Tuesday, March 29, 2022
The state placed superintendent Scott Martin on paid leave Monday, a status that's typical during human resources investigations. But, in a press release Tuesday, the department said that Martin "will not be returning to his position."
The release cited "concerns" that were "raised and reviewed regarding the management and direction of NSCF."
Tags: Vermont Department of Corrections , Scott Martin , Newport prison , Northern State Correctional Facility , Nicholas Deml , Web Only , Image
Monday, March 28, 2022
Walke said he has enjoyed being commissioner for the past two years and is eager to expand programs to help the state meet its ambitious climate goals.
“I’m looking forward to being able to be on the implementation side of things,” Walke told Seven Days Monday.
The Vermont native moved back to the state in 2017 to be a deputy secretary for the Agency of Natural Resources after stints in the U.S. Navy and as chief of staff at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
In the latter role, he worked on efforts to clean up drinking water in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., that had been contaminated by PFAS, the same class of fluorinated chemicals discovered in Bennington-areas wells in 2016.
Walke took a lead role in efforts to get Bennington residents with contaminated wells hooked up to clean water supplies and to hold Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, the owner of a former North Bennington factory that polluted the wells with PFAS, responsible.
The company agreed in 2019 to spend approximately $25 million to run water lines to 245 homes in the area. Affected residents reached a $34 million settlement with the company in 2021.
Walke has been the administration’s point person to explore the state’s possible participation in the Transportation Climate Initiative, a multi-state tax-and-regulate program to regulate emissions from vehicles. Walke’s boss, Gov. Phil Scott, ultimately declined to join.
Walke also served on the year-long Climate Council that sought a strategy to help the state comply with the Global Warming Solutions Act, which Scott also opposed.
Walke declined to address whether these challenges put him at odds with the Scott administration on key environmental issues or whether those contributed to his departure. Scott has been widely criticized by environmental groups for not doing enough to ensure the state meets its goals of reducing climate pollution.
The commissioner thanked Scott and Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore and the “amazingly passionate and competent” staff at DEC.
Walke will start on May 9 as Efficiency Vermont’s new managing director.
“We’re excited to welcome Peter as the next leader of Efficiency Vermont,” Rebecca Foster said in a written statement. Foster is the CEO of VEIC, the nonprofit clean energy organization that operates Efficiency Vermont as what is known as an efficiency utility.
“Peter’s wealth of experience partnering with diverse stakeholders to find solutions that work for all Vermonters is the perfect match for this role," Foster said. "Peter’s career reflects his strong ethic of listening to all voices to make thoughtful and consistent progress toward solving complex challenges.”
Tags: Peter Walke , Phil Scott , Climate change , Efficiency Vermont , Web Only , Image
Monday, March 21, 2022
The new owners are exploring plans to "reenergize" the 617,000-square foot mall, according to a press release the two companies sent Monday. The release said the mall is 95 percent occupied, with more than 50 local and national businesses as tenants.
"The property has been a gathering place for decades and our commitment is to build on its success as a vital retail and economic asset for Vermont," Taconic Capital Advisors director Alex Fleming said.
Tags: University Mall , South Burlington , Web Only , Image
The ruling appears to settle the contest, which incumbent Dieng, a political independent, won by two votes. Stith said he does not intend to pursue any further appeals.
Tags: Alexander Stith , Ali Dieng , Town Meeting Day 2022 , Burlington City Council , Burlington City Elections , Vermont Superior Court , Judge Samuel Hoar , Jr. , Dan Richardson , Ed Adrian , Web Only , Image
The Burlington nonprofit announced Markley's retirement in a press release Monday that praised her as a lifelong advocate against inequality.
“When I first walked through the doors of COTS 30 years ago as a volunteer, I had no idea that this organization would become the greatest love of my life, besides my family,” Markley said in the release.
Markley has served as COTS' executive director since 1996. She's credited with helping shape the nonprofit into a national leader in homelessness advocacy and programming.
Among her achievements is the restoration of the COTS headquarters on 95 North Avenue in Burlington from a run-down building into an activity hub that now hosts a housing resource center and the Daystation, where people can connect with various social services.
She also spearheaded several statewide initiatives, including the Coalition to End Homelessness, and has overseen the completion of more than 50 affordable housing units. Another 16 apartments for families are expected to come online next year.
“Rita is an intrepid leader who has inspired thousands of others to take action to end homelessness,” said Tom Stretton, who chairs the nonprofit's board of directors, in the announcement. “It is no exaggeration to say that through her work, both directly and indirectly, Rita has touched millions of lives over the past three decades."
