MEMORIAL SCHOOL
Saturday, March 19th 9am - 11am Sweet pies, savory pies, gluten free pies, yummy pies. To be part of this delicious pie eating event costs only $7 per person or bring your own plate/cup/utensils for $1 off admission, under 3 is free. This event supports the Rumney School PTO enrichment activities like Flynn Theatre trips and Artist in Residency programs as well as the Middlesex Bandstand Summer Concert Series. There will be live music and a 50/50 raffle.
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Previously posted, but repeating in case you missed it, slightly updated:
SONGWRITER DAN LINDNER RETELLS THE BIG BANG OF BERLIN
Songwriter Dan Lindner is preparing to record a new volume in his series “Banjo Dan’s Songs of Vermont.” Dan’s original Vermont songs have earned him the reputation of one of our state’s top chroniclers of Vermont history, legend and lore and his albums have been praised in reviews nation-wide. 
“I love to dig into these great old Vermont stories and turn them into music,” says Lindner.  “It makes them accessible and memorable to so many more people.”  In fact, one of his most popular tunes, “Song for Margaret,” has a direct connection to Berlin, as the monument of the little girl in Green Mount Cemetery was carved by a granite sculptor here in our town
Dan is preparing a new album of Vermont songs whose centerpiece will be a suite of songs and tunes based on the Green Mountain State’s role in the Civil War.  It will also include several songs based on stories coming out of other towns.  Our own history will be celebrated in “The Big Bang of Berlin,” a song he wrote last year at the request of Maudean Neill.  Most folks in our town will be familiar with this incident from 1932 and this song will take them down memory lane to the time of that awful explosion.  And now music lovers from all over will have a chance to learn about the event that rocked our town.
Recording of the new Banjo Dan album will depend upon the success of a Kickstarter campaign which has started and will run until March 31st, and Dan has asked the Berlin Historical Society to spread the word around Berlin.  Interested parties have the opportunity to pledge at various levels and if the fundraising goal is met by the deadline those pledges are called in and the project goes forward.  Everyone entering a pledge will receive an advance autographed copy of the new CD, and the rewards add up with higher pledges – right up to a concert in your very own home!  If the goal is not met, no pledges are collected, the project is canceled, and you haven’t lost a dime.  There is a fantastic five minute video about the project at:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1081560633/the-sleeping-sentinel-banjo-dans-songs-of-vermont
You may enjoy information that can be found at www.banjodan.com
Dan has asked us to thank the town of Berlin for the inspiration behind one of his new songs, and for the opportunity to tell you about his new recording project and how you can participate.

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Berlin News to Know February 2nd

BERLIN NEWS TO KNOW February 2, 2016
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This communication is put together and distributed on a volunteer basis by resident Corinne Stridsberg simply in an effort to share information and build community, it is not from the town of Berlin.
Please share this with your Berlin friends and neighbors.  If you're not already receiving this news directly by email, send an email to request this to corinnestridsberg@gmail.com.
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For current news look for "BerlinVermont" on facebook for a constant flow of information.  You don't need to be a facebook user to access it, but if you do use facebook, be sure to "Like" it:

For historical news look for "BerlinVermont Memories" on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BerlinVermontMemories
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Notes:
The Town Report went to the printers last week and will be ready to distribute about mid February in time to send a copy home to each of the families who have a child at Berlin Elementary School before they are out on their vacation.  Others will be able to pick them up at the Town office.

The next quarterly tax payment is due Wednesday, February 17th

Kohls is scheduled to open on February 28th

Below you will find:
FREE CREPES TODAY AT SKINNY PANCAKE
DRB ON JUNCTION ROAD PROJECT
DOG LICENSES 2016
OUTDOOR JOURNAL - BERLIN POND
JOB FAIR AT CVMC
BALLOTS / REGISTER TO VOTE
CHILDREN'S CLOTHING EXCHANGE
BERLIN PREDICTS DROPS IN TAX RATE
BERLIN MALL FEARS WORST FROM OPTIONS TAX
VOTING ISSUE MAY DERAIL LOCAL OPTION IN BERLIN
BERLIN BOARD RESCINDS TAX VOTE
MOORE: ANNUAL MEETING FOCUS TO BE LOCAL OPTION TAX

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FREE CREPES TODAY AT SKINNY PANCAKE
International Crepe Day - Free crepes all day Tuesday, February 2nd at the Skinny Pancake.  You can ask for a Nutella, pooh bear, or pure simple crepe.  City Center in Montpelier, Tuesday hours 8am - 8pm
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DRB ON JUNCTION ROAD PROJECT
The Development Review Board meets today, Tuesday, February 2nd 7pm at the Town Office.  On the agenda is a request for a permit for a project on Junction Road.
