Volunteers help prepare Thanksgiving Day dinners

MONTPELIER — By 11 a.m. Thursday, volunteers were streaming into Bethany Church and the Unitarian Church was buzzing with helpers there, all preparing meals to feed hundreds on Thanksgiving Day.

So many people showed up to volunteer to help that organizers had to start turning some away, said Julie Aitcheson of the Washington County Youth Services Bureau.

“I was one of those,” said 12-year-old Makayla Pixley, of Northfield, outside the Unitarian Church.

Inside, volunteers were busily bagging meals for other volunteers to deliver to folks in the community who cannot travel.

Read this story online in The Times Argus

Design Review Committee Nov. 29 agenda and meeting minutes

CITY OF MONTPELIER
MONTPELIER, VERMONT
Agenda for Design Review Committee
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
5:30 P.M.
1) Call to Order by the Chair
2) Comments from the Chair
3) 53 Memorial Drive GB/DCD
    a) Owner:  A.R. Sandri, Inc. 
    b) Applicant:  Lajeunesse Construction, Inc. 
    c) Design Review for replacing existing storefront.
4) Review of meeting minutes from November 15th, 2011.
NOVEMBER 15, 2011 DRC MINUTES
5) Adjournment

Winter overnight parking ban is in effect

MONTPELIER — Overnight parking is not allowed between Nov. 15 and April 1 between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m.

There is overnight parking in the City Hall parking lot and behind Rite Aid. Be sure to check the signs to make sure you're parking in the right spots on the correct day of the week.

Montpelier High School Principal Peter Evans to retire

MONTPELIER — After 10 years at the helm, Montpelier High School Principal Peter Evans said Monday that this is his last year.

“I’m retiring from being a school administrator,” Evans said.

In an email Monday, he said that while he’s enjoyed the decade as the school’s principal, now “it’s time to start a new chapter in my life.”

That chapter, he said, includes spending more time with his wife, his kids and his five grandchildren, planting blueberries, skiing, working in his pottery studio and painting.

Evans was an art major in college, and he said he’d like to get back to being creative.

Read the rest of this story online in The Times Argus

First snow

MONTPELIER — Inches of snow blanketed Montpelier last night and continued through this morning. 

The National Weather Service in Burlington forecast 2 to 4 inches, but it looks more like 6 to 8 inches.

The snow is expected to end today. Tonight should be clear with a low in the upper teens. 

Thanksgiving should be sunny with a high of 38.

Snow in the forecast

MONTPELIER — Tonight through Wednesday it looks like snow is coming.

The National Weather Service in Burlington forecasts a sunny Tuesday with a high near 35 degrees and a low of 26. Snow is expected to start coming down around midnight tonight, with 1 to 3 inches possible before switching to rain at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

The rain could switch back to snow at around 4 p.m. Wednesday with new snow accumulation between 1 to 3 inches.

More light snow expected Wednesday evening with trace accumulation.

Montpelier High School Principal Peter Evans says he won't be back next year

Below is an email and an accompanying letter Montpelier High School Principal Peter Evans sent out on Monday announcing that this will be his last year at the school.

Greetings,

I wanted to let you know that I have decided that this will be my last year working as principal of Montpelier High School. I have enjoyed working here for the past ten years and leave here not because I'm unhappy or angry, but because it's time to start a new chapter in my life.

I have attached a letter that provides additional details.

There's a lot to do between now and the end of the year and I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,
Peter

Here's the attached letter.

Peter M. Evans
Principal
Montpelier High School

November 21, 2011

To Members of the Montpelier School Community:

I wanted to let you know that this will be my last year as principal of Montpelier High School. When I sat down to reflect on serving as principal of Montpelier High School, I found myself struggling to capture ten years of being part of a community, school and family, to describe what this job has meant to me and to explain my reasons for leaving. Feeling overwhelmed, I decided it would be easier to start with the things that weren't a factor in me deciding to leave at the end of this school year.

It's become the norm for principals to leave their position after some problem occurs. Because of this some will ask, was there a problem? The answer is, no. Working here has been the best experience of my 35 years in education. The nature of the work of being a principal is that there are always challenges to confront, problems to address, needs to be met, difference of opinion to deal with, multiple perceptions to sort through and concerns from just about everybody. This is all part of the job and makes the work of school leadership dynamic, exciting and engaging. I have always looked at sources of tension as an opportunity for new learning, growth, making education relevant for those involved and a chance to educate teachers, staff, students and me. Whether it's having to make tough decisions about staffing, confronting problems around substance use among students, discussing the way students dance, addressing sportsmanship at athletic events, dealing with concerns about grading, looking into some course expectations being too low while others too high or reflecting on my own leadership approach, I have tried to work through the many situations by making it a learning experience. My view of what education should be for our students is broad and not defined narrowly. It goes way beyond the experiences that students have in classes. It extends to the community, the field, court and even working with other members of the school community to address problems. It's always been about learning from the experiences at hand and applying the learning to the next challenge.

