The Daily Riptonite

Riptonite addresses state house

2012-02-09T06:12:00.001-05:00

Riptonite Bill McKibben addressed our state house on Tuesday. Bill spoke to the legislators about climate change.

Still very little snow

2012-02-06T21:21:00.003-05:00

It's February and we still don't have a lot of snow.

No extra school budget votes this Town Meeting

2012-01-25T07:44:00.001-05:00

We won't have to vote three times on the school budget next town meeting, reports the Addison Independent. It's an Act 82 thing:

Turns out Addison Central Supervisory Union (ACSU) office made an error in its initial calculations, which indicated the Ripton spending plan would trigger two votes under Vermont’s Act 82. That law requires school districts to limit budget increases to the rate of inflation, plus 1 percent. Districts that fail to do so must hold one vote on the portion of the budget that falls under inflation plus 1 percent, and then a separate vote on the portion that exceeds that amount. With that in mind, Ripton was preparing to warn two votes — one for $758,245, and another for $17,115, the amount thought to exceed the Act 82 limit.

But ACSU interim Superintendent Gail Conley reported on Thursday that the original budget number distributed by the district and reported in the story did not reflect expenses — such as special education costs — that districts are allowed to deduct from the Act 82 formula. As a result, the $775,360 budget in fact falls under the Act 82 threshold and will not require two votes, he said.

Ripton local hero

2012-01-23T21:39:00.002-05:00

Riptonite Bill McKibben gets profiled by the Boston Globe.

The man who crushed the Keystone XL pipeline

Tall and stooped, intensely wonky and hopelessly earnest, the 51-year-old McKibben is an unlikely candidate for celebrity. Yet over the past few years he has emerged as the new superstar of the environmental movement. And to many environmentalists – like Al Gore, who in an e-mail praises McKibben for “his passion, his sincerity and his depth of knowledge” – McKibben offers the brightest hope for their future.

Bravo, Bill!

PACE meeting at Ripton school next week

2012-01-11T13:51:00.002-05:00

An informational meeting is coming up on an important Ripton initiative:

Why: PACE will be voted on at Town Meeting

When: informational meeting -Tues, Jan. 17, 7-8:30 pm

Where: Ripton School gym

Who: Ripton’s Selectboard and Energy Coordinator hope

everyone will attend

• What’s PACE? – Property Assessed Clean Energy - a way

for individuals to pay for energy efficiency or renewable energy

improvements provided by qualified, licensed contractors with longer

repayment terms than bank loans. It’s organized through Efficiency

Vermont.

• Why will it be voted on at Town Meeting? Although it costs

the town nothing and there is no risk, the legislation enabling PACE

requires the Town to approve becoming a PACE district at Town

Meeting.

• How does PACE work? In a nutshell, an interested homeowner

makes a contract with the town and the town pays a licensed

contractor for the approved energy improvements. The town puts

a lien on that taxpayer’s property which is paid off over 10-20 years

(or sooner) with the tax bill. The lien stays with the property if the

property is sold.

• For the full details, come to the meeting on the 17th. There’s

also fact sheets at the Town Office and on the Town’s website

www.riptonvt ---- or at Efficiency VT at www.efficiencyvermont.com/

about_us/energy_initiatives/pace.aspx
(thanks to Warren King)

A death in Ripton

2012-01-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

A hitchhiker died in our town this week. Quoting the Burlington Free Press,

Duclos had been reported as an overdue hiker Monday evening. He was described as an experienced hiker who had planned to embark on a 12-mile hike Monday afternoon, [Detective Sgt. Robert] Patten said.
Police began searching for Duclos shortly after daybreak Tuesday. Duclos was found dead about three miles from the trailhead.

...

Detective Sgt. Robert Patten said it appears Duclos may have broken his leg while hiking, immobilizing him in wintry weather.
Sympathies to his family and friends.

107 back in action

2011-12-30T20:46:00.001-05:00

Good news for Riptonites heading east: route 107 is back open.

The reconstruction of Route 107 was accomplished in 16 weeks through a combination of innovation and hard work. More than 46 companies, including two major contractors and two railroads, worked with VTrans, National Guard units and law enforcement personnel to complete the project.

“The opening of the last mile of damaged roads from Tropical Storm Irene marks a significant milestone in our state’s recovery,” said Gov. Peter Shumlin. “It re-connects the communities of Bethel and Stockbridge as well as a critical corridor in North – South travel in Vermont. It also symbolizes the Vermont Strong spirit that has prompted this remarkably swift recovery from much of the devastation left by Irene.”

Ripton trains to Sheldon Museum

2011-12-26T10:03:00.000-05:00

Riptonite Paul Bortz gets a nice Addision Independent profile, concerning his hobby.

“It was going back and remembering my early childhood, when I had (toy trains), but they sort of disappeared,” said Bortz, a retired minister who is now 70. “Part of the journey of aging is ‘coming home.’ So I am coming home.”

And Bortz has more than enough locomotion for his voyage into nostalgia. A fraction of his growing train collection — which he began assembling only four years ago — is on display at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History through Jan. 14 as part of “A Child’s Delight,” an exhibit featuring antique toys, games, historic photographs and holiday decorations.

Vermonters offers thanks for Irene help

2011-12-21T20:16:00.000-05:00

Here's a sweet video about Vermonters' response to Katrina.

December on the river

2011-12-14T19:58:00.002-05:00

December in Ripton:

Eastern route from town to be closed briefly

2011-11-15T08:28:00.001-05:00

125 in Hancock will be closed for a couple of days this weekend. It's for culvert repair:

The closure, which will take place along Route 125 about two miles west of its intersection with Route 100, will render the road impassible for two days. Work crews will close Route 125 at sunup on Saturday, November 19, and plan to reopen the road sometime on Monday, November 21.

Other towns influenced by Ripton's river planning

2011-11-11T06:36:00.001-05:00

Our town's river planning process seems to have won admirers, according to this report:

Middlebury River Management Planning Task Force to be Formed. Following the model of the successful river management planning effort in Ripton, the Board endorsed forming a Task Force to develop a plan for on-going management of the Middlebury River as it flows through East Middlebury.

Should Vermont reduce Post Offices, service?

2011-11-03T08:19:00.003-04:00

Bernie Sanders is holding a public meeting in Montpelier, to see what Vermonters think about reducing postal service.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is holding a meeting this Sunday to ask Vermonters what they think of closing some post offices and possibly eliminating Saturday mail delivery, proposals on the table from the U.S. Postal Service.

Sanders will be offering free lunch, as is his style, particularly when he’s campaigning for re-election, as he is.

This is an important issue for Ripton, being both somewhat isolated, and having experienced the near-killing of our post office.
The meeting is at 1 p.m. Sunday at Montpelier High School. The free lunch starts at noon. For information, call his office at (800) 339-9834.

Ripton first responders receive autism training

2011-10-24T15:53:00.001-04:00

Ripton's first responders were trained in how to respond to people with autism. Autism Alert provided the class.

Riptonite in Britain

2011-10-13T18:19:00.000-04:00

Ripton local Bill McKibben is interviewed in Totnes, Britain. The subject is transition towns and community resilience.

We covered those topics earlier, when interviewing Bill for this blog.

Community solar hot water power session coming up

2011-09-14T22:42:00.004-04:00

Ripton will host a meeting about solar hot water tech on September 27. It's part of our community's engagement with alternative and sustainable energy.

Here's flyer information:

The Ripton Energy Asssistance Program is partnering with VPIRG, Vermont's largest environmental non-profit, to bring the new Solar Addison County program to Ripton. Solar Addison County is finally making it easy and affordable for homeowners and businesses all across Addison County to heat their water with the sun. For all of us who have ever wanted clean, renewable energy, that's made in Vermont, this is a great opportunity. If you'd like to learn more about how solar hot water technology works, to ask questions about the program or process, and see if this could work for you, VPIRG and and the REAP steering committee are putting on a public info session on Tuesday September 27th.

More information: http://www.vpirgenergy.org/solar-addison-county/.
That's:

Solar Addison County Info Session

Tuesday, September 27th, 7:00 pm

Ripton Community Building

(thanks to the REAP Steering Committee)

Ripton Art Show coming up!