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DOG LICENSES 2016
Dog licenses are the law across the state.  The Towns keep a portion of the fee and the state gets the rest for rabies control and to go toward state subsidies to spay or neuter animals.  Having your dog registered can also help reunite your dog with you.
Animal license 2016
On or before April 1st the fee to have your dog licensed is
$9 for spayed / neutered dogs
$11 for unspayed / unneutered
Please make sure we have a current rabies vaccination for your animal.
After April 1st: $13 for spayed / neutered dogs and $17 for unspayed / unneutered
The increase this year is due to an increase of the State spay/neuter surcharge
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OUTDOOR JOURNAL - BERLIN POND
Vermont PBS, nine minute video on Berlin Pond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SRZLBzi164&feature=youtu.be
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JOB FAIR AT CVMC
A job fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 5 at University of Vermont Health Network-Central Vermont Medical Center, or CVMC.
The job fair is open to anyone in the community interested in the health care industry.
Recruiters and managers will be on hand to answer questions about the wide variety of career opportunities available at the medical center.
Cover letters and resumes are encouraged.
The event will be held in conference rooms 1 and 2 on the lower level of the hospital at CVMC’s main campus located at 130 Fisher Road in Berlin.
For more information, visit www.uvmhealth.org/cvmc.
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BALLOTS / REGISTER TO VOTE
Please stop by the Town Clerk's Office for an Early / Absentee Ballot.  You can also call 229-9298 and request one be mailed to you.  If you're not yet a registered voter, you can fill out a form in the Town Clerk's office or ask to have one mailed to you. 
It's also now possible to register to vote on line: https://olvr.sec.state.vt.us/
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CHILDREN'S CLOTHING EXCHANGE
The second Saturday of every month there will be a children's clothing exchange at the Capital City Grange on Route 12 in Berlin 9:30-11:30am Bring what you can, take what you need for newborns through a Junior 12. Please bring clean and gently used items.
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BERLIN PREDICTS DROPS IN TAX RATE
Pub 1/23/16 Times Argus by David Delcore
BERLIN — Thanks to a growing Grand List, Town Administrator Dana Hadley is cautiously predicting the municipal portion of the town’s tax rate could drop by more than 2 cents during the coming fiscal year.
Hadley’s estimate assumes voters approve the $2.75 million spending plan that was adopted by the Select Board earlier this week, as well as more than $310,000 in special funding requests that will join the board’s budget request on this year’s Town Meeting Day ballot.
Fueled by construction of a new Kohl’s department store at the Berlin Mall and recent redevelopment along the Barre-Montpelier Road, Hadley is projecting the Grand List — a figure equal to 1 percent of the value of all taxable property in town — will increase by roughly $5 million before the tax rate is set in July.
If Hadley’s estimate is in the ballpark, the municipal portion of the local tax rate would drop from 46.3 cents to 44 cents per $100 in assessed property value.
Though Hadley is confident there will be a significant spike in the Grand List, he said if it were to remain unchanged the spending requests that will be reflected on the ballot the board will finalize when it meets on Monday would trigger a 1.3-cent rate hike.
That translates into paying an extra $13 for every $100,000 of taxable value, or a $26 increase in property taxes for the owner of a home assessed at $200,000.
Most of that increase can be traced to the $2.75 million general fund budget and an associated capital fund that were adopted by the board this week. The combined requests call for spending about $164,000 more than the $2.6 million budget voters approved a year ago, an increase of 6.3 percent.
The vast majority of that increase — more than $133,000 — is reflected in a proposed capital budget that contemplates the acquisition of a new truck for the highway department.
The proposed increased in the town’s operating budget is a little less than $31,000, or about 1.2 percent.
