Monthly Archives: February 2011

Submitted by Christine Fuller

The official Grand Opening Celebration for Black River Good Neighbor Services is planned for Saturday March 12th   from 11AM until 2PM, at their new location in the new Community Center Complex, 37B Main Street. Ludlow.

According to Peter LaBelle, President of BRGNS’s Board, the events will include a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at noon, refreshments for all, tours of the building and entertainment.  “We are very proud of what the organization has accomplished. It took over a year of planning and hundreds of hours of work by the Board, the staff and our faithful donors and volunteers to make this move a reality, now it’s time to celebrate” said Peter..

The entire community is invited to attend; there’ll be some Grand Opening specials and surprises throughout the day.  There’ll also be an opportunity to sign up for volunteering for those who are interested in becoming part of the BRGNS family

Black River Good Neighbor Services serves the communities of Ludlow, Mt. Holly, Cavendish, Proctorsville and Plymouth.  If you have any questions you may call the store at 802-228-3663.

Submitted by Laurie Marechaux

Creativity is the best way to deal with boredom, cabin fever, and the winter blues. G get creative and join in the fun at one of the Countries finest Arts and Crafts Schools located in Ludlow, VT.  What a great time to take on a new skill set in the field of Zen Drawing, this class is one day and will relax and rejuvenate your brain. This class on Feb. 27, 9:00am-4:00pm does not require and previous drawing experience. Or try your hand at Needle Felting on Feb. 28, 9:00am-4:00pm with Jane MacKugler and create your own menagerie of fictional, fantasy or cartoon characters.  

Joined renowned artist Chester Kasnowski for a two day Oil Pastel Immersion, painter’s, sketch artists and the like will enjoy this versatile medium. Chester is a highly accomplished painter, his works are in numerous private collections as well as museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, NY, the Guggenheim Museum, NY, the Tate Gallery, London and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. 

On March 4, 5, & 6, join master Felter, Nancy Dorian and learn the art of “Silk Dying and Nuno Felting”. This class is for all skill levels and felting is sweeping the nation in the Fiber Arts. 

Students do not need any prior skills to join any of our classes. All ages are welcome and please feel free to call if you would like to participate as a Parent and Child we will offer special pricing for you and your youngster! Group inquires welcome.

View all of our course offerings at www.fletcherfarm.org. Please call 802-228-8770 for a free course flyer or info on tuition pricing.  Please plan ahead so as to insure space availability in the course of your choice. One-on-one instruction is always emphasized in all of our classes. If you are a Ludlow, Cavendish or Proctorsville resident (age 7 & up) you are entitled to 50% off one class per calendar year. Register online or for a copy of our fall flyer call 802-228-8770.

The Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts is operated by the Society of Vermont Artists and Craftsmen, Inc. The Society has leased the campus and buildings that house the school from the Fletcher Farm Foundation, Inc. since 1947. The Society of Vermont Artists and Craftsmen, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) publicly supported organization.

By Senator Alice Nitka, Windsor County, February 17,  2011

It’s a surprise to some people that Michael Dubie, Vermont’s Adjutant and Inspector General who heads the National Guard is an elected official. Today was the day for the Legislature to hold a Joint Assembly of the House and Senate for the election. Some years there have been vigorous campaigns for the position, however this year there were only two persons running. Nominating speeches were given only for General Dubie and it wasn’t clear why the other candidate, Louis Thibault didn’t arrange one, although it isn’t a required part of the process.  The result of the election was an overwhelming vote for General Dubie of 151 to 2 with a standing ovation upon the announcement.  This is not surprising since there is tremendous respect in the building and around the state for General Dubie and his leadership of the Guard.

During Federal Fiscal Year 2010, the VT Military Department received approximately 197 million dollars of combined federal and state money. Your VT tax dollars provided $ 3,340,000 of that amount in general funds.  Presently, the Appropriations Committees in the House and Senate are working on the FY 2012 budget for the Military.  General Dubie and staff have provided their mission statement, supporting materials and their budget. The mission of the VT National Guard is, “Soldiers and Airmen of the VT National Guard serve, protect, and defend the citizens of our communities, state and nation; ensuring our security and preserving our freedoms.” The department is also required by state law to provide support to VT Veterans. The department is administered by the Adjutant General and includes the Army and Air Guard as well as a state work force which is a part of these operations. During the last six years, the Military Dept. has provided support to 2,500 deployed Army and Air Guard members during their participation in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other locations worldwide. They also are doing homeland security work in our own country.

