About that solar meeting...

I botched something in the column today, and want to make sure everybody knows that the Community and Economic Development Committee meeting on the proposed solar power project is on Wednesday. Sorry about that, folks.

Meanwhile, check tomorrow's paper for some news about Combination Pond.

The business of Bigfoot

Regardless of whether Bigfoot turns up on a lonely back road somewhere in Rutland County, Chamber of Commerce executive VP Tom Donahue said the visit from Animal Planet program "Finding Bigfoot" is already proving beneficial for Rutland-area businesses.

Donahue said the show's crew is spending money, staying at local hotels and getting food from local eateries.

"They bring a lot of people with them to do this production for two weeks," he said. "When these companies come in, whether it's a movie or a TV program, they spend a lot of money."

Pay your water bill!

City Treasurer Wendy Wilton sends the following:

City water bills to City and Town users and Sewer bills to Alpine users were mailed at the end of March for the bill due May 1.  Rutland City Treasurer Wendy Wilton is advising anyone with a previous balance on their bill to pay the amount due by the May 1^st deadline for the current bill to avoid being placed on the shut off list.  Any previous balance is noted on the bills before the current amounts due. 

The first round of shut offs, targeting utility customers who had a payment agreement with the Treasurer but failed to maintain it, will begin April 17.  Customers who are facing shut offs are notified by mail well ahead of the shut off dates.  If no response is received by the noted shut off dates, then the Department of Public Works proceeds to mark the valve and shut off water service to the building.

According to Wilton, “Our outreach to the public and our first round of letters to those who did not keep up the agreements has brought in significant amounts of money due the City.  During the last month the City recouped over $130,000 in delinquent utility bills.  With our shut off notifications in May we hope to bring in $300,000 in delinquent user fees.”

Wilton suggests ratepayers not wait to pay the overdue amounts and address at least some portion in April before the due date so that the current bill due in May can be paid in full.  The Treasurer’s office and the Department of Public Works will be staging the shut off list over a six week period, after the Due date of May 1. 

 

Pension Board letter - final draft

Wendy Wilton has sent along the officially approved version of that much-revised letter from the Pension Board:

Download Pension board letter 3-26-121

Enjoy!

Silisky's Bridge

Alderman Christopher Siliski forwarded some photos of the bridge on Route 4 in Woodstock that he would like to serve as the aesthetic standard for the city's bridges:

He also writes the following:

I haven’t inquired yet, but the design doesn’t look like it would be that much more costly; however, it looks elegant. When people drive into Rutland, I want them to have the same reaction as one does through the Woodstock village. Wow, this place is beautiful.

...

I’m a strong believer in leveraging resources to stretch the dollar and make this City more attractive. Although I understand DPW has its technical priorities, e.g. broken pipes, core streets, etc., the City needs to target a certain percentage of its infrastructure portfolio toward the public-private investments already made. Hence, core, visible, attractive, pedestrian friendly infrastructure projects need to complement and build upon target structures such as the new CCV building, court house, bridge projects, Hickory Street development, etc. This will maximum the use of tax payer funds and ultimately make the City shine.

 

 

VAC's concerns

Vermont Achievement Center board member Jeffrey Wennberg distributed a letter to the Board of Aldermen Tuesday outlining the center's concerns about the proposed methadone clinic on Park Street.

The letter calls the location "too isolated and difficult to police" and the security plan "not adequate," though it does not specify the plan's shortcomings. The letter notes a lack of a fence between the properties and a lack of clear lines of sight across the boundaries. Finally, it says traffic will jump on Park Street at the same time parents are dropping off preschoolers.

The letter goes on:

As the largest nonprofit preschool and child care provider in the city, VAC has the responsibility for the care and safety of 125 children each day. We take this responsibility seriously and have a proud history of 75 years of service to the community. But simply because VAC has 'always been here' does not mean we always will. A single incident involving a client of the clinic, or a single serious traffic accident involving one of our families or staff could convince a critical number of families that VAC is no longer a safe place to enroll their children. Once this perception takes hold, VAC could not long survive.

Something positive about the pension

Leaving the Pension Board meeting last night, I got chided for my negligent posting habits. So, let's get things going again with some good news: the funding status of the pension is a little better.

As of Jan. 1, 2011, the pension was 70.5 percent funded. According to the actuarial report reviewed last night, its level as of Jan. 1, 2012 was 72 percent.

Hey, I said "a little."

The actuarial accrued liability went up from $79,951,469 to $82,683,836, but the actuarial value of the pension's assets went up a little more, from $56,345,063 to $59,550,537.

Tonight, it's another meeting for me -- this time the Board of Aldermen hearing on the proposed drug treatment center. Look for that in tomorrow's paper.

Keith's Armory

For those of you curious about the layout of the proposed print shop in the West Street Armory, here you go:

Download Keith's Armory

This was part of Daniel Keith's submission to the DRB.

ARC-Rutland Area searching for board members

Lisa Lynch, executive director of ARC-Rutland Area, sends the following:

ARC Rutland Area needs two people to sit on our board of directors.  The volunteer would attend our monthly meetings at 6-7:30 pm and attend our other ongoing functions and activities as needed throughout the year. The meeting is held at the American Legion on Washington Street in Rutland on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month, the person would need their own transportation.  I have a job description for those interested.  Help us in helping people with developmental disabilities become more active citizens in their communities.  Give your heart some sunshine and volunteer with ARC!

 

Looking for something to do tonight?

Or a way to observe Black History Month?

Well, the Rutland Free Library is hosting a screening of "More than a Month," a movie that looks at the existence of Black History Month in "post-racial" America, followed by a panel discussion of the month's role/significance.

Looking for something to read tomorrow? Never fear, loyal reader, tomorrow's paper should carry stories about the crackdown at the KeyBank parking lot, the contract for the police chief search and a review of the city's liquor control ordinance.