The board is banking on a $96,000 increase in revenue — including $125,000 in proceeds from the loan for the $165,000 truck — to largely offset the increased expenses. Once the revenues are applied, the net increase is roughly $56,000, or 2.85 percent.
The gap between the cost of operating the local police department and maintaining and upgrading town roads continues to narrow, under the budget proposed by the board. This year’s budget calls for spending approximately $912,000 on the police department and $996,000 on town highways. However, due largely to a 3 percent pay raise negotiated with the police union, the cost of that department is expected to climb to $938,500 during the coming fiscal year, while the cost of running the highway department is projected to drop to $973,000.
Hadley said payroll savings associated with turnover on the highway crew, coupled with the shedding of a $45,000 loan payment and projected fuel savings are largely responsible for what amounts to a $23,000 reduction in the proposed highway budget.
In addition to the budget request, voters will be asked to approve more than $310,000 in special funding requests — the combined requests are more than $34,000 higher than the amount voters approved a year ago.
Although the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department’s $245,000 request is responsible for most of the total, it accounts for only $3,000 of the requested increase. Most of the increase — more than $28,000 — is tied to the Kellogg-Hubbard Library’s renewed request for funding from Berlin. In what some residents view as a troubling trend, voters rejected a similar request from the Montpelier-based library last year and the year before that. Thanks to a successful petition drive, they will get another chance on Town Meeting Day.
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BERLIN MALL FEARS WORST FROM OPTIONS TAX
Pub 1/22/16 Times Argus by David Delcore
BERLIN — A Select Board that isn’t completely sold on the idea has decided to give voters the chance to approve a 1 percent sales tax in business-friendly Berlin.
Following a pair of public hearings during which the proposed local options tax was predictably panned by some from the business community, the board set the stage for a March 1 vote by agreeing to include the question on this year’s Town Meeting Day ballot.
Wednesday’s decision was anything but enthusiastic and capped a brief discussion that saw the lawyer for the town’s largest taxpayer renew his client’s objection to a tax he feared might make the Berlin Mall less attractive to both shoppers and prospective tenants.
“The town is running the risk of killing the goose that lays the golden egg,” Charles Storrow said, suggesting that at a time when Vermont malls are competing with tax-free New Hampshire and shopping on the Internet is becoming increasingly popular, “one more disincentive” in the form of an optional sales tax wasn’t helpful.
“We would respectfully request that you not do this,” he said speaking on behalf of the mall’s owners.
And then the board did, though Selectman Brad Towne stressed his support for the ballot question proposed by board member Jeremy Hansen shouldn’t be viewed as an endorsement.
“I can’t say I’m really in favor of it,” Towne said of the proposed tax that would add 1 percent to the state’s 6 percent sales tax.
“I think if I were going to vote on it (Hansen’s motion) I would vote on it just to get it before the voters,” he added.
Selectman Pete Kelley said he felt the same way.
“Let’s put it out there and let the people decide,” he said. “Technically, that’s sort of our job isn’t it?”
With the exception of perhaps a dozen people who spoke at one of two public hearings — including the one held prior to the board’s regular meeting Monday — Kelley said he had received surprisingly little feedback involving an alternative tax that could be a source of new revenue for the town.
According to Hansen’s conservative estimates, a 1 percent sales tax could net the town $420,000 in new revenue — money the ballot question that was ultimately approved by the board suggests would be used to “lower local property taxes.”
There’s irony there, because both Towne and Kelley openly questioned whether — at least in the short term — that would be the most prudent use of a revenue windfall.
In a conversation that was prompted by Chairman Ture Nelson, Towne said his preference would be to see at least some of the new money dedicated to infrastructure improvements. Kelley went further, suggesting the board should consider paying off existing debt, knocking off some paving projects, and making major equipment purchases before simply “getting the money and giving it away” in the form of a significant rate reduction.
“I think to put it to (reduce) property taxes right off the bat is the least efficient use of the money possible,” he said.
In a perfect world Kelley said the board would have the flexibility to pay off what it owes and deal with looming projects and equipment purchases before funneling new money directly into the General Fund.
“If it’s my money that’s what I would do with it,” he said.
Nelson wondered whether there might be a middle ground between the strategy suggested by Kelley and the ballot language proposed by Hansen.
“The way it’s worded right now, we’re giving everybody a piece of cake,” he said. “Instead of giving them a piece of cake could we give them a cookie or a cracker?”