Stretton and the rest of the nonprofit's board will lead the search for Markley's replacement. The outgoing leader expressed gratitude for her colleagues and said she believes the organization has "never been stronger."
"I am thrilled to see what the next generation of leadership will achieve," Markley said.
Tags: Rita Markley , Retirement , COTS , Vermont , Advocate , Web Only , Image
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Following weeks of public outcry, Mark and Rick Bove say they no longer plan to kick out the 24 low-income, mostly refugee families who live at a housing complex the brothers own in Winooski.
The Boves told tenants in February that they would all need to leave by July 1 ahead of "major renovations" at the 300 Main Street property. The brothers then intended to raise rents at the updated complex to market rate.
But affordable housing organizations, nonprofits that support refugees and immigrants, and Winooski city officials all decried the mass eviction at a time when rents are soaring and housing is hard to come by. They later pressed the issue in a letter to state lawmakers, calling for reforms that would better protect tenants. A community fundraiser started over the weekend to support the families had raised more than $16,000 as of Friday afternoon.
Tags: Boves , Winooski , affordable housing , 300 Main , Section 8 , housing crisis , Web Only , Image
Thursday, March 10, 2022
In a March 8 letter to Gov. Phil Scott and legislative leaders, they call for more funds to boost the supply of affordable, family-sized rentals across the state. But development incentives alone aren't enough, they emphasize.
"Investments in housing to meet this crisis must be coupled with requirements to ensure that mass displacements like the one underway in Winooski do not happen," the letter states.
Tags: Locked Out , Winooski , 300 Main Street Apartments , Rick Bove , Mark Bove , City of Winooski , Refugees , Housing Crisis , Renters , Eviction , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Vermonters are voting — by voice, by mail, by paper ballot — as part of the state's unique tradition of direct democracy. Town clerks and volunteers are doing their part to count ballots and keep the polls running. Candidates are out for one last 12-hour campaign push before polls close at 7 p.m.
For the last few months, Seven Days has covered various Town Meeting Day issues in municipalities around the state. Here's what you need to know:
February 28: "Scott Blocks Brattleboro's Bid to Lower the Voting Age"
February 25: "Burlington Seeks a Makeover for Main Street With TIF Bond"
February 23: "Democracy How? The Pandemic Has Weakened — but Not Killed — Vermont’s Grand Town Meeting Day Tradition"
February 23: "Burlington Voters Will Again Consider New City Spending — and a Tax Hike"
February 23: "Winooski, Montpelier Will Allow Noncitizens to Vote, but Few Have Signed Up"
February 18: "Milton School Board Race Jolted By Candidates’ Manifesto"
February 16: "Local Commotion: National Divisions on Race and Equity Are Roiling Vermont School Boards"
February 9: "Control of the Burlington City Council Likely Hinges on One Race: Ward 8"
February 2: "A Proposed Tweak to Burlington’s Charter Sparks Impassioned Debate Over Sex Work"
January 18: "Burlington Progs Consider Six Candidates for Council Seats"
January 12: "Burlington Council Elections: Hightower Will Run, Stromberg Won't"
January 12: "Burlington’s Town Meeting Day Could Look Much Different for Progressives"
December 19: "Burlington Dems Endorse Five Candidates for City Council Elections"
December 9: "Burlington City Councilor Chip Mason Won't Seek Reelection"
Tags: election , Town Meeting Day , Web Only , Image
Friday, February 25, 2022
The cash comes from $26 billion in settlements, initially proposed last summer, that resolved thousands of lawsuits brought by state and local governments alleging that the companies helped fuel the addiction crisis. Distributors McKesson, Cardinal and AmerisourceBergen will collectively pay $21 billion; Johnson & Johnson will contribute $5 billion.
Tags: McKesson , Cardinal , Johnson & Johnson , AmerisourceBergen , Vermont Attorney General's Office , T.J. Donovan , Opioid Epidemic , Overdose Deaths , Opioid Settlement , Purdue Pharma , Web Only , Image
Thursday, February 17, 2022
The residents of the Hillcrest and Breezy Acres parks are now paying off mortgages instead of paying rent in a deal that closed February 9.
When the two parks went up for sale for $14 million in 2020, the nonprofit Cooperative Development Institute of Northampton, Mass., got in touch with residents to let them know they had the option of buying the parks, said Erikka Yandow, the secretary of the newly created Hillcrest board. The parks are next to each other and have a combined 233 homes.
Tags: mobile home parks , Vermont , housing , Breezy Acres , Hillcrest , affordable housing , Colchester , Web Only , Image