Police stepping up patrols around Bandstand Park

Local youth who spend their free time in Bandstand Park later this spring and summer may want to think twice about cranking up their stereos.

Lyndonville police will be increasing their patrols around the park because they're finding that most of the noise complaints occur during the summer. This is because more people have their windows open during that time, so they're more likely to hear the loud noise and music, according to police chief Jack Harris.

Some sources of the noise complaints are vehicles passing by with their stereos blasting, as well as people hanging out in the park.

*Information from News 7's Brian Howe was used in this post.

Stop sign still causing confusion

The stop sign that was installed at the corner of Broad and Depot Streets is still causing problems for motorists in downtown Lyndonville. Long backups during peak hours have become common. In fact, the stop sign has confused drivers so much that the village trustees have approved the installation of a blinking red light on top of the sign. The trustees made this decision last month.

According to Municiapl Administrator Dan Hill, the hope is that the light will get the attention of drivers so that they'll stop going through the sign.

Lyndon Town School Principal Resigns

Dave Cobb, the principal of the Lyndon Town School for the last 4 years, has handed in his resignation to the school board.

A veteran of 30+ years in education, Cobb was hired as assistant principal at the school in 2003. He was promoted to principal two years later. Cobb is a member of the Vermont Principal's Association's Executive Council. He has served on the VPA's basketball committee, and is the head of Lyndon Youth Basketball.

In addition to teaching at the Lyndon Town School, Cobb has also taught at Lyndon Institue(where he served as Assistant Headmaster), as well as K-8 in Waterford. He also previously worked in the admissions offices at Johnson State College, Champlain College and Norwich University.

The school board has formed a search committee to find a qualified replacement for Cobb. His resignation is effective June 13. The new principal will start on the job July 1. Both the school and Caledonia North Supervisory Union are declining further comment at this time.

*Information from News 7's Alejandra Leonard and the Lyndon Town School website was used in this post.

Australian Ballot for Lyndon School Budget?

For the second consecutive year, a Lyndonville resident will circulate a petition to change the way residents vote on the Lyndon Town School's budget.

Carol Fischer, the former owner of All-Around Tanning & Body Salon, was upset with the school board after they failed to take up her previous petition. She circulated a petition to residents asking them to switch from voting on the school budget by voice vote to Australian ballot. Each of the last two years, a budget of more than $10.5 million was passed by an assembly of 100 people or less. Fischer feels that it's important for everyone to have a chance to vote on the budget.

Caledonia North Supervisory Union Superintendent Victoria Scheufler explained that the school board did not take up Fischer's petition because it was submitted less than a month before Town Meeting Day, and because of some unclear wording. Scheufler explained that information for forming and circulating a petition is available online through the Secretary of State's web site.

Lyndon Town Meeting Results

It's not unusual to have a little controversy at town meeting here in the Northeast Kingdom, or anywhere else in the state. However, the general budget for the town of Lyndon was a sore point for some residents.
The overall budget for fiscal year 2010, which stands at a total of nearly $2.6 million, included an appropriation of nearly $29,000 for the hiring of a third officer for the police department. This item sparked an hour-long debate, which got very heated at times, on whether or not the town and village really need a third police officer. According to police chief Jack Harris, he and Officer James Hemond have to cover 36 square miles when they're not getting coverage from the state police barracks in St. Johnsbury.
Resident Reed Garfield motioned to amend the budget by removing the money for the third officer. The motion was voted on by paper ballot, and was defeated 117-49. The overall budget then passed in a voice vote.
Chief Harris was very relieved that he was finally able to get another officer for his force.

*Information from News 7's Alejandra Leonard was used in this post.

Kinney Drugs & Its Impact on Traffic

The process to build a new Kinney Drugs Store on Route 5 is underway.

The building's developer announced that it will be conducting a traffic study on the stretch of Broad Street where the proposed lot is located. The purpose of the traffic study will be to determine what improvements may need to be made to improve traffic flow and safety in the area. Interestingly enough, state officials declared that a traffic light would not be needed to control the flow of traffic on this stretch of Broad Street.

The lot where the building would stand sits next to Community National Bank, across from Rite Aid. The building would cover 11,500 square feet.

*Information from News 7's Josh Kidd was used in this post.