Archive - Sep 21, 2006
By ANGELO LYNN
HANCOCK — Area skiers will see big changes on two of the Middlebury College Snow Bowl’s premier runs this winter as about $450,000 worth of work has been done to the popular Allen and Ross ski trails.
The ongoing work, which is characterized by a widening and re-grading of the slopes, was prompted by concerns of trail safety as well as pursuing future energy savings by reducing the need for snowmaking.
Tom Wells, owner of Randolph-based Royal Trail Works, which is doing the work at the Snow Bowl, explained that many ski trails around the state were designed to industry standards of 50 years ago and are not as suitable for today’s equipment that allows for faster speeds and a more radical response from today’s skis or snowboards. The combination of higher performance ski equipment and less snowfall to cover the uneven terrain of many trails in the Northeast, Wells said, has caused concern for trail safety — especially on trails used for collegiate racing.
By JOHN FLOWERS
ADDISON COUNTY — A soggy spring put an early damper on summer sales for many local businesses, but a strong July and August helped them rebound to close out the season on a strong note.
“It was kind of a slow beginning, but August showed some really good signs,” said Jeff Costello, general manager of the Middlebury Inn. “We saw walk-in business that we hadn’t seen in a few years.”
Costello’s appraisal was echoed not only by several county business owners, but by Vermont Tourism & Marketing Commissioner Bruce Hyde. Hyde is also an inn owner and former Republican House member whose district included Granville.
By JOHN FLOWERS
MIDDLEBURY — People driving in and around Middlebury will need to contend with traffic delays and detours for at least another month as workers push ahead with infrastructure improvements on College Street, a traffic signalization project on Court Street and the repaving of a large section of Route 7.
Workers have spent most of the summer replacing water, sewer and storm drain infrastructure along portions of College Street, ranging from its intersection with Main Street to where the state highway begins at the western base of the hill that leads to the Middlebury College campus on Route 125.
Most of the College Street work has been completed between the Main Street and Weybridge Street intersections, according to Middlebury Director of Operations Dan Werner. Sidewalk work was scheduled this week on the north side of College Street, followed by the next phase of water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure replacement west of the Weybridge Street intersection.
CORNWALL - Two men were killed on Sept. 20, when their Ultra-Lite aircraft crashed in the woods north of Morse Road in Cornwall.
At this time, Vermont State Police have yet to release the names of the two victims from the crash.
A more complete report will be featured in Monday's edition of the Addison Independent.