2011-09-12T14:57:00.001-04:00

The 2nd Annual Ripton Art Show is coming up this weekend:

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH

Ripton Community Church

Opening Reception 4-6PM

A showing by 15 area artists: Yinglei Zhang, Mary Swanson, Klara Calitri, Lisa Whitman, Jean
Cherouney, Tal Birdsey, Ginger Birdsey, Bridget Nardiello, Molly Hawley, Patty LeBon Herb,
Phoebe Stone, Rebecca Purdum, Sarah Wesson, Linda Hampton Smith and Richard Weinstein

Music by Rick Hawley, gourmet food provided by Lisa & Joe Durante

EXHIBITION OPEN SUNDAY THE 18TH TO FRIDAY THE 23RD 4-6PM

Proceeds benefit the Ripton Community Church.

For more information call 388-9681

Federal assistance for hurricane relief

2011-09-08T15:42:00.003-04:00

(Very useful information received in email - thanks to Sally Hoyler)

As of today, FEMA has approved $4.3 million in assistance -- $4.2 million in housing assistance and $165,228 for other needs such as replacement of personal property. More than 2,000 Vermonters have registered for assistance, a number that will increase. To date there have been just over 700 homes confirmed as severely damaged or destroyed, and assessments continue.
There are 30 inspectors in the field and 750 property inspections have been completed. In addition, three disaster recovery centers are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day until further notice: in Barre at Barre Municipal Auditorium, 16 Auditorium Hill; in Brattleboro at Living Memorial Park Skating Rink, 61 Memorial Park Drive; and in Waterbury at the Waterbury Fire Department, 43 South Main Street. The recovery centers are staffed with disaster recovery specialists from various federal, state and local agencies and organizations who can provide information and answer questions about storm-related assistance. Additional centers will be opening soon.
FEDERAL ASSISTANCE:

The White House has approved individual assistance for homeowners and businesses in eight counties: Addison, Chittenden, Orange, Bennington, Washington, Rutland, Windham and Windsor.

Assistance for losses sustained anytime after the storm may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help recover from the effects of the disaster. Even those with insurance may be eligible for help from FEMA if their insurance policy does not cover all their needs, FEMA said.

Step 1: Register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. There are several ways to register:

Apply online anytime at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

Call 800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY at 800-462-7585. Those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) may call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice. Multilingual operators are available to assist with the application process.

By smartphone or tablet, use m.fema.gov, or for devices with the Android operating system, a FEMA App can be downloaded at market.android.com/details?id=gov.fema.mobile.android.

When applying for aid you will receive a nine-digit registration number that can be used for reference when corresponding with FEMA.

It is helpful to have the following information handy:

Current telephone number;

Address at the time of the disaster and current address;

Social Security number, if available;

A general list of damages and losses;

If insured, the name of insurance company, agent and policy number; and

Bank routing number for any direct deposit.

Step 2: Receive a property inspection.

Within a few days after registering, eligible applicants will be telephoned to make an appointment to have their damaged property inspected. The inspectors, who are FEMA contractors and carry identification badges, visit to make a record of damage. They do not make a determination regarding assistance. There is no cost for the inspection.

Step 3: All applicants will receive a letter from FEMA regarding the status of their requests for federal assistance. Some will also receive an application for a low-interest disaster recovery loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Anyone who has questions about the letter from FEMA should call the helpline (800-621-3362 or TTY, 800-462-7585).

Those who receive an application packet from the SBA should complete and submit the forms. No one is required to accept a loan but submitting the application may open the door to additional FEMA grants.

STATE ASSISTANCE:

An additional resource for those whose homes have been damaged is their local Homeownership Centers. These centers are funded, in part, with Community Development Block Grant funds from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. They make low or deferred interest loans for home repairs and can help pay for damages that are not covered by insurance, FEMA or SBA disaster loans.

Renters who have been displaced can contact the organizations listed above, local housing nonprofits, housing authorities or search for available apartments on www.housingdata.org, or by contacting:

Central Vermont Community Land Trust HOC – 802-476-4493 or www.cvclt.org

HOC of Chittenden County – 802-862-6244 or www.getahome.org

Gilman Housing Trust HOC – 802-535-3445 or www.nekhome.org

NeighborWorks of Western Vermont – 802-438-2303 or www.nwwvt.org

Windham and Windsor Housing Trust HOC – 802-246-2109 or http://www.w-wht.org/homeownership-center/

In addition, The Department of Banking, Insurance, Health Care and Securities is available to assist with questions related to floor insurance at http://www.bishca.state.vt.us/insurance/insurance-consumer/vermont-flood-informationor (800) 964-1784 in state or (802) 828-3302.

In response to the storm, the ACCD is:

· Creating a Housing Task Force, headed by Jennifer Hollar, Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development to work with VEM and FEMA to develop a housing recovery plan and guide its implementation.
Working with our fellow housing agencies, Vermont Emergency Management and FEMA to identify vacant apartments that could be available for temporary housing.

Requesting a waiver from the Treasury Department that would make vacant apartments in many federally-supported properties available to any displaced Vermonter regardless of income.

Seeking additional housing and development resources in the form of block grants and Section 8 vouchers from HUD, in coordination with the congressional delegation.

Establishing a Housing Task Force of state agencies and federal and local partners to work with FEMA to develop a housing recovery plan and to guide its implementation.

Running a call-center at the Agency of Commerce to collect damage information from mobile home park and apartment owners at 802-828-3211 to provide to FEMA.

Accompanying FEMA today as they tour impacted areas and assess housing needs. Senior ACCD officials are traveling with FEMA today.

Reaching out to the private sector and the philanthropic community to help fill the gaps. T

This is a lot of information and if you have any questions, please let me know or call Ashley at 828-3806.

Very truly yours,

John

John F. Campbell

President Pro-Tempore

Vermont State Senate

The State House

115 State Street

Montpelier, VT 05059

One Ripton farm considers

2011-09-07T22:39:00.002-04:00

Two Ripton farmers reflect on raising animals. That's Sebastian and Kate from North Branch Farm and Gardens, and their thoughts range from practical matters (one fine sandwich recipe) to different ways of eating locally.

They sell in the Middlebury farmer's market, and can also be found at home if you call ahead first (388-2059).

Check out the article, and their Website, and their products!

Be careful of flood-damaged crops: Dept of Health

2011-09-07T07:45:00.005-04:00

What crops are safe to eat, in the wake of hurricane Irene? Vermont's Department of Health issues this advisory:

Throw away ANY food that has come into contact with floodwater.

Throw away any food that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact with floodwater. Food containers that are not waterproof include those with screw-caps, snap lids, pull tops and crimped caps. Also discard cardboard juice/milk/baby formula boxes and home canned foods if they have come in contact with floodwater because they cannot be effectively cleaned and sanitized.
For canned goods that came into contact with floodwater, remove labels, wash thoroughly with soap and hot water. Then place in a weak bleach solution made with 1 tbsp. unscented liquid chlorine bleach for every gallon of water from a known safe source and leave for 15 minutes. Re-label with marker.
If refrigerator and freezer doors are kept closed as much as possible during a power outage, a refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours, a half-full freezer will keep the temperature for about 24 hours.
Do not cook and eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs or other refrigerated foods that have been above 40 degrees F for two hours or more.

Wash hands thoroughly with clean water and soap before and after handling food items.

Never taste food to determine if it is safe. Some foods may look and smell fine, but if it has been at room temperature for more than two hours it can make you sick. Bacteria multiply very quickly at room temperature.

If you have any doubt about any food item, throw it out.

For more information about food safety after the flood –Go to the Health Department’s website, call 800-439-8550 (toll-free) or 863-7220 – or dial 2-1-1.

Ripton Fire Department in the storm

2011-09-06T20:41:00.000-04:00

Reflections from a Ripton volunteer:

Hurricane Irene was a true disaster for the state of Vermont. Here in Ripton we were very lucky, due in part to the mitigation work done since 2008. Moreover, Riptonites generally are prepared for these instances.

What the Ripton Fire Dept accomplished during the storm:

Pumped water out of basements.
Flagged hazards.
Removed trees from roads.
Maintained safety around downed power lines.
Checked on those with high health risks.
Served as information center when all phones were down.
Prepared to treat and stabilize patients in the event that Ripton remained inaccessible to any transport.
Provided medical and fire coverage for Hancock, Goshen and Lincoln in those places that were accessible by our emergency vehicles.
Surveyed road damage.
Mitigated road damage where we could.
Reported road damage to road commission.

We are still providing coverage to Hancock, until they no longer need us.

