Obituaries April 24, 2013

Posted on April 23, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

Norma Adams

Norma Chase Adams, 84, lifelong resident of White River Junction, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 17, 2013, while she was visiting at her daughter’s home in Doswell, Virginia.

She was born on March 21, 1929, in White River Junction, the daughter of Lawrence N. and Edith (Hazen) Chase. She attended schools in White River Junction, graduating from Hartford High School in 1947.

She married Conrad F. Adams on February 15, 1948, in White River Junction. Along with raising her five children, she also worked outside the home at various jobs. She was remembered by many as the “TV Lady” at the former Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital in Hanover, New Hampshire. She later was employed in the billing department at the hospital until she retired to spend more time with her husband.

She was always taking care of other people. This trait started early in her life when her mother died when she was only seven years old. She cared for friends and relatives her entire life. She was a longtime member of the United Methodist Church in White River, the Order of the Eastern Star, and had volunteered at several community organizations including the Bugbee Senior Center. At one time, she served as the “Welcome Wagon Hostess” for the town of Hartford, where she welcomed new community members. She enjoyed working in her flower and vegetable gardens. Most of all she loved spending time with her family at their beloved camp on Seymour Lake in Morgan.

She is survived by two sons: Philip Adams of Brownsville and Bradford, New Hampshire, and Steven Adams and his wife, Jean, of Hartland; three daughters: Mary Lou Jillings and her husband, Bruce, of Hamilton, New Zealand, Melinda Kendzia and her husband, Tom, of Doswell, and Jennifer Tilden and her husband, Jeff, of Orford, New Hampshire; her grandchildren: Paul Adams and his wife, Kelley, Forrest Adams, Joseph Adams, Erin Bianchi and her husband, Jared, Thomas Kendzia III and his wife, Chelsea, Timothy Kendzia, Tricia Kendzia, Christopher Adams, Loretta Adams, Sam Tilden, and Adele Tilden; two great-grandchildren: Tess Adams and Riordan Adams; two sisters: Eleanor Bradbury of South Burlington, and Elizabeth Stacy of Brattleboro; special family members: Ann Adams Newcity of Hartford, Carol Conforti Adams of Bradford, amd Cathrine Turcotte of Brownsville; and by several nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband who died on December 30, 1994; a brother, Everett Chase; and by a son-in-law, Robert Willing.

Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, April 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Knight Funeral Home in White River Junction. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 25, at 1 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in White River Junction, with the Reverends Sandy and Lory VanNorden co-officiating. Burial will follow in the Hartford Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to The United Methodist Church of White River Junction, 106 Gates Street, White River Junction, Vermont 05001; or to the Seymour Lake Association, at P.O. Box 43, Morgan, Vermont 05853.

Condolences may be expressed to her family in an online guestbook at www.knightfuneralhomes.com.

Denis Maurice Gray

Denis Gray

Denis Maurice Gray, 29, of Newport died on April 17, 2013, in Burlington.

He was born on November 17, 1983, in Newport, the son of Ellis Gray Jr. and Laurie Jo Warner Makela.

He attended North Country Union High School and ROTC programs at the high school.

He loved playing video games, computers, cooking and being a stay at home dad for his daughter Kerrighan.

He is survived by his daughter Kerrighan Rose Gray of Newport; his fiancée Kari Maxham of Newport; his father Ellis Gray Jr. and his wife, Angie, of Derby; his dad Royce Naramore of Newport; and by his mother Laurie Jo Makela of Florida. He is also survived by his paternal grandmothers: Judy Gray of Derby, and Jane Booth of Coventry; his maternal grandparents: Maurice and Alice Macie of Newport; his paternal step-grandfather Robert Brosseau of Derby; his brothers and sister: Billy Naramore of Newport, Alan Gray of Ohio, Kristin Gray of Derby, Elliott Gray of Derby, Tim Gray of Derby, and Adam Gray of Derby; and by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

He was predeceased by his brother Ellis Gray III; his cousin Paul McKee; his grandfathers: Ellis Gray Sr., Robert Naramore Sr., and Bruce Warner; and by his good friend Bruce.

Funeral services were held on April 23, in Newport. Interment will follow in Derby Center Cemetery.

Should friends desire, the family has requested donations be sent to the Curtis-Britch Funeral Home Inc., 37 Lake Road, Newport, Vermont 05855, to defray funeral expenses.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Paul K. Southouse

Paul K. Southouse, 87, of Glover died on April 17, 2013, at his home, surrounded by his family.

He was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on June 28, 1925, the son of James W.K. and Florence Blanche (Tulley) Southouse. He graduated from schools in Connecticut.

He was a United States Veteran having served during World War II. He was honorably discharged on December 11, 1945, from Company A 313^th Engineers. He served in Italy with the 34^th Division, 109^th Engineer Battalion, landing on Anzio Beach and participating in battles in Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, North Appennines and Po Valley.

He retired as a sales manager for Prudential Life Insurance Company after 17 years of service. He also worked at Vermont Tap and Die in the shipping department and Lyndon State College as a maintenance man at Burklyn Mansion and dorm father to 52 boys.

He was a member of the Anglican Church of America in Danville, Lay Reader and Senior Warden, he was a past master of the Crescent Lodge #66 Free and Accepted Masons in Lyndonville, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post and American Legion, both of Lyndonville, and he also served on the Lyndon select board for several years.

He is survived by his wife Marie Southouse; one daughter, Ellen Ohina, and her husband, John; two step-sons: Mark Rodgers and his wife, Dawn, and John Rodgers and his wife, Brenda; one step-daughter, Diane Rodgers, and her partner, Kelly Young; ten grandchildren: Wendy and Shelby Williams, Megan Webster and her husband, Dan, Tyler, Jessica, Alexis, John, Derek, Violet and Ian Rodgers; three great-grandchildren: Isadora and Ayden Carpenter and Noah Webster; and by special caregivers, Sue Demers and Tamieka.

He was predeceased by his first wife Ruth Baird Southouse; two brothers: Thomas Southouse and James W.K. Southouse Jr.; and by one sister, Mary Beebe.

Graveside services will be held on June 8, 2013, at 11 a.m. in the family lot in the Woodmont Cemetery in East Burke. The Crescent Lodge #66 Free and Accepted Masons will officiate. There are no calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the charity of one’s choice.

To view an online guestbook, visit www.pearsonsfh.com.

Ruth Esser Strong

Ruth Strong

Ruth Esser Strong, 86, of Craftsbury Common died on April 16, 2013, at her home, surrounded by her family.

She was born in Manhattan, New York, in 1926, daughter of Ulrich and Ida Esser. Her childhood included growing up on a boat on the Hudson River in New York City, later living in Washington, D.C., and graduating from Roosevelt High School. From summers working on a farm in Vermont, she pushed to go to University of Vermont (UVM). Getting a degree in agronomy with a minor in engineering, she was instrumental in getting an agricultural engineering degree program in place at UVM.

She met Horace Strong at UVM and they married at the College St. Congregational Church in Burlington. Mr. and Mrs. Strong moved from there to raising five children on part of the Strong farm north of the Common.

She was a past member of Search Light and Ladies Union, and was a lead voice in keeping Craftsbury Academy independent. She loved the outdoors and, with a large family in tow, was active in canoeing, hiking and camping. Interests in land conservation, forestry, gardening and writing continued throughout her life. There were few things she enjoyed more than following and participating in her kids’ adventures and careers, and her four-wheel-drive Toyota pickups, whether driving up to her garden with its expansive views, going for a swim at her beach on Big Hosmer, or on cross-country trips. As a Christian, she was not shy of saying what the Lord had done for her in her life, and she was concerned about protecting the principles of individual liberty that she saw as the basis of America’s prosperity. As organic a “granola cruncher” as the best of them, she saw this fitting perfectly with her strong conservative patriotism.

She is survived by her children: Nancy J. West and her husband, Jim, of East Craftsbury, Nathan Strong and his wife, Vicki, of Albany, Russell Strong of Craftsbury Common, Lynn Calderwood and her husband, Ricki, of East Highgate, and Matthew Strong and his wife, Patty, of Stowe; her grandchildren: Matthew L. Strong, Heather Strong, Charlotte (Calderwood) Martin, Rebekah Calderwood, Cicily Strong, and Isabelle Strong; and by her great-grandchild Noah Strong.

