Per MSN
States With the Best (and Worst) Schools
No. 4 Best: Vermont
> Overall grade: B
> State Score: 83.0
> Per pupil spending: $18,882 (the highest)
> High school graduation rate: 93.0% (the highest)
> Eighth graders proficient in math or reading: 46.9% (4th highest)
On average, Vermont school districts spent nearly $19,000 per pupil In 2012, more than in any other state. The state seems to prioritize education more than most, as Vermont spent more than 5% of its state GDP on education, also the most nationwide. While large budgets do not necessarily yield strong outcomes, Vermont students performed better than most of their peers in other states on national tests. Nearly 47% of eighth graders were proficient in mathematics, for example, a higher proportion than in all but three other states. The state also had the nation’s highest four-year high school graduation rate, at 93% in 2012.
Comment: Just to put things in perspective, Vermont ranks 18th in per capita income at just under $30,000. The 18th ranked state in education spending per pupil according to 2011 data spent $11,223.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Haff, Bianchi face off for selectman
Mountain Times
By Stephen Seitz
KILLINGTON – Killington voters will be choosing between two familiar faces when the pick a selectman in March.
Both incumbent Selectman Chris Bianchi and former Selectman Jim Haff turned petitions in for the position, according to Town Clerk Lucrecia Wonsor, who added that the other incumbents also turned in petitions prior to the deadline. The seat on the Board of Selectmen is the only contested race, however.
Assuming no write-in candidates, M.B. Neisner will continue as town moderator; Eileen Godfrey will serve another term as lister; Diane S. Miller, trustee of public funds; Jill Post, library trustee; and Kirstin Schiessl-Alf will remain on the school board.
- See more at: http://mountaintimes.info/haff-bianchi-face-off-for-selectman/#sthash.RKnMJxRE.dpuf
By Stephen Seitz
KILLINGTON – Killington voters will be choosing between two familiar faces when the pick a selectman in March.
Both incumbent Selectman Chris Bianchi and former Selectman Jim Haff turned petitions in for the position, according to Town Clerk Lucrecia Wonsor, who added that the other incumbents also turned in petitions prior to the deadline. The seat on the Board of Selectmen is the only contested race, however.
Assuming no write-in candidates, M.B. Neisner will continue as town moderator; Eileen Godfrey will serve another term as lister; Diane S. Miller, trustee of public funds; Jill Post, library trustee; and Kirstin Schiessl-Alf will remain on the school board.
Haff, Bianchi face off for selectman
By Stephen Seitz
KILLINGTON – Killington voters will be choosing between two familiar faces when the pick a selectman in March.
Both
incumbent Selectman Chris Bianchi and former Selectman Jim Haff turned
petitions in for the position, according to Town Clerk Lucrecia Wonsor,
who added that the other incumbents also turned in petitions prior to
the deadline. The seat on the Board of Selectmen is the only contested
race, however.
Assuming no write-in candidates, M.B.
Neisner will continue as town moderator; Eileen Godfrey will serve
another term as lister; Diane S. Miller, trustee of public funds; Jill
Post, library trustee; and Kirstin Schiessl-Alf will remain on the
school board.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
‘Phantom students’ a factor in education debate
Rutland Herald
By Josh O’Gorman
VERMONT PRESS BUREAU | January 25,2015
VERMONT PRESS BUREAU | January 25,2015
During his recent budget address, Shumlin called on lawmakers to eliminate small-schools grants and the maximum loss provision — which creates what many people call “phantom students” — from the education funding formula.
“We must phase out or eliminate contradictory incentives built into the funding formula like the small-schools grant and the phantom student provision,” Shumlin said at the time.
The statement came among a host of education initiatives that might have garnered more attention — from prohibiting teachers from going on strike to giving the state the authority to close small schools — but the elimination of small-schools grants and phantom students would have a significant economic impact for some communities.
During the current fiscal year, 95 of the state’s approximately 300 schools receive a small-schools grant from the state Education Fund, totaling $7.4 million.
Grant awards range from $16,000 to $132,000, and in nearly every case are awarded to schools in rural areas.
School districts use the grant awards as sources of revenue, offsetting the amount of money that needs to be raised in the form of property taxes.
Enrollment drop
“Phantom students” refers to a facet of the education funding formula that protects taxpayers from sudden drops in their enrollment. “ADM,” or average daily membership, is a figure arrived at by taking a two-year average of the number of students in a school, with student numbers weighted based upon a student’s needs, such as disability or living in poverty.
The phantom-student provision ensures that a school’s ADM count does not drop by more than 3.5 percent. For example, a school that had 100 students one year and 90 students the next would an average enrollment of 95, except that the maximum-loss provision caps that drop at 3.5 percent, giving the school an ADM of 96.5. The difference between the number of students — 95 — and the ADM amount of 96.5 leaves the school with 1.5 phantom students.
The overall result is that taxpayers in a community with phantom students face a lower per-pupil cost than they would without the maximum loss provision, and pay a lower property tax rate than they would without it. According to Brad James, education finance manager for the Agency of Education, 84 of the state’s 255 municipalities benefit from having phantom students.
“They (small-schools grants and phantom students) came about shortly after the inception of Act 60,” James said. “The small-schools grants were created at a time when the grand list was growing. Phantom students were put in when populations were plummeting, although nobody was anticipating enrollments could continue to plummet.”