Nelson said the idea of using some of the option tax revenue for property tax relief and some to make targeted improvements might be preferable to the “bring the town up to snuff” and then share the wealth concept outlined by Kelley.
“The concern (with that approach) is …we pay down the loans and we do the roads and then when we’re at the point where we think we’re caught up, we don’t stop,” he said.
Hansen said he believed the language he proposed would give the board the flexibility it needed to make “necessary and reasonable adjustments to the budget” while using local option tax revenue to lower the municipal portion of the property tax.
“We’re not going to go on a shopping spree,” he said.
The $420,000 revenue estimate that has been used by Hansen is believed to be a conservative number and should swell with next month’s opening of a Kohl’s department store at the mall. Even if it doesn’t, in a town where every penny on the tax rate raises roughly $50,000, the town’s 70 percent share of $600,000 in projected sales tax revenue would trim roughly 8.5 cents from a municipal tax rate that currently stands at 47.6-cents-per-$100-assessed property value.
That translates to $85 in annual savings for every $100,000 of assessed property value and, Nelson noted, a potential $12,000 decrease in the tax bill for the multi-million-dollar mall.
Storrow wasn’t swayed.
“Why mess with a good thing,” he said.
The board ultimately backed the ballot language proposed by Hansen, though if Kelley is right it won’t matter much.
“I don’t think it’s going to pass,” he predicted.
History is on Kelley’s side because the last time a local option tax was on the ballot in Berlin it was rejected by nearly a three-to-one margin. The 121-351 vote in March 2001 didn’t end discussion of a local tax, though plans to warn a Town Meeting Day vote in 2005 were scrapped after voters in Barre and Montpelier easily defeated a proposed 1 percent tax on sales, rooms, meals and alcohol in November 2004.
The idea has been revived again and following a soft show of support for a non-binding question at town meeting last year, Hansen and members of the town’s recently reconstituted economic development committee have recommended the local tax.
david.delcore @timesargus.com
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VOTING ISSUE MAY DERAIL LOCAL OPTION IN BERLIN
Pub 1/27/16 Times Argus by David Delcore
BERLIN — An unexpected wrinkle involving the process for approving a local sales tax in Berlin could prompt the Select Board to abort plans to pop that question on Town Meeting Day.
The issue, which surfaced during a special board meeting on Monday, turned what should have been a formality — approving the warning for the March 1 elections — into an information-gathering assignment for Town Administrator Dana Hadley.
One of the questions that Hadley was asked to answer before the board regroups later today, is whether members’ strong preference to have the tax question decided by Australian ballot is, for lack of a better term, a local option.
Based on Hadley’s research, it doesn’t appear to be. At least not if the board wants voters to decide the matter on March 1.
That’s the word from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, which, Hadley said, essentially affirmed Town Clerk Rosemary Morse’s decision to include the local option tax question on the short list of articles that voters still decide during what little remains of Berlin’s traditional town meeting.
Though Berlin voters have long used Australian ballot to settle local elections and approve funding requests from an assortment of nonprofit agencies, and more recently agreed to adopt municipal and school budgets in the same fashion, they have specifically refused to completely abandon the traditional floor votes.
Some questions, like bond issues, and amendments to zoning bylaws and to municipal charters, are required by state law to be decided by Australian ballot, but in Berlin voters have reserved the right consider all other “public questions” ­— even if that only involves electing a moderator or deciding when property tax payments should be due — on the floor of town meeting.
In 2009, Berlin voters who attended town meeting handily rejected, 14-78, an article to decide all “public questions” by Australian ballot.
That has been Morse’s understanding, so when she prepared the Town Meeting Day warning for the board’s approval she included the local option tax question, as well as the Capital City Grange’s request for a 10-year tax exemption, on the list of items to be decide by those who attend town meeting this year.
“All ‘public questions’ should be voted from the floor,” Morse explained Tuesday. “(The local option tax proposal) is a ‘public question.’”
Morse said she could not explain why a broader package of public option taxes were rejected, 121-351, during a Town Meeting Day vote that was conducted by Australian ballot in 2001.
“That was before my time,” she said, suggesting it was probably fortunate the tax was rejected because the adoption process was flawed.
