Although disasters such as the Covid-19 pandemic are often regarded as “great equalizers,” the homeless population of the U.S. has experienced a disproportionate impact. Local infrastructures, such as shelter programs, have become crucial for these populations to survive the tremors of the pandemic. However, under the extreme stress of increased demand for their resources, shelters across the country have come to a pressing juncture. In many states, the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak has resulted in an upheaval of the entire structure of the shelter system and all of the essential services such programs provide. Numerous shelters have been forced to reduce operations to avoid spreading the disease further, while others have shut down entirely. In Vermont, state resources have bolstered the shelter system. Middlebury community spaces such as Charter House have been able to find relief in state funding. “The state of Vermont has been fantastic,” said Walter Stugis, chair of Charter House’s board of directors. “They’re great. They’re very supportive. They say, ‘Keep doing the right thing and the money will follow. Don’t worry about if it’s going to cost us too much.’” Coordination between shelters across the state has been a key component in continuing effective operation amid the pandemic. “Our Executive Director, Doug Sinclair — at least a couple times a week — is on a conference call with shelters and the state human service agency leaders about coordinating how to handle things on a state level,” Stugis said. Government programs such as State General Assistance are key actors in providing relief for homeless populations and are currently feeling the added pressure. The Campus reached out to the State of Vermont GA program, but was declined an interview. The need to meet certain health guidelines has compelled most shelters nationwide to enforce stringent protective measures. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages those living at home with a person who is infected to use separate bedrooms, bathrooms and personal “household items,” including dishes, towels and bedding. In Nevada, this has meant that some shelters have placed cots in parking lots, as rapidly filling space within the complex has rendered maintaining six feet of distance impossible. Homeless residents of Addison County have been given the option of staying in hotels in Middlebury and Burlington through the program established by Charter House. While the state is usually reluctant to fund these more expensive measures, the decision to limit those in need to confining spaces could result in dramatic spread. “It’s a very collegial approach,” Stugis said. “If there’s no more room in hotels in Middlebury… as the population of homeless grows, there’s been other places established that can start taking them and getting transport for them.” Stugis mentioned that Charter House as completely emptied their North Pleasant street facility, as well. “This created space in the Charter House for some future eventuality,” he said. “The state knows now that people could go there now if a need arises.” In a period where many shelters struggle to secure resources, collaboration has been critical for organizations like Charter House and other local shelters to stay afloat, together. “It’s all new territory… But if there’s a problem, at [our virtual meetings] they get solved,” Stugis said. For communities across the U.S., it has become impossible for human service programs to serve any form of hot meal. Instead, they are opting for bagged lunches passed off at designated areas. Charter House has established a program to provide a daily breakfast, lunch and dinner for those in their care, without needing to risk travel to crowded areas. For three meals a day, the Middlebury College dining staff has become a resource in providing those relocated to local hotels with delivered food. Shelter volunteers bring the prepared food to the doors of guests to limit risks and other difficulties of a pickup, Stugis explained.“It’s working great.” Stugis described other measures taken to limit the extent that their guests would be obligated to enter public spaces. “There’s been a system put in place, so that if someone is showing symptoms in one of the hotels that we’re supervising, then the local medical folks go to the hotel room to do a Covid test,” he said. “All kinds of examples like that, which are mutually supportive to all of the shelters and feeding centers around the state.” Managing options for temporary sheltering options in this period has become a matter of staying several steps ahead of coming change. Stugis explained that when one option becomes unviable, another must be in the works. “It’s kind of like a game of musical chairs.” In the face of an onslaught of sudden shifts brought on by the spread of Covid-19, Charter House has maintained the fundamentals on which it was founded. “We have a value statement up on the wall, in various places in the shelter,” says Stugis. “It has words like compassion, dignity, and family. This is how we treat each other. Always.” Editor’s Note: Please consider donating to the Charter House Coalition, as they continue shelter residents during the Covid-19 outbreak. Donations can be made to the Charter House Coalition on their website.