William Mathis, a member of the State Board of Education and a former superintendent in Rutland County, noted that while small-schools grants compose one-half of 1 percent of the state education budget, they have a much larger impact on local communities.
“$7.4 million in small-schools grants from $1.5 billion, when you’re talking about it you’re really talking about chump change,” Mathis said. “When you’re talking about the impact on an individual school, it can be much worse.”
He added, “Small schools tend to be in less economically wealthy areas, so the hit will come to smaller and poorer schools. In that sense, it can be potentially regressive.”
‘Signficant burden’
Joan Paustian is the superintendent of the Rutland South Supervisory Union, which includes Middletown Springs and Wells, two towns that would be looking at higher residential property tax rates this year if not for small-schools grants.
During the current year, Wells received a small-schools grant of 80,438. Without that grant, the tax rate would be higher by 5.6 cents — or 4.6 percent — with an increase from $1.31 to $1.366. In Middletown Springs, which received a small-schools grant of $88,894, the increase would be 7.5 cents — or 4.2 percent — as the tax rate would rise from $1.78 to 1.885.
“For communities to have to make up that money will be a significant burden, and as these small districts struggle to provide the same services as large schools, this will be a challenge,” Paustian said.
In nearby Shrewsbury, the district received a small-schools grant of $90,474 this year, which accounts for 8 percent of its $1.3 million budget. Without the grant, property tax owners in this town would be looking at a tax rate that is 6.6 cents — or 5 percent — more than the current rate.
“Obviously, if we lost that (small-schools grant), there would be a larger request for education money,” said Stan Pawlaczyk, business manager for Rutland South Supervisory Union, which includes the town of Shrewsbury.
The increases are even more dramatic when looking at some of the small towns within the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union. When looking at budget projections for the upcoming year, a loss of small-schools grants would add 14 cents — or 9.4 percent — to property tax rates in Leicester. In Whiting, the increase would be 20 cents, or 14 percent. And for Sudbury, the increase would be 28 cents, or 16 percent.
Not enough offsets
In the Orange North Supervisory Union, two towns — Orange and Washington — would be looking at higher property tax rates this year if they did not have small-school grants. Each receives a grant of approximately $110,000; without the grant, the tax rate in Washington would be 7.2 cents higher. For Orange, that increase would be 7.7 cents.
“It’s huge. There aren’t enough offsets in the budget to offset this,” said Chris Locarno, business managers for the Orange North Supervisory Union. “There aren’t enough pencils or paper for me to cut to make up for this.”
If Shumlin’s proposal were to go through, districts would not only have to wrestle with the loss of grants, but the financial cushion they receive through the maximum loss “phantom student” provision. For the upcoming year in Chittenden, the elimination of this provision would add 11 cents — or 7.8 percent — to the property tax rate. In Mendon, a loss of the phantom student provision would add 20 cents — or 15 percent — to the residential tax rate.
Some communities, such as Cabot, would be hit particularly hard. This year, the school both receives $159,600 in small-school grants and has 15 phantom students. An elimination of these provisions would cause the tax rate to rise by 23 cents, or 15 percent.
Broken formula
“One of the things that we’re hearing from the public is that the funding formula is broken, and the reason they say that is that their tax rate is too high,” said Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe, who noted that in rural areas that are seeing declines in their school populations, those declines are likely to continue, barring some sort of economic development in the community.
“Unfortunately, the system works the way it’s supposed to work,” she said. “It sends the money where the students are and for schools with declining enrollment, they receive the signal by their rising per-pupil costs and tax rate,”
Holcombe added, “Part of maintaining an institution like a school is thinking about maintaining it over time. If your plan for your school system depends on your phantom students, you’re in a lot of trouble.”
josh.ogorman
@rutlandherald.com
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Final budget on the way
Mountain Times
By Stephen Seitz
KILLINGTON – Next year’s town budget should be ready by the next time Killington selectmen meet, Town Manager Seth Webb told the board at the regular meeting on Jan. 6.
“At the end of the year (2014), we had just over $6.68 million in debt,” he said. “That’s composed of things that are in bonds — garage, highway, library, golf,” he said. “That also includes $890,000 for the Route 4 sewer. Then the third area is equipment leases and loans, things like the fire trucks, the grader, the loader, and golf equipment which we have annual payments on.”
Despite progress on the debt last year, the town had a net gain in debt this year.
“Last year at the end of the year, we were at about $5.9 million,” Webb said. “We paid off approximately $1.1 million in principal this year, but we did take on a little more than $1.7 million in new debt. We had the highway bond to fix Killington Road and West Hill, as well as the two bridges on Thundering Brook.”
Other reasons for the debt included financing a number of town purchases: a brush truck for the fire department, a plow truck for the highway department, a police cruiser, and a loader.
“For the big picture, we’re obviously paying down our debt,” Webb said. “We took a big step down last year, and then we made a little bit of progress because we took on new debt this year, but we had a net gain in debt. We’re well within the legal limits of how much debt we are allowed to carry. According to Vermont law, you can carry 10 times the amount of the grand list, and we’re carrying less than one times the amount of the grand list.”
Chairwoman Patty McGrath said she was impressed by the progress made in paying off the golf course debt.