She was predeceased by her parents and a grandson, Marine Sargeant Jesse Strong, KIA Iraq 2005.

A graveside service will be held later in the spring.

Memorial contributions in her memory may be made to Samaritan’s Purse at www.samaritanspurse.org.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Committals

Jeff Gerrow

Committal services for Jeff Gerrow will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, at the Albany Village Cemetery.

Gordon and Rose LaClair

Services for Gordon and Rose LaClair will be held at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, at the Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home in Barton. Interment will follow in Sutton Village Cemetery with full military honors.

In boys baseball: Burlington’s late-inning surge downs Falcons

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Posted on April 23, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

North Country Falcon Chase LaCourse (foreground) beats out the play at the plate against fellow catcher, Burlington High’s Hunter Knight during Saturday’s varsity high school baseball action. Photos by Richard Creaser

by Richard Creaser

copyright the Chronicle 4-24-2013

NEWPORT — Saturday’s varsity baseball game between the visiting Burlington High Sea Horses and the host North Country falcons was game of late-inning heroics. The two teams appeared evenly matched throughout until a six-run seventh propelled the Sea Horses into an 11-9 victory on Saturday afternoon.

“We made a lot of mental mistakes that cost us runs,” infielder Bryce Carter acknowledged after the game. “We’re pretty solid for the most part, but things got away from us at the end.”

The 2013 Falcons are a very young team with only two seniors, Joel Lamarche and David Murray on the roster. That said, there was a remarkable chemistry for a team that has had only three outdoor practices while already three games into the season.

“I think we’re at the point where we should be heading into the season,” Assistant Coach Mike LaCourse said. “Instead we’re three games in and just finding our footing.”

Though the Falcons have an 0-3 record on the young season, Head Coach Brian Bonvecchio has noticed his team making positive strides. Earlier in the season the team’s defense was shaky and its hitting sorely lacking. Neither was particularly the case in Saturday’s contest.

“Our defense was very good,” Coach Bonvecchio said after the game. “We hit the ball hard. Unfortunately, it was usually to someone standing right there. Five feet to either side and it would have been a great hit.”

Falcon Joel Lamarche took the mound for the Falcons and endured a rough first inning as the Sea Horses plated three runs in the first. The runs came courtesy of two walks, a hit batsman and a single. Lamarche also recorded all three outs in the inning with strikeouts. The Falcons responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Chase LaCourse beat out a play at the plate as he advanced on a pass ball while Lamarche came around to score on Ryan O’Donnell’s RBI triple.

The Falcons would tie up the contest in the home half of the second after an error allowed Ian Major to reach base, Carter walked and the pair executed a double steal when a pass ball allowed Major to score. The Sea Horses would regain the lead after Lamarche surrendered the fourth run of the game in the top of the third.

The Falcons’ replacement pitcher, Shane Goodell, kept Burlington off the board until the top of the fifth when an error allowed Hunter Knight to reach, Knight stole a pass and a sacrifice bunt enabled him to score on Malcolm Huesman’s suicide squeeze. The Falcons’ bats came alive in what would turn out to be BHS starter Austin Pine’s final inning.

Burlington Sea Horse Jacob Parent (number 3) breaks up the play at second as North Country’s Tyler Sanville (center) reaches for the ball. Fellow Falcon Ryan O’Donnell backs up Sanville on the play.

Tyler Sanville led off the home half of the fifth with a towering triple to the right field wall. He would then score on a pass ball during LaCourse’s at bat. Lamarche would reach on a walk and steal before being knocked in by O’Donnell’s sacrifice fly to tie up the game at five all.

Things fell apart for the Falcons in the top of the seventh. Goodell’s arm was clearly tired as the Sea Horses took advantage of poor control and diminished velocity. They would go on to record six runs in the inning on three hits, five walks and two pass balls.

“Our defense was solid but a solid defense can’t help with walks,” Coach Bonvecchio said. “You can’t defend against walks, period. We don’t have strikeout pitchers so we rely on our defense to keep us in the game.”

The Falcons, down by six with only three outs remaining, were not deterred. LaCourse led off the inning with a single to right. Wyatt Prue would reach on a fielding error with one out followed by O’Donnell’s bloop single to shallow right field that allowed LaCourse to score. Nick Sicard would follow up with a sacrifice fly that brought in Prue leaving the Falcons four runs down with only a single out remaining. Major would reach on a walk before Carter launched a double to deep right center scoring both O’Donnell and Major to cut Burlington’s lead to two runs. Carter would steal his second base of the day following Jared Hussey’s two out single putting men on the corners with two down. The game would end on a routine groundout to third.

“I’m very proud of this team,” Carter said after the game. “We’re a young team but we work hard and do what the coaches tell us to do. We learn from our mistakes and I think we’re just going to get better.”

contact Richard Creaser at nek_scribbler@hotmail.com

Dandelion Run May 18

Posted on April 22, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

Photo courtesy of Phil White

The Dandelion Run is a competitive and recreational half marathon (with relay options) on back roads deep in the heart of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Don’t let the name fool you. The “Dandy” is a hilly, thigh-burning challenge. Your reward: a run that takes you through farms and forests, on dirt roads through uncut green fields blanketed with thousands and thousands of dandelions. The “Kingdom” is one of the first geotourism areas in the world, specially designated by National Geographic. And there is no more beautiful time of year than the height of dandelion season. It’s Spring! It’s time to run!! Just for the fun of it!!!

The consensus of our participants: “The Dandelion Run is one of the most challenging and most beautiful half marathons in the northeast.” And it is run in conjunction with our Dandelion Festival of Bluegrass, Old Country and Fiddle Music – pickers and fiddlers at every relay station.

We also offer a less hilly, 10K course for running and walking (adult and youth). We’ve run this in previous years as a 5 mile run, but have added a spur to make it a full 10K. Our youngest runners take part in the joy of the Dandelion Run on our special 1 mile youth Fun Run.
This is a charity run and walk to support IROC’s Healthy Changes Initiative, a groundbreaking exercise program for people suffering from diabetes, obesity, or heart disease.

Pricing varies depending on the course. Registration is now open. The Adult Fee for the Half Marathon is $50 for an individual if you register before the end of the year. Adult Fee for the 10K course is $25. For the full rate schedule including special prices for youth and young adults check out our 2013 Rate Schedule and Register for the event on line here.

The event is hosted by IROC (Indoor Recreation of Orleans County) out of the Derby Beach House on the 4-H Road at Lake Salem, in Derby, Vermont. The half marathon starts at 9:00 am. Relay stations are available at the 3, 6, and 9 mile points, with the final leg being 4.1 miles to the finish. Run the whole event, or enter as a team of 2 or 4 runners.

The 10K run and walk begins at 9:10 am. The Fun Run (1 Mile – $5) takes place at 9:20 am.

In 2013, the total number runners will be limited to 400 individual runners, first come, first served. Total number of relay runners will be limited to 200. Registration is now open.

In girls tennis: Falcons fly by Rangers

Posted on April 22, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

Lake Region Ranger Judit Altimiri returns at the net against North Country’s Jacey Gray during Friday afternoon’s varsity girls’ tennis match at Lake Region. Photo by Richard Creaser

copyright the Chronicle 4-22-2013

The visiting North Country Falcons spoiled Lake Region girls varsity tennis opener with a 3-2 win on Friday, April 19. Friday’ contest was remarkable for a number of reasons not the least of which was the fact it marked the first time that the tennis program could host a match on the Lake Region campus. The Rangers had been playing their home games at the municipal tennis courts in Derby due to a lack of courts.

Lake Region’s Rachelle Cotnoir returns the volley during her doubles match against the visiting North Country Falcons. Photo by Richard Creaser

“It’s pretty nice to be able to actually play home games at home,” Lake Region tennis coach Laura Laramee said. “We have the new court in back and they resurfaced the two older courts to give us some nice playing surfaces.”

While the courts might have been new and welcome, weather conditions were not especially favorable nor was the fact that spring vacation lingered just around the corner. Due to school vacation schedules and class trips, both the Falcons and Rangers found themselves undermanned to complete a regular schedule of games. As a result the contest consisted only of four singles matches and one doubles match.

