Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
Seat on the Select Board
Dear Mount Holly Voters,
I understand the need to respect and listen to all our citizens and the various points of view they hold. To quote our outgoing SB member Jim Heald: “Everybody in town, no matter where they live, sends their tax money to the Town of Mount Holly . . .. It doesn’t mean it is any different in Belmont, Hortonville, Tarbelville; there are all kinds of villes, we are all Mount Holly. . . . We are all neighbors, we are all here for the same thing -- for the benefit of the town.” Working together is the only way we will truly prosper as a town.
I am Brigid Sullivan and I am running for a seat on the Select Board. I bring experience, common sense and a frugal nature to the position.
I have experience in managing budgets and grant writing. I will work to keep our taxes as low as possible and bring in outside grant money to supplement those taxes wherever possible. I raised over $800,000 for Mount Holly organizations and not for profits during the past 10 years.
Growing up on a farm in Michigan and running parks departments, I understand the need for the right equipment to do the job. I would work with our crew and others to plan for long-term replacement needs of Mount Holly’s equipment, buildings and infrastructure.
For more information about me, there is a video on LPCTV Channel 21. It will also be available on the LPCTV website at: http://lpctv.org/programs/
Please don't hesitate to contact me with additional questions at 259-2274. I ask for your vote tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Brigid Sullivan
P.S., You will need the free Quick Time player on your computer to watch the video. You may download it here, if you do not already have it: apple.com/quicktime
Recommended browser for viewing is Mozilla Firefox.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Vermont’s 67 Most Promising Jobs
From: ChitChat
The McClure Foundation is a supporting foundation of the Vermont Community Foundation. The Vermont Community Foundation is a family of hundreds of funds and foundations established by Vermonters to serve their charitable goals. It provides the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise to make giving easy and inspiring. Together, its funds and programs provide more than $12 million a year in grants and other investments in Vermont.
A new resource shows Vermont has good job prospects for the next decade, if job seekers have the right skills to get them.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2015
Contact: Carolyn Weir (802) 388-3355 x239
Tweet text: #VT's 67 Most Promising #Jobs Revealed by the @McClureVTFdn http://ow.ly/JBOKF #VTed
Vermont’s 67 Most Promising Jobs Revealed by McClure Foundation
(STATEWIDE) A new brochure from the J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation identifies the top high-pay, high-growth jobs projected for Vermont over the next 10 years—and the educational requirements needed to obtain them. For current and future jobseekers willing to invest in training and/or education after high school, it is clear: there are promising employment opportunities in Vermont.
The McClure Foundation, a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation, partnered with the Vermont Department of Labor to identify the top 67 jobs. Each is expected to have at least 150 openings over the next decade and pay above the average Vermont hourly wage of $21.18. The list is at www.mcclurevt.org/pathways along with detailed information about each promising job, including average wages and which degrees and majors will put students on the right path.
“We envision a Vermont in which no promising job goes unfilled for lack of a qualified applicant,” explains McClure Foundation advisor Carolyn Weir. “Information about these jobs will help students choose majors, colleges design courses, and businesses think about how they can build relationships and connections with future employees.”
The Pathways to Promising Careers brochure reinforces national research that shows promising job opportunities grow with postsecondary degrees. Only nine of the 67 jobs identified by Pathways can be filled without a postsecondary degree or certificate and the majority (41) require at least a four-year bachelor’s degree. Yet statistics show only 60% of Vermont’s high school graduates from 2009-2011 enrolled in college within 16 months of graduation.
“This is a pivotal time to align Vermont’s education system with projected workforce realities,” Weir points out.
In addition to guiding students’ college and career choices, the data will help inform programming and strategy for colleges, legislators, employers, and career counselors. 25,000 brochures featuring the high-pay, high-growth jobs are being distributed to high schools, colleges, state agencies, counseling organizations, and nonprofits across the state.
For more information visit www.mcclurevt.org/pathways or contact Carolyn Weir at cweir@vermontcf.org, 802-388-3355 ext. 239, or through Twitter @McClureVTFdn.
-30-
-- Flywheel Communications …Releasing the power of words Michael Levine 85 Granite Shed Lane Unit 1 Montpelier, VT 05602 802 225-1320 www.flywheelvt.com Tweets to @flywheelvt Facebook: facebook.com/FlywheelCommunications
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Select Board
Dear Neighbors,
Back in 1790 a woman named Susana Wentworth married Samuel Dudley. They lived here in Mount Holly and raised 6 children. I am a descendent of Susana and while I will always be a “flatlander” (yup, born in Jersey) I grew up with a summer home in Mt Holly and in 1982 my wife and I decided to move here permanently to raise our family.
Prior to moving to Mt Holly my professional career began in Minneapolis MN working in the non-profit performing arts world. I became responsible for all fund raising at the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre and School and was the Managing Director of the Playwrights Center. When my wife and I decided to move here in 1982 I started a landscaping/Christmas tree/wreath making business and over eight years successfully grew the business. I began a career in Real Estate in 1990 and now co-own a small Real Estate office in Killington.