“So the total golf debt is $3,455,000?” she asked. “That’s down considerably in five years, because in 2009 we were over $5 million.”
“The majority of what we paid down this year was golf debt,” Webb replied. “We have another $217,000 put away for the balloon payment, when that comes due in 2022.”
Webb said he wanted board guidance in order to finish the budget.
“I have basically updated the budget with the changes we have made to date,” he said, “and I have updated the projections for the end of 2014. We’re putting in the final expenses and revenues for 2014 right now, and we’ll have that for the next meeting. This should give us enough of a tool to understand what we’re looking at for the end of the year, because I updated the major revenues, and I know our expenses held the line.”
Webb said the one of the significant increases in the budget for next year is the plan to hire three new full-time people for the police, library and recreation departments, which results in increased costs for salaries and benefits.
“Health insurance represents a 33 percent increase due to the addition of three positions. That’s health care for three different positions, and that’s about 61 percent of the (health care) increase. The rest of the increase is due to the increased cost of health insurance,” he said.
Webb said the town was projecting an operating surplus of about $213,000 this year. He advised against using the all of surplus to offset taxes.
“If we use the surplus to artificially deflate taxes, then the rise will be steeper in future years, and we want to make things more predictable,” he said.
McGrath wanted to know more.
“Does the $213,000 include the increase (from FEMA) we hope to get?” McGrath asked.
“No,” replied Webb, “that’s conservative. I’m hoping it will be higher.”
The town’s cash flow situation is getting better, he said. “At the end of this year, we had $4.5 million in the bank, and we owe $4.4 million in June. Last year, we had $4.3 million in the bank, and we owed $4.4 million in June, so we’re about $200,000 up on our cash flow,” he said.
Selectman Chris Bianchi said he didn’t like the idea of raising taxes just for the purpose of funding town operations.
“I feel like we’ve been underfunding capital a long time, and we’re trying to correct that,” Bianchi said. “So a tax rate increase due to capital funding is easier for me to justify. The operating we should try to keep as flat as we can.”
Bianchi also cautioned against expecting too much flood reimbursement money.
“Let’s say we don’t get the $200,000 from FEMA,” he said. “At some time we’ll have to cut our losses there and zero out that account. Maybe we can put the $200,000 toward zeroing out that account. If we get the revenue from FEMA next year, then we’re assured, and that money can go into the capital in the following budget, because now it’s a done deal.”
“Where do you put it in the short term?” Webb wanted to know.
“That’s the problem,” Bianchi said. “I don’t know. Technically, we know about it, so we’re supposed to use it to offset taxes, unless we use it in the budget.”
The board is scheduled to meet again on Jan. 20.
By Stephen Seitz
KILLINGTON – Next year’s town budget should be ready by the next time Killington selectmen meet, Town Manager Seth Webb told the board at the regular meeting on Jan. 6.
“At the end of the year (2014), we had just over $6.68 million in debt,” he said. “That’s composed of things that are in bonds — garage, highway, library, golf,” he said. “That also includes $890,000 for the Route 4 sewer. Then the third area is equipment leases and loans, things like the fire trucks, the grader, the loader, and golf equipment which we have annual payments on.”
Despite progress on the debt last year, the town had a net gain in debt this year.
“Last year at the end of the year, we were at about $5.9 million,” Webb said. “We paid off approximately $1.1 million in principal this year, but we did take on a little more than $1.7 million in new debt. We had the highway bond to fix Killington Road and West Hill, as well as the two bridges on Thundering Brook.”
Other reasons for the debt included financing a number of town purchases: a brush truck for the fire department, a plow truck for the highway department, a police cruiser, and a loader.
“For the big picture, we’re obviously paying down our debt,” Webb said. “We took a big step down last year, and then we made a little bit of progress because we took on new debt this year, but we had a net gain in debt. We’re well within the legal limits of how much debt we are allowed to carry. According to Vermont law, you can carry 10 times the amount of the grand list, and we’re carrying less than one times the amount of the grand list.”
Chairwoman Patty McGrath said she was impressed by the progress made in paying off the golf course debt.
“So the total golf debt is $3,455,000?” she asked. “That’s down considerably in five years, because in 2009 we were over $5 million.”
“The majority of what we paid down this year was golf debt,” Webb replied. “We have another $217,000 put away for the balloon payment, when that comes due in 2022.”
Webb said he wanted board guidance in order to finish the budget.
“I have basically updated the budget with the changes we have made to date,” he said, “and I have updated the projections for the end of 2014. We’re putting in the final expenses and revenues for 2014 right now, and we’ll have that for the next meeting. This should give us enough of a tool to understand what we’re looking at for the end of the year, because I updated the major revenues, and I know our expenses held the line.”
Webb said the one of the significant increases in the budget for next year is the plan to hire three new full-time people for the police, library and recreation departments, which results in increased costs for salaries and benefits.
“Health insurance represents a 33 percent increase due to the addition of three positions. That’s health care for three different positions, and that’s about 61 percent of the (health care) increase. The rest of the increase is due to the increased cost of health insurance,” he said.
Webb said the town was projecting an operating surplus of about $213,000 this year. He advised against using the all of surplus to offset taxes.
“If we use the surplus to artificially deflate taxes, then the rise will be steeper in future years, and we want to make things more predictable,” he said.