Hope Allison '19.5 never thought of herself as a romantic. After graduating from Middlebury last February, Allison took on photography as a fulltime career. Operating out of Allston, Massachusetts, Allison launched her website and began picking up freelance work. However, her outlook on photography changed when she realized her passion for capturing moments that were emblematic of love and romance: weddings. Since then, she has been specializing in small wedding coverage, shooting receptions and ceremonies across New England and beyond. “I kind of had an epiphany a couple of summers ago, trying to think about what I wanted to do with my life,” Allison told The Campus. “I realized that I wanted to do photography ... I just kept coming back to that.” Before graduating, Allison garnered experience in the field, trying out one style after another. While abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, she worked for a travel website, writing and contributing her photography. She took photos for a local boutique and an architecture firm while managing her own projects on the side. As she dabbled in different styles, she reaffirmed her passion for photography. Allison initially wanted to focus on sparking global change with her work. “I was thinking, ‘You could be a war photographer, you could photograph the impacts of climate change,’” she said. “I think I had this idea of wedding photography as being kind of superficial. I wanted to do good with my work.” Then, she looked at the photos her family had digitized of her grandfather's life. “I saw photographs of my grandmother and grandpa’s wedding, and it kind of clicked for me,” she said. After her first few shoots, all doubt was gone. “I actually ended up really loving it,” Allison said. “I realized that naturally I’m a hopeless romantic ... I kind of surprised myself. I never thought I’d get into it ... But now I’m like ‘just kidding, I love it.’” As Allison would realize, this new playing field came with a new set of rules. “Architecture photography is about photographing things that are staged. And I’m a perfectionist, so it’s great to photograph beautiful, perfect things. But wedding photography is about anticipation and knowing to capture the unexpected — always being one step ahead.” Despite these new sets of challenges, wedding photography also offers its own set of rewards. “It’s always satisfying when you can anticipate the moment and capture it the way that it felt. It feels like a gift to give that to a couple,” she said. Allison explained that she lets events happen as they unfold, capturing big wedding days as they actually were. “If a bride is hugging her grandmother,” she said, “I’m not going to stop it because I don’t have the best lighting.” As a photographer, Allison pulls back the curtain on one of her clients’ most cherished days. “The wedding photographer is one of the few people who is with the couple for basically every moment of the day. So when the bride is getting her dress on, it’s her, her mom, her maid of honor, and me.” The balance between making the imperfect appear immaculate and crafting staged moments that look candid has been its own art form for Allison to master. “When you’re taking the staged photos of the bride, the groom and their families, it’s kind of hard,” Allison said. “You can’t just say ‘Say cheese!’ You have to work with the crowd and read the room. I’m always saying things like, ‘In your sexiest voice say what you had for breakfast’ to get a natural laugh.” Having traveled the East Coast for a summer capturing weddings, compiling newlywed blog entries and schmoozing with couples, matrimony has become something of a fixation for Allison. “I’ve never been the kind of person who dreams of a big wedding. But you go to [12 weddings] in a summer and you can’t help but think about them all the time.” With a dozen wedding shoots under her belt from the previous summer, Allison is lined up to do 16 more in the coming months. While the outbreak of Covid-19 in New England has shaken the foundation of the wedding photography business, Allison continues to keep the wheels of her work turning. “Right now I’m doing a lot of back-end work — creating pamphlets for the couples and working on [brand] logos.” Many of her clients that originally scheduled their weddings for this coming summer have decided to shift to smaller alternatives for the time being. However, Allison expects that most will follow through on a complete ceremony once the opportunity arises. For many couples, the event itself is an irresistible part of the experience. “The whole thing about a wedding day is hope. That’s the thing that’s so energizing about photographing them — it’s so joyful. Why wouldn’t I surround myself with people like this?” Once the time comes, Hope Allison will be there to capture every moment.
