Photos by Nanci Blog

In a Special Meeting called on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 current selectboard chair Dave Fuller addressed the Letter of Complaint filed on  January 6, 2020 by Ascutney Volunteer Fire Association (AVFA) Chief Darrin Spaulding alleging misconduct by former selectboard chair Kelly Murphy. Following an executive session held on January 16, 2020 board chair Fuller acknowledged the board had received a letter of complaint directed at former board chair Kelly Murphy  and would begin  investigating  the allegations.  The complaint  alleged that in her duties as chair of the selectboard Murphy directed town employees not to speak with the  (AVFA) Chief Darrin Spaulding.  Murphy resigned her position as chair at the January 13, 2020 select board meeting and vice chair Dave Fuller assumed the chair position.   At the Special Meeting held on January 28, 2020. the select board came out of another executive session and c hair Fuller announced in open session that the records produced in this

In a Special Meeting called on Tuesday, January 28 Town Attorney Nate Stearns addressed a complaint filed against the select board alleging Vermont Open Meeting Law violations, specifically board discussions being held via email and not in open sessions. PDF Guide to the Law The complaint was brought to the select board on January 6, 2020 by Ascutney Volunteer Fire Association Chief Darrin Spaulding. Following an executive session held on January 16, 2020 board chair Dave Fuller acknowledged the board had received two letters of complaint one addressing possible violations of Vermont's Open Meeting Law and the second directed at the conduct of former board chair Kelly Murphy. Current selectboard chair Fuller said the select board had complied with the timeline prescribed in the Town's Complaint Policy in addressing the complaint and wanted to have the matter discussed in open session for the benefit of the public. Town attorney Stearns reviewed the complaints and ass

Weathersfield Town Clerk Flo-Ann Dango confirmed this morning that there are two people running for the Two Year Select Board seat being vacated by Kelly Murphy, the former board chair who recently stepped down amid controversy. Murphy took out papers for select board but did not file for a seat. Joseph Jarvis and Kelly O'Brien both filed for the two year select board seat. Paul Tillman will run uncontested for the three year seat being vacated by Daniel Boyer. C. Peter Cole did not file for Town Moderator or School Moderator; these positions remain vacant. There are also vacancies for the one year and three year School Board Directors seats. The warrant should be posted in the post offices and online later today or tomorrow.

Time to Get Your Team Together Weathersfield Proctor Library  Board of Trustees  announces their 9th Annual Town Challenge for March 14. Time to get your teams together. The 9th Annual Town Team Challenge will be held on Saturday, March 14 at the Weathersfield School in Ascutney beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is free but donations for the Library will be accepted at the door. More info. call 802-674-2863. More photos from previous years Challenges and other library events:  https://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/VermontPlaces/WeathersfieldProctorLibrary Get Out and About Saturday, February 1 Winter Wildlife Tracking  at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Learn how to identify the tracks and signs of the many critters that share your backyard and national parks. Begin with a 1 hour indoor presentation exploring tracks and animal movements, then head out into the park for several hours to explore. Participants may have the chance to trail

We all know downtown White River Junction is redefining itself. It's become an area of great food spots, very cool clothing stores, and a place featuring arts and entertainment. My friend, Sharon and me made the trek to WRJ a couple of weeks ago to explore the Tip Top Pottery studio.  They offer classes, summer camps for children and a drop in glaze ceramic pieces. You can bring your own snacks and adult beverages and make a night of it. They have daytime and night time hours so just about anyone with a busy schedule can drop in and create. Your first task, and it's by far the hardest, is to pick a piece. They have so many things to choose from. From ornaments to platters to garden gnomes. I chose a chip and dip bowl for a Super Bowl party that I'll be attending on Sunday. My friend chose a dinner plate that she'll turn into a cookie plate for her young friend for Valentine's Day. The artists at Tip Top walk you through the g

Celebrate Chinese New Year in Ascutney beginning at 9:30 a.m.. The Weathersfield Proctor library is hosting a Chinese New Year celebration with crafts: 9:30-make your own chopsticks, 10-make your own dragon puppet and 11-practice writing Chinese characters. More info. call 802-674-5863. The Chinese New Year of 2020 falls on January 25th (Saturday), and the festival will last to February 8th, about 15 days in total. 2020 is a Year of the Rat according to Chinese zodiac. As an official public holiday, Chinese people can get seven days' absence from work, from January 24th to 30th. Get Out and About Saturday, February 1 Winter Wildlife Tracking  at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Learn how to identify the tracks and signs of the many critters that share your backyard and national parks. Begin with a 1 hour indoor presentation exploring tracks and animal movements, then head out into the park for several hours to explore. Partici

