News Local To Global

Posted on November 3, 2019 by cvadnais

#TeamTrees – A hashtag that is circling the globe at the speed of light, if you haven’t heard of it – please check it out. Here is a funny take on the enormous project.

Wreaths Across America
SAVE THE DATE – December 15, 2019 – 12:00 PM Stamford Elementary School
We will hold our second Wreaths Across America ceremony for Stamford Cemeteries on Sunday December 15th with a short ceremony at the school followed by laying of wreaths on all of our veterans’ graves in Houghton and Millard cemeteries. The ceremony will begin at noon near the Stamford Honor Roll.

We are in need of veterans or active military who would be willing to participate in the ceremony by presenting a wreath for the various branches of the military as well as a POW/MIA wreath. If anyone is willing to represent any of the following branches of the military Army, Navy, Marines, Merchant Marine, Coast Guard, Air Force, and POW/MIA please let us know by calling Donna at 413-575-8826 or emailing stamfordnorthadamswaa@gmail.com.

We are currently still 32 wreaths short of our goal to cover all veterans’ graves. If you are interested in sponsoring a wreath there are forms at the town hall or contact us at the number or email above and we will get a form to you. A wreath sponsorship is $15.00 for one, or sponsor 2 for $30.00 and we get 1 free. All sponsorships must be received before December 2nd.

We hope to see everyone on December 15th.

From the Selectboard
Town Attorney/School Ownership
The town attorney provided the Selectboard with his opinion on the town/school land and building. The Selectboard has not had a chance to read it yet and Nancy Bushika would like to give board members time to review the document and be prepared to discuss it at the next meeting. Helen Fields asked if it could be released.
MOTION by Dan Potvin to make the opinion available to the public. SECONDED by Carol Fachini. No vote. It is a moot point; it was not marked attorney-client privileged or confidential and would be considered a public document.

GREEN MOUNTAIN POWER STREET LIGHT
The board received no input from residents on Jepson Road which would be affected by the streetlight. Dave Tatro feels the light should be kept on for safety reasons. He feels it is a tight corner and there is a cold spot there that tends to ice up. Nancy Bushika suggested a light should be installed at the intersection of Jepson Road and Boulger Road. Dan Potvin didn’t have a strong opinion either way but didn’t know if he’d want a streetlight shining at his house. Dave Tatro has had cars almost hit the plow truck when he is cleaning up the intersection and agreed a light should be there for safety reasons. Helen Fields considers it light pollution and asked that the board minimize the amount of light in town. If the board chooses to keep the lights, she asked that they be limited in their distance and directed down toward the road. Letters will be sent to the adjacent residents for their opinion.

BIOMASS HEATING SYSTEMS MEETING & TOUR
Dan Potvin noted the informational meeting on Biomass Energy in Bennington which will take place on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 3 p.m. They will give a tour of Mount Anthony Union High School’s wood chip burning system and the Applegate Apartments biomass system. Anyone interested in attending and/or carpooling can contact the town office or Dan Potvin directly.

FIBER OPTIC NETWORK
The board asked Lori Shepard to contact Chris Lynch from the Matrix Design Group to request a detailed cost estimate for Stamford along with funding opportunities and what the town would be responsible for.

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Trick or Treat Postponed

Posted on October 31, 2019 by cvadnais

Due to the weather, Trick or Treat in Stamford has been postponed to Saturday Nov 2nd from 6:00 – 7:30pm.

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The Stamford Craft Fair is this weekend!

Posted on October 24, 2019 by cvadnais

Saturday October 26th and Sunday October 27th from 10:00am to 4:00pm each day at the Stamford School, 986 Main Road, Stamford, VT. Come browse the many handmade gifts, candles and homemade baked goods.

Make plans to join us for lunch, prepared and served by the Stamford Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary.

We hope to see you there!

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Tile Project and View From Allen’s Peak

Posted on October 20, 2019 by cvadnais

Pat Sullivan’s Update
In an effort to keep people in the loop, I wanted to share a couple of tile pictures with you and update you on the progress of the tile project.  The tiles are all finished and housed in Victoria Jefferies’ studio at her house.  If you’d like to see any of them before all the projects are installed, contact Victoria (vmjefferies@yahoo.com)!  The attached photos do not include all the tiles, but you’ll get an idea of what they look like.

The bulletin board for the library has been purchased.  We’re waiting for the metal “housing” for the bulletin board to be finished (very soon!).  Once that’s done, the tiles can be put in place and we can install all three pieces – the bulletin board, the plaque in front of the town/school building and the town office plaque above the town clerk window.  

Once again, thank you for all you’ve done to move this project forward!  Please share this information widely!

Pictures from Allen’s Peak provided by Pat Sullivan with the comment “Yesterday was a beautiful day for an Allen’s Peak hike!  Beautiful views of the Stamford Valley!”

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What Happens When You Call 911 And No One Answers?

Posted on October 18, 2019 by cvadnais

“The Legislature called for a report on this issue, which found that statewide emergency call volume has increased while, at the same time, “Eight out of ten services are currently reporting difficulty with recruitment and retention.” That’s quite literally a recipe for disaster. As a result of this and other challenges (including funding strains, the toll of the substance abuse epidemic, and credentialing challenges), 10 out of Vermont’s 13 EMS districts saw their response times increase from FY17 to FY18.”
You can read the full article here.

According to the 2000 Census, Stamford had a population of 813 people; 62% of which were between the age of 18 and 64 – that’s 504 residents. The Stamford Vol Fire Co has approximately 22 active and engaged members – 8 of which do not even live in the town!