Community-based organizations, tasked with helping the county’s least-privileged residents, are now more necessary than ever. As the town of Middlebury begins to see more cases of the novel coronavirus, local aid organizations like the Open Door Clinic (ODC) and Middlebury’s Charter House are bracing to serve the crush of residents who will be hit hardest by Covid-19. “Right now things are very quiet, but we all expect that to change,” said Heidi Sulis, executive director of the ODC. “We have a very, very committed staff who want to continue to serve our patients.” The ODC counts on a small network of volunteers to provide free healthcare services to adults who lack insurance or are under-insured. As the number of Covid-19 diagnoses increases throughout Vermont, pressure for the clinic to take precautions has grown. Still, Sulis said, the ODC is “certainly hoping” not to close its doors to the people who rely most on its services: Latin American migrant farm workers who service dairy farms around Addison County. Up to 270 farm workers per season can rely on the clinic for health care, according to the ODC’s website. Sulis said that the clinic has seen many cancellations of non-essential appointments over the past few weeks, and that nurses have shifted to conducting “triage calls” — conversations meant to gauge the urgency of patients’ symptoms — to reduce in-person contact and possible exposure to Covid-19. “I think the public health priority right now is to address and not contribute to the threat of the transmission of Covid-19,” Sulis said. “We [have] thermometers, we can [provide] education, and we can get bar soap, if it comes to that,” Sulis said. The organization hopes to offer boxes of supplies including sanitizer, masks and education materials, though these items have become difficult to obtain. “Community groups are sewing masks for us and that’s really lovely,” Sulis said. Middlebury College recently posted on social media that seamstresses from the Theatre Department have been making masks for medical workers in the area. In a period when many Middlebury residents may be struggling, Sulis believes that the ODC should remain an option for those in need of care. “One of the things I’m really worried about as we move through this is the number of people who are being laid off and losing jobs,” she said. “We might see a huge spike of people in need of health insurance.” Up on North Pleasant Street, the Charter House Coalition, a Middlebury-based non-profit committed to providing basic food and housing security, has had to make changes to its normal slate of services. Before the Covid-19 crisis, the Charter House served at least one “big, wholesome meal” every day a week to upwards of 50 or 60 people, according to Walter Stugis, chair of Charter House’s board of directors. “We changed that operating model in early March or late February when we saw what was coming,” Stugis said. “We still recognize that we can’t completely eliminate [the possibility of Covid-19] and if the virus does get in the building, Charter House could be a hotspot for spread.” The Charter House’s volunteer rotation, which forms the life-blood of its meal prep and other services, has also been limited to only a handful of staff servers who provide limited meals to the public without moving in and out of the building. Those not living in the shelter are now being offered “take-out” meals handed off at the organization’s door. Whereas the Charter House once provided on-site shelter, the organization has worked to find different living spaces to limit the risk of virus transmission. As of now, barring the staff, no residents live at the Charter House’s facility on North Pleasant Street. “We moved our most vulnerable individuals into hotels [at first],” Stugis said. “Then we just made the decision [to] close the shelter and house all of the homeless folk in local motels and hotels. It’s just not safe [otherwise].” Despite major upheavals to Charter House’s established structure, the volunteer staff has been quick to adjust. “It’s amazing — the volunteers continue to provide meals,” Stugis said. “As everything changes in terms of protocols, they pay attention and say, ‘OK, we’ll adapt to that.’ No one says, ‘OK, I’m done.’” Stugis also praised the work of college dining staff for aiding the limited Charter House network, providing an ongoing supply of meals to former Charter House occupants. “God bless Middlebury College. Their food service program has been working to feed these people in their hotels. This is all while operating to serve the students who are still living on campus. It’s amazing.” Donations can be made both to the Open Door Clinic and the Charter House Coalition on their websites.
