Author Archives: Cristina Kumka

Killington Resort has new president

Posted on September 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

Killington Resort and Pico Mountain have a new president - Mike Solimano, a Rutland man who’s been the diector of finance and revenue for both resorts for the last 12 years.

Killington Resort announced the promotion today.

Chris Nyberg, the head of both resorts for the last five years, is moving to Park City, Utah to run the resort divison for all of Powdr Corp. His new title will be president and chief operating officer of the resort division.

Prior to Solimano’s time at Killington, he was the vice president of finance and operations for Skis Dynastar, Inc. He began his career as an audit manager at Deloitte & Touché.

Powdr Corp is headquartered in Park City, Utah, and currently owns and operates eight mountain resorts including Park City Mountain Resort and Gorgoza tubing Park in Park City, Utah; Killington Resort and Pico Mountain in Killington; Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon; Boreal Resort and Soda Springs Resort in Donner Summit, California; Copper Mountain Resort in Summit County, Colorado; and Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort near Las Vegas, Nevada. Powdr also owns and operates Woodward Camps, with four locations in the United States including Camp Woodward in Woodward, Pennsylvania; Woodward West in Tehachapi, California; Woodward Tahoe at Boreal Resort in California; and Woodward at Copper in Summit County, Colorado.

Powdr Corp bought the resorts from American Skiing Company.

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Posted in News

Gravel pit hung up

Posted on September 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

PLYMOUTH — The environmental permitting process for a controversial gravel pit project is in recess, with the most recent scheduled hearing cancelled.

Noise experts from both sides of the issue — Hawk Mountain Resort and Ralph Michael, owner of the Frog City Gravel Pit and Plymouth Select Board chairman — are consulting with each other over the latest evidence on how much noise will come from the project, according to Linda Matteson, coordinator for the District 3 Environmental Commission.

Both sides are in a dispute over the pit, with many Hawk residents in opposition to the commercial activity because of projected noise and traffic.

The pit was open during the Tropical Storm Irene recovery to produce gravel for new roads, but then shut down after the temporary permit expired.

Michael is moving forward with the Act 250 permitting process but needs a local permit to operate as well.

He withdrew his local permit application to re-open the pit after controversy among residents.

There have been five public hearings on the Act 250 permitting process.

The next hearing, set for Thursday, was canceled.

For the latest updates on the plans for the gravel pit and relevant documentation, go to www.anr.state.vt.us and type in Act 250 application #3W1049 — Frog City, LLC.

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Posted in Central Vermont, Energy, Environment, Killington, Ludlow, News, Okemo Valley, Rutland County, Southern Vermont, Vermont News

Foliage starting to turn

Posted on September 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

Hight hilltops are turning color as the foliage season is just starting to erupt.

According to the VT Department of Tourism: “Rutland County Forester Chris Stone notes Route 103 is revealing 5-20 percent early stages. Stone says trees are just starting to lose some green and hints of yellow and orange are starting to show at higher elevations. Some scattered individual red maples are turning at higher elevation wetlands. While the color has yet to really show, there is a hint of fall on the hillsides.

Your best bet to see foliage as it begins are in the higher elevation areas in the northernmost regions that will offer the most panoramic views of emerging color across the valleys. Many low-lying marsh areas will offer some of the most vivid and varied early season change. Route 108 through Smugglers’ Notch between Stowe and Cambridge is showing color, as are Routes 242 and 100 near Jay Peak; plus Routes 16 and 5A in the Lake Willoughby area. The Worcester Range and Mount Elmore along Route 12 north of Montpelier are tinged with early color, as are views from Route 14 in the Hardwick and Craftsbury region.

Sam Schenski, the Windham and Windsor County Forester also suggests Rt. 106 through Perkinsville; Tyson Rd. from Reading to Plymouth and East Hill Rd. in Andover – all of which, he notes are in early stages of foliage.

Visit www.vermontvacation.com/fall to plan Vermont Fall Foliage travel.

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Posted in Addison County, Environment, Fairs & Festivals, Killington, Montpelier, News, Northeast Kingdom, Northern Vermont, Okemo Valley, Outdoors, Rutland, Rutland County, Southern Vermont, Vermont News

Officials: Avoid Vermont’s growing bear population

Posted on September 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

CHESTER, Vt. (AP) As black bears become more visible in Vermont, the Fish and Wildlife Department wants residents to help maintain a healthy bear population by not attracting the animals to their property.

