1/11

Editor’s Note: Wishing you a happy and healthy new year! Please send news, ads, and items of interest to the Town Clerk by 1/20 at townclerk@wallingfordvt.com .

Support the Wallingford Newsletter with an ad. Rates are $50 for a business card size ad and $75 for a double ad. Your ad will run for 12 issues. For more information, call the Town Clerk's Office at 446-2336. Do you have a used car, boat or services to sell? A one-month ad, 25 words or less is $5. Is there anything you’d like added to the newsletter? Let us know. Issues of the newsletter can be mailed to you if you provide us with the self-addressed stamped envelopes (with 61¢ postage on each). The newsletter is also on the Web at www.wallingfordvt.com.

Looking for a great holiday gift idea for your hunter or fisherman? Purchase a gift certificate before 12/24 for a 2011 license from the Wallingford Town Clerk's office.

The Wallingford Town Office will be closed Friday, December 31^st. The Transfer Station will be closed Saturday, December 25^th & January 1^st.

Reminder – “No Parking” ban is in effect through March 31st. No parking is allowed on Wallingford roads between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. It is unlawful to plow snow across a town highway or street in a way that leaves snow in the roadway. The Town of Wallingford is not responsible for mailboxes, within the town highway right-of-way, damaged during snowplowing. Thank you.

Free
8 wooden platforms, approx. 75"L X 35"W and some 18" or 60"H. Can be seen at the Wallingford Town Hall - 446-2336.

Town Meeting
On March 1^st, Wallingford voters will elect the following officers for the term noted:

Wallingford School Director – 1 Year (to complete a 2-Year Term), 2 Years & 3 Years

The deadline for submitting petitions for articles to be placed on the warning for Town Meeting is January 20^th and January 24^th for town offices.

There are still vacancies as follows: an Auditor, Conservation Commission Planning Commission member, Recreation Committee member, Emergency Management Coordinator, Rutland County Solid Waste District Rep, and Rutland Regional Transportation Council Rep - please volunteer.

Christmas Tree Recycling
Wallingford residents can dispose of their Christmas Trees for free between Saturday, December 26, 2010 and through the month of January 2011at Rutland Co. Solid Waste District on Gleason Road in Rutland. The District will accept trees cleaned of all tinsel and decorations at no charge

Property Transfers
Seller: William & Theresa Patch, 615 Maranville Road, Buyer: Shane & Elizabeth Filskov, 13.41A, Assessed Value $99,300; Purchase Price $55,000.

Mobile Home Owners
If you own a mobile home, stop by the Town Clerk’s office to pick up a copy of the “Do-it-Yourself” Mobile Home Energy Efficiency booklet on tips to help you save money, save energy and live more comfortably.

{Please note that these meeting minutes are a brief summary and are not the final approved version.}

Selectboard

Rutland Regional Planning Commission Assistant Director Susan Schreibman reported on the two pending Wallingford projects that have or will be eliminated by the Federal Highway Administration.

Rec Committee Chair Keith Shelvey discussed level funding the FY12 budget. The Committee may hold a meeting soon to discuss improvements at the lake; therefore, no decision was made on the recreation budget.

Julie provided a list of catch basin locations in the village and informed the Selectboard that one Vermont company charges $190 per hour and can clean out up to 30 a day.

There was discussion again about the collapsing cement wall in the ditch on Maple Street. Julie was asked to contact VTrans about this issue.

The Selectboard approved an updated Basic Emergency Operations Plan Wallingford to help in the event of a disaster.

The Selectboard approved the use of the building on December 10^th by the Little Red Schoolhouse.

Nelson Tift would like a $6,000 budget because he wrote $20,500 in tickets of the $26,000 collected in FY10. The Selectboard had questions that could not be answered, and he will be invited to the next meeting.

Congratulations to Wallingford Fire District #1 for receiving a PACIF Equipment Grant through the Vermont Leagues of Cities and Towns recently in the amount of $580.22 in the form of a 50/50 matching grant. The funds were used to purchase a centrally monitored building security system from Catamount Electric for the South Wallingford fire station.