The Select Board had hoped to attract a broader cross section of the community than typically turns out for what has become a watered down town meeting to weigh in the renewed request for a 1 percent sales tax.
On Monday, members asked Hadley to determine whether the Australian ballot was a possibility either on or after Town Meeting Day before they finalized the warning.
And here’s where the board could have a decision to make: While it appears clear the current proposal would have to be decided on the floor of an open town meeting, a proposed charter change incorporating the same language must be warned for an Australian ballot vote.
The board is already contemplating a package of charter changes, but missed a key deadline for including them on the Town Meeting Day ballot. While pursuing a charter change for a local option tax would likely delay implementation of the tax until next year, it would necessitate an Australian ballot vote.
The alternative would be to press ahead with a March 1 floor vote on a proposal that has predictably drawn fire from some in the business community and would be subject to the whims of a comparatively small sliver of the local electorate.
“That’s a choice for the board,” Hadley said, setting the stage for today’s special meeting, which is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. at the town offices on Shed Road.
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BERLIN BOARD RESCINDS TAX VOTE
Pub 1/29/16 Times Argus by David Delcore
BERLIN — The Select Board has officially pressed “pause” on a plan to ask voters to create a 1 percent sales tax, in Berlin, unanimously agreeing to rescind their week-old decision to include the question on the Town Meeting Day warning that was approved during a special meeting Wednesday.
Unwilling to roll the dice on how the measure might fare on the floor of what has, in recent years, been a poorly attended town meeting, and unable to legally include the article on the lengthy list of questions voters will decide by Australian ballot, the board agreed to abandon plans for a March 1 vote.
“I feel that this topic is important enough that as many voters as possible should be given the opportunity to weigh in on it,” Chairman Ture Nelson said, suggesting that simply wouldn’t be the case at town meeting.
“While I still fully support the local option tax in Berlin, and feel it’s a good direction for the town to go, I think, due to the historically low turnout we’ve had for the floor vote in past years, that it would be beneficial for us to take a step back and not act on it at … this time,” he said.
When it comes to the alternative tax proposal, failure on the floor of an open town meeting — poorly attended or not — would likely have been fatal for the foreseeable future. Rather than risk that, Nelson recommended the board pursue a strategy that sidesteps a belatedly discovered requirement that most “public questions” — the proposed local option tax among them — be voted on the floor of an open town meeting.
By reframing the newly scrapped question involving the local option tax as a proposed amendment to the town’s charter, Nelson said an Australian ballot vote could be warned in conjunction with the general election in November. By law, charter changes must be approved using the day-long voting system Berlin has long used to settle local elections and, more recently, adopt municipal and school budget proposals.
Though the board maintained, and still believes, that Berlin is among the communities that aren’t required to change their charters in order to enact a local option tax, Nelson said that now appears to be the “cleanest way” to test support for an idea that was soundly rejected during a flawed vote 15 years ago.
With other proposed charter changes already in the works, Nelson recommended adding the 1 percent sales tax to the mix in anticipation of a November vote.
“I think that would be a good time to act on the option tax as part of the charter change process,” he said.
According to Nelson, turnout for the general election in November will likely be even higher than the town will see on March 1 — a fact he listed as one of the advantages associated with the board’s change of plans.
Nelson said the delay would also give the board more time to explain a tax that, according to its conservative estimates would raise roughly $420,000 a year and take some of the pressure off of the local property tax.
The article that was stripped from the warning indicated all proceeds from the proposed 1 percent tax on sales would be used to “lower property taxes” — a commitment Nelson said could be written into the proposed charter language.
Nelson said the strategy, which was ultimately embraced by the board, would also resolve any lingering doubts about whether a charter change similar to those being proposed in both Barre and Montpelier this year was actually needed in Berlin.
Board member Jeremy Hansen, who has been the most vocal proponent of the local sales tax, said Nelson’s arguments were compelling.
“I think that makes a lot of sense,” he said of the proposed November vote on a tax that has generated predictable pushback from some in the business community.
Owners of the Berlin Mall are on that list and a week after their lawyer tried unsuccessfully to discourage the board from agreeing to schedule a Town Meeting Day, one of them — Ken Simon — urged them not to cancel it.
Simon didn’t have a change of heart about the proposed tax, but Town Administrator Dana Hadley told the board that he called before Wednesday’s meeting to say that if the question is going to be asked, he favored an open meeting format that would give the mall a chance to “plead its case” before voters make their decision.
