AROUND TOWN
Decorating safety
This holiday season, the American Red Cross of Northern New England encourages everyone to follow simple steps to prevent home fires from holiday decorations.
— If you must use candles, keep them away from anything that could burn, and place them out of reach of pets and children. Never leave burning candles unattended.
— Check all holiday light cords to ensure they aren’t frayed or broken. Don’t string too many strands of lights together — no more than three per extension cord.
— Ensure outside decorations are for outdoor use and fasten lights securely to your home or trees. If using hooks or nails outside, make sure they are insulated to avoid an electrocution or fire hazard.
— If buying an artificial tree, look for a fire-resistant label. When putting it up, keep it away from fireplaces, radiators and other sources of heat. Never use electric lights on metallic trees.
— If getting a live tree, make sure it’s fresh and keep it watered. To test if the tree is fresh, bend the needles up and down to make sure no needles fall off.
— Don’t light the fireplace if hanging stockings or other decorations on the mantel.
Williston Barracks
WILLISTON — The Vermont State Police has officially opened its new Williston Barracks, as troopers and dispatchers completed the move to the new field station Monday, Dec. 4. The new barracks is at 3294 St. George Road, also known as Vermont Route 2A, about a half-mile south of the former barracks location. A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony is expected to be held at a later date.
The new barracks was designed by Smith Alvarez Sienkiewycz Architects of Burlington, DEW Construction managed the construction. The field station covers about 22,600 square feet and has an 11,000-square-foot garage for storage of various special teams’ vehicles, such as the Crime Scene Search Team, Mobile Command Post, Tactical Services Unit and Bomb Squad.
The building includes office space for uniformed troopers from the Field Force Division and detectives assigned to the Criminal Division. Northern Vermont’s Public Safety Answering Point also is housed in the new facility and provides emergency communications and dispatching services to the Vermont State Police and numerous other law-enforcement and first-response agencies throughout the northern half of the state.
The Williston Barracks is commanded by Lt. Cory Lozier and provides primary law enforcement services for Bolton, Buel’s Gore, Charlotte, Huntington, Jericho, St. George, Underhill and Westford in Chittenden County, and Belvidere, Cambridge, Eden, Elmore and Waterville in Lamoille County.
Troopers also provide assistance as requested to local police departments, including Burlington, Colchester, Essex, Hinesburg, Milton, Morristown, Richmond, Shelburne, South Burlington, Stowe, Williston and Winooski, the University of Vermont Police Department, and sheriffs’ departments in Chittenden and Lamoille counties. The Williston Barracks patrols 40 miles of interstate highway within Chittenden County.
Local climate action
The Vermont Council on Rural Development announced the call for Climate Economy Resilient Communities participants for 2024. Community leaders and volunteers submit an online application (bit.ly/ClimateApplication) that will be reviewed on a rolling basis until Jan. 12. Through the program, VCRD supports three to five communities each year working on local climate action solutions that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy use, increase climate resilience, and/or strengthen the local climate economy.
Eligible entities include, but are not limited to, town energy committees, energy coordinators, other municipal leadership, or climate catalysts. For more information, visit bit.ly/VtRuralCommunities or email laura@vtrural.org or call 802-234-1646.
Grants awarded
The Animating Infrastructure grant program of the Vermont Arts Council supports projects in which public art is integrated into existing or proposed infrastructure improvement projects.
Design grants awarded:
— Bennington Museum, $4,125, a mural for the museum’s south side wall facing the Wildflower Trail.
— Capstone Community Action, Barre, $5,000, a mural inspired by children’s literature on the retaining wall at the Brook Street School.
— Catamount Arts, St. Johnsbury, $5,000, artful wraps for Rural Community Transportation buses featuring original artwork by Vermont artists.
— Friends of Champlain Street Park, Burlington, $5,000, a community mural design led by artist Maddie Hersam for the building bordering Champlain Street Park.
— Friends of Ferrisburgh, $4,000, a contemporary art sculpture by artist Keith Wagner for the Ferrisburgh Town Green in front of the historic Union Meeting Hall.
— Retreat Farm, Brattleboro, $5,000, a mural for the former grain bunker at the Retreat Farm that highlights local Abenaki artist Charlie Adams.
— Town of Stowe Electric Department, $5,000, a stone artist in the design of river steps, portage and a riverside viewing point for public access to the Little River.
— Windham County Natural Resources Conservation District, Brattleboro, $5,000, a storm drain mural in downtown Brattleboro to educate the public about the importance of keeping storm drains clean.
Implementation grants awarded:
— Bend Revitalization Initiative, Greensboro, $11,875, a community-drawn mural with artist Tara Goreau adjacent to the new rail trail in Greensboro.
— Mission Farm, Killington, $15,000, a stone amphitheater stage area with an acoustic stone wall by artisan Dan Snow.
— Newport City Renaissance Corp., $15,000, a collaboration with art students at North Country Union High School to install sculptures that highlight outdoor recreation and build community in downtown.
AROUND VT
Speaker series
STOWE — The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Red Bench Speaker Series presents “One-on-One with the Father of Cross-Country Skiing, John Caldwell” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, via Zoom. Register at bit.ly/ZoomWebinarRegistration1207 online.
John Caldwell will discuss his own Olympic era, the 1952 Winter Olympic Games in Oslo, his years at Dartmouth College, his years coaching at Vermont’s Putney School, and the progress the sport as made over the years.
Suggested donation of $10 to support the museum’s mission. Thank you series sponsors Schoeller Textil, Sisler Builders, and Vermont Ski + Ride.
BUSINESS
Christmas trees
MORRISVILLE — Gov. Phil Scott and Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts visited Paine’s Tree Farm in Morrisville to celebrate the arrival of the 2023 Christmas season with the help of Vermont’s tree farmers. The Christmas trees cut during this visit will decorate the Pavilion Building in Montpelier, which houses the Governor’s Office.
According to the most recent USDA Agriculture Census completed in 2017, there are 3,650 acres of Christmas tree production in Vermont across 70 farms with a crop worth more than $2.6 million. For a full listing of Christmas tree growers open to the public, go to nh-vtchristmastree.org to visit the Vermont and New Hampshire Christmas Tree Association.
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