ADDISON— Much of Vermont’s most beautiful fauna are seldom seen in the wild. This is one of the motives behind Dead Creek Wildlife Day, an annual event that the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department hosted last Saturday, Oct. 5 in association with Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreations, and the Otter Creek Audubon Society. The Department of Fish & Wildlife has hosted the event for more than 20 years. From morning into the early evening, the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) headquarters on Route 17 was home to an array of outdoor events, giving Vermonters a chance to discover and explore their state’s diverse wildlife. “This is one of our favorite times of the year,” said Nicole Meier, information and education specialist for Vermont Fish & Wildlife. At 7:30 a.m., early risers got a chance to witness a bird banding demonstration, and had a specialist walk them through the ins and outs of the process. Vermont Fish & Wildlife bands both owls and songbirds for tracking and research purposes. For the rest of the day, two large tents by the Dead Creek WMA headquarters hosted an array of activities for all ages. “We have things for pretty much everyone,” Meier said. “We have facepainting and we have the kids make bluebird boxes and duck decoys. But we also do have scientific workshops and hands-on activities for adults.” This year, a native Vermont bear biologist gave a presentation on how to be a good neighbor to the native black bear population. At the third annual waterfowl-calling contest, put on by event partner Delta Waterfowl, kids competed for prizes with their best goose and duck calls. The organizers were also excited to welcome back Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe to this year’s celebration. At this Dead Creek Wildlife Day, Chief Stevens presented the story of how the Abenaki people were created, along with other pieces of local oral tellings. The story has been told throughout Abenaki history. Apart from each fall’s Wildlife Day, which takes place the first Saturday of each October, Vermont Fish & Wildlife also puts on a Herricks Cove Wildlife Festival on the first Sunday of every May. Herrick said that event is the “spring kickoff” to all the department’s events. Meier spoke of her excitement for the opportunity to engage with the community through the event. “I think the most important part is just being out there and being available to the public,” Meier said. She stressed that the Vermont Fish & Wildlife staff were at Saturday’s event to answer questions and facilitate discussion. Generally, they hoped to be approachable to attendees. “I feel like people leave with a great appreciation for living in Vermont, especially in the fall.” Meier said. “It’s something about the changing of the season that helps people appreciate what is around them, and I think this is a great event for making them do that.”
Middlebury residents François Clemmons and Douglas Anderson will each receive a 2019 Vermont Arts Award from the Montpelier-based Vermont Arts Council. Both Clemmons and Anderson have been active in furthering the arts in the Middlebury community for more than two decades. Clemmons will receive the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, announced originally by Governor Phil Scott on Sept. 6, 2019. In a Press Release from the Office of Governor Phil Scott, Scott said, “I am pleased to name François as the winner of this year’s Excellence in the Arts award. His renowned musical talent and years of service to his community made him the perfect choice. Congratulations, François, and thank you for making Vermont proud." Clemmons served as the Alexander Twilight Artist-in-Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College from 1997 until his retirement in 2013. He is well known for his 25-year career portraying the role of Officer Clemmons on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and for his work as a Grammy Award-winning opera singer. As an Artist-in-Residence at Middlebury College, Clemmons left a mark as a professor, community leader and mentor who interacted thoughtfully with students and other members of the college community. “I would tell my students, ‘I want to know what you think’,” Clemmons said. “My goal up here was personhood. I was benefiting, and they were benefiting. It’s more than an artist in residence, it’s more than a music teacher, it’s how we as a society and as a race have to be together with one another.” In addition to Clemmons, Anderson will receive the Arthur Williams Award for Meritorious Service to the Arts. Anderson is the current Artistic Director of the Town Hall Theater, Inc. in Middlebury. His previous directing projects include all Opera Company of Middlebury productions since 2004, as well as Middlebury College productions of ”Cabaret” and “Sunday in the Park with George.” After moving to Middlebury in 1993, Anderson undertook the project of restoring the Middlebury Town Hall Theater. Built in 1883, the community’s theater had fallen into a state of disrepair, leaving room for a new hub of performing arts. After a ten-year rebuilding process, the theater reopened in 2008 and has been the home of several hundred events since. Anderson also founded the Opera Company of Middlebury in 2004. Clemmons and Anderson have both been prominent artistic contributors to the town of Middlebury and Middlebury College. President Laurie Patton commended the two Middlebury artists’ work in the community. “Through song and theater, François and Doug have brought to the Middlebury community much more than the beauty of art and performance,” Patton told the Rutland Herald on Sept. 14. “They’ve also shown us how emotionally powerful shared experiences can be.” On Oct. 23, The Vermont Arts Council will hold a ceremony for the recipients at the Mahaney Arts Center.