McGrath wanted to know more.
“Does the $213,000 include the increase (from FEMA) we hope to get?” McGrath asked.
“No,” replied Webb, “that’s conservative. I’m hoping it will be higher.”
The town’s cash flow situation is getting better, he said. “At the end of this year, we had $4.5 million in the bank, and we owe $4.4 million in June. Last year, we had $4.3 million in the bank, and we owed $4.4 million in June, so we’re about $200,000 up on our cash flow,” he said.
Selectman Chris Bianchi said he didn’t like the idea of raising taxes just for the purpose of funding town operations.
“I feel like we’ve been underfunding capital a long time, and we’re trying to correct that,” Bianchi said. “So a tax rate increase due to capital funding is easier for me to justify. The operating we should try to keep as flat as we can.”
Bianchi also cautioned against expecting too much flood reimbursement money.
“Let’s say we don’t get the $200,000 from FEMA,” he said. “At some time we’ll have to cut our losses there and zero out that account. Maybe we can put the $200,000 toward zeroing out that account. If we get the revenue from FEMA next year, then we’re assured, and that money can go into the capital in the following budget, because now it’s a done deal.”
“Where do you put it in the short term?” Webb wanted to know.
“That’s the problem,” Bianchi said. “I don’t know. Technically, we know about it, so we’re supposed to use it to offset taxes, unless we use it in the budget.”
The board is scheduled to meet again on Jan. 20.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Killington Chamber officially becomes Killington Pico Area Association
Mountain Times
Letter To The Editor
Dear Editor,
As I sit here in the old Bill’s Country Story writing this, I look back on the past year and couldn’t be more pleased with all that we’ve accomplished: we moved the Chamber offices and converted Bill’s Country Store to a Welcome Center. We increased visits to the Welcome Center from 4,500 to 10,000 per year. In partnership with the town of Killington, we constructed a park and ride facility and helped improve the sense of arrival to Killington. Working with Killington Resort, we transitioned the Chamber into the Killington Pico Area Association, and increased revenues to make us a more viable, sustainable, strategic driver of marketing and special events.
I’d like to acknowledge the Chamber Board, the owners of Bill’s LLC, the Chamber staff, the Resort and the town who have played key role in these achievements. Special thanks to Mike Solimano, Tracy Taylor, Amy Morrison, and Seth Webb who were particularly helpful in the transition of the Chamber to the KPAA.
From Jan. 6 moving forward, our organization is now known as the Killington Pico Area Association (KPAA). The KPAA is a reinvigorated Chamber with a broader scope and increased revenues. Its focus is on enhancing the development of a year round tourism economy in the Killington Region. With participation from the Resort and town, the KPAA will fulfill the role that the EDTC (related to marketing and events), the Chamber Board, and Town and Mountain Partnership Committee have done separately in the past. The organization will be funded by:
Regional Business membership dues supported by an expanded Merchant Pass program to include the Vermont/New Hampshire Region and an enhanced membership benefit program;
Event, sponsorship and private donations;
An annual Resort membership contribution.
Through the ongoing collaboration with the Resort and the town, we have already made significant progress toward realizing our goal. Progress to date includes:
Adopting new organizational bylaws for the KPAA on Jan. 6, 2015;
Welcoming Mike Solimano and Tracy Taylor to the Executive Committee of the KPAA;
Significantly increasing our membership base with the Regional Merchant Pass Program;
Beginning a new Strategic Plan which will focus on advancing the Region’s economy, enhancing members’ success, and ensuring organizational sustainability.
I am honored to be a part of this organization and am excited to begin this new chapter. Together, we can meet the goals of our community and continue to develop the year round tourism economy of Killington.
Respectfully,
Howard Smith, President of the Killington Pico Area Association
Comment: Interesting - I wonder why this wasn't just a press release. I'd like to know more about this "Strategic Plan which will focus on advancing the Region’s economy".
- See more at:
http://mountaintimes.info/killington-chamber-officially-becomes-killington-pico-area-association/#sthash.hUTeeyAW.dpuf
- See more at:
http://mountaintimes.info/killington-chamber-officially-becomes-killington-pico-area-association/#sthash.hUTeeyAW.dpuf
Letter To The Editor
Dear Editor,
As I sit here in the old Bill’s Country Story writing this, I look back on the past year and couldn’t be more pleased with all that we’ve accomplished: we moved the Chamber offices and converted Bill’s Country Store to a Welcome Center. We increased visits to the Welcome Center from 4,500 to 10,000 per year. In partnership with the town of Killington, we constructed a park and ride facility and helped improve the sense of arrival to Killington. Working with Killington Resort, we transitioned the Chamber into the Killington Pico Area Association, and increased revenues to make us a more viable, sustainable, strategic driver of marketing and special events.
I’d like to acknowledge the Chamber Board, the owners of Bill’s LLC, the Chamber staff, the Resort and the town who have played key role in these achievements. Special thanks to Mike Solimano, Tracy Taylor, Amy Morrison, and Seth Webb who were particularly helpful in the transition of the Chamber to the KPAA.
