By Lani Duke
posted
May 2, 2012
New Sheriff office
The Rutland County sheriff's office hopes to move into its new
home, 88 Grove St., by this fall. Before the office can move in,
the 4,800-square-foot storefront site requires substantial
remodeling.
Buying the former TV repair shop places Sheriff Stephen Benard's
department close to the court and jail, provides 1300 additional
square feet of space, gains 10 parking spaces, and reduces monthly
expenses. It should also provide a calming effect to a neighborhood
overrun with drug dealing and violence.
Raw material line of credit
The Vermont Community Loan Fund (VCLF) recently approved a line of
credit for Vermont Wood Pellet Co. LLC, of North Clarendon. The
wood pellet manufacturer will use the VCLF line of credit to
purchase raw materials and finance the production of finished goods
during the off-heating season.
The company's test mill operation is one of only two such mills in
the country. It has been experimenting with several different
species of wood to develop a composition that meets standards for a
soft wood, low ash, hot burning wood pellet. The necessary woods
are available inside a 30-mile radius of the company's facility;
that proximity permits local harvesting as well as
processing.
Shape of Rutland housing
Eric Hangen of I Squared Community Development Consulting in Dorset
begins a study on housing needs in Rutland City, beginning May 1.
The project begins with a tour of the city, conducted by Rutland
Redevelopment Authority (RRA) Executive Director Brennan
Duffy.
Projections call for the study to be complete in mid-September. The
public will be asked for input at public forums about one-third of
the way through the study and a draft report at the three-quarter
point. Funding for the project comes from a municipal planning
grant, with some work done in-house by the RRA with aid from the
building and zoning office, the Department of Public Works, the
city assessor, and the city treasurer's office.
Curtis Ave. to be widened- temporarily
closed
Curtis Avenue is too narrow for safety, especially for ambulance
access. City workers will begin to widen it as the month draws to
an end. Expectations are for the street to remain closed during
construction. The project is estimated to take two to three
months.
Workers will remove the concrete service and rebuild, making the
road a fairly standard 24 feet wide from South Main Street to
Horton Street, a distance of about 600 feet. Its budget totals
$95,000, a sum that does not include in-house labor or equipment
costs.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Carolyn Crowley Meub for being selected as one
of 10 Rotary Champions of Change, honored in Washington, DC, on
April 20.
School pension board personelle change
City school board chair Peter Mello is leaving his position as one
of the representatives to the pension board and planning to appoint
another school board member Hurley Cavacas in his stead. Mello
cites Cavacas's experience in finance and mathematics as making him
a good representative on the pension board. Cavacas teaches
mathematics at Fair Haven Union High. He's also president of the
teachers' union at Addison-Rutland Supervisory Union, a position
which may influence his ability to represent the Rutland City
public schools from the other side of the table.
West End rec plans
A preliminary master recreation plan outlines new, old and upgraded
facilities in West Rutland. Having a master plan guides the
community where to assign resources - both money and volunteer time
- as they become available.
The 125-acre town recreation area lies south of Route 4, an
approximate 125 acres between Clarendon Avenue and the Clarendon
River, with more than a half-mile of river frontage. Currently it
sports a baseball field, volleyball court, basketball court, small
play area, and soccer field, as well as the town well and pump
station and end of the town's bike path.
Proposed additions include a softball field, second soccer field,
horseshoe pits, picnic area and shelter near the river, plus more
parking spaces in the park's north end. Other possibilities might
be a dog park, an expansion to the trail system, and a spot for
water fun- like a splash pad. Consultants have recommended widening
the Fairview Avenue entrance, installing more signage on Clarendon
Avenue plus a crosswalk, perhaps even building a sidewalk on
Clarendon Avenue's west side to connect with a sidewalk on
Fairview. Currently, the entrance at a 90-degree bend in Fairview
and lacks a pedestrian sidewalk.
Consultants plan to submit a nearly complete master plan to town
officials on May 23, along with a brief summary of how to move
forward. An 8- to 10-member recreation committee will work on
managing the plan, working closely with Richard Dow, the town's
recreation director.
LANI'S PICKS
Friday-Sunday, May 4-6 - Spring Fling yard and bake sale,
Washington St., Rutland. Rides, games, food, more. Benefits the
Masons' Center Lodge's Scholarship Fund.
Friday-Sunday, May 4-6 - Cirque du Cabaret, Merchants Hall, 40-42
Merchants Row, Rutland. song, dance, and drama, courtesy of
Break-a-Leg Society (Fair Haven Drama Troupe). Call 855-8081 for
reservations.
Sunday, May 6 - Loyalty Day Parade, sponsored by Veterans of
Foreign Wars Rutland County Post 648. Best and largest parade in
the state. 2 p.m., downtown Rutland. Music and dancing follow at
Post 648.
Tuesday, May 8 - The Meadows hosts the Rutland Region Chamber of
Commerce mixer 5-7 p.m.
Tagged:
rutland report, rutland