Since moving here I have been an active member of the community. I volunteered on the Mount Holly Fire Department for eight years serving as Captain during the last two. I was voted to the School Board and served a term during a time when enrollment was growing, not declining as it is today . I was voted Town Moderator for over twenty years. As Town Moderator, I witnessed very significant issues argued intelligently and emotionally by our citizens (Act 60, withdrawing from the School Union, etc.). People felt very strongly about these issues and emotions ran extremely high. But once the discussion was over and a vote was taken, neighbors who differed on which direction to take on these issues continued to respect each other and worked to move the Town forward.
That tradition of democracy was challenged last year when a group of eleven people threatened to sue our Select Board. Fortunately the vast majority of our citizens supported the Select Board and their actions and the will of the majority prevailed. As a member of the Select Board, I will continue our traditional way of “doing business” and not have to respond to a vocal minority that persists in demanding things be done their way.
My wife and I raised our three daughters in Mount Holly and they attended the Mount Holly Elementary School. At that time the number of students enrolled in the school (K-6) was over 140. Today, according to the Annual Report I just received in the mail, there are only 67 students enrolled in grades K-6. There needs to be serious discussions about how we can entice young families to move into our community. If we do not, the future of our exceptional school is truly in jeopardy.
We need to have complete cell and internet access and we need this as quickly as possible. I will find out why we do not have this necessary service and then work to secure it for the community.
I am a firm believer in long range financial planning and look forward to working with the Select Board and Town staff to formulate a three year plan for our community. No plan is perfect, but having one guarantees a smoother transition from year to year. Our municipal budget is as fiscally responsible as possible and future budgeting must be efficient and prudent. Being a small business owner for several decades provides me with the tools necessary to accomplish this.
We have an incredible road crew, second to none. Thanks to their hard work and the efforts of our current Select Board, the quality of our infrastructure and road maintenance are excellent. I look forward to working with Selectmen Ray Tarbell and Tim Martin to guarantee this excellence continues. I have much to learn from them and look forward to the challenges
I have great love and respect for this amazing community. If I may serve it as a member of the Select Board I would be most grateful.
Sincerely,
Ted Crawford
Friday, February 27, 2015
Black River and Green Mountain students need your help!
Black River and Green Mountain students need your help! We are leaving for the Immersion Program in France on March 13. Due to the required addition of a third chaperone and several students dropping out of the trip, the cost has increased by $400 per student. This unexpected increase has created stress and hardships for some of the students who are going. Please help us to make sure they can come and participate in this unique educational opportunity.
We have created a GoFundMe account to raise some last minute money to try and bring the cost down. You can donate there, or send a check to Black River France Trip, c/o Black River School, 43 Main Street, Ludlow, VT 05149.
Thank you so much for your support!
Janet Pipkin
Dean of Students
Yearbook Advisor
Please note that I have a new email address - Janet.Pipkin@trsu.org
Thursday, February 26, 2015
BRACC Meeting Minutes February 24, 2015
BRACC Meeting Minutes
February 24, 2015
Attendees: Rich, Brigid, Bela, Pam & Cortney Slobodnjak
Call to Order: 5:05
Minutes January 20, 2015: minutes from last meeting APPROVED
Treasurers Report: Balance is $25,417.49 in accounts. Brigid will check into business high yield account at HFCU. Would need to do payroll at People’s.
New Business:
- Drug Free Communities grant application due at end of March. Bela, Cortney and Brigid will meet to discuss on Feb. 26 at 9:00 a.m.
- Grants: Bela recruited Cortney and Brigid to be part of application for Promise Communities Initiative.
- Youth Forum: both schools recruiting for attendance at Windsor County Youth Summit on March 21.
- Take Back Posters: Brigid distributed PFS flyers to be posted around the schools and Towns.
- John Halligan Presentations: discussion of inviting parents of elementary and high schools in the entire SU for March 12 presentation. DJ’s will provide food to be served in the first floor corridor at Town Hall. Big Eyes Bakery and Sheree Tucker will provide desserts. Student presentation on March 13 will include 7th and 8th graders from GMMS. GM will go back to their school to process. BR will stay at town hall.
Old Business:
- PFS Grants: Officers from Rutland County have called on Paul to talk about how to get DARE programs in their communities. Paul and Brigid meet regularly with PFS team on Windsor County issues.
- Governors Forum: BRACC is still working with Turning Point of Springfield, which has been a great ally. Still trying to get youth recovery discussion group in Ludlow. AA meetings in Town on Mon. and Fri. Also trying to get a Wit’s End facilitator in Ludlow; will try to get a grant to fund.
Other Business:
- School Based Substance Abuse Grant for GMHS may have funds remaining from prior years. Pam and Cortney to look at possibility of requesting reprogramming for those funds.
- Brigid reported on a potential speaker, Keith Johnson, who works in the Springfield prison and youth population about brain trauma, addiction and mental health issues and the connectivity.
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey will be administered on 3/4
PARENT PROGRAM: JOHN HALLIGAN MARCH 12 6:00 PM
NEXT MEETING: Monday April 13, 2015 4PM FLETCHER MEMORIAL LIBRARY
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