Our two cadets distinguished themselves during this emergency. Our newest cadet provided phone coverage at the station, freeing up firefighting personal to go out in the field. Our older cadet helped out in the field, helping to run the machinery to pump out flooded basements.

Ripton Fire Department continues to be in touch with Emergency Management and FEMA.

Amazing photos of Vermont after Irene

2011-09-06T18:22:00.000-04:00

Some amazing, spooky photos of Vermont after the hurricane:

(thanks to Tammy Snyder)

Irene recovery: answers to questions

2011-09-05T13:51:00.000-04:00

Bernie Sanders has posted a fine frequently asked questions page about Irene recovery.
For example,
If my property or business was damaged in the storm, or if I have immediate needs such as food or shelter, what should I do first?

I have heard that the President has declared a "Major Disaster." What does this mean for Vermonters?

What does FEMA "Individual and Household Assistance" cover?

How do I apply for FEMA Individual Assistance?

What help is there for renters and homeowners through the Small Business Administration, and how do I apply?

Should I wait until I am approved for disaster assistance before making repairs to my home?

Should I move back into my home if it is damaged?

My basement is still flooded. What should I do?

My land is facing immediate damage by a river or stream, is there help available?

A propane tank washed into my front yard by the flooding. What should I do?

Another post-hurricane resource

2011-09-01T09:08:00.002-04:00

There's another fine Web resource for our post-Irene needs. It's from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.

Resources offered or requested by Vermont municipalities relating to Irene
flood damage. Contact Cory Gustafson at cgustafson@vlct.org if you would like to
add city/town resources or needs to this list.

One fine Web hurricane resource

2011-08-31T12:53:00.002-04:00

Check out VTResponse. It's a Web resource for hurricane recovery, practical, and updated frequently.

Some items on it: Helping Hands, Temporary Housing, news, and mapping.

Willem communication

2011-08-30T22:54:00.002-04:00

Update and requests from representative Willem Jewett:

Friends and Neighbors:

I've been out visiting with folks in the most
damaged areas of the district (Hancock). On Monday evening things looked pretty
bleak but a great deal of progress was made today. On Monday travel in or out of
the entire upper White River Valley (Rochester, Hancock, and Granville) was not
possible. As of this evening even passenger vehicles can make it over the gap. I
wouldn't have thought it possible when I saw the damage on Monday but a few
excavators can do a lot of work when the skies are clear.

I have two
brief requests:

#1) If you have been affected by Hurricane Irene please
call 211 to report your situation. Every one of these individual reports helps
us to document the extent of the damage and form the basis for our requests for
federal disaster relief funding.

#2) Let me know if you need help.

Collitt and Jewett speak to the storm

2011-08-30T10:26:00.002-04:00

Two Riptonites reflected on our roads after the storm. From the Addison Independent:

In one location, the Middlebury River took out a swath of guardrail, noted
Ripton Selectman Richard Collitt.

“It’s nothing as serious as 2008,” Collitt said, harkening back to a brutal stretch of rain that erased several portions of Route 125 and took out entire sections of some local roads in Ripton, East Middlebury, Salisbury, Leicester, Goshen and Hancock.

“The town roads fared a lot better,” Collitt said, though he cautioned that some
small bridges on private roads in Lincoln likely sustained some damage that
might not be covered through federal disaster aid grants.

Indeed, most of the repairs made to local infrastructure following the 2008 flood — including the new Lower Plains Bridge in East Middlebury — stood up to Irene. The exceptions proved to be a small trunk of the Ripton Road and a washout on either
side of the culvert near the town garage.

Rep. Willem Jewett, D-Ripton, noted the washout areas of Route 125 were in some of the same locations as in 2008.

“I have a strong feeling that a different way of repairing (Route
125) would be in order,” Jewett said.

Ripton hit hard by hurricane

2011-08-29T17:28:00.004-04:00

Hurricane Irene hit us hard. Trees down, power out, river up, flooding on the rise.

We even made the BBC.

Some of us are cut off, like the folks past Old Town Bridge.

(Old Town Bridge, washed out twice)

125 is closed in several places, apparently.

Our emergency response squad volunteers have been working day and night.

125 closure

2011-08-28T16:21:00.003-04:00

Route 125 is being closed, from Hancock to East Middlebury. Flood damage.

125.

Hurrican Irene about to smack into Vermont

2011-08-27T12:02:00.002-04:00

Hurricane Irene is drawing closer, and might cause Ripton some grief. What are your thoughts?

Some Web resources (while you have internet and electricity):

National Hurricane Center, from NOAA.

Hurricane Irene on Wikipedia. Excellent page, frequently updated.

Weather Underground: fine weather resource (and a title not everyone will appreciate).

Hurricane preparedness, from the Resilient Community Wiki.

NASA's Irene page.

I'm happy to blog up your photos, video, audio, and stories, as you can get 'em to me.

Riptonite arrested in Washington

2011-08-21T10:13:00.003-04:00

Ripton local arrested in Washington, protesting a planned oil pipeline.

People arrested include Bill McKibben, the prominent climate activist and founder of 350.org; Jane Hamsher, who founded the popular liberal blog
Firedoglake; and Gus Speth, whose career includes co-founding the Natural
Resources Defense Council and chairing the White House Council on Environmental Quality in the Carter Administration.
Bill says he's doing well so far.

From the Fire Department picnic

2011-08-17T13:51:00.004-04:00

The Fire Department's picnic was a big success.

Here's chief Erik lording over us:

Full size here.

Thunder on the mountain

2011-08-10T17:56:00.003-04:00

Ripton was hammered by a sudden, fierce thunderstorm just now.

We received a flash flood warning, and weren't alone:

... A line of strong thunderstorms will move through Caledonia...
eastern Addison... north central Rutland... northwestern Windsor...
Orange... south central Orleans... southeastern Chittenden...
southeastern LaMoille... southwestern Essex and Washington counties...

At 531 PM EDT... a line of strong thunderstorms was located from
Stillwater State Park to West Cornwall... moving southeast at 25 mph.

"African American Women and Christian Mission in the Civil Rights Era" - coming up at the town church

2011-08-08T19:38:00.002-04:00

Later this month is a new presentation at our community's church:

Friends of Ripton Community Church invite you to share in another Ripton Lecture Series. This lecture will be presented by Middlebury College Professor Mary Kay Cavazos. The topic is:“A Leavening Force: African American Women and Christian Mission in the Civil Rights Era”. Dr. Cavazos is also Ripton’s new
pastor and will begin conducting services in September. Please join us on
Sunday, August 21th at 4:00 pm for a great lecture, and help us welcome her to
our community.

Picnic Saturday!

2011-07-28T11:06:00.001-04:00

This Saturday is a town picnic! It's the Fire Department's:

Annual Fire Department Picnic Saturday July 30, 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm
at Ripton Fire & First Response, 25 Dugway Road. The department will supply
grilled fare; side dishes from you are welcome. Come enjoy an afternoon with
your friends and neighbors!

Ripton Community Yard Sale coming up

2011-06-26T22:28:00.002-04:00

The Ripton Community Yard Sale is coming up fast!

It's Monday, July 4th, and runs from 7am to noon.

Sign up, and reserve space by the Methodist church for $5.
Set up at home, and you'll be put you on a map for free.

Call 388-7442 to join (leaving message with your contact number is ok). Or email Roger Barkin: rogerbarkin at gmail dot com .

Thomas Jefferson: a Ripton talk this Saturday

2011-06-17T15:38:00.002-04:00

Local Thomas Jefferson expert will give a talk at 4:00 pm, Saturday, June 18th, at the Ripton Community Church.
The topic:

In the context of Thomas Jefferson’s tombstone legacy, i.e.: Author of the Declaration of American Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia, Chip Stokes will explain what Lincoln meant by his closing phrase of the Gettysburg Address; “Government of
the People, by the People, for the People. "

In the words of Merrill D. Peterson, Stokes “undoubtedly has the best collection of Jeffersonia in private hands in the United States or in the world."

Sponsored by Friends of The Ripton Community Church.

Had enough rain?

2011-06-15T09:28:00.002-04:00

If you think we've had too much rain, you're not alone. One weather analyst says 2011 is a record-setter for rain. It's partly due to getting record amounts of snow this past winter.

Look how Vermont is doing, compared with the rest of the US:

I'd like to ship some of our rain to my Texan friends.

(thanks to Bill McKibben for recommending Jeff Master's fine weather blog)

Sanctuary Sunday coming up

2011-06-07T12:50:00.002-04:00

Coming up this Sunday at the town church is "Sanctuary Reflections", a multimedia presentation by Jim Stapleton and Diana Bigelow .