Strong, gusting winds proved to be as much of a challenge for the players as their actual opponents. Had the match been between college teams, Ms. Laramee conceded that it likely would have been cancelled. Coach Laramee also coaches the Lyndon State College men’s tennis team.

On a day best remembered for chaotic winds and periodic dust storms, North Country Falcon Kathryn Daigle, who studies at United Christian Academy, battled Lake Region’s Tay Turner. Photo by Richard Creaser

“Once the wind gets over a certain speed or the temperature drops below 50 degrees the colleges won’t play,” Coach Laramee said. “But our season is so short we really don’t have enough time to make up games.”

“If it’s not raining, we’ve got to play,” North Country Coach Jody Driscoll said.

The wind did lead to many oddities in play. Serving down wind forced players to constantly adjust the power in their serve while those playing against the wind had to force some extra muscle into every shot. There were many occasions where even the most heroic of efforts was doomed to fail.

One such incident occurred in the doubles match between Rangers Crystal Trieber and Rachelle Cotnoir and Falcons Kaitlyn Young and Hailie Lyon. A return by Lyon appeared ready to drop over the net, hung suspended in mid-air, moved a few inches backward and dropped back into the Falcons court.

“The wind is ridiculous,” Falcon Anne Arcoleo said. “The bounce is bizarre. Off the bounce you don’t know if it’s going to just stop right there or float off the court. The weirdest is when it goes sideways and you can’t even guess where it might go.”

“It might be unfair but it’s unfair to everybody,” Coach Driscoll said of the wind.

North Country’s Jacey Gray battles an errant gust of wind during her match against Lake Region’s Judit Altimiri at the Lake Region High tennis courts on Friday afternoon. Photo by Richard Creaser

Though the winds proved particularly troublesome during the first three matches of the day, the winds did eventually die down enough to allow the number three singles match and number four singles match to be a contest between players instead of players versus environment.

This created some of the best matches of the day as the coaches and players could exercise their skills instead of combating the vagaries of the elements. The number three match between Falcon Kathryn Daigle, who attends United Christian Academy, and Ranger Tay Turner was a particularly well matched battle. Daigle prevailed in the first set edging out Turner 7-5. Turner responded by defeating Daigle 6-4 in the second set to spawn a super tie breaker. Turner’s solid serving enabled her to win the tie break 10-2 and win the match for the host team.

Lake Region’s other victory would come in the number four match between Ranger Judit Altimiri and Falcon Jacey Gray. Coach Laramee commented on the good rallies between the two. In the end Altimiri would oust Gray in straight sets 6-2, 6-3.

The Falcons would win the remainder of the matches on the day including Arcoleo’s 6-0, 6-0 win over Shay Beaton in the number one singles match. Meira Buck would eventually triumph over Alyssa Lawson 6-2, 6-3 to win the number two match while Young and Lyon would defeat Trieber and Cotnoir 6-0, 7-5 to take the doubles match.

The freakish weather conditions provided a rather challenging contest for two essentially fresh teams. Shay Beaton is the lone returning player for the Rangers while Arcoleo was the lone veteran for the Falcons. Both teams consisted primarily of players new to tennis.

“It seems like a lot of the schools in our division are in building years,” Coach Laramee said. “That takes a lot of the pressure off for young players. It levels the playing field for the teams and makes the games more competitive and less frustrating.”

The Falcons return to action on Monday, April 29, at BFA St. Albans while the Rangers visit St. Johnsbury Academy on Monday, April 22.

Contact Richard Creaser at nek_scribbler@hotmail.com

News analysis: The high cost of clean power

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Posted on April 17, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

by Chris Braithwaite

copyright the Chronicle 4-17-2013

BARTON — Solar energy may come to town soon at the Barton Solar Farm at 1603 Glover Road. A fairly large project at 1.8 megawatts (MW), it would produce the amount of power consumed, on average, by more than 300 Vermont homes.

The project has no local permits yet, the developer said last week, and still faces the detailed scrutiny of the state Public Service Board under Section 248. What it does have is acceptance as a SPEED program, a key ingredient in the state’s effort to make a major shift to renewable electric energy.

“We’ve come out of the gate,” said developer Robert Grant of Essex County, Massachusetts. “Now we have to start running the gauntlet.”

Meanwhile the voters in Newport Center approved at Town Meeting a selectmen’s proposal for a $200,000 “Community Energy Solar Garden.”

Steve Mason, chairman of the Lowell School Board, is looking into working with a Westminster, Vermont, company called Soveren to install a solar system that would provide power to Lowell’s town and school buildings. Under a deal with Brattleboro Schools that caught Mr. Mason’s eye, the schools will pay none of the capital cost, and save 10 percent on its energy bills.

And small solar installations are popping up at homes in the area at what looks like a steadily increasing pace.

The trend to solar energy is not being driven by the fact that, with no fuel required, it’s cheap energy. It’s nothing of the kind.

But solar energy is clean energy, and in its haste to clean up Vermont’s electric energy supply, the state has compelled its utilities to buy solar energy at prices that make installations financially attractive.

Those premiums get passed on, through the utilities’ rate structure, to customers who don’t have solar panels on their roof or a wind turbine in their yard.

That’s a concern to some observers, who fear that the state’s strong embrace of renewable energy is based on more emotion than reason; that policies were adopted without due consideration of what they may ultimately cost.

There are, indeed, two programs in Vermont, SPEED and net metering, that pursue the goal of more renewable electric energy in different ways, and with no apparent coordination.

It also puzzles some energy critics that this battle to reduce the state’s carbon footprint, thus contributing to the effort against global warming, is focused on an energy sector that is already remarkably clean. Vermonters use relatively little electricity. Vermont residences, on average, consume 573 KWh of power a month, compared to a national average of 940 KWh.

In its “Vermont Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory,” the state Agency of Natural Resources said that, in 2008, electricity accounted for 4 percent of the 8.37 metric tons of carbon dioxide the state releases into the atmosphere. The bulk of carbon dioxide came from heating and transportation.

The end of contracts with the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant may have altered that picture since 2008, but utilities have turned to other nuclear plants to make up at least some of the difference.

One concerned observer is Willem Post, a frequent source of widely disseminated e-mails on the Vermont energy picture. In a recent interview, Mr. Post said he is a mechanical engineer with 40 years’ experience in the utility business.

Mr. Post is concerned about a program called SPEED, which stands for Sustainably Priced Energy Development. It supports moderate to very large renewable projects by offering premium prices for their power.

Any sort of renewable energy gets a premium price compared with the current wholesale price on the New England grid of about 5 cents a kilowatt hour (KWh). But solar power sits at the top of the heap at five times that rate, 27.5 cents per KWh. Other prices, freshly recalibrated by the PSB for SPEED’s Standard Offer program, range down to a “levelized” price (which starts lower and climbs higher over 20 years) of 25.3 cents for wind projects over 100 KW, 11.8 cents for larger wind projects, 14.1 cents for farm methane, 12.5 cents for biomass, 12.3 cents for hydro, and 9 cents for landfill methane.

SPEED projects that exceed the 2.2 MW limit of the standard offer program negotiate rates with the utilities, like the 40 MW Sheffield wind project, or are owned by the utilities themselves, like Green Mountain Power’s 63 MW Lowell project. (One megawatt is 1,000 kilowatts.)

The 2017 SPEED goal, according to its Internet site, “is to have 20 percent of total statewide electric retail sales during the year commencing January 1, 2017, generated by SPEED resources that constitute new renewable energy.”

Vermont consumes about 5.5 million MWh of power a year, so the SPEED goal is about 1.1 million MWh.

According to a recent status report, SPEED projects are already generating an estimated 570,843 MWh, a little over half its target.

That total comes overwhelmingly from big projects outside the Standard Offer Program. Led by Lowell Mountain, nine big projects are expected to make more than half a million MWh a year, while about 30 Standard Offer projects make about 54,000 MW.

Another 213,162 MWh are expected from SPEED projects “in active development,” about evenly split between four large projects and various standard offer projects.

That would bring total SPEED production to 784,000 MWh, 316,000 MWh short of its goal.

Existing Standard Offer projects lean heavily to farm methane (14) and solar (12). But on a list of pending projects that will take advantage of high Standard Offer Prices 18 are solar, five farm methane, and three hydro.

The clear preference for solar power worries Mr. Post, the engineer, because of its high, 27.5-cent cost to utilities.