I'm leaving because I want to explore some other opportunities. Sound like a cliché? The fact is I turn 59 in February and with that comes a fair amount of personal reflection, looking back and looking ahead to what's to come. I have an amazing family, great house and property, an engaging community life in Northfield, close friends and a lot of interests. My pottery studio sits waiting for me, I have some paintings that I want to do, a few pastels that have been stored in my mind and ready to go on paper, blueberries to plant, a house and shed to build and wood to cut. I have five amazing grandchildren who expect that I will be in their lives, at games, plays and other events. I have three great kids and two spectacular daughters-in-law who like being with me and whose company I cherish. I have a best friend in my wife who is waiting for me to plan some trips, go on a few walks, take bike rides and go out for a ski. I'm a very fortunate guy who feels like I have it all. I'm not leaving a bad situation for a better one, but rather leaving one great situation for another.

What about my work in education? I am not walking away from my work in education, just shifting roles a bit. While I don't have another job to go to at this time, I am still very interested in high schools and how they're structured, what makes them work and how they can better meet the needs of students. I am very interested in student engagement and what we can do to increase it. I'm very passionate about leadership. I love teaching and working directly with people of all ages to learn.

I'm not leaving because I have to, I'm leaving because I can. There's a lot of research, especially lately, about the negative impact on schools of frequent turnover in principals. The average length of stay of high school principals is about 3 years. At the same time, there's something to be said about the negative impact on a school when a principal stays too long. It's more subjective, especially when quantifying how long "too long" is. Is ten years too long? That will be up to others to decide, but I do know that with a new principal will come the opportunity for the school and all the folks who are part of it to decide the qualities of the next principal that are most essential to the school. There will be a chance to consider, ponder and then decide a few things that are more difficult to do when someone in sitting in the principal's office. My departure will allow the school community to consider the pathway the school is on and what the skills and abilities need to be of the person who will be the next leader. It will provide an opportunity to look for a person to lead the school based on what we know our needs are now and into the future.

I feel very good about what we've done during these ten years. There are several significant achievements that we have to show for our ten years together. Among those are the support we provide all students so they can achieve; beginning the work of identifying what we want our students to learn; the Educational Support Team model that we recently redesigned and implemented; Act 176; the focus on sustainability and importance of our students looking at their impact on their world; our recognition as a Silver Medal School; the success of our students across virtually all curricular and co-curricular areas; recognition of many of our faculty and staff; starting Professional Learning Communities and working together in teams to consider how our curriculum, instruction and assessment practices impact students; finding better ways to communicate with parents, students and the community through the website, eNews, lobby monitor, phone alert system, the message board and PowerSchool; rethinking the way we do mid-terms and finals; the new format of parent conferences that accommodates families to a greater degree; engaging in dialogue with parents and staff about athletics, creating the athletic handbook and redesigning athletic leadership including the introduction of athletic trainers; and engaging in dialogue with parents and students about substance use, dancing, coaches, teachers and student voice. There are more examples, but we've accomplished a lot. There's a lot of credence paid in educational leadership to the importance of a good match between a principal and the school community they work with. The match has been a good one and certainly has been a significant factor in the success that we've had these ten years.

Thank you very much for letting me be a part of this family these past ten years. Any given day we laughed, cried and worked through problems together. I have enjoyed working with all of you. I do not take full credit for any recognition that the school has received these ten years, I share that with you. I do not take full blame for any shortcomings that the school has experienced these ten years, I also share that with you. That said, we have significant work ahead that I hope will rise to the top of the priority list of the new principal and the school community. We are struggling to sustain the programs that have come to define MHS. Our student population is dropping, costs of education are increasing and funding from local, state and federal sources is on the decline. How do we accomplish more with less? We have found ways to do that up to a point, but diminishing returns are slowly becoming evident. Your work will be to question all of the current structures in place that are obstacles for us in meeting the needs of students. Things such as daily, weekly and yearly schedule, the way credits are earned, how students are assessed and how we engage students in learning will all have to be under careful scrutiny. You have the power to take those obstacles and turn them into opportunities for the children of Montpelier.

