The Greensboro Arts Alliance has entered into a purchase agreement with Hazendale Farmstead as a home base for their organization.    Diana Griffith and David Allen have announced that they will vacate the premises at the end of September 2014 and will relocate to a new building on the farm to continue the business.

In recent years the GAAR has sought a permanent home for their productions and summer festival.  Among other ideas were a site located in the Lake Protection district (which was denied due to zoning) and the renovation of Town Hall to create a theater.  A committee of town residents and officials combined with members of the GAAR community determined in the fall that the Town Hall idea was not workable.  

The sale will not affect the 2014 summer season.  Hazendale will be open as usual from May with flowers and vegetable starts from the green house, and the last week of June with a fully stocked Farmstand.  And the GAAR has announced an expanded 2014 session under a tent located on the Town Hall Green, as well as a children’s camp, master classes, and a writers program.  For details on their camps and programs, go to their website.

The Funky Fourth will be celebrated on July 5, 2014.  Volunteers are welcome and needed to help with the parade and any aspects of the day….Please, many hands make light work!

The Greensboro Town Meeting will be on March 4, 2014 at 10am in the Fellowship Hall of the United Church of Christ.   For details on the agenda, absentee voting details, and the town reports including financial statements go to www.greensborovt.org and look at the front page article about Town Meeting.

Recent local zoning revisions will be voted on at this Town Meeting.

Greensboro’s water pipe replacement work wraps up this December as the contractor, Munson Earth Moving Corporation, wins the 2013 Best Builders Award “For Outstanding Quality of Work and Effort.”  Since April, Munson has been digging up and replacing over 3.5 miles of water pipe in the Greensboro Fire District #1 (GFD#1) all with minimal disruption to vehicular traffic and water service.  Munson will return early in the spring to finish some hook-ups, plant some more grass and lay down a new sidewalk by The Green across from Willey’s.

John Mackin, the Water Operator and Chair of the GFD#1 Prudential Committee, echoed the sentiments of whole town in saying, “Munson has been superb. We couldn’t have asked for a better contractor. They have been efficient in their work and sensitive to the water users.  We salute Eric Freehart, the Munson project supervisor, and his great team.  We thank all Greensboro residents for their patience in this major infrastructure improvement providing jobs in Orleans County.”

Last spring Munson dug up and replaced the water lines from Lakeview School down to Willey’s and up Breezy Avenue to Country Club Road, being sure to finish Breezy before the summer influx. From July to October they replaced pipe from the reservoir down to the Perron field, across to Cheney Road and along the lake through Winnemere, all this time maintaining water service through temporary surface piping to the 200 users in the district.  In the fall Munson completed some paving, laid pipe out Country Club Road, put down 1600 feet of pipe to the new fire station site and finished by going out Black’s Point. In addition we now have 25 shiny new red fire hydrants.

Some of the old replaced cast iron pipes had gaping holes in them, some as large at 2 inches in diameter.  So it is no surprise that the daily water usage of the GFD#1 has now been reduced by 75%.  In addition, the district dug a new well last spring and brought it on line this summer in order to reduce the strain on well #3 that the hydrologist said, “has been dewatered.”  This new 600 ft. deep well #4 costs over $100,000.  John Mackin hopes now that the district will never again have to issue a “boil water” notice as required when the district pumps emergency water directly from Caspian Lake and has to chlorinate it heavily.

The bill for the entire project will exceed $3 million in the spring when the roof of the water system’s reservoir on Baker Hill will be replaced and two new buildings for machinery and chlorination are built.  The Town of Greensboro will pay only for the 1600 ft. spur to the new fire station; everything else is paid for by the water users in the GFD#1.  The United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Division, has made a loan to the district of $1.558 million at 2.75% per year, payable over 40 years, as well as a grant of as much as $1.275 million.  Since the loan payback will cost the district $64,466 per year, the water user rate for a residential home has had to double to $400 per year.

Court Perry, vice president of Munson Earth Moving Corporation, accepted the Best Builder Award from the Associated General Contractors of Vermont.  Ken Trask of Tata & Howard (formerly Leach Engineering) was the senior engineer in charge of designing the entire project and holding the hands of Greensboro’s Prudential Committee: John Mackin, Nat Smith and Craig Dezell.

The water project started in earnest five years ago when the state determined that Greensboro had been in violation of the state water rules for far too long, dating back well into the Helen Lyles reign as Water Czar. The water leaks had become legendary and expensive.  The water pressure was far too low and the risk of water contamination was far too high.  The district hired Tata & Howard of St. Johnsbury to make recommendations and the legal voters of the GFD#1 voted to go ahead in October of 2010 by approving a $2.95 million bond to finance the project.