Prudential Committee

The hot water tank at the fire house has been replaced and the repairs to the office are being worked on.

The signed memorandum came back from Efficiency Vermont, and Alicia is going to start working on the next process that has to be done for the new LED street lights. We have until February 28, 2011 to get the work completed.

Budget meetings have been set with the lodge/general on Dec. 8^th at 5:30, the fire on Dec. 10^th at 6:00 and the water/sewer for Dec. 13^th at 6:00. The water/sewer budget meeting may have to change due to a conflict with some of the board members.

Don Phillips of Aldrich + Elliott gave a brief report as to what has recently taken place in the company. Don also talked about an option of a 10-year loan plan to pay for a major water project that could be done to upgrade our system. This is only something to consider.

Scott informed the board that he had bought the snow blower and also some very-needed tools for the Water and Sewer department.

The board will only hold one regular meeting this month due to the holiday and travel plans.

Conservation Commission

The Selectboard approved committing $1,000 towards a $9,500 grant application for work at Stone Meadow. It was suggested that we ask permission from the Prudential Committee to clean up the trash in the area near the bog. Rutland Correctional prisoners can be used to do the clean-up at minimal cost.

The remaining funds from the rain garden grant were discussed. Ralph will get more supplies for a third kiosk to be placed at the Recreation Field, for bird houses, and a small bridge leading off of the bog walk. Other tasks that need completion were discussed.

WCC would like to be more involved in planning for the slope reclamation at Stone Meadow.

Energy Committee

The Committee discussed street lighting with Alicia Sharp of the Prudential Committee. Approximately $1,700 is billed monthly for 104 street lights in Wallingford . LED lights are 25-7 % more efficient. CVPS has yet to generate “tariff” for this purpose.

Efficiency VT has a program to assist municipalities with technical assistance to replace lighting. The WEC committed in principle to cooperating with the Prudential Committee in pursuing the replacement of street lights with LED’s and agreed initially to help them with inventory of the lights.

Wallingford’s current energy plan is pretty scant. Jay distributed talking points which were then discussed. We’ll rewrite the sections of the energy plan divided up by goals. Goals were listed and drafts assigned to be written by WEC members.

Ken will call the RRPC about the $100 they owe the town for the home energy assessments. Joyce also needs to get the funds in order to get the Town Hall energy audit done.

Jay provided numerous towns examples on energy plans. Jay drafted his solar and PV installation section. Various other sections for the energy plan were discussed.

Ken submitted the application to have the Rutland Regional Planning Commission subsidize the energy audit for the Town Hall.

Joyce will schedule a tour of the True Temper plant. Joyce will also develop a blanket Energy Committee meeting agenda and warning for all town warning purposes.

Wallingford Elementary School

12/02/10. Present: D. Klock, P. Rondinone, C. Watts, K. Fredette, and M. Kenny

The Board discussed the budget and there will be another draft presented at the next meeting.

The WES Craft Fair will be held on December 4^th. Our winter Concert will be held on December 9th. Our next Wildcat Den Day and School-wide Sharing will be held on December 16^th.

The Board approved a $30 per student contact hour for Tammy Durgin as the Reading Club and Spelling Bee Teacher and Joanne Miele as the Cheerleading Coach.

The board needs to review its spending plans for next year and indicate whether it anticipates meeting the spending reduction targets for next year. It appears that MR, Shrewsbury, and the RSSU will probably meet the targeted reductions requested by the State.

Phase One of the Bussing Consolidation proposal has now been approved by all boards in RSSU.

Superintendent Cole-Levesque attended a meeting with the Mt. Holly board, along with members of the RSSU elementary boards, on the issue of expanding Elementary Transfers to include Mt.Holly.

The RSSU and R-WSU boards have approved proceeding with the Joint SU collaborative study.

“Wallingford Seniors’ Happenings”

Foot and blood pressure clinic on Wednesday, January 5th at 10:30 a.m. at the Wallingford House.