Some very local work of the Air Fire Department is to provide fire protection and medical services to the Air Guard, Burlington International Airport and their tenants and mutual aid to Chittenden County. They also provide heavy rescue services to the city of Winooski and first response for the Northeast area of the city of South Burlington. In this very detailed budget, I did see a line for snow plowing at the airport and for airfield mowing to dissuade bird habitat in order to prevent bird strikes to moving aircraft. This is not an easy budget to prepare with its myriad pieces.

Airport Fire Fighter salaries range from $43,000 to $63,000. There are federal fund increases this year due to hiring 6 new Air Guard Fire Fighters. The federal payroll for the Military is $117 million and employed are 1,000 full timers and 3,000 part timers. The Governor’s recommended budget for FY 2012 is $22 million which includes $19 million in federal money. 

The Veterans Affairs component of the department is a very active group of 7 employees who are invaluable to our veterans. As a result of their advocacy work, their program generates approximately $3 million in new benefits to veterans each year. The Veterans Memorial Cemetery is in this budget as is the VT Military Records Repository which maintains over 160,000 military discharge records used to verify eligibility for benefits. As a result of a fire in 1973 at the National Archives, many of these records are only here.  

Lots of school groups are visiting the State House and you can too. Tours can be arranged or you can tour by yourself with a handheld audio device. I can be reached at home at 228-8432, State House at 1-800-322-5616 or at anitka@leg.state.vt.us  or P.O. Box 136, Ludlow, VT 05149   Find schedules and bills at www.leg.state.vt.us.

Submitted by Lauren Quinn

In November of 2010, Donate Life Vermont launched an online organ and tissue donor registry at www.donatelifevt.org, allowing Vermont residents to communicate their decision to donate their organs and tissues.  Currently, the state of Vermont is in critical need for organ and tissue donors. There are only has 955 registrants signed up, out of a state population of over 620,000, ranking  Vermont 50th in the nation for total number of registered organ donors.  One reason for the low count is because many Vermonters have the misconception that if they sign the back of their driver’s license, they are an organ donor. This is not entirely true. Many times when an individual is in the hospital, the driver’s license is rarely with them.  Vermont’s DMV is also not yet linked to the registry. By enrolling in our state’s online registry, it becomes legally binding and Vermonters can be assured that their wishes will be honored whenever possible. 

To help raise awareness of the critical need, Donate Life Vermont is organizing a state-wide mass registration event called the Register Rally on February 23, 2011. “We are asking Vermont residents to help us make history on February 23 by registering to become an organ and tissue donor and then getting their friends, family, and co-workers to do the same”, stated Jeffrey Orlowski, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Donation and Transplant, the healthcare organization that facilitates donation in western Vermont. Donate Life Vermont has created an online social toolbox filled with emails templates, banners, flyers, widgets, and posters to make sharing the message easy online.  To access the toolbox visit www.DonateLifeVT.org/rally .

There are over 100,000 people in the country waiting for a lifesaving transplant with a new name being added to the list every 10 minutes.  Joining the registry takes less than 5 minutes but you may help save up to 50 lives.

To learn more about the Register Rally event or the Vermont organ and tissue donor registry, please visit Donate Life Vermont at www.DonateLifeVT.org/rally  or talk to them on Facebook and Twitter (@DonateLifeVT). 

About Donate Life Vermont:
Donate Life Vermont is a social initiative sponsored by The Center for Donation & Transplant to increase the number of organ donor registrants in the state of Vermot.  It’s mission is to bring awareness and education to the Vermont communities about the importance and need for organ donors while providing the tools to take action. Donate Life Vermont is proud to announce the launch of its community- oriented web site, www.DonateLifeVT.org to encourage Vermont residents to join the organ donor registrant list and motivate their networks to do the same.   For more information, please contact Donate Life Vermont at 1-866-637-9112 or visit www.DonateLifeVT.org.

