Archive for category: News

Don’t miss Greensboro’s Funky Fourth of July festivities. Events include the Funky Fourth parade today beginning around 9:30 am, music and games in front of the town hall after the parade, the book sale at the Greensboro Free Library,  and the free Fireworks display at the Four Corners beginning at dusk.   The cost of the Fireworks are supported by the Town and the Greensboro Association – many thanks to our members for donations in support of this program.

Give Clive Gray a big thank you if you see him!   He is the major force behind setting up our wonderful parade!   Thanks so much, Clive!

There will be a opening ceremony for the new Firehouse at 8:30am on Saturday July 5 before the parade.   Tours of the new Firehouse will be available all day – come take a look at our wonderful building!

At their June meeting, the Selectboard decided to form a committee to look into the parking pad which has been put between the rectory and the Altman property.  The meeting was well attended by local citizens, and the general agreement was that the existing new pad is unsightly, may be too large and needs to be reworked. There were differing explanations about how the pad was authorized, who provided the gravel, and how much parking is necessary in that section of the village. According to Prudential Committee member John Mackin, Munson Engineering (who completed the water line replacement this spring) would have returned the area to grass, but was instructed to leave it as a parking area by someone from the Town, and spread gravel as requested.  That occurred in November last year.

The committee will also consider at the statutory requirement for parking in Greensboro, and is aware that there can be difficulty for the road crew in the winter to plow when there are library or church events which have people parking on the street.  The committee, which is comprised of 2 Selectboard members and a member of the Water commission, welcomes input. They will report back on the parking pad issue at the July meeting.  Comments made on this site will be sent to the committee.

The Parking area is the access to Willey Park, a section of land which was purchased by the town in the 1970’s from the Willey estate using State funds. The state grant specifically required the use of the land for recreational purposes. The Willey Park land is adjacent to the Public Beach and contains approximately 300 feet of undeveloped lakefront.

The GA has also agreed to be involved in both this committee and is considering how to help the town determine the use and plan for the Willey Park area.

Thanks for the many inquiries about the Green Sheet this year.   The final version will be ready late June in the Library, Post Office and Town Hall, and online on the web.

Do you want to learn how to play bridge?  The Mountain View Country Club is offering lessons for members and non-members.   Details are here.

Golf and tennis lessons will continue this year for children and adults, and the popular Kid’s Night will run in July and August.  Check the MVCC calendar for these and many other offerings for the 2014 Season.

Mountain View Country club is a family oriented club which has existed for over 100 years. New members are always welcome – contact https://www.mvccvt.com/.

Click here to read the 2014 Spring Newsletter! Lots of news and information about upcoming  events in Greensboro.  Thank you to Niall Kirkwood, our Newsletter Editor.

GREENSBORO, VT – (April 9, 2014)  – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday that it has awarded a $251,000 Emergency Community Water Assistance Grant (ECWAG) to Greensboro Fire District #1 to improve drinking water quality for users in Greensboro Village.

The grant will help the Fire District develop an additional well. The system’s existing wells have suffered from drought conditions in the past two years, forcing residents to draw untreated drinking water directly for Caspian Lake. Untreated surface water does not meet the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act, requiring the system to issue boil water notices to its users.

 “Safe, high quality drinking water in sufficient quantity is not a luxury, it is a necessity,” said USDA Rural Development Vermont and New Hampshire State Director Ted Brady. “Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and the team at USDA Rural Development recognize that our rural communities cannot shoulder the burden of making large drinking water improvements alone, and the ECWAG program is one of the most effective tools we can use to address sudden and unforeseen water quality and quantity concerns.”

The Fire District is in the final stages of an 18,000 foot water line replacement project scheduled to be completed in the coming months. USDA Rural Development provided $2,833,250 in low cost loans and grants through the agency’s Water and Waste Disposal Program. The new lines will increase fire protection and decrease water consumption due to old leaking pipes. The contractor for the project, Munson Earth Moving Corp., recently received the Associated General Contractors of Vermont 2013 Best Builders award for this project.

 “In the middle of our two-year pipe replacement project, our primary well started to dry up,” said John Mackin Prudential Committee Greensboro Fire District 1.  “USDA Rural Development stepped in with critical funding for a new well.  This has been a major undertaking for our Fire District Prudential Committee.  We have been very fortunate to have the professional help that has been provided throughout this project.”

President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA’s investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.

USDA, through its RD mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. Rural Development has an active portfolio of more than $197 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural areas. For more information on Rural Development, visit www.rurdev.usda.gov/nh-vtHome.html.

The proposal to build a children’s camp on the Sig Lonegren property on Breezy Lane is close to passing its last hurdle.   Once the Act 250 ruling by the state is received, the project will be fully ready to proceed.

Circus Smirkus floated its idea to purchase the Greensboro property for its camp in 2013, and spent significant time developing architectural plans, fundraising among its supporters, and informing various Greensboro constituencies.   Following significant deliberation by the Greensboro Planning Commission,  the project was approved in June 2013.

In August 2013, two groups filed opposition to the camp plan with the State of Vermont, contending that the plan should not have been approved by Greensboro as it altered the character of the town.    As of the Act 250 hearing in February 2014,  all opposition by both the abutters to the Lonegren property and by other summer community property owners had been withdrawn.

Closing on the Lonegren property took place on April 16.   Contractor site visits and bid meetings took place the first week in April, and construction is planned to begin on July 1, 2014.   The camp will  open  in summer 2015.

The camp will not affect the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour program, which will continue to present shows at the Circus Barn on Circus Road in Greensboro.  The 2014 Big Top Tour  “Anchors Away for Atlantis” will present shows in Greensboro on June 29 at 1pm and 6pm, on  August 15 at 6pm, and on August 16 at 1pm and 6pm.

Further information on the camp and how to get Big Top Tour tickets is available on the Circus Smirkus website at smirkus.org.

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!