We’ve AGAIN changed our monthly meeting dates to the third Monday of each month, at 1 p.m. at the Town Hall.

Remember Seniors’ lunch every Monday at Noon at the Rotary. Contact Linda Weightman at 446-2301.

We will hold bingo on the 2nd Monday of each month at the Rotary building at 1 p.m. The public is welcome.

Join us for the movie “Whale Rider” being shown at the Town Hall on Wednesday, January 12^th. Show times are at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Popcorn will be furnished. Free and open to the public.

Rutland Area Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Lecture Series – Winter 2011

Contact a member of the Seniors Group if you are interested in attending one of these lectures as the Wallingford Seniors has purchased a season’s pass. This offer is only good for members of the Seniors Group.

Each of the lectures will be from 1:30 to 3:00 PM on a Friday afternoon at the Godnick Adult Center, 1 Deer Street (off Woodstock Avenue) in Rutland. For directions to the Godnick Center or for program information call 446-2041 or 492-2300.

January 7 - Clean Water Challenges in Honduras and Haiti
Carolyn Crowley Meub, a Rotarian and former District Governor of Rotary International, has made it her personal mission to provide clean water to parts of the world where it is lacking. She is the Executive Director of Pure Water for the World, a non-profit dedicated to supplying it to rural areas. In a visual presentation, she will share some of her experiences culled from her many trips.

January 14 - Changing Sight and Sites in Lhasa, Tibet
Gerry Martin, a retired ophthalmologist, and his wife Cheryl, traveled to the Himalayan region to set up eye clinics and training sessions for local caregivers. Tibet has undergone many changes. Their talk and slide presentation will let us see what the couple has gleaned through the eyes and hearts of the Tibetans.

January 21 - A Medical Mission to the Amazon
Michael McMorrow and Krista Pike joined a group of doctors and nurses in visiting jungle villages to set up medical clinics and dispensaries. The free all-day clinics lasted two weeks and served over 1,500 patients. The visual presentation will show highlights of their journey.

January 28 - Global Village in Cambodia
Stan and Louise Duda are worldwide travelers with Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program. It connects volunteers with local initiatives around the world to help build homes for those who need them. The couple will share adventures and photographs of their recent experiences in Cambodia, which included side trips to Thailand and Vietnam.

The shorter days and cold nights have many patrons curling up with a good book. Thanks to generous donations of new hardcovers and a memorial book fund in the name of Thelma Perry, readers can start off the New Year with over two dozen new titles and more on the way. Also worth mentioning is the large selection of current periodicals; these are all available for a two-week lending period so come on in and check out a magazine or two! There are also many beautiful children’s books just waiting to be borrowed. This month the focus for acquisitions will be audiobooks on CD. This is one of the most frequently-used sections of the library and so it will receive a January clean sweep and replenishment. Volunteers continue to keep the library open on Wednesday evenings and Saturdays, so be sure to stop by and find a selection to thaw your brain with this winter...

Sun & Mon: closed
Tues:              10 - 5:00
Wed:              10 – 8:00
Thurs & Fri:   10 – 5:00
Saturday:         9 – 12:00

Hart Lines By the Friends of Gilbert Hart Library
This has been one of the busier holiday seasons in memory, it seems, with many of our activities home-grown. I suppose that is what happens in hard times: one falls back on his own resources to make a better time for everyone. A lot was certainly happening on the day of all the craft fairs!

Moving into the new year and hoping for a better year, we continue to plan, using local resources. On January 26 you are invited to a book discussion on Davar, written by Ann Zinn Buffum and Sandra Gartner about Vermont Jewish women. The book was designed and edited by Jane Crate Duda, also from our town. The meeting will be in the Klock Room that Wednesday at 2:00. The authors will have books for sale ($18.00) and we’ll enjoy tea and cookies, all sponsored by the Friends. We hope you’ll come.

Earlier in January, Trustees will have their usual meeting on the 11^th, at 7:00 with the Friends meeting on the 12^th (at 2:00 p.m., new friends welcome).