Board members didn’t discount Simon’s request, but their shared desire to put the question to a town-wide trumped it.
Though pursuing a charter change guarantees a vote by Australian ballot, Nelson said it is a more time-consuming process than the one the board initially anticipated. Regardless of the result, he said it would be worth the wait, because it would provide the board with the clearest reading of what townspeople think about what has become an increasingly popular idea.
A successful vote in November would require waiting for the charter change to work its way through the Legislature next year and probably postpone implementation of the new tax until July 1, 2017.
The board’s initial plan to bypass the charter change could have led to the tax being implemented as early as this April.
The only other option would have been to again ask voters at town meeting to approve all public questions by Australian ballot and subsequently warning an up-or-down vote on the proposed tax without changing the charter. That two-step process could conceivably have expedited things, but would have hinged on voters agreeing to do something they refused to six years ago when they agreed to preserve what little is left of their traditional town meeting.
Nelson said he favored a more direct approach.
“I think (proposing a) charter (change) would be the cleanest, easiest way to do this,” he said.
George Malek, a long-time critic of local option taxes who recently retired as president of the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce, wasn’t quite sure what to make of the board’s decision to abandon plans for a Town Meeting Day vote.
“Thank you, I think?” an uncertain Malek told the board.
“It’s not really ‘thank you,’” Nelson replied. “It (the tax proposal) is still there, it (the vote) is just going to be a little bit later.”
The board’s decision with respect to the option tax doesn’t leave much for voters to decide on the floor of this year’s town meeting. Other than electing a moderator, and approving a plan to pay property taxes in quarterly installment, the only other question on the warning is a 10-year tax exemption the Capital City Grange has requested for its property on Route 12. In exchange for the requested exemption the grange is offering Berlin residents free use of the hall “a minimum of two times a month.”
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MOORE: ANNUAL MEETING FOCUS TO BE LOCAL OPTION TAX
Pub 1/25/16 Times Argus / Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce
One of the great events for the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce is our annual meeting. This is the one opportunity that we have all year to collectively meet and celebrate all of the successes that we have enjoyed from the previous year. And what a year it was.
Perhaps the most significant event was an announcement. George Malek said that “it’s time to say good-bye.” Following 37 years of dynamic leadership, George told the board that he planned to retire at the end of the year. The chamber will never be the same. The Chamber has accomplished so much under George’s dedicated guidance that it is difficult to know where to begin. The Chamber today is a reflection of the vision and direction brought by George. The central Vermont business community owes a debt of gratitude to George and for that, we all thank you, George.
The chamber kicked off 2015 at the annual meeting with a presentation on development, focusing on the risks, rewards and motivation to build, renovate and own commercial space. That in turn has led to discussions at the Capitol concerning challenges that developers face. New talks have recently begun centered on extending the expiration dates in future permits that expire when an appeal is still pending, thereby requiring the applicant to re-apply.
Our annual legislative breakfast was a tremendous success as was our annual golf outing. Between our mixers and educational seminars chamber members had a variety of opportunities to network and grow their businesses.
This year’s annual meeting will be on Feb. 11 with a topical focus. We will be presenting “The 1 Percent Sting: Facts and Impacts of Local Option Taxes.” We will be exploring who the real “winners” and “losers” are when communities adopt local option taxes. Among those expressing their thoughts will be Jeff Blow from Jet Service Envelope Company in Berlin; Brian Cain from the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier; Greg Isabelle, president of Barre Electric and Lighting Supply in Berlin; and Mike Woodfield from First in Fitness, located in Berlin and Montpelier.
At the annual meeting, we will be thanking Leslie Sanborn from R & L Archery who is completing her second term as board chair and Gary Hass from World Publications who has completed his term on the board of directors. Lindel James from the Center for Leadership Skills has been nominated to serves as board chair. Those nominated to serve on the board include Joe Choquette from Downs, Rachlin, Martin, Cody Patno from Noyle W. Johnson Insurance and Amy White from Key Bank.
I invite you all to join us at our annual meeting. It will take place from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier. Please call us at 802-229-5711 for tickets ($35 per person) or for more information.
William Moore is the president of the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

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