The seventy-ﬁve minute program will feature readings from Jim’s recently
published book, Sanctuary Almanac, and a selection of Diana’s own songs.
During the 1980s the couple lived in the Mid-Hudson Valley at the John
Burroughs Nature Sanctuary where Jim was resident naturalist. In 1987 he
organized his natural history observations into a book-length almanac of
stories and meditations. Diana’s songs were written a decade later on the
Olympic Peninsula in Washington where the couple then lived. The songs share
with the stories a reverence for the natural world and offer a complementary
perspective on “sanctuary”.

That's this Sunday, June 12th.
Sponsored by Friends of The Ripton Community Church.

Riptonite in Washington Post

2011-05-31T09:15:00.002-04:00

Riptonite Bill McKibben has a new article in the Washington Post. It concerns summer weather and climate change.

(via Vermont Digger)

Central Vermont floods

2011-05-28T10:33:00.002-04:00

Parts of cental Vermont suffered flood damage from rain this week. Here's one story about Barre, and a blog post about Montpelier.

How did your home make out, in Ripton or elsewhere in our rainy zone?

Bill McKibben, Riptonite, on communities and climate change: part 3

2011-05-24T11:24:00.004-04:00

Here's part 3 of our interview series with Riptonite Bill McKibben. (Here's part 1, part 2)

7. (from Twitter) More generally, how can the internet strengthen a small community, and how weaken it?

i think for the first time we can really imagine staying at home in a local
economy and still being a part of the larger world. there's no longer the need
to choose between staying by your roots and 'going out in the world to make
something of yourself.'

8. (from Facebook) What role can cohousing play in building a more sustainable world?

cohousing is a completely great movement, but not mostly because it's more
efficient (though that's nice). it's because it is helping us recover the idea
of community and connection. most humans at most times and places have lived in
close emotional and physical proximity to many other people; it's only in our
brief postwar moment that we've embraced the idea of building bigger houses
farther apart from each other as the 'American dream.'

9. (from Facebook) "As people start to feel the pinch of limited resources (think: impending peak oil), they tend to get more conservative. I'm thinking of Europe that seems to blossoming in so many ways (including sustainable design) but is also building a bigger wall around itself) Is there any way to avoid this slide into localized survivalism?"

a very important question. i think we need to do everything we can to build real
solidarity. it's one of the reasons we've organized 350.org as one of the
planet's few true global movements, with people participating in every corner of
the planet. climate change is truly the best example of 'if we don't hang
together, we hang separately'

One more interview part might be forthcoming, if we get more questions.

Please comment!

Ripton school car wash coming up fast

2011-05-23T19:51:00.002-04:00

It must be nearly summer, as the annual Ripton school car wash is nearly upon us.

The Saturday after next, "the 5th and 6th graders will be holding a CAR WASH on JUNE 4th from 10 - 2 at the Mobil Station in Middlebury!!! "

The results of this half-day of work will go towards a fine act of appreciation from those kids.

Please contact Tammi Beattie with questions. And volunteers, of course.

What are those purple boxes?

2011-05-21T11:24:00.003-04:00

Ripton residents and visitors might notice several mysterious boxes hanging over our main roads. A purple, rectangular box hangs over route 125 about one mile below the General Store. Another appears above the Lincoln Road. What are they?

They are information weapons against a tree pest.

According to the USDA and Vermont's Ag department,

The purple traps are coated with an adhesive that captures the insects when they
land and are baited with a lure to attract the pest if it is present. In
addition, the color is thought to be attractive to EAB, and is relatively easy
for humans to spot among the foliage.

What's the enemy?

[The]emerald ash borer (EAB), a non-native, wood-boring beetle that has
killed tens of millions of ash trees in the eastern United States and Canada.

Good news: "To date, EAB has not been detected in Vermont."

For more information, check out this site.
Or read this:

“The traps being placed around Vermont will help us discover if we have EAB
in Vermont early on which allows us to address this invasive pest immediately,”
said Jon Turmel Vermont State Entomologist. “Early detection is the best tool we
have to fight EAB...

The triangular purple traps do not pose a risk to humans, pets, or wildlife;
however, the non-toxic glue can be extremely sticky,” said USDA State Plant
Health Director, Mark Michaelis. “We want people to understand that the traps
don’t attract or pull beetles into an area, but rather they are a detection tool
to help find EAB if it is present in the area.”
These traps will be
monitored and remain in place throughout the summer during the beetles’ flight
season. The traps will be monitored throughout the summer and removed in the
fall. Results from the trapping will be available once the traps are removed.

If you see a purple trap on the ground, please call the USDA’s toll-free
num ber: 1-866-322-4512. The EAB hotline is staffed during regular business
hours and a message may be left at any time. Callers are asked to include a name
and telephone number.

(thanks to Warren King; image from takomabibelot)

Bill McKibben, Riptonite, interviewed: part 2

2011-05-16T22:30:00.002-04:00

Ripton writer and cofounder of this blog Bill McKibben is working energetically to help mitigate and understand climate change. He graciously agreed to let me ask him some questions about our small town's role in an age of a transformed planet.

This post is the second in a short series. Here's part 1.

Some of these questions were crowdsourced from the Web. I'd like to thank Doug Reilly, Kathryn Tomasek, Fred Moody, Ed Webb, JohnnyGunn, Erica Stephan, and others for their thoughts.

4. When and how should our community partner w/other communities?

on a local basis, to help figure out our regional future, we've got all
sorts of possibilites: acorn (addison county relocalization network),
all the state folks working on local food and energy, great people at
the college and at UVM. on a global basis: we need to amplify our
local concerns through networks like 350.org

5. (from the MetaFilter online network) What does your skiing tell you about our community, and its place in a transforming world?

i love the fact that we have a vibrant muscle-powered sports scene up
here. the Ripton-Goshen plateau is some of the best xc skiing in the
American east (Bolton-Stowe is its only rival in Vermont) . There's
nothing that makes me happier than seeing red-cheeked friends out on
the trail somewhere. Of course, xc skiing is also the single most
vulnerable sport to climate change; maybe Mike Hussey can help us build
a little bit of snowmaking to make sure our season lasts longer than a
few weeks going forward

6. (from Twitter) How can social media build local initiatives, like bike paths or co-ops?

The net in general is a great tool for helping people keep in touch
easily. It's like the bulletin board at the post office but somewhat
easier to use! communities around vermont are having great luck with
front porch forum; hopefully it will be a great complement to the
riptonite when it arrives!

meanwhile, social media in particular are great for letting people do
things like arrange impromptu carpools or deal with surplus produce
from the garden. travel by mouse!

Bill McKibben, Riptonite, interviewed: part 1

2011-05-10T11:33:00.004-04:00

Ripton writer and cofounder of this blog Bill McKibben is working energetically to help mitigate and understand climate change. He graciously agreed to let me ask him some questions about our small town's role in an age of a transformed planet.

This post is the first in a short series.

Some of these questions were crowdsourced from the Web. I'd like to thank Doug Reilly, Kathryn Tomasek, Fred Moody, Ed Webb, JohnnyGunn, Erica Stephan, and others for their thoughts.

What are some of the best ways for a small, rural town like Ripton to respond practically to climate change?

well, we have to figure out how to make ourselves as resilient as possible in the face of changing conditions--the flood should have been a major wakeup call, and it feels like we've at least begun to respond. and we have to figure out how to make ourselves more self-reliant in the face of what will be rising energy prices/increasing shortages. efforts to figure out hwo to power our lives clsoe to home are a great idea--i keep hoping the day will come when we'll look up at the ski hill and see a windmill turning

and most of all we all have to figure out how to play a part in the political drive to cut emissions. ripton has been enormously supportive of our efforts at 350.org, for which i'm eternally grateful. in a sense it's where it all began, at the frost turnout when we stepped off on that first march to burlington in 2006

Which habits should we consider changing?

well, for rural areas transportation is always hard. patronizing the actr bus would be a good start--even though it's sometimes inconvenient. one of my resolutions for the year!

What are the best ways to learn about climate change in 2011?

for people who like weather, i recommend a blog by jeff masters at weather underground. it's pretty consumed with tracking hurricanes during the summer, but all year round it gives good updates on new climate information.