In February, Lois Johnstone again will devote Saturdays, February 5^th and 12^th to rug-braiding classes from 9 – 12, as many of you have been doing for several years. Also in March on the same dates, rug-braiding classes will continue. Knowing that this again will happen, you can be on the lookout for supplies you might need, fabrics you might reclaim, for instance.

An event is being planned around Valentines Day, and a book discussion on Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver for March 16^th. Details are pending on both events. They will be high-lighted in future issues of the newsletter.

We are still trying to get rid of many books that have been in the Klock Room for a long time. There are even more books in the downstairs hall. Look them over, and take what interests you; make a donation and enjoy. Don’t bring them back again! We are trying to restore the Klock Room to one of its principal uses, as an art gallery, which we’ve not been able to do for some years.

There is a lot that the Friends do that we would like to publicize more broadly. Is there anyone who would volunteer to keep all our goings-on in the public eye? Please respond to Wendy. Thank you.

Events for the Maple Valley Grange #318 on Route 7 in South Wallingford ……

Every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. Line Dancing. $5 per person. Snack bar available. Beginners & experienced.

Wallingford Memorial Rotary Club Dinner
German Pork Roast Dinner on Saturday, January 22^nd from 5 to 7 p.m. Featuring pork and sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, applesauce, spinach salad, rolls, with a dessert choice of strawberry rhubarb pie or apple crumble. $10 adults and $5 child under 12. Take-outs available. Benefits: Community projects and MRUHS Scholarships.

The Chipman Lodge 52 FAM holds monthly meetings on the second Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Lodge.

Suicide Survivors Support Group monthly meetings for those who have lost a loved one through suicide are held at the Maple Leaf Clinic, 167 North Main Street in Wallingford (446-3577) on the third Tuesday.

Wallingford Neighborhood Watch
If you’d like to receive emails under the Wallingford “Neighborhood Watch” system, send an email to townadmin@wallingfordvt.com and keep updated on vandalism, thefts, etc. in Wallingford and surrounding towns.

Angel Food Ministries
Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing substantial grocery savings to communities throughout the U.S. Angel Food is available monthly to any household in a quantity that can fit into a medium sized box at $30. Each month’s menu is different and consists of both fresh/frozen items with an average retail value of $60. Generally, one box of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. Angel Food gladly accepts debit/credit cards, cash and food stamps.

Take a look at the new Angel Food Ministries offerings at www.rutlandangelfood.com. Questions can be directed to Carleen Eaton at (802) 779-8078. Local pick up can be arranged.

HELP WANTED HELP WANTED

Volunteers needed -- Age 13- seniors for Fundraisers, work details, events! Contact Charlie Gauthier at 353-0996 for details.

Wallingford Historical Society
There will be a meeting of the Wallingford Historical Society on Tuesday, January 4^th at 11:30 a.m. at the Town Hall to discuss events for the upcoming Town’s 250-year celebration. All are invited!!

We have no Treasurer and need at least two new board members. If anyone is interested, please contact me at 446-3560. Christine Bannerman, President

BURIAL LOTS FOR SALE

By Time Sale ; Interest Free
GREEN HILL CEMETERY
South Main Street ~ Wallingford , VT
Call Charles Gauthier at 353-0996

Terms: 20% down; balance paid in 10 monthly payments. Deed will be written when last payment is made. If APPLICANT FAILS TO MAKE FINAL PAYMENT AS AGREED, APPLICANT WILL FORFEIT 20% DOWN PAYMENT. ANY ADDITIONAL MONEY PAID WILL BE RETURNED TO APPLICANT.

The Little Red Schoolhouse is thrilled to be embarking on its second year of operating as a community space! A large variety of programs are being offered for January- May of 2011, there is sure to be something you & your family will enjoy! Winter/spring program brochures will begin circulating this month, but you are encouraged to sign up for automatic email updates from the Little Red Schoolhouse website! You’ll never have to say you wished you had known that was happening! Visit our website at http://lrschoolhouse.wordpress.com/.