Middlebury got an early taste of Halloween last Sunday, Oct. 28, when the eleventh annual Spooktacular popped up on the Town Green. A project kicked off by Better Middlebury Partnership (BMP), the town Spooktacular set out to capture some of the seasonal spirit that has always been a beloved town tradition. The event hosted an array of family friendly activities that stretched across the green from 1-3 p.m. Families of Middlebury participated in a costume parade around Main Street and were even welcomed to some early trick-or-treating at surrounding local businesses. “This is the oldest ongoing town wide trick-or-treating event,” said Nancie Dunn, one of the event’s three organizers. Dunn is the owner of the store Sweet Cecily on Main Street and is on the board of the Better Middlebury Partnership. She hoped the Spooktacular would recapture a sense of town-wide enthusiasm for Halloween. “When my kids were little, the rec department had a parade and a bonfire in town, but that was decades ago,” she reminisced. “When that didn’t happen anymore I thought there should be a Halloween event. So I got [the festival] going and now it’s been going on for years and years.” Families hopped between activities set up across the green in coordinated group costumes. Typically, a number of area businesses set up interactive booths and stations. This year, for instance, Happy Valley Orchard provided cider and donuts to attendees. “It all has to do with children,” Dunn said. “It’s not about just advertising your business to a lot of parents walking around.” Participants enjoyed a bean bag toss, face painting station and craft table while a live DJ underscored the event with a festive soundtrack. The age range of children in attendance is usually between three and ten, according to Dunn. “Our clients here are three-and-a-half feet tall,” she said. “We have to keep it pretty simple.” While many of the festival’s activities may have been simple, the organizational process behind Spooktacular was anything but. “It’s a small event, it’s a short event, but, like everything else, it takes months and months to plan,” said Dunn. However, she added that after eleven years of Spooktacular, planning has become much more efficient. In the past, Dunn has been the sole organizer of the Spooktacular, but this year she was joined by Lauren Taddeo and Sarah Stahl. The team’s work on the festival didn’t end at the organization phase. “I’m the witch,” Dunn said, referring to her role as the costumed line leader of the parade, complete with staff and black, pointed hat. During the Spooktacular, Taddeo and Stahl stayed involved by working as a face painter and a craft table attendant, respectively. The festival was aided by a number of volunteers from town, who lent a hand running games and activity stations. The festival would also not be possible without support from sponsors like Neat Repeats Resale Shop and the National Bank of Middlebury, said Dunn. The parade capped off the event at 3 p.m., as a line of costumed youngsters and parents marched down Main Street. On their way, they stopped at businesses along the route to enjoy an early helping of trick-or-treating. By the parade’s start time, several hundred participants were ready to march. Included in the ranks of the Spooktacular parade was a replica Middlebury Regional EMS ambulance, a pirate ship that fit three people and many, many skeletons. Nearly every business along Main Street took part in the trick-or-treating portion of the parade, handing out candy and other goodies to participants. Tinker and Smithy Game Store handed out Magic: The Gathering cards to passing parade members. Some businesses that were not located along the parade’s path sent representatives to hand out treats as well. “We’re ready to give out lots of healthy treats for the parade,” said Addison County resident Penny Larrow, who was waiting along the parade path on behalf of the Middlebury Shaw’s. At the supermarket’s booth were several dozen bunches of bananas, as well as a collection of brand new lunch boxes and coolers for participants. We think it’s important to have some healthy options, Larrow explained. Though the green was buzzing with numerous costumed families, volunteers and businesses in attendance were happy to take part in the Middlebury tradition. “We’ve been doing this for a long, long time,” said Mary Pratt of Happy Valley Orchard. “I don’t remember it ever not being busy, even when it was really raining. They do a good job organizing it.” “There are a lot of things that happen in events like this behind the scenes,” said Dunn. “That’s how it is, though. It’s like any other performance you put on. It appears seamless when you arrive.” As the parade wrapped up, the green was already being cleared of all of the day’s activities. Volunteers were packing up games and collecting trash as business owners returned to their stores, signaling the end of another spooky and spectacular Halloween celebration.