(more questions and answers to follow)

Riptonite in USA Today

2011-05-03T21:04:00.001-04:00

Local Tik Root gets written up by USA Today. It's a summary of Tik's Syrian odyssey, with some reflections.

Ripton's Tik Root speaks this Sunday

2011-04-29T12:02:00.003-04:00

This Sunday, in Ripton's church, Tik Root will describe his Syrian odyssey.
At 4 pm, come hear the story!

Charles Billings writes:

Tik Root, a Ripton resident and Middlebury College student, had just begun Arabic classes at Damascus University in Syria when, on March 18, he was arrested by the Syrian secret police. He spent the next two weeks in a secret police prison, held without any contact with the outside world. Tik would like to use this talk to thank the many members of the Addison County community who rallied around his cause, contributing in a variety of ways to efforts to secure his release. In the talk, he will describe his arrest, imprisonment, and eventual surprise release by the Syrian secret police. He will also share his perspective, gained during previous months of travel and study in the Middle East, on current events in the region.

Vermont stories in the Ripton church

2011-04-27T10:11:00.002-04:00

Vermont folklorist Jane Beck shared wonderful stories last Sunday, in the community church.

Beck arranged these into categories based on common life experiences: family stories, stories about the coming of the automobile, touchstone tales. Stories about social change, "hard stories" about the worst things in life, "strong man" stories, even accounts of Robert Frost spanned a rich, moving hour.

Come tomorrow night for the town school's principal search!

2011-04-25T13:44:00.003-04:00

There's an important event tomorrow night, a community forum where Riptonites can meet the person who might become our school's new principal.

Tracey Harrington will be available for conversation and questions Tuesday, April 26th at 6:30pm. All are not only invited, but encouraged to attend.

Fresh Web presence for Ripton Town

2011-04-23T17:11:00.002-04:00

The Town of Ripton has a new Website. http://www.riptonvt.org/ has been carefully built by Sally Hoyler, and is fine work. Lots of useful, up-to-date information, presented in a lovely design.

This was built using a Web service called Squarespace, with which Sally and other Riptonites have had good experiences. It's easy to use, allows a lot of user control, and has solid support.

Looks good, Sally!

Tik Root back in Vermont

2011-04-03T20:10:00.003-04:00

Good news: Tik Root is back in Vermont.
after long negotiations to establish he wasn’t a CIA agent or some other covert operative, Root caught a flight from Damascus to London and then another to Logan International Airport.
Previously.

Ripton local located in Syria

2011-03-26T18:15:00.003-04:00

Tik Root was missing for several days this week. Friends and Ripton family couldn't find him in Syria, while politcal protests in that nation surged into social unrest.

He's been located today, "in the hands of the Syrian authorities, who are currently responsible for him", according to the Facebook page created in his honor.

Please follow that Facebook page, and send your support to the Roots!

New Fairpoint broadband pricing: some research

2011-03-18T19:23:00.006-04:00

Some Ripton residents recently received a mailing advertising Fairpoint’s new internet service plans.

What do these new plans offer, and how much do they cost? One Ripton resident did some research via phone, email, Web, and print. This took some time and effort, since there wasn't a single Web page or printed document with the information.

Here’s what was learned about the real costs.

The short version: Fairpoint’s low-cost pricing ( $16/month first year discount good through April 30th) is a lure, a short-term deal to lock us into more expensive plans.

This plays out through different packages:

The “Double Play Bundle” - phone & internet, no voicemail ("Fairpoint Exchange Select package"), For a 1-year contract, the costs are: $60.99 plus taxes/surcharges (ave. $10) = $70.99/month. If you maintain that service for a second year, the cost rises again, to $76.99 + taxes/surcharges, or $86.99/month.
"Double Play” plus voicemail? Monthly charges go up to $65.99 plus taxes/surcharges (taxes average $10), or $75.99, for that first year. Second year: $81.99 + taxes/surcharges (ave. $10) = $91.99 per month.
The cheapest plan simply adds internet to your existing phone plan. The internet fee is $19.99 per month, plus whatever your phone bill is. That’s for the first year. After that, the internet fee goes up to $35.99, plus your phone bill.
Internet only, without any phone service? No annual contracts, just month to month billing, at $40.99.
A "TriplePlay Bundle": "TriplePlay Bundle" : without voicemail: $77.99 per month (plus taxes and surcharges) for the first 12 months, then $124.99/month (plus taxes and surchrges). If you want voicemail, the price increases by $5/month to $82.99 and $129.99 respectively.

These prices might not apply next year, as there is no guarantee the price won't go up after the first 12 months.

There are three additional charges which can apply across all of these plans. For example,

Inside wire guard: add $3.99/month
Wireless router: $59.99 (or you can buy your own)
Early termination of contract: $79

Moreover, if you switch to one of these plans, the billing cycle changes. Instead of being billed for the previous month, you're billed for the next month, so the first bill will be especially high.

Any thoughts? more information?
(some edits for clarity)

Snowstorm in March

2011-03-13T12:56:00.002-04:00

A huge snowfall hit our town! An unusually high amount of white stuff for this time of year.

2011-03-03T15:16:00.002-05:00

A new local education initiative has launched, and seeks your input. The ACSU Study Committee is looking into the possibility of setting up a regional education district (RED) , and hopes to develop community discussions around that topic over the upcoming year.

The RED project has representatives from the following towns:

Bridport 1
Cornwall 1
Middlebury 5
Ripton 1
Salisbury 1
Shoreham 1
Weybridge 1

The Study Group's Website publishes a good amount of information, along with a discussion forum.

(thanks to Amy McGlashan)

Rural post offices under threat

2011-03-01T10:29:00.002-05:00

The United States Postal Service is considering closing hundreds of small, rural post offices, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Beginning in March, the agency will start the process of closing as many as
2,000 post offices, on top of the 491 it said it would close starting at the end
of last year...

Ripton's office is not under threat at the moment, according to its post mistress at last night's Town Meeting. It doesn't lose lots of money, not present safety issues. But it's probably a good idea to keep buying stamps there, and using the 05766 zip code when ordering stuff online.

Because our post office is a precious thing. Another WSJ article notes the story of a small mountain town's PO closing.

New site for Vermont agriculture discussion

2011-03-01T09:34:00.001-05:00

A new Web site about Vermont agriculture was launched this week. What Ceres Might Say is a blog about "particular information on the history of agriculture in Vermont".

It's written by Roger Allbee, former state ag secretary.

Natalie Kinsey Warnock Author Visit at Ripton Elementary

2011-01-26T13:31:00.002-05:00

Vermont author Natalie Kinsey Warnock will be visiting Ripton Elementary School on February 16th. Her visit is part of the activities that are being planned for our February literacy celebration. Ms. Kinsey Warnock will be doing a whole school presentation from 9am-10am. The public is invited. Later, she will lead the 3rd-6th graders in a writing workshop. All of her books depict Vermont life and traditional values of family, hard work, and friendship. Many thanks to Friends of Ripton School (FORS) for sponsoring this event, and thanks to Linda Kautzman, media specialist at Ripton Elementary, for arranging this exciting opportunity for our community.

Riptonite in Franklin County

2011-01-14T09:52:00.003-05:00

One Riptonite is working on growing Vermont's economy. In his new role as the state's Commerce Secretary, Lawrence Miller is touring the state with our new governor, looking for ways to build more jobs. That link leads to a description of a visit to Franklin County.

Poll calls about Vermont Yankee?

2011-01-14T09:22:00.001-05:00

Has anyone received a poll call about Vermont Yankee this week?

One Burlington Free Press writer reports getting a "push poll" call:
The person who received the call said the question included asking the recipient how he/she felt about Vermont Yankee losing 650 jobs and how reliable and safe nuclear energy is, and would a review by the Public Service Board be better than a decision by the Legislature.

I haven't.

One Ripton home lost to fire

2011-01-11T08:15:00.001-05:00

One Riptonite's home was destroyed by fire this week. According to the Burlington Free Press,

The blaze broke out at about 1:30 p.m. in the mobile home of Robert A. Bergedick, 65, of 1740 Goshen Road, police said. He escaped. Firefighters arrived to find the home fully engulfed, police said.

Authorities said the fire was accidental.

The mobile home was owned by James and Kay Doolan, police said.

Ripton's volunteer firefighting team were on the scene.

Tal Birdsey to speak in Middlebury

2011-01-07T17:26:00.003-05:00

A Ripton resident is giving a reading at the Ilsley public library, down in Middlebury, the week after Sunday:

Tal Birdsey, author and educator
Living School, Living Words
Sunday, January 16, 2 p.m.