Out of 504 age eligible members of our community, we can only manage to put forth 16 people who are willing to say “I will help when someone needs it.”

I know, I know, we all work, we all have busy lives, we all have family to take care of – so do the 16 members of our community that have stepped forward, raised their hand, and give something back to their community.

488 residents can’t find even 1 hour a month to give? To say, “I can’t be there every call, but I’ll be there when I can and I’ll do what I can to help because I want someone to be there when I need help!”

You don’t have to climb a ladder, enter a burning building, wear an air pack, or give CPR to make a difference in our town’s first-responder capabilities. Just having people on the roster who can direct traffic, read a map, use a two-way radio, provide transportation or food and water, roll hose – all those things and more that make a huge difference for those who do want to go into that burning building or use the Jaws-of-Life or help someone’s grandmother down the stairs at 2 a.m. because they can’t find their hearing aid or glasses.

And maybe, that 1 hr a month will turn into 2 next year. Any maybe, your neighbor will say “Thanks so much for being there when we needed you!”

**The statements, opinions and views expressed in this post are solely of the author and are not meant to be implied as consistent with those of the Stamford Vol Fire Co it’s members, officers, or directors.

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Recent News

Posted on October 13, 2019 by cvadnais

From the Selectboard
ACT 46 SCHOOL MERGER
The Selectboard reviewed an article that appeared in the Deerfield Valley News recently. Members of the newly formed Readsboro Halifax school union discussed dissolving the union district and going back to two separate schools. The union members will look into it for discussion at their next meeting. Dan Potvin was very interested and thought it was important news for our residents. He felt the school board and principal should read the article. Copies will be given to them.
If you are a subscriber, you can read the article here.

VETERANS DINNER
Dan Potvin has scheduled the pot luck dinner in honor of our veterans for Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 5 p.m. at the school. He asks everyone to spread the word and invite veterans to attend.

DELINQUENT DOGS
Melissa Lawrence and Stephen Chipchase have not licensed their dogs with the town. The due date was April 1,
Luke McKay learned that the ticketing system through the Vermont Judicial Bureau can take a long time and was concerned about the risk of having dogs in town without rabies vaccinations. He asked the board to consider impounding the dogs until the owners make arrangements for rabies shots and will release the dogs once they have been licensed with the town and all impound fees have been paid. The board discussed the pros and cons. Dave Tatro felt the board should follow the law and our ordinance and even if it takes a long time, it is better than the emotional distress of taking the dogs away. The board does not want to take the dogs, they just need to have them registered with the town. It was ultimately decided that Luke McKay will issue tickets and will contact the police to accompany him in serving the tickets.
Luke McKay asked the board to look into a used vehicle. He has learned that the state recommends transporting stray dogs in a cage inside the vehicle, not in the back of a pickup. The town could be liable if a stray he picks up carries a disease that causes the Dog Officer or his animals to become ill.

From the Planning Commision
BENNINGTON COUNTY REGIONAL COMMISSION GRANT
Catherine Bryars from the BCRC couldn’t attend tonight’s meeting and spoke with Helen Fields. The BCRC is hoping the Planning Commission will endorse its application for grant funding and commit to participating in BCRC’s proposed regional housing by-laws study. For this project, BCRC will survey current housing regulations in the downtown and village center areas of its member municipalities and make specific recommendations for by-law improvements to help each community achieve goals for
more quality, diverse housing in historic centers. They will analyze housing challenges, opportunities and policies in town and summarize their findings in a final report. Helen Fields stated that we are not required to act on or implement any of their recommendations and there is no financial commitment.
MOTION by Aaron Malachuk to endorse the BCRC’s application for grant funding for this project. SECONDED by Dan Potvin. All in favor. Motion APPROVED. The endorsement was signed.

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Garden Work-bee – Date Correction

Posted on September 30, 2019 by cvadnais

There is going to be a garden work day on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. until we are done!
The main (and exciting) accomplishment will be building the garden shed.
In addition, we hope to get the garden beds cleaned up for the end of the season.
There is still plenty of produce that can be harvested to which you are all welcome.

It would be helpful if people could bring their own tools: drills, impact drivers, skill saws, tape measure, and so forth  I will arrange for a generator to be on hand.
If anyone would like more specific details they can call me at my home phone, 694-1526.  Food and refreshments will be provided.  All are welcome. It should be a fun day for building both a building and community.

Stephen

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Meeting of The Stamford Democratic Party

Posted on September 24, 2019 by cvadnais
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Might Be A Bumpy Ride For School Merger

Posted on September 6, 2019 by cvadnais

Massachusetts is encouraging Clarksburg to think bigger than just merging across the state line. Read the iBerkshires.com come story here

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HarveStamford Community Supper

Posted on August 18, 2019 by cvadnais

The rain held off long enough for 75-80 of us to have a wonderful first HarveStamford Community Supper.  So many thanks go to the Seedsavers for providing the gardens to visit and the potato salad and soup to enjoy!  Their financial support in that effort was much appreciated!  Huge thanks go to Caroline Burch, Susan Flash and Sara Bonthuis for all their planning and execution.  The Building Community Group is active!  The kitchen was buzzing all day.  CJ Vadnais took several groups of people to the gardens on the tractor.  Clay Zeller-Townson, Matt Aucoin and their amazing crew provided outstanding musical entertainment and delicious blueberry crisp for all!  And the people of Stamford came together and enjoyed an evening!

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