About the Center for Donation and Transplant:
The Center for Donation & Transplant (CDT) is the federally designated non-profit health care organization that coordinates the retrieval of donated organs and tissues at more than 43 hospitals throughout northeastern New York State and western Vermont.  CDT ensures that the option of donation is offered to families in an informative and compassionate manner, and provides support to families and hospital personnel involved in the donation process. CDT is an accredited member of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations and a member in good standing with the United Network for Organ Sharing.  www.donatelifecdt.com.

(The following are the recollections of Anita Alic, BRAM capital campaign director, regarding the history behind the development of the museum's elevator wing and its efforts to raise the funds to purchase the elevator cab that will complete the vision of the museum's directors.)

The trustees of the Black River Academy Museum had long wrestled with the need for an elevator and where to place it.  Given that every floor, including the front entrance, can only be accessed by climbing stairs an elevator was finally deemed necessary.  Now, where to put it?  Inside the existing building or encased in a separate tower connected to the building? 

Initially, it was thought best to install the elevator in the existing building.  Preliminary plans were drawn up and it was discovered that the elevator would use up a large amount of exhibit space and, in general, be a disruptive intrusion.  Furthermore, this solution did not address the other problem of a second egress on the upper floors as required by fire safety regulations, the old metal exterior fire escape having rusted beyond repair.  

In 2000 a Capital Campaign committee was formed and the committee asked John Berryhill of NBF Architects to draft plans for a separate elevator/fire stairs tower to be erected and connected next to the museum building.  A campaign was started, but other pressing concerns and the lack of an “angel” donor, forced them to shelve the project in 2001 after raising about $9,000. 

Near the end of 2006 the elevator issue was raised again, but this time with a trustee, Richard Nye, donating $100,000 to kick off the campaign and the trustees committing a sizable portion of the museum’s investment fund to this effort.  The early days of 2007 were spent learning about fundraising from Sam Chauncey, who donated his time, and drafting materials for the campaign.  By spring 2007 the campaign was launched and by the end of the year a matching grant challenge for another $100,000 was received from a  trustee.  

No project is without surprises and our initial and largest one was that the configuration of the tower had to be redesigned due to very sandy, unstable subsoil.  The elevator shaft could not abut the building and go below the basement.  The location of the fire stairs and the elevator shaft had to be switched and due to the existing museum structure, the tower’s footprint now had to be 20% larger, along with a corresponding cost increase. 

At this point it was decided to do the project in two phases.  One, to erect a weather-tight tower with usable fire stairs and two, install the elevator with all its electrical components and finish the interior of the tower.  “Ground Breaking Day” was in July 2008. 

In spite of the calamitous economic downturn, we were able to complete phase one in 2009, although not without unexpected additional costs given the age of the museum.  Our new fire stairs have made it possible for visitors to explore all floors of the museum and once again, we will be able to host school groups on the top floor in our recreation of a late 19^th century one room school, now that we pass fire safety regulations with the second egress and after an unexpected expense of $30,000 to upgrade the entire museum to current fire safety regulations. 

2010 was devoted to fundraising for the final phase and we are nearing our goal.  Final completion costs are approximately $176,000 of which we have about $74,000.  The museum has just received a challenge grant, matching dollar for dollar, up to $50,000 from a special donor, Richard Nye, a member of its board.  If the museum can match this grant, it can complete the project and the museum will be “Accessible to All” with fire stairs and a working elevator. 

Fund raising has been mainly from private donors.  As this tower was “new” construction, the museum did not qualify for any historical preservation grants.  However it did receive an $18,000 Cultural Facilities Grant from the Vermont Art Council, payable upon installation of the elevator and a $1,000 grant from the Walter Cerf Community Fund. 

The museum’s board has a vision of the museum being accessible to everyone; it has been successful in being very close to fulfilling its vision.  The museum values and appreciates everyone’s help and hope that you will be a part of making this vision a reality.   

To donate, please send a check payable to BRAM, P. O. Box 73, Ludlow, VT 05149 or visit our website, www.bramvt.org.

Submitted by LPC-TV

LPCTV and the Ludlow Elementary After School program teamed up recently to produce the variety show “Kids by Kids”. The show premiered during an assembly at Ludlow Elementary School last week to much fanfare. “Kids by Kids” is now playing on LPCTV’s channels 8 and 10 (20 & 21 in Mount Holly). Check listings at www.lpctv.org.

The video is also available for viewing on LPCTV’s website, along with many other local programs produced through LPCTV.