From Jan. 6 moving forward, our organization is now known as the Killington Pico Area Association (KPAA). The KPAA is a reinvigorated Chamber with a broader scope and increased revenues. Its focus is on enhancing the development of a year round tourism economy in the Killington Region. With participation from the Resort and town, the KPAA will fulfill the role that the EDTC (related to marketing and events), the Chamber Board, and Town and Mountain Partnership Committee have done separately in the past. The organization will be funded by:
Regional Business membership dues supported by an expanded Merchant Pass program to include the Vermont/New Hampshire Region and an enhanced membership benefit program;
Event, sponsorship and private donations;
An annual Resort membership contribution.
Through the ongoing collaboration with the Resort and the town, we have already made significant progress toward realizing our goal. Progress to date includes:
Adopting new organizational bylaws for the KPAA on Jan. 6, 2015;
Welcoming Mike Solimano and Tracy Taylor to the Executive Committee of the KPAA;
Significantly increasing our membership base with the Regional Merchant Pass Program;
Beginning a new Strategic Plan which will focus on advancing the Region’s economy, enhancing members’ success, and ensuring organizational sustainability.
I am honored to be a part of this organization and am excited to begin this new chapter. Together, we can meet the goals of our community and continue to develop the year round tourism economy of Killington.
Respectfully,
Howard Smith, President of the Killington Pico Area Association
Comment: Interesting - I wonder why this wasn't just a press release. I'd like to know more about this "Strategic Plan which will focus on advancing the Region’s economy".
Killington Chamber officially becomes Killington Pico Area Association
Dear Editor,
As
I sit here in the old Bill’s Country Story writing this, I look back on
the past year and couldn’t be more pleased with all that we’ve
accomplished: we moved the Chamber offices and converted Bill’s Country
Store to a Welcome Center. We increased visits to the Welcome Center
from 4,500 to 10,000 per year. In
partnership with the town of Killington, we constructed a park and ride
facility and helped improve the sense of arrival to Killington. Working
with Killington Resort, we transitioned the Chamber into the Killington
Pico Area Association, and increased revenues to make us a more viable,
sustainable, strategic driver of marketing and special events.
I’d
like to acknowledge the Chamber Board, the owners of Bill’s LLC, the
Chamber staff, the Resort and the town who have played key role in these
achievements. Special thanks to Mike Solimano, Tracy Taylor, Amy
Morrison, and Seth Webb who were particularly helpful in the transition
of the Chamber to the KPAA.
From Jan. 6 moving forward,
our organization is now known as the Killington Pico Area Association
(KPAA). The KPAA is a reinvigorated Chamber with a broader scope and
increased revenues. Its focus is on enhancing the development of a year
round tourism economy in the Killington Region. With participation from
the Resort and town, the KPAA will fulfill the role that the EDTC
(related to marketing and events), the Chamber Board, and Town and
Mountain Partnership Committee have done separately in the past. The
organization will be funded by:
Regional
Business membership dues supported by an expanded Merchant Pass program
to include the Vermont/New Hampshire Region and an enhanced membership
benefit program;
Event, sponsorship and private donations;
An annual Resort membership contribution.
Through
the ongoing collaboration with the Resort and the town, we have already
made significant progress toward realizing our goal. Progress to date
includes:
Adopting new organizational bylaws for the KPAA on Jan. 6, 2015;
Welcoming Mike Solimano and Tracy Taylor to the Executive Committee of the KPAA;
Significantly increasing our membership base with the Regional Merchant Pass Program;
Beginning
a new Strategic Plan which will focus on advancing the Region’s
economy, enhancing members’ success, and ensuring organizational
sustainability.
I am honored to be a part of this organization and am excited to begin this new chapter. Together, we can meet the goals of our community and continue to develop the year round tourism economy of Killington.
Respectfully,
Howard Smith, President of the Killington Pico Area Association
Killington Chamber officially becomes Killington Pico Area Association
Dear Editor,
As
I sit here in the old Bill’s Country Story writing this, I look back on
the past year and couldn’t be more pleased with all that we’ve
accomplished: we moved the Chamber offices and converted Bill’s Country
Store to a Welcome Center. We increased visits to the Welcome Center
from 4,500 to 10,000 per year. In
partnership with the town of Killington, we constructed a park and ride
facility and helped improve the sense of arrival to Killington. Working
with Killington Resort, we transitioned the Chamber into the Killington
Pico Area Association, and increased revenues to make us a more viable,
sustainable, strategic driver of marketing and special events.
I’d
like to acknowledge the Chamber Board, the owners of Bill’s LLC, the
Chamber staff, the Resort and the town who have played key role in these
achievements. Special thanks to Mike Solimano, Tracy Taylor, Amy
Morrison, and Seth Webb who were particularly helpful in the transition
of the Chamber to the KPAA.
From Jan. 6 moving forward,
our organization is now known as the Killington Pico Area Association
(KPAA). The KPAA is a reinvigorated Chamber with a broader scope and
increased revenues. Its focus is on enhancing the development of a year
round tourism economy in the Killington Region. With participation from
the Resort and town, the KPAA will fulfill the role that the EDTC
(related to marketing and events), the Chamber Board, and Town and
Mountain Partnership Committee have done separately in the past. The
organization will be funded by:
Regional
Business membership dues supported by an expanded Merchant Pass program
to include the Vermont/New Hampshire Region and an enhanced membership
benefit program;
Event, sponsorship and private donations;
An annual Resort membership contribution.