When I met with the hiring committee that some of you were a part of ten years ago in a small, cramped conference room on the third floor of the Capital Plaza, I was asked what I thought my greatest challenge was going to be if I became the next principal. I said that it was going to be transforming a good school into a great school. I believe we're closer to overcoming that challenge then we were ten years ago, but it will be the challenge of the next principal to accomplish that goal. Is great possible? Maybe, maybe not, but it's working toward that goal that has the great potential to achieve something really amazing.

Sincerely,
Peter

The Alchemist will not re-open

Another Waterbury business has thrown in the towel. The owners of the popular craft brew pub and brewery, The Alchemist, have decided that they will not be back in business.

The owners, Jennifer and John Kimmich, said that the insurance company will not reimburse them for the losses in the basement where the brewery was located.

The question for Waterbury is, "Will the blow from Tropical Storm Irene be a fatal one?"

Here's the letter from the the Kimmich's.

--

Hello friends and fellow business owners.

First and foremost, thank you for all of your assistance and encouragement in the months following the flood.  This experience was a challenge made easier by your outpouring of support.

We have made the very difficult decision not to re-open The Alchemist Pub and Brewery.  While it is extremely difficult to walk away from the business we have spent our last 10 years building, this is the best option for us moving forward.  There were many factors that helped us come to this decision.

Primarily, we have recently learned that none of the contents in our basement were covered by flood insurance.  Unfortunately, our basement was the lifeblood of our business—our brewery, our beer, all of our food and our offices were in the basement.  Moving forward, we have come to the realization that re-building our basement brewery is not a viable option.

At this time, we are focused on reconstructing our building at 23 South Main Street .  Zoning has been approved to re-build a 60 seat pub.  John and I are determined to re-build as fast as possible to contribute to the vitality of downtown Waterbury .  We are in talks with a few different restaurateurs to take over the space.  We will find the best fit for Waterbury —someone who can continue to run the pub in a warm, friendly and accessible manner, and provide employment opportunities to our staff.

The Alchemist will continue to be involved in the village of Waterbury .  As property owners, we will continue to put our best foot forward with the aesthetics of the building.   It is our belief that without the day-to-day operations of the pub and brewery, we will be able to spend more time on community focused special events.   Moreover, and probably most important, we will move our 7 barrel brewery to our new production brewery at 35 Crossroad.  Once we have installed the brewery, John will be hard at work to supply the community with his creative and tasty small production beers.

If anyone has any questions or concerns about the future of our building or The Alchemist, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Warm Regards,

Jennifer & John Kimmich

Thrush is coming back, but with kids in mind

MONTPELIER — The old Thrush Tavern is coming back to life, but with a kid-friendly twist.

Athene Cua, of Montpelier, said she’s been kicking this idea around for more than a decade in some form or another. What she’s hoping to create with the new Thrush Tavern is a place where parents can eat, have a beer and hang out with their kids.

The kids won’t be running wild all over the restaurant, Cua made it clear that it’s not going to be like Chuck E Cheese’s.

To keep things under control, Cua said she’s considering a sign that reads “Unattended children will be given an espresso and a puppy.”

The menu, she said, is going to be comfort food, not too different from what the Thrush Tavern served in its previous incarnation. Cua’s chef, Jon Beresford, is still hammering out the menu items, but think hamburgers.

Read the rest of this story online in The Times Argus

In Montpeculiar it's not "Black Friday," it's "Flannel Friday"

MONTPELIER — There’s no escaping it now, the holiday season is here and to mark the occasion, this Friday is “Flannel Friday.”

Rather than “Black Friday,” the traditional American shopping day following Thanksgiving when tempers run high and emotions flare, things are bit more chill here in the Capital City.

Just wearing flannel will get customers deals from participating downtown Montpelier merchants.

Flannel Friday is “a more relaxed, sensible alternative to the more frenzied” Black Friday, Montpelier Alive Executive Director Phayvanh Luekhamhan said.

At Onion River Sports, for instance, flannel gets a shopper $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. Salaam is offering 20 percent off all day Friday and Saturday.

“Most Vermonters own a piece of flannel,” Luekhamhan said, “so we thought, why not use this to encourage a sense of community support for our downtown merchants.”

Folks who want the deals, but wouldn’t be caught dead in flannel, can purchase a flannel button instead for $3. The proceeds from the buttons, which were made by volunteers from National Life Group, are going to Montpelier Alive.