He calculates that the Standard Offer projects already online cost utilities — and their customers — $3.4-million above the average New England grid power price in 2012.

If enough solar Standard Offer project were permitted to meet the SPEED goal, he calculates, the excess cost would rise beyond $50-million in 2017. And that doesn’t count the cost of the big projects like Lowell, he notes.

In SPEED, he sees a program that was not rationally designed, and is running on autopilot.

He uses the metaphor of a frog in a frying pan of water, with the stove on. The effect may be gradual, he said, “but it will eventually ruin the Vermont economy. We will end up with rates that are significantly higher than other states, put ourselves at a further disadvantage.”

But the man who bears the title of Vermont SPEED Facilitator, John Spencer, said Monday that, with their relatively small, 2.2 MW maximum size, Standard Offer projects can’t close the gap between SPEED’s target and its current and scheduled production. That would mean that the expensive solar projects Mr. Post worries about can’t be hurried forward at the rate he fears.

Mr. Spencer is executive director of a non-profit called VEPP, Inc., that serves as a sort of broker between SPEED producers and the utilities.

Under state law, he said, “I can only take Standard Offer programs at the rate of five MW a year.”

When it comes up against a capacity limit, solar energy is hampered by its low capacity factor of 15 percent.

Five MW of solar power would yield about 6,570 MWh a year.

To fill that 316,000 MWh gap by January 1, 2017, SPEED needs to add about 105,000 MWh a year.

So where will the renewable power come from?

Probably from out of state, Mr. Spencer said.

That is apparently a loophole in the program that has been devised to close the gap. In 2011, when the Lowell Wind project was being debated before the Public Service Board, the SPEED program was key to its economic justification, and SPEED projects were defined then as in-state renewable generation.

But, somewhat to Mr. Spencer’s dismay, “in-state” has been dropped from the definition. Energy from new renewable projects in other states can be counted toward the SPEED goal, Mr. Spencer said, as long as they carry their renewable energy credits with them when they cross the state line. Vermont utilities don’t need those credits, so can sell them to utilities in other states.

Robert Dostis, head of external affairs and customer relations at Green Mountain Power, confirmed Tuesday that his utility is buying SPEED power from Granite Reliable Wind, a New Hampshire project.

That will help GMP meet its 20 percent target, Mr. Dostis said. “It won’t be easy, but we’re working on it.”

Net metering

Net metering is a program designed for smaller renewable projects that are linked directly into a utility’s lines through a meter that spins backwards when the customer doesn’t need all the power he or she is producing.

For wind, methane or hydro systems, net metering offers the local utility’s retail rate for power from small renewable projects up to 500 kilowatts (KW) — compared with the 2,200 KW limit on SPEED Standard Offer projects. But people who install solar panels get a premium big enough to assure them a rate of 20 cents per KWh, a bit above the state’s average residential rate of 17.7 cents.

Not surprisingly, solar installations account for 88 percent of net metered projects, and are driving a growth rate in the program that the state’s Public Service Department (PSD) recently described as “exponential.”

Net metering goes back to 1998 in Vermont, though limits on the size of both individual projects and their total statewide capacity have been increased several times.

In a recent report on the program to the Legislature, the PSD noted that the statewide limit on net metering was raised from 1 percent to 2 percent of Vermont’s peak load of about 1,000 MW in 2002, and that was doubled again to 4 percent in 2011.

In terms of capacity, the PSD said, net metering has climbed past 20 MW statewide, and so is approximately halfway to its current 40 MW limit.

However because it is so heavily weighted to solar power with its low 15 percent capacity factor, net metering accounts for considerably less than 1 percent of the state’s power consumption.

Net metering is growing fast in other parts of the state. A state list of projects “deemed approved” from the first of this year through mid-March listed 136 statewide, but only one in Orleans County.

For people who have the means to do it themselves, net metering can be attractive. Mr. Spencer, the SPEED facilitator, installed one at his home for $15,000. Federal tax credits and state rebates reduced his cost to $10,500, he said, and he hopes the system will eliminate his electric bill of about $1,200 a year. He calculates a return on investment of about 12 percent, a rate, he notes that is “pretty hard to get in other places.”

For people who want to avoid the up-front cost or the complexity of installing their own system, companies like AllEarth Renewables and its competitors stand ready to install one at no cost. The homeowner gets a guarantee that his or her electric rates won’t rise, and the installer gets whatever tax credits, rapid depreciation and state rebates are available.

AllEarth has more recently teamed up with Green Lantern Capital to offer such deals to municipalities and non-profits like schools and hospitals that pay no income taxes. In these deals, the tax advantages go to Green Lantern’s investors, and the municipality is offered a modest saving on its electricity and a chance to buy the system at less than half its cost after seven years.

With such a deal on the table, said AllEarth spokesman Andrew Savage, “there is no sane reason an entity that doesn’t pay taxes would bond for the full cost of a project.”

Mr. Post, the energy policy critic, objects to the idea that the many projects are being financed by millionaires who, while their consumers harvest the power of the sun, are harvesting the substantial tax benefits attached to renewable projects, along with the high rates.

Meanwhile, he said in one e-mail, ordinary Vermonters are saddled with higher power rates.

The DPS study was undertaken to answer just that question from a legislator: “…whether and to what extent customers using net metering systems… are subsidized by other retail electric customers who do not….”

The study found that they were not. But that was only after a cash value was factored in to reflect the fact that renewable energy doesn’t generate harmful greenhouse gasses.

Without that calculation, the study showed that net metering costs exceeded its benefits by 0.6 cents a KWh for fixed solar installations, 1.5 cents per KWh for solar systems that track the sun, and 9.1 cents for a 100KW wind generator.

Rian Fried has made a close study of renewable energy for his company, Clean Yield Asset Management, which evaluates investment opportunities for its clients in terms of both financial return and social value.

The company decided some time ago not to recommend any large wind projects, but has invested in solar companies. Mr. Fried recently installed a net metered system at his home in Stannard.

But he’s not sure anyone at the state policy level has a handle on the long-term effects of our pursuit of clean energy.

“I think you have a political situation in this state now, where the Green Mountain Power people, Shumlin’s people, Paul Burns (the head of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group) and a lot of Progressives are talking about the public good and completely whitewashing the numbers part of it,” he said in an interview. “There’s going to come a time again when we’re going to talk about rates.”

At Green Mountain Power Mr. Dostis said his utility looks carefully at its mix of power sources to make sure its rates remain competitive with other New England utilities.

“We have a voice in the legislative process,” said Mr. Dostis, himself a former state representative. “In the end the ratepayers will absorb any cost. We are very mindful of that, and we make sure the Legislature is very mindful of that.”

Mr. Dostis sees big changes ahead in his industry “as more and more people put on solar projects that meet 100 percent of their power needs. Their bill is zero. Other customers are paying the cost of maintaining the overall grid. It’s an issue the Legislature will have to deal with.”

At the Legislature, Senator John Rodgers of Glover has taken the position that Vermont’s renewable electric energy goals should simply be scrapped.

“My concern is that the renewable goals are driving the Public Service Board’s decisions when they’re siting these projects. I don’t think that’s how siting should be driven.

“Ridgeline industrial wind is absolutely the worst of all the possible tools at our disposal,” the senator said. Instead he’d like to see more support for “small, local stuff” like farm methane and power dams that have fallen out of service.

Canadian hydro power is another option that should be expanded, he said. “I don’t see any problem with using very reasonably priced power produced north of the border with renewable resources.”

He challenges the idea that Vermont should not only use more renewable electric power, but also generate it. “Most of the appeal of Vermont is that we have resisted destroying our environment for the sake of commercial enterprise,” he said.

contact Chris Braithwaite at chris@bartonchronicle.com

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Katz preaches the gospel of sauerkraut

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Posted on April 16, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

Author Sandor Katz speaks with a couple who attended his talk on fermentation. Mr. Katz, who grew up in New York City and has since moved to rural Tennessee, writes that his interest in fermentation comes from an early love of kosher dill pickles as well as a concern for health gained as a person living with HIV. Photo by Joseph Gresser

by Joseph Gresser

copyright the Chronicle 4-10-2013

CRAFTSBURY COMMON — A self-proclaimed “fermentation evangelist” preached the gospel of sauerkraut March 3 to a receptive congregation at Sterling College.