Tal will read from the manuscript of his
"in-progress" second book tentatively entitled Living School. His first book, A
Room for Learning - The Making of a School in Vermont, recounted the formation
of North Branch School in Ripton. What does a living school look like? Hear the
ideas of a dynamic, vibrant educator.

Riptonite wins House job

2010-12-12T23:21:00.002-05:00

Riponite Willem Jewett won a major Vermont political position this month. He is now the House assistant majority leader, or whip.

Willem launched his drive for the job last month. Congratulations, Willem!

School Board Meeting Cancelled

2010-12-06T16:40:00.001-05:00

Due to hazardous weather, the Ripton School Board meeting tonight has been cancelled.

The windstorm, day 3: progress

2010-12-03T10:08:00.003-05:00

It's day 3 of the December 2010 windstorm, as we see some progress.

The Ripton school has both power and electricity, as of this morning. So no more dark classrooms.

According to CVPS, only 7 households are offline, as of this writing. 3 problems remain - remember, a "problem" means a tree down, or a crackling line. Either way, it also means hard-working CVPS crews on the job.
Here's the map:

Tell us about your experience, in comments!

Previous posts on this storm: day one, day two.

Day 2 of the December 2010 wind storm

2010-12-02T11:58:00.002-05:00

It's the day after yesterday's storm, and power is still out across much of our area. More than two-thirds of Ripton is without electricity, according to CVPS. 245 Ripton customers are hit, and 6 separate "problems" (line breaks, trees down) remain.

Here's a glimpse of the CVPS outage map:

Windstorm rips into town

2010-12-01T17:42:00.003-05:00

A huge windstorm hit Ripton today, knocking over trees and blacking out most of the area. It's still going on now - I'm writing this from down in the valley.

One CVPS report offers this alarming picture:

"The winds really started howling around noon, and then the outages started
ramping up, especially along the western side of the Green Mountains," said
spokeswoman Christine Rivers. "There are wires down everywhere, and we urge people to use extreme caution. This is the most serious wind event we've seen in since this past summer. Crews have repeatedly had to take refuge in their vehicles as trees were coming down all around them as they were attempting to make repairs today."

Be safe, friends and neighbors!

Ripton resident to join Shumlin administration

2010-11-25T07:12:00.002-05:00

Riptonite Lawrence Miller was named to a state government post in the new Shumlin administration.

Shumlin on Monday named Ripton resident and Otter Creek Brewing founder Lawrence Miller to serve as his secretary of commerce and community development at the forefront of what he called his “job creation team.” That came a week after Shumlin selected Ferrisburgh resident Beth Robinson to serve as his general counsel.

Shumlin told the Associated Press that in choosing the top leadership for his administration he is looking for “competence, vision and the ability to get tough things done.

“The decisions we’re making in the next two weeks will determine how successful we are over the next two years,” he added.

Miller, 44, currently CEO for Middlebury-based Danforth Pewter, said he is looking forward to his new job.

“Wrestling through it was tough, but as I thought my way through it, it became easy,” he said during an interview with the Addison Independent. “There are very few opportunities to ‘return the favor’ that come along in this way. I have benefited from the support of a great many people in developing Otter Creek and in the other businesses I have worked on … and when I thought about where that has brought me, I could not refuse.”

Congratulations, Lawrence!

Riptonite Andrea Chesman's holiday recipe

2010-11-19T07:18:00.002-05:00

Riptonite Andrea Chesman has two Thanksgiving recipes featured in the Burlington Free Pree. They are cider-braised sweet potatoes with apples and crunchy roasted Brussels sprouts. Read on and enjoy!

Ripton Community Thanksgiving Tuesday Nov.29 @ noon

2010-11-18T13:22:00.003-05:00

The Friends of Ripton School (F.O.R.S.) is sponsoring a Community Thanksgiving Meal at the Ripton Community House on Tuesday November 29th at 12 noon. If you would like to help with the event, donate a food item, or if you know someone who might need a meal delivery, contact Lisa Durante 388-1062, ldurante@acsu.k12.vt.us or Connie Trudeau 388-0860.

Riptonite seeks Vermont House position

2010-11-09T12:07:00.002-05:00

Ripton resident and representative Willem Jewett is aiming for the Vermont House majority whip position, according to the Addison Independent.

It’s a leadership role in which Jewett, 47, would be charged with two main tasks: Gathering key information from House committee rooms and communicating it to other lawmakers and citizens; and counting votes likely to be cast by party faithful prior to major referenda being decided on the House floor.

In his own words,

“When it comes down to it (lawmaking) is about people; it’s about relationships,” said Jewett, who would have to limit his work on the House Judiciary Committee in order to fulfill his majority whip assignments. “Those relationships are what make us successful, not the specifics of any particular policy, but how we communicate with each other.”

Go Willem!

(image from this Vermont elections site)

School Board meeting tonight:

2010-11-01T18:05:00.009-04:00

Rough notes on tonight's School Board meeting:

(This post describes a long discussion about recent events in the school, concerning the decision not to have Halloween celebrations, and a student petition about that holiday. Several corrections have been added.)

Asked to describe "the full story", principal Marta Beede described a petition for having holiday celebrations, concerning multiple holidays wrapped together. A meeting was held, discussing Christmas and Hanukah holidays, not around Halloween.
An all-school meeting was held, discussing laws around holidays. Celebrations had to include an educational purpose, and had to include more than one holiday. Overall, this issue can become a teachable moment, exploring multiple traditions.
Marta expressed excitement that students were adding their ideas, through all-school meetings and other venues. It's a continuing process. She doesn't want to get rid of holidays, but to broaden students' horizons. Students can even create their own traditions.
Re: opinions of Halloween, Marta heard several sides: some students were (too) scared, while others valued it.

Discussion: parents reported that two students started a petition, but were told to tear it up. The principal denied having ordered this, and expressed surprise.

A former student read from the Bill of Rights, arguing that "saying the petition is wrong goes against the Constitution".

The ACSU superintendant (administrator) supported the principal.

One parent wanted the students to be involved.

In answer to a question, the principal explained the Halloween celebrations were banned for several reasons, including:

an unspeficied law
problems in integrating the holiday with educational missions
following the drift of other schools, which apparently have toned down or canceled their own celebrations
the logistical issues of integrating celebrations into the flow of the school day
equity problems of children without costumes.

A former student challenges the religious challenge to the holiday. Principal responded that there were different issues involved.

A parent challenges the timing issue, saying that festivities are scheduled in activity time.

Another parent mentions the importance of respect, and letting people not participate if they choose not to.

One parent saw the petition as central to the story, and needed to be researched.
Another thought her children were worried that the petition would get them in trouble.

Communication w/parents was asked about: the mechanism was teachers talking to students.
Another parent mentioned that this broke down, leading to misinformation.

One parent mentioned that her child had a great experience. Principal reminded us of the diversity of opinions involved.

A general discussion explored the different ways Ripton celebrated Halloween over time.

Solutions aired and discussed:

A petition night, involving students.
A Board member proposed a collaborating writing exercise, involving the principle, the 5/6 teacher and students.
Bring back Halloween in 2011.
Request for an apology.

Conclusion: a process is beginning, involving students and parents.

These notes are a best attempt at summarizing a rich, fast, and intense discussion. Please add corrections and amendments in comments!

No Ripton school Halloween this year

2010-11-01T09:41:00.002-04:00

The Ripton school did not have a Halloween celebration this year, for the first time in a long while. There was no parade, no hay ride, no scary stories, nor any haunted house, apparently (and please correct if this is wrong).

What do you think, Riptonites and friends? As a community, have we decided as a whole to separate the public school from the Halloween holiday?

-Bryan Alexander, one of the Riptonites team, and a parent

Tea Party talk in Ripton

2010-10-24T08:34:00.002-04:00

“Is it Tea Time in America?
Forecasting 2010 Midterms”

a talk by Matt Dickinson,
Professor of Political Science, Middlebury College

Saturday, October 30th at 4 P.M.
@ The Ripton Community Church

Everyone is invited to hear Matt Dickinson’s non-partisan discussion of the political climate leading up to Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Please bring your ideas, questions and civility to this discussion. Everyone should go away with a little better understanding of the politcal times in which we live, and what the outcome will tell us about this election and our nation.