A department technician will give a presentation called “Living with Vermont’s Black Bears” next weekend in Chester.

Officials say Vermont has more black bears now, about 6,000, than it has in many decades.

Next Saturday’s presentation is intended to teach people about Vermont’s bears and how to avoid conflicts with them.

The program, hosted by the Chester Conservation Committee, will be held at 2 p.m. at the Chester Congregational Church.

It’s free and open to the public.

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Posted in Environment, News, Southern Vermont, Vermont News

Sanders in Plainfield today

Posted on September 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will be in Plainfield today at a 10:30 a.m. ceremony at The Health Center of Plainfield where a $1.2 million expansion project has been completed.

“As chairman of the subcommittee on primary health care, I am proud that we have helped lead the fight to more than double funding for community health centers to address the primary health crisis in Vermont and America,” Sanders said. He secured $12.5 billion in the Affordable Care Act to expand health centers, train primary care physicians and double to 40 million the number of patients served nationwide over the next five years.

Vermont in the past decade has gone from two Federally Qualified Health Centers to eight, including 47 sites where more than 120,000 Vermonters get primary health care, dental care, mental health counseling and low-cost prescription drugs.

Joining Sanders will be Paul Garstki, president and chairman of the board of directors, and Dr. John Matthew, the center’s medical director.

The health center is located at 157 Towne Ave.

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Posted in Bernard Sanders, Montpelier, News, Vermont News

Officials: Mosquito spraying cut population in half

Posted on September 17, 2012 | 1 Comment

BRANDON, Vt. (AP) Vermont Agency of Agriculture officials say pesticide spraying a week ago appears to have been effective in reducing mosquito populations in Brandon and Whiting.

Officials tell WPTZ-TV (http://bit.ly/R1WQJY ) that mosquito populations were cut in half.

Agency of Agriculture coordinated the spraying of the pesticide Anvil over hard-to-reach swampy areas a week ago after mosquito pools tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis and an 87-year-old Brandon man died from EEE.

Health Department officials confirmed that another Vermonter diagnosed with EEE is still in the hospital. They also reported Friday that a horse from Whiting tested positive for the disease.

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Posted in Central Vermont, Environment, News, Rutland, Rutland County, Vermont News

Man dead after tractor flip

Posted on September 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

ORANGE, Vt. (AP) A 62-year-old man has been killed after he lost control of his farm tractor in the town of Orange.

Police say the tractor driven by Albert Morrie of Washington went off the roadway and landed upside down in a ditch shortly before 3:45 p.m. Sunday. Morrie was pronounced dead at the scene.

The medical examiner’s office in Burlington is to perform an autopsy.

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Posted in Crash, News, Northern Vermont, Vermont News

Police to release more info on Brattleboro death

Posted on September 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) Vermont police say they will release more information about their investigation into the suspicious death in Brattleboro of a 47-year-old woman.

Investigators say a person discovered the woman’s body Friday at a residence on Western Avenue. The circumstances around the death are under investigation.

Officials say the woman has been identified and her family has been notified, but that her name and other information aren’t being released to ensure the integrity of the investigation.

They are promising to release more information, but they did not say when.

Police say there is no threat to the public.

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Posted in Brattleboro, Crime, Southern Vermont

Hearing today on Progressive party recount

Posted on September 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) A Vermont judge has scheduled a status conference as part of the on-going recount in the Progressive Party gubernatorial primary.

Washington County Superior Court Judge Robert Bent scheduled a status conference in the recount for Monday afternoon and a final hearing for Tuesday morning.

It took all of Thursday and half of Friday for county clerks to tabulate ballots of the fewer than 1,000 Vermonters who voted in the Progressive primary on Aug. 28.

Party Chairwoman Martha Abbott appeared to have won the election by one vote in early reporting of results. Abbott renounced the nomination and withdrew her candidacy in keeping with her party’s plan not to run a candidate for governor and focus instead on legislative races.

But write-in candidate Annette Smith asked for the recount.

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Posted in Central Vermont, News, Politics, Progressives, Vermont News