Sandor Katz has gained wide recognition for writing and teaching about different types of fermented foods. But his talk at Sterling followed his most recent book The Art of Fermentation on a more philosophical exploration of a method of food transformation that is practiced in one way or another by every culture.

The word culture itself is central to Mr. Katz’s new book and also to his talk. He noted the use of the word to indicate the specific microorganisms that are introduced to milk to make yogurt and particular varieties of cheese, as well as its common meaning, denoting a collection of activities, beliefs and artistic practices that are the hallmarks of a human society.

In Mr. Katz’s view, a culinary culture is, in part, made up of the microorganisms that help create foods and drinks that characterize a society. We consume many of these without giving much thought to their origins.

Beer, wine, bread, cheese, coffee, pickles, cured meats are all foods that rely on fermentation, a process that, in turn relies on a healthy society of microorganisms.

Mr. Katz said he has tried to find societies that do not use the process of fermentation to preserve foods or create dishes of extraordinary flavor. So far, he said, he has failed to discover one.

The key to fermentation, he said, is the world of microorganisms that have evolved along with humanity. In his book, Mr. Katz says that previous generations depicted these microorganisms as humanity’s tiny servants, working tirelessly to transform milk into cheese or grain into beer.

Another way of viewing the situation, he said, is to see these creatures as having tricked humans into working hard to provide a nice comfortable environment in which they can grow and reproduce, by producing flavors that we enjoy.

After the French scientist, Louis Pasteur, discovered the relationship between bacteria and disease, humanity’s relationship with these creatures has undergone a radical change, Mr. Katz said.

“All of us raised in the United States in the twentieth century have been indoctrinated to consider bacteria as bad,” Mr. Katz told more than 100 students, teachers and community members.

He said the current craze for soaps that kill up to 99 percent of all bacteria is a mistake, especially when our own bodies are mostly made up of bacteria.

Mr. Katz said research shows that bacteria outnumber human cells by ten to one in our bodies. “We are host to them,” he remarked, “but maybe they are host to us.”

These bacteria are not parasites, Mr. Katz said. They do things for us that we could not do without them, and contribute to processes as vital to our survival as digestion and reproduction.

Coexistence with these microorganisms is imperative, Mr. Katz said.

As a person who has conducted thousands of workshops to teach people how to make sauerkraut and similar foods, Mr. Katz said he has found many people who worry about the danger of getting the wrong kind of bacteria in their fermented foods.

Fermented foods made with raw vegetables are very safe, he said, although “more parameters for safety need to be followed when working with meat or milk.

“The number of reported fatalities from eating fermented vegetables, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture is,” Mr. Katz paused for emphasis here, “exactly zero.”

He continued, saying, “Once cabbage is chopped, salted and fermented in its own juice, natural bacteria take over, acidifying the environment and destroying invading bacteria.”

That process is one in which a group of bacteria create a stable environment for themselves, Mr. Katz said. Such a culture, propagated by the process of back-slopping — adding a portion of one batch of the ferment to milk or grains to create the next batch — can last for generations, he said.

Yogurt and sourdough cultures can last for years if tended carefully, he said.

Industrially produced ferments, such as commercial yogurt, generally rely on specific microorganisms purchased from catalogs, Mr. Katz said. These produce uniform results, but do not do well in the wild.

He told of how he tried for years to make yogurt by adding some commercial yogurt to warm milk. The first batch, he said, was satisfying with the flavor and texture he craved.

Each succeeding generation was less successful, he said. The specialized cultures purchased by the commercial yogurt makers were not able to ward off wild microorganisms and so deteriorated over time, he said.

In contrast yogurt made from wild strains in the Balkans can be cultured by back-slopping indefinitely, he said, because the culture is made up of a variety of organisms that work together to ward off invading bacteria.

In his talk, as in his book, Mr. Katz equates the cooperative interaction of the wild microorganism with people learning and teaching about fermented foods, and even experimenting with new foods, to create a culture apart from the large-scale commercial food industry.

In his book he explores the different ways people have learned to preserve foods as diverse as fish, grains and casava roots with the assistance of microorganisms.

He gives the loosest types of recipes to make most of these foods, but most importantly Mr. Katz gives encouragement and even permission to those who are on the brink of entering the world of ferments.

Mr. Katz’s talk was the first in a series sponsored by Sterling College and the Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick that they say is designed to bring “contemporary perspectives and visionary speakers on local and global food systems to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.”

During his stay Mr. Katz got to see the work on local food systems that has developed here over the past few years. In turn he provided an overview of a global system that predates, and will likely outlast, humanity.

The Art of Fermentation, by Sandor Ellix Katz. Published by Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, 2012, 498 pages, hardcover, $39.95.

Northeast Kingdom Farm to Yarn Tour May 18 and 19

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Posted on April 12, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

Photo from Log Cabin alpaca farm.

The Northeast Kingdom Farm to Yarn Tour has, for many, become a welcome sign of spring and an annual tradition. The Farm to Yarn Tour event began several years ago in Montgomery, Vermont, which is located just south of the Canadian border not far from Jay Peak. The knitters, spinners and farmers of the Mountain Fiber Folk Co-op started the Farm to Yarn tour with five farms in the Montgomery area participating in a one day, open house style event. Folks from near and far enjoyed the tours whether they were active knitters, farmers or just looking for a fun, family-friendly event. The event became an annual tradition, but there was room to grow. “Collaboration emerged between the Mountain Fiber Folk Co-op and the Northeast Kingdom Travel & Tourism Association (NEKTTA) and the event grew into a two day weekend event that now includes many farms from all parts of the Northeast Kingdom” stated Laura Malieswski, NEKTTAs executive administer. “It’s an event that truly celebrates Vermont’s agricultural heritage and it’s a great chance for budding fiber producers to learn how to work with fiber as well as what’s involved in the raising of fiber producing animals.”

Activities, experiences, and animal interactions vary from farm to farm. However, collectively, activities include farm tours, spinning demos, fiber arts workshops, a llama obstacle course, and the chance to meet alpacas, goats, sheep, angora rabbits, and other farm and family animals. Visitors will also be able to purchase fiber products including roving, yarn, and hand-crafted items.

As in previous years the event has grown and now includes farms throughout the region. Participating farms include: Agape Hill Farm in Hardwick, Walden Mountain Alpaca Farm in East Hardwick, Valley View Alpacas in Lyndonville, Tannery Farm & Boreas Farm Cashmeres in Danville, Maple View Icelandics in Westfield, Willowbend Farm in Island Pond, Cedar Brook Alpacas & Aramaar Alpacas in Irasburg, Log Cabin Farm Alpacas in East Albany, Buzz & Honey’s Fleecy Flock in Montgomery, Dillner Hillside Farm in Montgomery and Mountain Fiber Folk Coop in Montgomery Center.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for people to connect with some of our regional farms” said Malieswski “and to ensure everyone has a great experience we offer people a few things to consider to include wearing appropriate footwear and clothing, being aware of posted signs and working equipment, being considerate of the needs and comfort of the animals and leaving your dogs at home.”

The Northeast Kingdom Farm to Yarn tour will be hosted on Saturday, May 18^, and Sunday, May 19^, at locations across the region. The event is free. For a full listing of activities at each farm and to download a map of the participating farms visit www.TraveltheKingdom.com or contact the Northeast Kingdom Travel & Tourism Association at 802-626-8511 or toll free at 1-800-884-8001. E-mails are invited to assist@TraveltheKingdom.com.

The Northeast Kingdom Travel & Tourism Association (NEKTTA) has administered the regional marketing program for the Northeast Kingdom, since the organization’s inception in 1991. The organization provides marketing education, service, support and representation for nine area chambers of commerce and over 180 area businesses. NEKTTA strives to showcase Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom as a destination of choice for travelers. In doing so it is our mission to employ tourism to the benefit of our region by assisting in the development, marketing, and execution of experiential tourism products which will both honor and sustain that which we, as residents of the NEK, value most about our home. To aid us in our mission we employ the values and principles of agritourism, ecotourism and geotourism. For more information, please visit www.travelthekingdom.com.