Professor Dickinson previously taught at Harvard University, where he also received his Ph.D., working under the supervision of presidential scholar Richard Neustadt, and was a Fellow in the Governmental Studies Program at the Brookings Institution. Matthew Dickinson is the author of Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power,
and the Growth of the Presidential Branch (Cambridge University Press) and co-editor of Guardian of the Presidency: The Legacy of Richard E. Neustadt (The Brookings Institution). He has also published numerous articles on the presidency, Congress, presidential decision making, and presidential advisers. His current book
project, titled The President and the White House Staff: People, Positions and Processes, 1945-2008, examines the growth of presidential staff in the post-World War II era.

Sponsored by Friends of The Ripton Community Church

First snow of the season

2010-10-19T16:18:00.002-04:00

First snow fall!

Ripton concert: classical on the 17th

2010-10-12T13:02:00.002-04:00

“Classically Ripton”

Concert No. 1

First Annual October Concert
@ Ripton Community Church
2:00 pm on October 17, 2010

All are invited!

The concert will include both classical and Broadway show music pieces. It will feature soloists Susan English — ﬂute, Sarah Metcalf — tuba, Patricia Durante, voice and Lisa Knickerbocker Durante — piano accompanist. There will be some social time and refreshments before and following the concert.

Proceeds to beneﬁt the Ripton Community Church Restoration

Sponsored by Friends of Ripton Community Church

Concert Coordination by Lisa Durante

Ripton Ridge Run this Sunday!

2010-10-07T14:27:00.002-04:00

Our annual Ripton Ridge Run is coming up fast. This Sunday, in fact.

The K and 10K begin at 12:30, followed by the kids race at 12:35.

Volunteers may still be needed for servers, clean up, and baking.

For memories of Ridge Runs past, here are photos of the 2008 children's race, along with an overall report on that year's race.

Another petition against closing Sand Hill

2010-09-29T15:43:00.002-04:00

A non-digital, pen-and-paper petition against closing the Sand Hill bridge is available at the General Store.

Here's the text:

Petition to:

KEEP ROUTE 125 OPEN

During construction of the
Sand Hill Bridge

We are concerned about the impacts of closing Vermont Route 125 (and detouring traffic over the Brandon Gap) during construction of the Sand Hill Bridge in East Middlebury.

We ask VTrans to consider the following impacts of any significant period of closure:

1) Emergency response (both Fire and Ambulance) times to Ripton would be increased considerably.
2) Something approaching 2,000 trips per day would be added to traffic on the Upper and Lower Plains Roads and the North Branch Road.
3) Businesses in Hancock, Goshen, Ripton and East Middlebury that that depend on Route 125 would be severely impacted.

Please make every effort to maintain this vital east-west transportation corridor
either through the installation of a temporary bridge or through phased
construction.

Links: to the online petition; to the latest meeting

(thanks to Willem Jewett!)

Petition against closing Sand Hill bridge

2010-09-29T15:25:00.003-04:00

One petition calls on VTrans not to close the Sand Hill bridge:

We, the undersigned, are concerned about the impact of closing Vermont
Route 125 and creating traffic detours across the Brandon Gap and Upper Plains
Road, during the prolonged reconstruction of the Sand Hill Bridge in East
Middlebury.

We insist that VTrans consider the impacts of closure:

1. Emergency Services: Fire, Ambulance, Police times to Ripton would be increased considerably;

2. As many as 2000 trips per day would be added to traffic on both Upper Plains Road, the North Branch Road and Notch Road;

3. Businesses in Hancock, Goshen, Ripton and East Middlebury that depend on Route 125 would be severely impacted and unable to serve the community effectively.

Please maintain this vital east-west transport corridor through phased construction, or by installing one of Vermont's many temporary bridges.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Previous post on the latest Sand Hill bridge meeting.

(thanks to Robert Wagner)

Last night's Sand Hill bridge meeting

2010-09-24T11:54:00.002-04:00

Notes on this week's major meeting about the Sand Hill bridge project:

(NB: these notes are partial and incomplete, since I had to leave 90 minutes in)

Meeting occured in the East Middlebury Methodist Church. Two Vtrans engineers led the meeting; most of the pews were filled with East Middlebury and Ripton folk. Some stood.

Quick overview of Sand Hill bridge: it handles about 2000+ vehicles/day. It's an "arch bridge", and was built 1924. That 1924 date means mystery, at least in terms of what we know about the bridge's interiors. No plans survived, so engineers are not certain what lurks inside the arch.

Although Sand Hill has stood and served for decades, no one can determine its future safety with confidence, given the uncertainly surrounding its materials. A recent survey deemed its future "poor", adding urgency to plans for refurbishing or replacing it.

The two VTrans engineers presented their new plan. It involves maintaining the current bridge as an ornamental arch. New abutments will be added, on either side of the current bridge's ends; a new span will ride above the current bridge.

The new bridge includes a wider road, increasing the current width from 20 to 36 feet. This includes broadening the lanes, adding shoulders, and also adding on a sidewalk. Each lane will be 11 feet lane, and the shoulders stretch 3 feet from lane to edge.

Timeline: about one construction season, 3-4 months. VTrans thinks early construction incentives (cash) would help speed things along. May or June are likely starting months. Construction isn't likely to start anytime soon, as the VTrans engineers stated that they were back at square one for the project.

Many things need to be done for this to happen:

relocating utilities (electricity, maybe water)
stabilizing the East Middlebury side's slope. This could involve piling up rocks and dirt, or covering the slope with "geotextile", or even "soil nailing" (driving down longdowels).
adding extended retaining walls (maybe)

After these possible tasks were outlined, another then soaked up much discussion. This was the question of how to take care of traffic during contruction. Two options were presented.

Setting up offsite detours was the VTrans preferred method. This means shunting heavy traffic (trucks) south to route 73. Lighter traffic (cares, buses, commuters) would have the choice of either taking North Branch Road, or the southern route through Lower and Upper Plains Roads. These offsite detours have the advantage of saving time.
Building a temporary bridge, on either side of Sand hill. This would probably add a second season to the construction process, but have the advantage of allowing continued traffic without diversions.

Discussion followed with great intensity. To begin with, one speaker mentioned an emergency services problem, namely that the delay experienced by Middlebury EMS ascending the mountain along an alternate route could mean the difference between life or death. Fire support would probably never arrive in time to help.

Another speaker noted increasing safety problems likely to appear on an increasingly trafficked, even overcrowded North Branch Road (a very tricky, narrow road, compared with the Plains roads).

Others spoke in favor of diversions. One noted that the extra time required by the detours would probably not be that great, except for heavy traffic, and that Ripton was already used to the hardships of mountain life. VTrans argued that the extra time, expense, and effort involved in building a second bridge would be unduly burdensome.

At this point your humble notetaker had to leave the meeting, in order to put children to bed. He drove over the Sand Hill Bridge along the way.

Previous post about the meeting.

Important meeting Thursday night

2010-09-22T21:50:00.004-04:00

There's a meeting in East Middlebury Thursday night, concerning a matter of great importance to the Ripton community: closing the Sand Hill bridge.

A VTrans project engineer is apparently going to present on plans to close down that vital bridge for a long period of time. Repairs are needed, and must be done without traffic, it seems.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. - Thursday, September 23rd - at the East Middlebury United Methodist Church.

Autumn in Ripton, and a bit of reaping

2010-09-20T10:46:00.001-04:00

It's late September in Ripton, and harvesting is happening. From corn (hiya, Cornfest!) to spuds:

What are you bringing in?

Days of Caring Volunteers at Ripton Elementary 9/16/10

2010-09-15T07:52:00.002-04:00

Once again this year we will have Days of Caring volunteers coming to help us clean up our gardens. Hannaford Career Center students and Ripton Elementary students will be working together on this task. The community is warmly invited to join us for gardening fun starting at 9:00 this Thursday September 16 here at Ripton Elementary. Many thanks to the United Way for organizing wonderful community events like these all over Addison County.

Talk tonight at the town church

2010-09-12T07:05:00.003-04:00

Neighbor Bill McKibben will give a talk tonight in the town church.
“The Taunting Whirlwind” is the Annual Rabbi Victor E. Reichert Bible Talk .
From the flyer:

Sunday, September 12th
5 P.M.
@ The Ripton Community Church
All are invited

Ripton’s own Bill McKibben, a Middlebury College scholar in residence, will give a talk entitled “The Taunting Whirlwind”. Per tradition, this title and the content of the lecture will serve as clues pointing to the text from the Hebrew Bible/Tanakh that McKibben will engage.