Through
the ongoing collaboration with the Resort and the town, we have already
made significant progress toward realizing our goal. Progress to date
includes:
Adopting new organizational bylaws for the KPAA on Jan. 6, 2015;
Welcoming Mike Solimano and Tracy Taylor to the Executive Committee of the KPAA;
Significantly increasing our membership base with the Regional Merchant Pass Program;
Beginning
a new Strategic Plan which will focus on advancing the Region’s
economy, enhancing members’ success, and ensuring organizational
sustainability.
I am honored to be a part of this organization and am excited to begin this new chapter. Together, we can meet the goals of our community and continue to develop the year round tourism economy of Killington.
Respectfully,
Howard Smith, President of the Killington Pico Area Association
Monday, January 12, 2015
Dog survives over a week of subzero nights in woods
Rutland Herald
Anthony Edwards / Staff Photo
Kimberly Parker sits with J.D. at Eastwood Animal Clinic in Rutland
after the two were reunited on Sunday following a ten day period of the
dog being lost around the Killington area.
KILLINGTON — More than 10 days after JD, or
“Just Dog,” ran away from his owner’s ski house on Dean Hill Road in
Killington, the yellow lab mix was found waiting on the steps of The Spa
at the Woods.
On New Year’s Eve, Kimberly Parker was enjoying her usual skiing vacation when fireworks scared off her pooch, causing him to run into the nearby woods.
Parker knew finding him would be tricky because he was a rescue pet, and skittish around strangers, especially in an unfamiliar place.
The Boston native rallied hundreds of locals and friends to help search for her four-legged companion for the next 10 days.
About an hour before Parker and her dad were supposed to pack up the car and head back to Boston, they got a phone call that JD had been spotted.
“We drove as fast as we could,” said Peter Parker, who had spent four days trudging around the mountain looking for his daughter’s dog. “She jumped out of the car and was off running. When I walked inside she was on the floor, holding him and crying.”
Peter Parker said that as a father, watching his daughter go from such despair to joy was a tremendous feeling.
“She was dreading driving home without him, without knowing if he was all right,” he said of his daughter. “I had never even met her dog, but seeing them together made me cry. I am just so happy for her.”
The father-daughter search team had been near Plymouth when they got the call that JD had been spotted near the Base Camp Outfitters ski shop on the access road.
The Parkers, along with a handful of concerned volunteers, searched the woods behind the retail store, but had no luck.
“We were walking around trying to find him for about an hour, when we got another call saying he was inside someone’s condo at the spa,” Parker’s father said.
And there he was, thin and ragged, but alive, tail wagging at his owner.
Peter Parker said he thinks the search party had flushed him through the woods and down to the spa.
“It wasn’t our intention, but it worked,” he said.
Kimberly Parker and her dad paged veterinarian Bruce LeGallais from the Eastwood Animal Clinic, who agreed to meet them back at the office as soon as he kicked off his skis and drove down to Rutland from the mountain.
“I have never been so happy to abandon a day of skiing,” LeGallais said, who had been following the story and search progress of JD online and by word of mouth.
“So many people have come through the clinic doors talking about this dog,” he said. “I was so thrilled to get the call that he was alive.”
But his thrill switched to concern when he took a look at JD.
His ribs were showing and he had clear evidence of frost bite on several areas of his body, LeGallais said.
But even that wasn’t his main concern. Due to dehydration. LeGallais was more concerned about the condition of the dog’s liver and kidneys.
“He was very dehydrated and hypodermic,” he said. “But after some blood tests, we learned that he is going to make a full recovery.”
LeGallais said all of JD’s wounds are painful, yet superficial.
The 5-year-old pup has frostbite on all four paws, his ears, nose and eyelids. He lost an estimated 12 pounds from lack of food.
The recovery process will be slow, but it will yield the desired results.
The skin on his paws damaged by frostbite will turn black and fall off. He will need to wear booties for several weeks, then every time the weather gets very cold or hot, as his skin on his paws will always be sensitive to extreme temperatures.
But the healing process will be fairly quick, LeGallais said, thanks to the help of a fairly new treatment called cold laser treatment.
“Basically it’s a strong beam of energy that helps with cell turnover and healing,” he said.
JD’s paws will heal in about two-and-a-half weeks instead of over a month.
Because LeGallais is guessing that JD has gone most of the time without food, he is on a very strict diet. Too many calories or too much fat could make him very sick. So he is on special food for several days until his body gets used to his regular food again. Even then, he will have to eat in small portions, acclimating to his normal eating routine.
Parker declined to comment about her dog’s recovery, saying she was too emotional and exhausted to leave his side as his fluid levels were replenished and he slept under a pile of blankets.
But LeGallais said he has never seen an owner so happy to find a pet.
“I honestly can’t understand how he survived this long, especially with those freezing nights,” LeGallais said. “If he had not been found when he had, he would not have lived through another night or two. It’s amazing that he has survived.”
bryanna.allen@rutlandherald.com
On New Year’s Eve, Kimberly Parker was enjoying her usual skiing vacation when fireworks scared off her pooch, causing him to run into the nearby woods.
Parker knew finding him would be tricky because he was a rescue pet, and skittish around strangers, especially in an unfamiliar place.
The Boston native rallied hundreds of locals and friends to help search for her four-legged companion for the next 10 days.