Climate, crime rate draw buyers to the Kingdom

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Posted on April 10, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

Karl Hayden and Jenny Lauer moved to Glover from Colorado last year, in part because of the availability of water in Vermont. Photo by Tena Starr

by Tena Starr

copyright the Chronicle 4-10-2013

When Karl Hayden and Jenny Lauer decided to leave Colorado, one of the things they were looking for in a new home was water. Mr. Hayden worked as supervisor at a pharmaceutical firm, and Ms. Lauer as an administrative assistant at the University of Colorado Boulder. They lived in Arvada, a city of about 100,000 outside Denver.

For both health and lifestyle reasons, Mr. Hayden and Ms. Lauer wanted to grow their own fruits and vegetables and raise some animals. That just wasn’t possible at their suburban home.

They looked first at land in Colorado, but “You can’t buy property with water in Colorado unless you’re rich,” Mr. Hayden said.

The couple did look at a 38-acre organic farm in that state. But with water rights, its asking price was $2.25-million, Ms. Lauer said.

In Colorado, where water is increasingly scarce and forest fires are just plain increasing, the right to use the water on the property you buy is not automatic. Generally, land and water rights are sold separately, Ms. Lauer said. In fact, it’s illegal to even collect water in a rain barrel. Whoever owns the water rights owns every drop that comes out of the sky, she said.

The couple searched nationwide for a new home, their priorities being the availability of water, health care, and a thriving local food movement.

They found what they were looking for at what they considered a reasonable price in Glover, where they bought about 15 acres of bare land and put up a yurt. There’s a little stream nearby, which they viewed as a terrific asset, although the real estate agent considered it to be too pathetic to be worth mentioning.

“But we were like, oh, it’s water!” Mr. Hayden said.

“After 19 years in Colorado, anything that actually flows qualifies as a stream,” Ms. Lauer said.

Jim Campbell at Jim Campbell Real Estate was the agent who sold Ms. Lauer and Mr. Hayden their land in Glover. He said he hasn’t personally experienced buyers wanting to move to Vermont because of changing climate. He wasn’t aware that was a factor in Ms. Lauer’s and Mr. Hayden’s decision.

“I didn’t realize where they were coming from.”

The Northeast Kingdom real estate market has climbed out of the toilet, and one of the factors that seems to be driving sales is weather. Real estate agents say that fear of natural disaster, as well as manmade ones, is sending people to Vermont where water is plentiful and often free, hurricanes are rare, earthquakes are harmless, and, if anything, the growing season is lengthening.

“I’ve actually sold to growers from Georgia because Georgia is too hot to grow in now,” said Cindy Sanville at Century 21 Farm and Forest in Derby.

Ms. Sanville has been a real estate agent for 13 years. She said a certain type of buyer started appearing soon after Nine Eleven — people who were looking for a place out of harm’s way. That trend has escalated in the wake of all types of disasters, including the Sandy Hook shootings in Connecticut and Hurricane Sandy, which hit the East Coast last fall, she said.

“It’s almost hysteria,” Ms. Sanville said. “I’ve had people who wanted to live in the side of a mountain. People are really looking for a safe place.”

She said recent interest in Vermont real estate is coming from survivalists who want to build bomb shelters and bunkers, people who want to be self-sufficient, grow their own food and live off the grid, others who are uneasy about climate change and what it might mean, and those who are simply looking for a place that feels safe to them.

Following the Sandy Hook school shootings, “we were swamped with Connecticut people,” Ms. Sanville said.

Vermont, with its nearly nonexistent gun laws, might seem like an odd choice for those concerned about violence, but it does have a low rate of violent crime.

On the other hand, Ms. Sanville said the first thing one buyer asked was where the nearest place to buy ammunition was.

Sugarbushes and agricultural land are hot sellers, she said. “There are a lot of goat farmers, and growing hops will be a big thing, I think. There are a lot of diverse growers now, and good agricultural land is being snapped up.”

“People are very well aware of climate change all over the world,” Ms. Sanville said. “People are absolutely concerned about these things.”

Mr. Hayden and Ms. Lauer said water was a huge consideration in their decision to move to Vermont. “We’ve seen more rain in the last year than in the last 25 years,” Mr. Hayden said.

The couple lives in a yurt off the grid using solar panels for electricity — for practical as well as philosophical reasons. They drilled a well, another thing that is difficult to do in Colorado, they said.

“I don’t care how big a house you have, if nothing comes out of the faucet, it’s worthless,” Ms. Lauer said.

Water is becoming a big concern, according to Wade Treadway, a Woodstock realtor. His website says, “The latest trend that I am seeing is a strong reaction to the obvious changes taking place worldwide due to climate change. I have in the last two months had three international inquires about properties that started with questions about water.”

Strong real estate market

Overall, the Northeast Kingdom real estate market is pretty strong at the moment, Ms. Sanville said. “First of all, I don’t think we had the low like everybody else had in the country. All in all, the Northeast Kingdom is still a place where people want to be.”

There are still many first-home buyers, and people looking for second homes — the traditional housing market.

“There’s been increased activity in most all sectors of the market, including upper end housing,” said Nicholas Maclure at Century 21 Farm and Forest. “The mid-range is strong compared to what it has been.”

Mid-range refers to homes in the $250,000 to $500,000 price range, he said.

Mr. Maclure said his office has seen a 35 percent increase in sales from a year ago.

“It’s definitely a bit of a mix,” he said. “There’s local activity, outside investment, a fairly strong second home market, and there are still those buyers looking in the lesser range.”

However, there is a shortage of good country homes for sale in the under $150,000 price range. Also, the inventory of nicer in-town homes is sparse, Mr. Maclure said.

It’s been a buyer’s market for quite some time, and still is, he said. But activity is visibly picking up. Bill Stenger’s development plans for the Northeast Kingdom are likely a factor, he said. “With all these things going on, it’s giving some people the idea of appreciation down the road. People are realizing this may be the time to act.”

What real estate agents agree on is that property that is well kept and reasonably priced will sell.

“For instance, if your house is worth $110,000 and you want $150,000, you’re not going to sell it,” Ms. Sanville said. “If it’s priced at $109,000, it will sell.”

Mr. Campbell said he believes there has been “a fair amount of price correction, bringing some locals back into the grand scheme of things.”

“Don’t ask for the sky,” said Mick Conley at Conley Country Real Estate. Property that’s in good condition and fairly priced is what buyers are looking for.

Mr. Conley said his office has been busy lately, an indication that the real estate market is rebounding. He said he had seven showings on Saturday and two offers on Monday.

He has heard potential buyers talk about Vermont being a safe place with no dangerous weather, but more mention a desire to be safe from crime, Mr. Conley said. Potential buyers are impressed that many people in Vermont still don’t lock their doors.

For whatever reason, the real estate market has vastly improved from three or four years ago, said Brent Shafer at Coldwell Banker All Seasons Realty.

“In the Burlington area, it’s up 30 percent plus,” he said. “Watching the multiple listing service a couple of days last week, there were as many properties that went on contract as came on new,” Mr. Shafer said. “Back four years ago you’d see ten or 15 properties come on and maybe see one or two come under contract.’

Sales in Lyndonville and Burke are strong, he said. “I’m seeing condos coming and going pretty quickly.”

In Barton 30 properties are currently on the market, Mr. Shafer said. Only one of those is under contract. The price range is from $49,000 to $1,895,000, he said. “Quite a diversity.”

Newport has always been a busy market, he said.

For a seller, the ideal property is a decent country home, priced in the $150,000 range, Mr. Maclure said. “Or a well kept in-town home that’s well priced in a decent neighborhood. Keep your home up,” he advises homeowners. “If you have a decent home at a decent price, you will likely sell it.”

More people are interested in country property than in village homes, Mr. Shafer said. Retirees tend to prefer village property, but younger people want to be in the country.

For buyers, the prospect of owning a first-time home can be tougher than it once was, although interest rates are low.

In some cases, the problem is not with the buyer; it’s with the house itself and tougher bank standards, Ms. Sanville said. The lower priced home that some qualified buyers might be able to afford may have problems the lender would want to see remedied.

“You might have some low-interest loans, but you had better have good credit and a house that qualifies,” Ms. Sanville said. A good spring, foundations…. You’ve got to make sure the roof is good, the wiring is good.”

Real estate agents are a little mixed on what effect Mr. Stenger’s development plans are having. At the moment, they don’t seem to be having much measurable impact on the real estate market aside from optimism.