McKibben’s reputation precedes him. He is an author, educator, and environmentalist of international renown. He is also a United Methodist.

Rabbi Victor Reichert began the tradition of gathering his friends and the public and giving a “little talk” on one of the books of the Bible at the end of each summer. Rabbi Reichert was affectionately known as “the Methodist rabbi” and “the rabbi in residence”. Since his death in 1990, Havurah, the Jewish congregation in Addison County, and the United Methodist Church in Ripton have honored his memory by continuing the talks in his name.

Sponsored by Friends of The Ripton Community Church

Riptonite to the White House

2010-09-11T10:28:00.003-04:00

Ripton local Bill McKibben made his way to the White House this week.

He and a group brought solar panels from the Carter administration, which had once adorned that presidency's White House. Bill's idea was for the Obama team to accept them back.

Unfortunately, "mid-level officials" decided not to embrace the idea.

After the meeting, Mr. McKibben, speaking by cellphone from the
sidewalk outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White
House, said: “They refused to take the Carter-era panel that we brought with us
and said they would continue their deliberative process to figure out what is
appropriate for the White House someday. I told them it would be nice to
deliberate as fast as possible, since that is the rate at which the planet’s
climate is deteriorating.”

Riptonite on Letterman

2010-09-10T07:43:00.002-04:00

Our neighbor Bill McKibben appeared on the David Letterman show, speaking of climate change and his new book.

Art, food, and music at the church this Sunday!

2010-08-28T18:42:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow night!

Arts in Ripton

Art Show & Sales
plus Gourmet Refreshments

August 29th, 2010 @ 5:00 pm

Ripton Community Church
& Ripton Community House

Enjoy an evening viewing the works of some of Ripton’s
many artists in the Ripton Community Church and socializing in the Community House while sampling some of Ripton’s summer bounty
and other delicious foods prepared by Lisa and Joe Durante. Some of the artwork is for sale. Admission is by ticket at a minimum suggested donation of $20 per
adult and $5 per child under 13. Proﬁts will beneﬁt the restoration and improve-
ment of the church building.

Ripton Artists and Exhibited Works

Sara Wesson—Cards & Paintings
Molly Hawley—Paintings
Jean Cherouny—Roller Rugs
And more............

Sponsored by Friends of Ripton Community Church

(image: Roller Rug—J. Cherouny)

Back to School Potluck Aug. 31 and First Day of School Sept. 1

2010-08-26T12:07:00.002-04:00

It's time again for our Back to School Community Potluck at Ripton Elementary School on Tuesday August 31st at 5:00pm. Please bring a dish to share and your own utensils. FORS (Friends of Ripton School) will provide drinks and dessert. All community members are welcome. We especially look forward to seeing families of Ripton students grades PK-6. The first day of school for students in grades K-6 is Wednesday September 1st. The first day for PreK is Tuesday September 7th. School begins promptly at 8:00am.

Andrea Chesman on canning

2010-08-23T06:50:00.001-04:00

Ripton resident Andrea Chesman appears in the Burlington Free Press today, in an article about canning food:

Andrea Chesman, of Ripton, is a longtime canner, a cookbook editor and
author. She has noticed a resurgence in home preserving during the last few
years. Her first book, “Pickles and Relishes, 150 Recipes from Apple to
Zucchini,” was published in 1983; she is working on a revised edition, expected
out in 2011. Chesman moved to Vermont from upstate New York in the 1970s during
the “whole back to the land thing.” She said her interest in canning and
preservation was greeted with great amusement by neighboring farmers’ wives:
“They got a big kick out of us.”

The latest on Ripton school planning

2010-08-08T12:42:00.000-04:00

Our school planning process is reported on by the Addison Independent.

a series of Ripton school board-sponsored forums... began on May 18 and
most recently convened on July 19. Residents have been invited to offer any
short- and long-term ideas to keep the small community school viable in wake of
shrinking student numbers, a trend that is affecting most schools in the Addison
Central Supervisory Union (ACSU) and indeed throughout Vermont.
Lee Sease, ACSU superintendent, said Ripton’s K-6 enrollment was 61 children in 2003, a number that shrank to 45 this year and is projected to descend to 27 by 2013.

Bill McKibben on another podcast

2010-08-06T08:48:00.005-04:00

Ripton local Bill McKibben was interested on the Speaking of Faith podcast this week.

Topics include Bill's love of nature, world travel, and, of course, his new book.

Bill had another fine podcast interview earlier this summer.
You can play the audio from that link directly, or download the file to your desktop for listening later on.

Tomorrow: Robert Frost & the Forests of Vermont

2010-07-24T09:28:00.003-04:00

Our community church is hosting a talk about an important Ripton figure, tomorrow:

“Robert Frost & the Forests of Vermont”

a talk by Professor John Elder

Sunday, July 25th Starting at 4 pm at The Ripton Community Church

Professor Elder will look at some of the ways in which Robert Frost’s poetry both explores and is illuminated by the forests of Vermont. Frost was an excellent naturalist, whose ability to perceive seasonal change in the landscapes around him also brought a measure of stability to his intense inner life. Those of us who are privileged to live in the same place where one of the century’s greatest poets once worked are truly blessed.

(via Charles Billings)

School Long Range Planning Meeting July 19, 2010

2010-07-15T08:54:00.001-04:00

The board has scheduled a second public meeting to take place on July 19th. We will conduct school board business starting at 6:00 PM and will move to long range planning at approximately 7:00 PM.

The board has discussed the ideas generated at our May 18th meeting. We feel that the process should move toward identification of a range of realistic short and longer term options or action items. In an effort to move in that direction, we have discussed the following alternatives;

- Do nothing or status quo. Under this scenario we would make virtually no change to our program or staffing.

- Program adjustments in reaction to declining enrollment that allow the board to achieve cost containment and “customer satisfaction.”

- Privatization.

- Consolidation of governance and/or school to include exploration of tuitioning and school choice.

As we move toward a study of options available to the board we feel strongly that any action must support our school’s mission. Accordingly, we have asked Marta and the staff to review our existing mission statement and to propose any adjustments they see as beneficial.

We have also asked Lee Sease to provide us with historical information on our cost per equalized pupil (the most direct reflection of education property tax rates) along with our enrollment and staffing history.

Your input is critical to our success in this important work. The outline of options we have identified is meant to guide and advance our community discussions. Please feel free to bring your thoughts on these issues as well as any perspectives that you feel we may have overlooked. We look forward to your continued participation and attendance at our July 19th meeting.

Tree down on North Branch Road

2010-07-13T17:43:00.001-04:00

A tree is down somewhere on North Branch, maybe not far from Fire Brook.
Has anyone seen this?

July in Ripton

2010-07-05T09:52:00.001-04:00

It's the first week of June, and Ripton is very green.

How's your summer so far?

(photo from the Alexanders)

The history behind Widow's Clearing

2010-06-21T08:15:00.004-04:00

"Who was that Widow?" wonders an Addison Independent report. Jeff Byers reports on the answers his research uncovered about the woman behind that Clearing.

[T]he widow of interest was one Lucinda (Billings) Chatfield, 1818-1897. While Lucinda was born in Tunbridge, she married Alonzo Chatfield in Middlebury in 1838. They moved up to his home in Ripton, and in 1859 they started farming the plot of land which we now call the Widow’s Clearing. Local records indicate that their farm was rather poor, even by Ripton hill farm standards.

There's more in that article, plus a description of a run around the area.

The Independent tracks down Nola

2010-06-14T22:32:00.003-04:00

Another Riptonite is profiled in the Addison Independent. Go, Nola!

Kevra sells her salad greens and herbs to the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op and to restaurants under the name “Nola’s Secret Garden.” She doesn’t do farmers’ markets, though, because she is short-staffed — she is the sole employee of her business.

“If Greta and Orion could sell for me, that would be great,” she said of her dogs. “But I’m it.”

Bill McKibben at Hardwick bookstore this week

2010-05-30T12:24:00.001-04:00

Riptonite Bill McKibben will read from his new book and talk about it on Thursday, at the Galaxy bookstore in Hardwick.

Bill McKibben, podcast, Ripton

2010-05-17T09:48:00.003-04:00

Ripton denizen Bill McKibben was interviewed on this prominent podcast about his new book. Bill speaks of Ripton at several points.

Download and listen - and comment on the Radio Open Source site.