Newport - page 3

NEWPORT — A fire that broke out in Newport was caused by a heating device that was being used to thaw frozen pipes, fire investigators say.

At around 9:30 a.m. on February 9, the Newport City Fire Department responded to 1161 Lake Road for a house fire.

The homeowners were home at the time of the fire.

Authorities say the fire was on the second floor and attic area of the house.

After putting out the fire, Newport City fire chief requested an origin and cause investigation.

Investigators determined that the fire had originated on the first floor, on an inside wall.

The fire traveled upward within the walls of the old house and into the attic space.

Once in the attic the fire quickly spread.

The second floor and roof structure of the house was destroyed, and the remaining first floor resulted in heavy smoke, water, and fire damage.

Investigators say the cause of the fire was determined to be the use of a heating device by the homeowner to thaw frozen pipes inside the house.

Fire investigators say you should never use an open flame to thaw frozen pipes.

To prevent pipes from freezing open cabinet doors to expose the pipe to the natural heat in your home.

They say insulating your pipes or leaving your faucet at a slow drip can also avoid any freezing.

NEWPORT — Ready Set Grow Center for Early Childhood Education opened in Newport this past September thanks to the support of many community and state-wide partners.

Locally, Casella Waste Systems came on board as a strong supporter early on.

Michelle Faust, Executive Director of Northeast Kingdom Learning Services, the organization that both created and oversees Ready Set Grow, says she understands the importance of collaboration in order to make life in the Northeast Kingdom viable for families.

“NEKLS, Inc. is grateful to Casella for their generous donation in supporting the opening of Ready, Set, Grow Childcare Center,” said Faust.

Casella and its subsidiary company New England Waste Services of Vermont (NEWSVT) which owns and operates the Coventry landfill, donated $10,000 to Ready Set Grow to support the startup of the center this past fall.

With Casella’s support, the center is looking forward to having all rooms open with full enrollment by the end of February.

“We were blown away by Michelle’s vision for the center and knew we wanted to help in any way possible,” said Jeff Weld Director of Community Engagement at Casella. “To see her vision come to life has been amazing. We are so honored to be a part of this vibrant community and to play a small role in helping this vital asset come to life.”

Faust says she feels that Casella’s commitment to community, employees, and children is to be applauded.

“If we want a thriving economy, we must recognize the important role that employers can play in supporting their employees that have children that need childcare,” she said. “High-quality childcare is costly, ask any working parent how much of their paycheck goes to provide care for their children.”

Ready Set Grow provides childcare in-house along with services from Northeast Kingdom Community Action Headstart.

Meals are provided through a collaboration with Umbrella’s Cornucopia Program and The Northeast Kingdom Children’s Museum will open in 2020.

For more information or to enroll your child, call 802 995-2051.

NEWPORT — Officer Tanner Jacobs has been awarded the 2019 Officer of the Year for the Newport Police Department.

Jacobs has been with the department since February 2015.

Since joining, he has become one of the department’s Taser and ATV instructors.

Chief DiSanto says Jacobs had several accolades, high call volume, and was nominated by his supervisors.

NEWPORT — Saturday in Newport, the Recreation Committee hosted another successful fundraiser for the local Playground and Splashpad project.

“Crop ‘til You Drop for Gardner Park” was met with enthusiasm as over 15 participants gathered in the Newport Municipal Gym for a day of crafting and camaraderie.

“Crop events are very popular in other states, especially for those who like to do scrapbooking,” said Jaime Comtois, who led the event for the Newport Recreation Committee. “Since it was our first time hosting an event like this in Newport, we decided to make it open to all crafters whether they wanted to come scrapbook, paint, knit or work on their latest sewing project.”

The goal was to have at least ten participants for this first-time event. On Saturday, almost 20 community members came out, and the group raised almost $500 for the project.

If you’ve never heard of a crop event, it’s essentially a social gathering where participants pay a fee, in this case, a $25 donation.

During long Vermont winter months, locals appreciate an opportunity to get out of the house, meet new people and mingle over common interests.

The day was spent sharing techniques, learning tips and for some, picking up a new art form.

Comtois and her fellow committee members even awarded door prizes and played a few games with participants before enjoying a bountiful potluck lunch.

“I’m always pleasantly surprised with the Rec Committee’s creativity when it comes to community events and fundraisers,” said Jessica Booth, Director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Newport. “I would have never come up with something like this, but everyone had a great time and kept asking when we could do it again.”

In response to the popular request, the Newport Recreation Committee scheduled another “Crop ‘til You Drop” event on Saturday, March 21, in the Newport Municipal Gym from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to benefit the Gardner Park Playground & Splashpad project.

Community members interested in joining can register online at www.NewportRecreation.org/WHATSHAPPENING or call the Parks & Recreation office at (802)334-6345.

NEWPORT — It’s time to get your orders in for the Orleans County Conservation District Annual Plant Sale.

The group offers a variety of bare-root plants, including fruit trees, berry bushes, native trees, and shrubs.

This year they will be offering a selection of native trees and shrubs known for enhancing pollinator habitat.

Planting on your property with these native plants can provide many benefits including tasty snacks for you and beauty to your land while protecting, enhancing or providing habitat to native pollinators.

They will also have bee nesting blocks and rain barrels for sale.

Bee blocks are being made by North Country Career Center (NCCC) Agricultural Sciences Department students and all proceeds go to Orleans County Future Farmers of America.

You can use barrels to collect and store rainwater from your roof to reduce flow volume and pollution to storm drains and surface waters.

For the full 2020 catalog and order form, visit: https://www.vacd.org/conservation-districts/orleans-county/

Orders are due by Friday, March 27, with pick-up on Saturday, May 2 in front of the USDA office at 59 Waterfront Plaza in Newport.

For questions or to ask for a hard copy of our catalog mailed to you, please contact Sarah Damsell at sarah.damsell@vt.nacdnet.net or at 802-334-6090 ext 7008.

All plant sale profits go towards our many conservation programs.

NEWPORT — North Country Hospital recently announced that Tracey Paul has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer.

She began her career with the hospital 23 years ago as a staff accountant, having come from employment at Pine Knoll Nursing Home in Lyndonville.

Tracey has held supervisory positions for the last 17 years and has seen opportunities along the way to grow within the organization.

For the last six years, she served as Executive Director ACO, Finance & Specialty Practices.

“The position gave me a lot of great experience on not only the finance side but the operations side as well,” added Tracey.

Tracey was born and raised here in Newport and graduated from the University of Vermont with a BS in Business Management.

She is married to Claude Paul and they have three daughters.

The hospital’s previous CFO, Andre Bissonnette, who served North Country for 12 years, took a chief finance position at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.