Mr. Campbell said he’s surprised that property values in the Jay area have not risen. Still, if people start to move into the area the law of supply and demand will likely push prices up, he said.

Ms. Sanville said she sees a lot of real estate activity that’s connected to employees of North Country Hospital and the Border Patrol.

contact Tena Starr at tena@bartonchronicle.com

Obituaries: April 10, 2013

Posted on April 9, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

Irene Bond

Irene Bond

Irene Bond, 88, of Millerton, New York, formerly of Wingdale, New York, died on April 5, 2013, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut.

Mrs. Bond was a therapy aide at Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center in Wingdale for 23 years, retiring in 1982.

Born on March 28, 1925, in Newport, she was a daughter of the late Henry Joseph and Olive Celia (Raymo) Bernard. On December 7, 1974, in Dover Plains, New York, she married Richard Wilder Bond, who died on July 1, 2012.

Mrs. Bond was a great mother and grandmother and an avid bingo player.

She is survived by three sons: Patrick Coburn and his wife, Angie, of Wingdale, Michael F. Coburn and his wife, Yvonne, of Millerton, and Kevin Coburn and his wife, Linda, of Wingdale; a daughter, Colleen Shepard, of Amenia, New York; a sister, Jeannette Royer of Irasburg; two step-sisters: Laurette Touchton of Clearwater, Florida, and Harriet Trottier of Troy; eight grandchildren: Donald Shepard Jr. and his fiancée, Shelly Boice, of Millerton, David, Dawn, and Kristine Shepard all of Amenia, Fred Coburn of Millerton, Mary Roepki and her husband, Sven, of New Hartford, Connecticut, Michael Drollette of Corinth, New York and Karen Coburn of Wingdale; and by 22 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her first husband, Frederick W. Coburn; a brother, Edmund J. Bernard; her step-mother Elma Bernard; and by a brother-in-law, Emile Royer.

Funeral services were held on April 8 in Dover Plains. Burial will take place at St. Charles Cemetery in Dover Plains.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.

To send the family an online condolence, visit www.hufcutfuneralhome.com.

James T. Harty

James T. Harty Jr.

Lieutenant Colonel (retired) James T. Harty Jr., 79, of Newport died on March 30, 2013.

He was born in Bellows Falls on April 13, 1933, the son of James and Rosemary (Bixby) Harty. Graduating from Bellows Falls High School as class president in 1951, he went on to Norwich University and served in the Army National Guard for 33 years. He worked as a sales representative for Colgate Palmolive for 29 years and he also worked for New England Power, John Hancock, and he was co-owner of Thomas Denton and also co-owner of Illuminations by William Patrick.

Mr. Harty was a member of the Elks in Newport, an honorary member of the VFW, and he was in charge of the Color Guard. He was also National Commander of the 43rd Infantry Division for five years. He was the president of Tall Timbers Mobile Home Park Association. He was an accomplished pianist and enjoyed playing at area nursing homes, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and at the VFW. He loved to support his sons-in-law and grandchildren at their sporting events. In retirement, he traveled on cruises with his wife and spent several winters living in Florida. In 2001, they treated their children and grandchildren to a trip to Oahu, Hawaii, a cherished memory held by the entire family. After his wife’s passing, he moved to Woodstock Terrace where he enjoyed the residents and staff who he often kidded and continued to entertain with his piano playing.

He is survived by his children: Kathleen Rousselle and her husband, David, of Swanton, Terry Harty of Newport, Kim Pare and her husband, Paul, of Keene, New Hampshire, Mary Lou Harty of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Deborah DeLaBruere and her husband, David, of Newport, and William Harty of Quechee; his grandchildren: Tim Rousselle, Morgan and Nicholas Pare, Stephanie, Samantha, and Brian DeLaBruere, and Bella and Kiersten Harty; and by his brothers: Edward Harty and his wife, Lenore, of Bellows Falls, Robert Harty and his wife, Charlotte, of Florida, Bernard Harty of North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Maurice Harty and his wife, Diane, of North Walpole.

He is predeceased by his wife Patricia (Kiniry) Harty; his son Timothy Harty; and by his brother William Harty.

A funeral Mass was celebrated on April 6 in North Walpole. Burial followed the service in St. Peter’s Cemetery.

Should friends desire, contributions in his memory may be made to Northeast Kingdom Relay for Life, care of the American Cancer Society, 55 Day Lane, Williston, Vermont 05495.

Daphne Morse

Daphne Ellen Hall Morse

Daphne Ellen Hall Morse, 86, of Newport died on April 5, 2013, due to complications following surgery.

She was born on August 14, 1926, in Salem Derby, the daughter of Ora and Nina (Leach) Blake. She was married to Josh Hall and Asa Morse, who both predeceased her.

She loved her antiques, going to yard sales and haggling over prices, collecting coin banks of all shapes and sizes and different types of jewelry. She worked at Frank’s Steak House Restaurant and the Royal Restaurant in Newport for many years. She liked to travel, going to Ireland, Hawaii, and visiting her niece in Spain and Alaska. She wintered in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she pursued her passion for antiques.

She is survived by her sons: Arland Hall and his children: True, Jade, Josh, Jordan, and Taylor, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, and Brea and her husband, Glen Hunter, of Anderson, South Carolina, Roland (Peanut) Hall and his wife, Brenda, and their son Roland Jr. of Glen Burnie, and Blake Hall of Newport and his son Blake Jr. of Baltimore, Maryland; her grandchildren: Brian Hall of Scottsdale, and Linda (Hall) Majors of Newport; her niece Jane Kelley and her husband, David, of Derby Line; and her cousin Beatrice Blake of Barre, whom she was close to. She left several great-grandchildren and many great-nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her son Terry Hall of Scottsdale, and his son Mark Hall of Newport; her sisters: Edith Willey, Betty Collins, and Lela Fields; and by her brother Glendon Leach.

There will be no calling hours or funeral service at this time.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

Evelyn S. Page

Evelyn S. Page, 92, of Holland died on April 2, 2013.

She was born on June 9, 1920, in Holland, a daughter of Harry and Hazel (Pocock) Smith. On June 12, 1948, she married Reginald Page, who predeceased her February 8, 2010.

Mrs. Page entered into the United States Coast Guard during World War II and held the rank of Yeoman 1st Class YIC. She was the Holland Town Clerk for twenty-five years.

She was a member and treasurer of the Holland Historical Society, the Holland United Methodist Church and the Order of the Eastern Star of Newport. She was the oldest resident of Holland.

She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her sister Marcia Waterman.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, at the Holland United Methodist Church. Interment will follow in Mead Hill Cemetery in Holland, with full military honors.

Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to the Holland United Methodist Church, care of Laurie Gray, P.O. Box 681, Derby, Vermont 05829; or to the Holland Historical Society, 120 School Road, Derby Line, Vermont 05830.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

John “Jack” P. St.Onge

John St. Onge

John “Jack” P. St.Onge, 57, died on March 31, 2013, in the comfort of his home and family.

Born in Newport on July 9, 1955, he was the son of Edith (Cameron) St.Onge and the late John C. St.Onge. On December 2, 2010, he married Kimberly Peck in Wilder. He was previously married to Patricia Campbell of Morrisville.

Mr. St.Onge was a 1973 graduate of the former Sacred Heart High School in Newport. He continued his education at the University of Vermont (UVM), graduating in 1977 with his bachelor of science degree in natural resources. While attending UVM, he was a member and president of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Following graduation, he was hired as the county executive director in Lamoille County by the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), now renamed the Farm Service Agency.

In the 1990s, he became an expert in digital aerial photography and pioneered USDA’s computerized mapping of farms throughout Vermont and later established a New England digitized mapping center in Morrisville. He became a leader in farmland and water quality conservation practices, assisting with the establishment of hundreds of acres of forestland management improvements and several miles of the first cropland-stream buffers constructed to protect Vermont waterways. His career spanned nearly 35 years with USDA, which earned him appreciation and respect from farmers, foresters, landowners, and colleagues in Vermont. He was honored to receive the Master Conservationist award from the Lamoille County Natural Resource Conservation District in 2012.

He was a lifetime member and former president of the Lamoille Valley Fish and Game Club and the Waterbury-Stowe Fish and Game Club. He was also a member of the National Association of County Office Employees. An avid outdoorsman, his passions were hunting, fishing, hiking, vegetable gardening and maple sugaring.

