MONTPELIER – The Washington Central Unified Union Supervisory District (WCUUSD) board was divided in a six-to-five vote as it denied a valid petition with more than 450 signatures that called for a special meeting to vote on amending the district’s articles of agreement beginning with the 2027-28 academic year. If[Read More…]
Paul Fixx
HED emergency outage highlights needed upgrades
HARDWICK – A power outage last Monday, June 15, during the dinner hour, followed by another about 9 p.m., during prime television watching time, inconvenienced and raised concerns among Hardwick Electric Department (HED) customers. HED General Manager Scott Johnstone explained the first outage, an emergency outage, was planned on short[Read More…]
HED budgeting, planning continues with upgrades to come
HARDWICK – Hardwick Electric Department (HED) Commissioners met last Tuesday, June 16, agreeing to purchase shares of stock in the Vermont transmission utility, reviewing finances, hearing about the development of plans for future infrastructure upgrades and the status of the utility’s dams. Commissioner Roger Prevot was attending his final meeting[Read More…]
Enough is Enough
I recently commented to a friend, “Enough is enough, this administration has gone too far,” to which they asked, “When did it cross the line.” It was a good question. Where is the line and what can we do as individuals when it gets crossed. While polls indicate somewhere between[Read More…]
Over-the-door Boards
PolyWhey Cup rekindles century-old rivalry
HARDWICK – Local players from Hardwick, Craftsbury, Albany and Danville led their Black River soccer team to a victory over the Barre Stone Cutters on Sunday in the annual PolyWhey Cup. The historic third annual PolyWhey Cup between an NEK Black River team and the Barre Stone Cutters was played[Read More…]
Swenson Granite awaits approval of quarry expansion plans
WOODBURY – Swenson Granite Company, now a division of a company named Polycor, has submitted an application to the Town of Woodbury asking that it approve a non-confirming use of the quarry property, asking to expand the extraction of granite from the quarry to 750,000 cubic feet from its current[Read More…]
HED warns of area scams
HARDWICK – A recent notice from the Hardwick Electric Department (HED) titled, “Scam Alert,” warned that customers of other Vermont utilities have been visited by people in unmarked vehicles impersonating electric utility personnel asking for payment to prevent disconnects. “Neighboring utilities have experienced an unmarked vehicle showing up at houses[Read More…]
Commissioners focus on forecasting, finances
HARDWICK – At its May 26 meeting, The Hardwick Electric Department Board Commissioners covered power supply budgeting, risk reduction and resource diversification, emphasizing load forecasting accuracy, hedging ratios and renewable standards. Further discussion of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) standards for return of equity (ROE), as well as grant awards[Read More…]
One town’s exploration of strengthening democracy
CRAFTSBURY – Sometime in 2022 Craftbury’s Bruce Urie met Susan Clark, the author of “Slow Democracy” and “All Those In Favor,” a book about Vermont Town Meetings. He thought the town might benefit from her expertise, said Susie Houston and Wendy Turnbull who have been on the Freedom & Unity[Read More…]
Town receives grant to fund block party
CRAFTSBURY – The town received a $200 grant award from the Streets as Places program to help fund the annual Craftsbury Block Party, July 3 from 4 to 10 p.m. Emily McClure with The Genny Craftsbury, at 118 S. Craftsbury Road, coordinates the event in the Village between the CVillage Store and The Genny. She said,[Read More…]
Everyone’s in favor of democracy, how best to achieve it?
With area towns discussing town meeting options, The Hardwick Gazette has scheduled an opportunity to learn more about them, June 22, with the program, “Strengthening Local Democracy: Exploring ‘Both/And’ Ideas,” featuring Susan Clark. Clark has worked with towns throughout the region by helping them explore ways to improve both democratic[Read More…]