About an hour before Parker and her dad were supposed to pack up the car and head back to Boston, they got a phone call that JD had been spotted.
“We drove as fast as we could,” said Peter Parker, who had spent four days trudging around the mountain looking for his daughter’s dog. “She jumped out of the car and was off running. When I walked inside she was on the floor, holding him and crying.”
Peter Parker said that as a father, watching his daughter go from such despair to joy was a tremendous feeling.
“She was dreading driving home without him, without knowing if he was all right,” he said of his daughter. “I had never even met her dog, but seeing them together made me cry. I am just so happy for her.”
The father-daughter search team had been near Plymouth when they got the call that JD had been spotted near the Base Camp Outfitters ski shop on the access road.
The Parkers, along with a handful of concerned volunteers, searched the woods behind the retail store, but had no luck.
“We were walking around trying to find him for about an hour, when we got another call saying he was inside someone’s condo at the spa,” Parker’s father said.
And there he was, thin and ragged, but alive, tail wagging at his owner.
Peter Parker said he thinks the search party had flushed him through the woods and down to the spa.
“It wasn’t our intention, but it worked,” he said.
Kimberly Parker and her dad paged veterinarian Bruce LeGallais from the Eastwood Animal Clinic, who agreed to meet them back at the office as soon as he kicked off his skis and drove down to Rutland from the mountain.
“I have never been so happy to abandon a day of skiing,” LeGallais said, who had been following the story and search progress of JD online and by word of mouth.
“So many people have come through the clinic doors talking about this dog,” he said. “I was so thrilled to get the call that he was alive.”
But his thrill switched to concern when he took a look at JD.
His ribs were showing and he had clear evidence of frost bite on several areas of his body, LeGallais said.
But even that wasn’t his main concern. Due to dehydration. LeGallais was more concerned about the condition of the dog’s liver and kidneys.
“He was very dehydrated and hypodermic,” he said. “But after some blood tests, we learned that he is going to make a full recovery.”
LeGallais said all of JD’s wounds are painful, yet superficial.
The 5-year-old pup has frostbite on all four paws, his ears, nose and eyelids. He lost an estimated 12 pounds from lack of food.
The recovery process will be slow, but it will yield the desired results.
The skin on his paws damaged by frostbite will turn black and fall off. He will need to wear booties for several weeks, then every time the weather gets very cold or hot, as his skin on his paws will always be sensitive to extreme temperatures.
But the healing process will be fairly quick, LeGallais said, thanks to the help of a fairly new treatment called cold laser treatment.
“Basically it’s a strong beam of energy that helps with cell turnover and healing,” he said.
JD’s paws will heal in about two-and-a-half weeks instead of over a month.
Because LeGallais is guessing that JD has gone most of the time without food, he is on a very strict diet. Too many calories or too much fat could make him very sick. So he is on special food for several days until his body gets used to his regular food again. Even then, he will have to eat in small portions, acclimating to his normal eating routine.
Parker declined to comment about her dog’s recovery, saying she was too emotional and exhausted to leave his side as his fluid levels were replenished and he slept under a pile of blankets.
But LeGallais said he has never seen an owner so happy to find a pet.
“I honestly can’t understand how he survived this long, especially with those freezing nights,” LeGallais said. “If he had not been found when he had, he would not have lived through another night or two. It’s amazing that he has survived.”
bryanna.allen@rutlandherald.com
Lost Dog Found
Thanks to Diqne Trivers for forwarding the news. Vito
This is the best news to share!!! I do not have any information
other than what was on FB.
This is WONDERFUL news!I just received a notice that JD was reunited with owner.
This is WONDERFUL news!I just received a notice that JD was reunited with owner.
Eastwood Animal
Clinic added 2 new photos.
***Breaking News***
JD (Just Dog) has been reunited with his Mom!!
He is currently here with his Mom getting some much needed TLC and hydration.
**Please be courteous and respectful to Kim and JD and give them time to be together and hea.l**
JD (Just Dog) has been reunited with his Mom!!
He is currently here with his Mom getting some much needed TLC and hydration.
**Please be courteous and respectful to Kim and JD and give them time to be together and hea.l**
--
Killington, VT 05751
D. Trivers
698 Tanglewood
Dr.Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Search is on for missing dog in Killington
Rutland Herald
STAFF WRITER | January 06,2015
STAFF WRITER | January 06,2015
When the ball dropped and fireworks blasted off as a way to welcome 2015, the celebration created chaos for Kimberly Parker’s dog JD.
Parker was standing on the back porch of her ski home on Dean Hill Road in Killington when JD — his full name is “Just Dog” — ran out of the backyard into the woods, frightened by the loud noise of the fireworks.
“He’s a rescue dog. He was very mistreated when he was younger, so he has a fear of strangers and loud sounds,” Parker said of the dog she brought home four years ago. Everyone warned her that the yellow Labrador mix would never be a loving pet because of his fears, but Parker disagreed.
“I’ve been working with him the whole time I’ve had him, and he’s gotten so much better,” she said. “He’s an incredibly sweet dog. He is just shy.”
Parker, who visits Killington from Cambridge, Mass., to ski, is still in Vermont looking for her dog.
“I need to find him, he isn’t just a pet, he is family,” she said Monday afternoon as she scoured the back roads of Killington looking for him.