Vermont has always been known for its lack of chain corporations — the state remains one of the only without a McDonald’s in its capital city. To the joy of many, however, Vermont recently welcomed its very first Target and H&M outlets, both of which are now open for business at the University Mall on Dorset Street in South Burlington. The state’s first Target outlet opened on Oct. 21, replacing Bon-Ton, whose lease expired in January. Large crowds gathered to celebrate the opening on Sunday, including Gov. Phil Scott and the iconic Target dog. Target originally announced its plan to open this small-format store on Oct. 19, 2017, making Vermont the final state to welcome the retailer. The store also announced its plans to hire 150 “team members” for the new outlet. Hiring events have been held throughout the past week in anticipation of the store’s launch this past weekend. “We are so excited to join the community of South Burlington and build a talented team of about 150 new team members who will help us serve residents, college students and area visitors,” said Jake Moore, store team leader, to the Burlington Free Press. Heather Tremblay, general manager at the University Mall, told The Campus last year that the mall had known about Bon-Ton’s expiring lease and were quick to look for new stores in anticipation of the open spot. “Over the years, a lot of people have asked for a Target here. It’s been the number-one requested store,” Tremblay said last October. “We’ve been talking to Target for many, many years, and we finally both clicked because they have a smaller version of their store that they’re doing now.” Target’s new, smaller stores take up a space similar to that of the newly vacated Bon-Ton outlet, so the opportunity would have been hard for the mall to pass up. As previously reported in The Campus, Tremblay is optimistic about the presence of the new stores in Burlington as a way to draw shoppers to the area from farther away, including out of state customers. For college students, the arrival of the popular chain brings with it the promise of affordable snacks, cleaning supplies and other dorm necessities. “Most people I know at UVM are pretty excited about the Target opening,” said Annika Ruben, UVM ’21. “It’s not the most convenient location-wise for college students because getting there requires a car but economically speaking I would say that it could be a positive thing for a lot of people.” [pullquote speaker="Heather Tremblay" photo="" align="center" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]“It’s going to be great for the University Mall to get some anchor stores...to attract traffic.[/pullquote] The Target outlet, measuring 60,000 square feet, is a smaller iteration of the typical Target format, less sprawling than the typical 135,000 square foot store or the 175,000 square foot Super Target. Target has launched a number of these smaller “CityTargets” in urban and dense suburban areas across the country with the hope of expanding the retailer’s presence. Areas near universities are also a major priority in the retailer’s expansion, making Burlington a prime target for a Vermont location. This smaller storespace also worked as compromise with the Burlington community, reducing the impact that a typical mega-store could have on the area. The original announcement last year of the University Mall’s new stores led to a torrent of outspoken concern about the effect it could have on Burlington. The smaller iteration of the store, as intended, should have a less formidable and obstructive presence, and a better coexistence with small, local businesses. The launch of the new Target outlet came only a few weeks after the addition of the new H&M in the University Mall on Oct. 11. This H&M will also be the first of its kind in Vermont. Tremblay told the Burlington Free Press that the new installation would be like a “small department store.” The H&M has been erected in a 20,000 square foot space, a less expensive installation than University Mall’s new Target. To make space for the new additions, several smaller stores in the mall moved or left the University Mall entirely, with Bon-Ton making a notable departure. About 42 Bon-Ton employees were affected by the store’s closure. According to the Burlington Free Press, Tremblay remains optimistic about the increase in employment opportunities the additions will create. Target also institutes competitive wages and currently offers a minimum hourly wage of $12 in stores across the country. They plan to increase store minimum wage to $15 per hour by the end of 2020. In her interview with The Campus last October, Tremblay discussed the community benefit she expected the new stores to pose for other outlets in the mall. “People want to be next to Target,” she said. “People will want to take advantage of all of the foot traffic coming in, so the whole mall will be strengthened.” Given the sharp rise in October traffic in anticipation of Target’s launch, her predictions have already proven to accurate. In preparation for the arrival of the new retailers, improvements have been made to the University Mall roofing, heating systems and ventilation. The University Mall has also made adjustments in the parking lot to improve access to the mall. The long process of construction that Target and H&M underwent coincided with the general mall renovations over the last several months. Despite Tremblay’s optimism, Target and H&M may still prove to be threatening forces to small businesses across the area. The effect the new chain installations will have on surrounding small businesses, including the numerous thrift outlets around Church Street, is uncertain as the University Mall becomes increasingly central to business in Burlington. Despite the incoming chains, not all local business owners show signs of intimidation. James DeRosia, owner of prominent Church Street thrift store, Downtown Threads, seemed unphased by the additions. “As a vintage and consignment shop we carry so much off the wall fashion and higher quality durable clothing items that people will still continue to come here for items that they won’t be able to get at fast fashion stores,” said DeRosia. “It’s going to be great for the University Mall to get some anchor stores that are still relevant to people to attract traffic, hopefully it doesn’t lure too many people from Church Street while we go through some pain with the Marketplace Mall construction.” Even in a period of long term transition along the strip — a development project currently slated at three years to completion — DeRosia is undeterred. Ruben shared a similar outlook and hope for the continued success of small businesses, declaring, that “many students will still try to shop at thrift stores because it’s the hip thing to do.” The one-two punch of H&M’s launch on Oct. 11th and Target’s launch on Oct. 21st has turned University Mall into a hotspot for shopping not only in the city of South Burlington, but all of Vermont. It is now up to the rest of the stores in Burlington to keep pace. Additional reporting by Sadie Housberg.