He is survived by the love of his life and wife, Kimberly Peck of Waterbury Center; his mother Edith Hebard of Barton; his daughters: Emilie Rich and her husband, Daniel, of Wolcott, and Andrea Miller and her husband, Patrick A. Miller, of South Burlington; his sister Jeanne Sicard and her husband, Rick, of Barton; his brother Steven Saint Onge of Fairfield; his father’s widow, Rita St.Onge, of Enosburg; as well as by nieces, a nephew, and extended family.

His courageous spirit and quiet dignity gave enormous strength to those around him. His witty sense of humor and ability to offer honest advice and guidance to family and friends was a comfort that will be missed.

As spring approaches take a walk in the woods and as you breathe in the fresh air and scent of the newly sprouted leaves let his calm spirit fill your heart and fond memories bring a smile to your face.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate his life on April 12, at 2 p.m. at the Barn at Boyden Farm in Cambridge.

For those who wish, memorial gifts would be appreciated to The National Brain Tumor Society (www.braintumor.org) or the Ruffed Grouse Society (www.ruffedgrousesociety.org).

To send online condolences, visit www.perkinsparker.com.

Harold Tardif

Harold A. Tardif, 81, of West Burke died suddenly on March 30, 2013, at his home.

He was born in Van Buren, Maine, on March 19, 1932, the son of James and Ida (Desjardins) Tardif.

On December 16, 1950, he married Martha Dufour. They lived in Coventry, Connecticut, where Mr. Tardif started his own machine shop in Manchester. In 1968, he moved his shop and equipment and joined Mardon Industries in Lyndon for a time before operating his own shop once again in Lyndonville and later in West Burke. In the early 1970s, he sold his equipment to Vermont Tap and Die Co. and joined their team in Lyndonville and later retired from Northeast Tool Co. in Lyndonville.

He enjoyed snowmobiling, motorcycling, fishing, hunting in the U.S. and Canada, farming where he raised beef, pigs and had riding horses, and boating and fishing on area lakes. He was a member of the West Burke Drift Skippers and in recent years he helped at the Riverside Life Enrichment Center in Lyndonville and the West Burke meal site.

Survivors include his four children: Rena Eastman and her husband, Robert, of Lyndonville, Harold Tardif Jr. and his wife, Jacqueline, of Clemmons, North Carolina, Laurie Maple and her husband, Tim, of West Charleston and Lisa Berry and her husband, John, of West Burke; eight grandchildren: Aaron Carr and his wife, Chrissy, Chad Sterling, Maygan Holmes, Ashley and Kylie Maple, Justin Berry and his wife, Amanda, Michelle Corey and her husband, Travis, and Abigail Berry; his special companion, Theresa Stone, of Glover; his sister Bea McQuade of Pennsylvania; a sister in-law, Martha Tardif, of Long Island, New York; several brothers- and sisters-in-law from his wife’s family; and by many nieces and nephews including Charlie McQuade, who was like a son to Mr. Tardif.

He was predeceased by his parents; his wife Martha Tardif on September 1, 2004; his brother Ivan Tardif; and by his sister Dorilda Lister.

Funeral services were held April 6 in Lyndonville. Burial in Hillside Cemetery in West Burke is planned for Friday, May 24, at 11 a.m.

Donations made in his memory may be directed to the Burke Senior Meal Site Inc., 212 School Street, West Burke, Vermont 05871.

Clair Umstead

Clair E. Umstead, 83, of Newport died on April 3, 2013, in Newport.

He was born on April 8, 1929, in Royersford, Pennsylvania, a son of Joseph and Mary (Druckenmiller) Umstead. On August 18, 1951, he married Evangeline Smith, who predeceased him on December 6, 2008.

He received a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy in 1951 from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, and then a master of divinity in 1954 from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1961, he received a master’s degree in music education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He pastored and was minister of music at several churches throughout the mid-Atlantic and New England areas. He was also a college music professor and taught trumpet at Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland.

Among his hobbies he enjoyed gardening, playing softball, arranging sacred music, pastoral care, hiking around his home in Charleston and Arizona and playing the trumpet. He helped build the Knollwood Church of the Nazarene in Dayton, Ohio, and Royersford Church of the Nazarene in Royersford, Pennsylvania.

He is survived by his children: Craig Umstead and his wife, Maveret, of Augusta, New York, Joseph Umstead and his wife, Diane, of Raleigh, North Carolina, Carol Umstead of Newport, and Jonathan Umstead and his wife, Cathie, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania; his grandchildren: Ben Umstead, Erin Umstead, Josh, Leah, Seth, Rachel, and Timothy Umstead; and by a great-grandchild, Aiden. He is also survived by a sister, Grace Detwiler, and her husband, Charles, of Spring City, Pennsylvania; his nephews: Larry Detwiler and his wife, Cathy, of Pennsylvania, Mark Detwiler and his wife, Janet, of Pennsylvania, Tim Detwiler and his wife, Cindy, of Pennsylvania; his niece Beth Coudriet of Spring City; and by numerous great- and great-great-nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held on April 6, in Royersford. Interment followed in Fernwood Cemetery in Royersford.

Should friends desire, contributions in his memory may be made to the Sun Valley Indian School, 8450 Sun Valley Road, Sun Valley, Arizona 86029.

Online condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.curtis-britch.com.

In boys tennis: Falcons get ranked for singles games

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Posted on April 9, 2013 by BethanyMDunbar

The North Country Falcons boys varsity tennis team. The members of the 2013 squad are, back row from left: Coach Gary Atchinson, Henry DeLaBruere, Nathan Marsh, Carlos Federico Gomez Ortega, John Carpenter and Fred Petzoldt. Front row from left: Zach Tweed, Thomas Durivage, Travers Parsons-Grayson, Dylan Gray and Nathan Grimm. Photo by Richard Creaser

by Richard Creaser

NEWPORT — The success of the 2013 boys varsity tennis team will rest heavily on the shoulders of the team’s top five singles players, Coach Gary Atchinson said. In order for the team to win a meet it must win four out of the seven matches on the day. The meet consists of five singles matches and two doubles matches.

The Falcons lost three seniors and two other players during the off season, depleting the team substantially, Coach Atchinson said. Still, the team retained a solid nucleus of more experienced players coupled with an eager, if inexperienced, group of freshmen.

“We’ll be able to get the freshmen some experience in doubles matches and season them a little,” Coach Atchinson said.

Though the season is less than two weeks old, including pre-season conditioning, the team has already had its first meet. The Falcons traveled to Mount Mansfield but lost the meet 4-3.

“We won our one, two and three matches to start,” Coach Atchinson said. “Our freshmen got some good experience but we did lose both doubles matches.”

The early start to the season prevented Coach Atchinson from running play downs to establish player rankings. Traditionally the top five players will participate in the singles matches with players six and seven forming the first doubles team, seven and eight the second doubles team and any remaining players participating as part of an exhibition squad.

“Most players prefer to play singles so there’s usually pretty stiff competition for the top five spots,” Coach Atchinson said. ‘That’s the really great thing about coaching tennis — everything plays out on its own. The players play each other and determine their own rankings by how they perform.”

Though it is theoretically possible to fudge a team’s rankings in order to win more matches, it is not a problem that crops up with any regularity, Coach Atchinson said.

“It’s usually pretty obvious if one player is overmatched by another,” the coach said. “But I think, for the most part, everyone wants to put their best players against one another.”

There is no shame in being a lower ranked player, Coach Atchinson said. Players who feel that they have outplayed their current ranking can ask to compete against their teammates to prove the extent of their development and worthiness of a higher seeding. There is also something to be said for competing in a lower bracket if only from a win-loss perspective, the coach said.

“It’s not the end of the world if you lose in a higher pairing because the competition gets tougher and tougher the higher up you go,” Coach Atchinson said. “Likewise, you may actually have a better chance to win against the lower ranked players.”

As the players continued to sort out their internal rankings, Coach Atchinson gave his players a final piece of advice.

“This isn’t like other sports where you can run out the clock,” he said. “You gotta keep doing what you did to get you in the lead. That’s the only way you’re going to win matches.”

Contact Richard Creaser at nek_scribbler@hotmail.com

Caption: NC boys tennis team