Parker was supposed to head back home Sunday night, but called her employer to take some more time off.
“They found someone to cover my shifts,” said Parker, who works for a pharmaceutical company. “They were very understanding and supportive.”
But her boss and coworkers were not the only ones pitching in to help find the missing pup.
When Parker started posting fliers around town and messages on Facebook, people in the area started to notice.
Then they started to help.
Hundreds of people shared the photos of JD on Facebook. Others started walking the trails calling his name and spreading the word to keep an eye open for the golden-colored dog.
August Stuart lives down the road from Parker. He said when Parker came to his house with a flier, it struck a chord for him. Stuart lost his dog a few years ago in the same area.
“She was getting deaf and old, and one day she just wandered off,” he said. “We never found her.”
Because of this memory, Stuart said, he was determined to help Parker any way he could.
He made copies of the fliers and posted them in the popular ski shops and other local businesses.
“I can truly sympathize with her,” he said.
The Rutland County Humane Society has chipped in, too.
Gretchen Goodman, executive director of RCHS, connected with Parker when she heard news of the missing dog and frantic owner. She let Parker borrow a Havahart live trap, cage-like device that closes a door when an animal steps inside onto a trip plate. Food is used as bait to lure the pet inside.
“We give them out when dogs and other pets go missing,” Goodman said. She added that she used one to help bring a dog home last week. “The humane society does not get a lot of funding. We are run primarily on the donations of people in this community, so we want to help them whenever we can.”
Goodman said it didn’t matter that Parker and JD are not locals, people still want to see them reunited.
“I really hope that she finds her dog. Animals are so important to us,” she said.
Goodman said the traps work well, but owners must check them frequently, especially this time of year. Not only can other animals get in, she said, pets can get cold quickly in a space that is too small for movement to generate warmth.
Parker has been setting the traps filled with cooked chicken up where JD was last spotted, near The Woods Resort & Spa, and is checking them constantly.
And she continues to drive around town, sometimes on her own, mostly with people she has just met.
“I would not be able to do this alone,” she said through tears.
Bobijo Jones saw the Facebook posting at her home computer in Pittsford last week and decided to spend the weekend driving and hiking around the mountain looking for the lost dog.
“I’m a dog person,” said Jones, who has not even met Parker. “I’m doing this because I would want someone to do the same if the roles were reversed. It’s getting even colder and we need to bring him home.”
If anyone sees the yellow Lab with a blue collar, please don’t approach him, Parker said, as he is very shy with strangers and will run away from anyone coming toward him.
Instead, call Parker at 508-308-9682.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Killington selectboard renews five-year fire contract
Mountain Times
By Cristina Kumka
Sherburne Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., Killington Fire and Rescue and Killington Search and Rescue, the entity that provides the town’s fire and rescue operations, and the Killington Select Board agreed on Tuesday, Dec. 16, to renew the five-year contract for services. The department originally asked to extend the term to a 10-year contract and is in the process of planning and development of a new fire station. In keeping with the town’s new fiscal year, the agreement, which runs from Jan. 1, 2015 through June 30, 2020, requires the fire department to provide a budget to town officials each year on or before October 1, beginning next year. Along with its budget each Oct. 1, the department is also required to submit a revised 20-year capital budget plan, and the department is solely responsible for the maintenance and operation of vehicles and determining which vehicles are suitable for use at any time. The department is also required to submit all fundraising receipts and expenses to the Select Board each Oct. 1. The seven-page agreement also requires the selectmen to annually approve an amount for the department’s capital fund, as has been in the case in years past. The town maintains the role of bookkeeper for the department and all purchases must be approved by the town manager or the Select Monthly and annual reporting of the number of respondents, calls and apparatus used is required to be submitted to the town, and specific call reports are required between 24 and 48 hours depending on the severity of the incident. Either party, the department or the town, can terminate the agreement with one year’s written notice.
Cristina Kumka is a correspondent for The Mountain Times, Cristina_kumka@yahoo.com.
By Cristina Kumka
Sherburne Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., Killington Fire and Rescue and Killington Search and Rescue, the entity that provides the town’s fire and rescue operations, and the Killington Select Board agreed on Tuesday, Dec. 16, to renew the five-year contract for services. The department originally asked to extend the term to a 10-year contract and is in the process of planning and development of a new fire station. In keeping with the town’s new fiscal year, the agreement, which runs from Jan. 1, 2015 through June 30, 2020, requires the fire department to provide a budget to town officials each year on or before October 1, beginning next year. Along with its budget each Oct. 1, the department is also required to submit a revised 20-year capital budget plan, and the department is solely responsible for the maintenance and operation of vehicles and determining which vehicles are suitable for use at any time. The department is also required to submit all fundraising receipts and expenses to the Select Board each Oct. 1. The seven-page agreement also requires the selectmen to annually approve an amount for the department’s capital fund, as has been in the case in years past. The town maintains the role of bookkeeper for the department and all purchases must be approved by the town manager or the Select Monthly and annual reporting of the number of respondents, calls and apparatus used is required to be submitted to the town, and specific call reports are required between 24 and 48 hours depending on the severity of the incident. Either party, the department or the town, can terminate the agreement with one year’s written notice.
Cristina Kumka is a correspondent for The Mountain Times, Cristina_kumka@yahoo.com.