Primary Voting on Tuesday, March 3 Town Meeting, Saturday, Feb. 29 12:30 pm Australian Ballot Tuesday, March 3 10 a.m.-7 p.m . Voting Begins Today Today, January 18, is the first day of early voting for Vermont's presidential primary election on March 3rd , same day as Town Meeting. Voters can register in-person and vote at all town clerk's offices through the election. Vermont "same day" voter registration Vermont law has changed on registering to vote. We now have what they call “Same Day Voter Registration”. Same day voter registration means that you can come to the polls on election day and if you have not already registered to vote in our town you may complete an application to the voter check list and upon approval you may be allowed to vote that day. Where is my Town Clerk Office To locate your Town Clerk's Office please read this message from the Vermont Secretary of State, Jim Condos. Town Clerk Guide . Weathersfield's Town Clerk i

Weathersfield Selectboard chair, Kelly Murphy submitted her letter of resignation Monday night, January 13 at the close of the board's Special Meeting. Her letter stated that she would step down as chair but remain active on the board until the end of her term. The previous Monday, January 6, Two Citizen Complaints were filed by Darrin Spaulding, fire chief of the Ascutney Volunteer Fire Association at the beginning of the board's regular monthly meeting. The Selectboard met last night, January 16 in executive session to discuss personnel. After coming out of the executive session the open meeting lasted only 5-10 minutes with no action announced from the closed session. More to follow on this breaking story.

Ascutney Outdoors T-Bar Dedication Courtesy photos This Saturday, Jan. 18 from noon until 4 pm. and despite the lack of snow, Ascutney Outdoors will be hosting their new T-Bar Dedication at the mountain. Brownsville’s own Butcher and Pantry will be on hand serving up an awesome chili bar at a cost of $10 per person. There will be music and other activities, and the tubing lift will also be in operation with its’ regular purchased tickets (weather permitting). There is no snowmaking at the mountain, so just like the old days, the area relies on mother nature - a real commitment to Protecting Our Winters. The event will take place even if conditions aren’t acceptable, which it looks likes it won't be – but a snow dance is planned. Get Out and About Saturday January 18 T-Bar Dedication at Ascutney Outdoors Ascutney Outdoors will be celebrating its new T-bar 12- 4 pm. See above. Snow Ga  at  The Climb Fitness Center  in Brownsville at 6 p.m. Join yoga instru

Tonight the select board will hold a Special Meeting tonight, Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. to continue discussion of the proposed town budget for FY 2020-2021. At their January 6 meeting, following an executive session to discuss personnel, the select board announced that they would offer the Town Manager position to Brandon Gulnick a 30 year-old Fall River, Massachusetts chief grant writer. Gulnik will start on February 3 at a salary of $77,000. Gulnik was chosen from a pool of 30 candidates. Proposed Budget sheets may be viewed at:  http://www.weathersfieldvt.org/Selectboard/SBPacket-2020.01.06%20digital.pdf  beginning on page 46. Percent change is calculated by using this formula ((y2 - y1) / y1)*100 = your percent change Budget discussion from the Jan. 6 meeting included a presentation from Library Trustee Mavis Ellingwood. The proposed library budget is up 6% with an almost $3000 increase in the library director's salary, also an increase of 6%. During the meeting the "

Montshire Unleashed This Friday Looking for a fun ADULT only thing to do...look no further than Montshire Unleashed  in Norwich Friday, January 10 6:30 p.m. The Montshire Museum of Science is hosting their annual monthly winter Unleashed evening program for adults only. Adults have the run of the museum to explore all the exhibits. Jasper Murdock Ale and wine from the Norwich Inn will be available for purchase, as well as food from the evening’s featured local vendor. Call 802-649-2200 for more info. Read more about this event on  my blog . Tickets  There are three more UNLEASHED nights: February 7, 2020, March 13, 2020, and April 10, 2020. If you've ever wanted to explore the museum, kid free, this is the event for you! Get Out and About Friday January 10 Full Moon Snowshoe Hike and Astronomy Program - 5:30-7:30 p.m. Join Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park on Friday January 10th for a nighttime hike under January’s full “Wolf” moon. Learn