Construction for the new Fire Station on Breezy Avenue has begun.   The Station, which will be at the Four Corners adjacent to the MVCC driving range, was approved at Town Meeting in March 2013.  The contract for the Fire House was accepted from E.F. Wall with contingencies for $679,800, an amount that is well within the $920,000 bond approved by the voters of Greensboro.   The new building, which will resemble a Vermont barn, is projected to be complete by March 2014.  It will replace the current circa 1900 firehouse in the village and will provide ample room for newer equipment which does not fit in the current space as well as bathroom facilities.

One building issue is being discussed.  Current plans are to insulate the building walls and slab floor with fiberglass insulation which meets minimum current energy standards.   The Greensboro Town Energy Committee (GTEC) has asked the Town and the Fire Department to consider using foam/fiberglass insulation in the building in lieu of fiberglass  and to fully insulate the slab with foam.  Foam/Fiberglass insulation is the recommendation of Efficiency Vermont (a Statewide organization which helps communities identify and implement energy savings).  Energy efficiency translates to lower operating costs.

The Select Board and the Fire Station Committee is reviewing why the choice was made by the architect for fiberglass insulation vs. foam and is considering the cost vs. performance of the various systems.   Although there is bond money available to fund the upgrade to foam/fiberglass, the Select Board and Committee has taken a conservative approach to the construction, and has reiterated the position that bond vote money “shouldn’t just be spent because of what the taxpayers voted”.  In contrast, members of the Energy Committee feel foam is far superior in insulation and air sealing over fiberglass and an efficient building will pay dividends in fuel savings for its life.  A small savings now could translate into larger expense in the future.

All Greensboro property owners and taxpayers are invited to make comments regarding this insulation issue to the Select Board and Fire Committee via [email protected].   Comments can also be made via “leave a reply” in this article.

On schedule and under budget!  Munson, the construction company working for the Fire District #1, will finish this week connecting all the Winnemere camps to the new water line.  The yellow temporary water lines will then disappear.  Munson will then repave those edges of Breezy Avenue and Wilson St. where they had to dig up to put in the new main. 

After the paving, Munson will put in the 1600 feet of pipe going out the south side of Breezy Ave. to the new fire station site at the Four Corners. The schedule then calls for installing pipe along Country Club Road and putting down new pipe out Black’s Point.  Redoing the roof of the reservoir and erecting a separate control building for the new well #4 will probably get done next spring.  The Town of Greensboro will pay for the spur out to the fire station site; all else is paid for by the water users under a 40 year loan agreement with the USDA.

The Greensboro Planning Commission is working on proposed changes to the Greensboro Zoning Bylaw which governs the Caspian Lakeshore district.  The Commission plans to present the new zoning rules at Town Meeting in March 2014, and if voted in they will become effective as of that meeting.

An excellent comparison of the proposed zoning to the current Lakeshore zoning is found here.

The Greensboro Association has submitted comments to the Planning Committee about the draft proposal and has specifically questioned some of the provisions included in Article 8:  Lake Shoreland Protection District Bylaw, which starts on page 56.  The Greensboro Association urges Lakeshore property owners and potential owners to read Article 8 in particular, which contains further requirements regarding rebuilding, renovating or managing trees within the Lakeshore district.  Property owners can also submit comments to the Planning commission at [email protected].

In brief, the Greensboro Association has questioned provisions calling for time consuming obligations on property owners who wish to cut trees on their property, on limitations to rebuild damaged existing cottages on their existing footprint, and on the need for stronger zoning in general given the continuing health of Caspian Lake.

The changes are a response to State legislation H.526 which being considered by the State Senate to provide a state regulation of all Vermont waters, including Caspian Lake.  H. 526 has already been passed by the State House of Representatives.

Copies of the proposed changes are available at the Town Hall and here:  Zoning Bylaw – 2013 Working DRAFT  .

The GA Annual Meeting was held on Friday, August 9 at the UCC.  We were delighted to celebrate Helen Dimick, this years Greensboro Award winner. Helen was introduced by Warren Hill, chair of the Greensboro Selectboard, who joined speakers from the Greensboro Association as well as Robbie Hurst from Willey’s and Ed LeClair of Circus Smirkus. We appreciate all the information shared.

The members voted to accept the amended GA Bylaws and Articles of Association, and to approve the GA Board’s intention to apply for 501(c)3 status for the Greensboro Association. Reports were given by the Lake Committee (Andy Dales), the Grants Committee (Clay Simpson), the Nominations committee (Don Jenkins) and the Treasurer (Rick Lovett). John Stone shared the Presidents report as well. All reports are available here.

One special thanks was extended to Anne Harbison, who is retiring this year from her over 10 year commitment to the Memorial Garden. Many thanks, Anne! We all appreciate your hard work, and the beautiful result.