Now that the LRS is being used 4-5 days a week supplies are depleting faster. A supply drive will be held during the month of January. Supplies needed include toilet paper, sidewalk salt, hand soap, washable markers and paintbrushes. A full list is available at the LRS or on our website.

Some of the upcoming programs that we are most excited about include our new Theater Group, the 2nd annual Easter Egg Hunt, Zumba & Zumbatomic for kids, Great Escape Ticket Sales, as well as our first March Mud Maple Music Madness festival. If you would like to donate your time to help with any of our programs or events please let us know!

The Little Red Schoolhouse will once again be offering theater! Mondays from 3:30-5:00 will be a theater group for ages 5-18. The production planned is A Mid-Summer’s Nights Dream and will be held in May. Busing to the Little Red Schoolhouse is available from the Wallingford Elementary School with a signed note from a parent/guardian. If you would like more information stop by our first meeting, January 17th 3:30-5:00 or call 259-7817.

Come out of the cold and join us for some fun and camaraderie! Bring a friend! All our programs are FREE!

The Little Red Schoolhouse looks forward to serving you and your family this year !

THEATER GROUP INTRO: 1/17 3:30-5:00 Then meeting weekly on Mondays from 3:30-5:00. Open to ages 5-18.

SQUASH BOOKS: 1/19 6:00-7:30 Create a pocket sized memento with your photos. Perfect for a special occasion,
gift or thank you!

ZUMBATOMIC: 1/12, 1/19, 1/26, 2/2 4:30-5:00 ages 4-12 Limited to 15 participants, Prior registration required.

BALANCE BOARDS: 2/22 6:30-7:30 Create your own personal balance board! Supplies provided. Ages 8 & up. Prior registration required.

ZUMBA: 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3 6:00-7:00 ages 13 – adult. No registration needed. You do not need to attend all sessions to participate, come once, every other week, or every week!

Community Playgroups: Wed 9:30-11:00 Visit with other adults while your children play in a safe and fun environment! Open to parents/caregivers with children ages’ birth and up. Pack a snack! A Friday Playgroup has been added meeting from 10:00-12:00!

Knitting/Yarn Group: 1^st Thursday 7:15Bring your yarn & projects! Want to learn? Join us!

Home school Gatherings: Thursdays, 12:00-3:00 Little Red Schoolhouse is available to home schooling families to gather, special activities and more! PLEASE NOTE THE TIME HAS CHANGED!

Asperger’s/Autism Parent Support Group: 4^th Tuesday: 7:15-8:30. Open to any families wanting to gather and discuss issues relating to Asperger’s, high-functioning Autism or NLD.

Cooperative Preschool Age Program: Monday 9:30-11:15. For children ages 3-6. Parents’ welcome! Open enrollment.

Mount Holly Bus Driver Needed
Mount Holly School is seeking part-time bus driver (Monday – Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.). Competitive wage. School board will pay for bus driver licensing for candidates without a bus endorsement. Contact Craig for more information at 802-259-2392.

TeleCare
Rutland County Seniors and adults with disabilities are invited to take advantage of a free telephone reassurance/check-in service. TeleCare is especially designed for those folks who are homebound or isolated and would like someone to touch base with them to ensure their well-being or have a friendly conversation.

The TeleCare Program is under the direction of RSVP. Volunteers are interviewed, trained and screened, and place regularly scheduled calls to TeleCare clients. TeleCare offers peace of mind to clients, family and friends; it is not a telemedicine provider or medical alert system. Whether you want to receive the service or become a volunteer, call the RSVP office at 802-775-8220.

Wallingford children enjoyed listening to Santa read them a story, while they enjoyed cookies and milk. This December 10^th event was sponsored by the Little Red Schoolhouse.

{Please note that these meeting minutes are a brief summary and are not the final approved version.} Selectboard

Prudential Committee

Conservation Commission

Energy Committee

Wallingford Elementary School

“Wallingford Seniors’ Happenings”

HELP WANTED HELP WANTED

{Please note that these meeting minutes are a brief summary and are not the final approved version.}

Selectboard