MIDDLEBURY — At a public hearing facilitated by the Middlebury Selectboard on March 27, town residents weighed in on the proposal of a 40-acre solar farm installation off of Halladay Road. This meeting made clear that the local response to the proposition is nothing short of major contention. GroSolar’s proposal calls for the purchase of forty acres of land near the intersection of Old Middle Road and Halladay Road in Middlebury. Given the landscape, the company has assured the town that the majority of the farm would be hidden away from locals and passerby, minimizing any eyesore the installation might cause. Despite these promises of reduced obtrusion, many remained unconvinced at the hearing. “I don’t see solar panels — acres and acres of them — any different than I do advertising billboards,” said Halladay Road resident Lou Varricchio to the Addison Independent, expressing his doubt about the project. However, some locals feel optimistic about the prospect of the installation. “I find virtually all renewable energy projects to be beautiful,” said Middlebury resident Steve Maier to the Addison Independent. Resident Charlie Kireker expressed similar support of the project. “This is precisely the type of thing a forward-thinking town like Middlebury should be embracing,” he said to the Addison Independent. “I salute the town for pursuing this and the developer for bringing it forward.” To ensure that construction operates within the interest of Middlebury and its citizens, the public hearing worked as a forum to craft a memorandum of understanding (MOU). This will give locals more control over installation details as the solar farm’s application nears state approval. GroSolar’s project does not require local permission, just Certificates of Public Good from the Vermont Public Utility Commission. Nevertheless, the state is likely to take the interests of the town into major consideration for the process and the MOU will likely facilitate the realization of the project. At the public hearing, town members heard the proposal and worked to draft an MOU that would reflect their interests. This draft included requests that the road to the site be maintained, that local firefighters be given training for potential emergencies and that flowers be planted on the site to attract pollinators. The MOU also stipulated that groSolar pay 40,000 dollars in municipal taxes to Middlebury annually. Finding the best possible deal from groSolar has been a difficult process. “This kind of space is really valuable; we might need it ourselves…” said Middlebury Energy Committee Chairman Ross Conrad. “[We need to] negotiate hard and get a good deal.” At the hearing, The Middlebury Energy Committee made several recommendations of their own. Included in those suggestions was that Middlebury and its citizens be given preferred access and rates in future projects and that groSolar help the town design and integrate its own solar system. Conrad advised wariness towards the project. “We can’t use up all our land supplying renewable energy for places outside of Vermont,” he said. “This is a big project, and there are not a lot of really good spaces in Middlebury for something like this. This might be the best spot for this kind of project, if it’s going to be approved.” Despite the MOU’s attempt to include a range of opinions, many local residents maintained their resolve against the installation. “The project is just very large and out of scale,” said town resident Bob Champlin to the Addison County Independent. “Middlebury should look at smaller projects. Perhaps we should let other towns do some of this rather than us do such a very large project… It’s a mistake to put such a large solar project up in that area.” Still, some remained positive about the plans. “I think the siting is fine,” said resident Ed Sommers. “The project is wonderful and I’m happy we’re considering participating in this (solar) revolution.” Given that the future of the project will largely be defined by residents, voices such as these could prove pivotal in the next steps of the installation’s development.