Celebrating Each Other

Niels Rinehart: Planning for Jericho’s Future While Remembering the Past

Niels Rinehart and his wife Lauren moved from the Albany area to Jericho in 2012 after Lauren got a job in Burlington. They diligently researched Chittenden County towns and chose Jericho in part because of the schools. When their boys grew older, Rinehart felt a desire to give back to his community and after initially looking at the Affordable Housing Committee, he joined the Trails Committee in May of 2020.

Rinehart is proud of the new trail map prepared by the committee and of the kiosks which have been erected at trail heads. “That takes more work than one might realize,” he said. Rinehart noted that the committee has also done some hands-on work like removing stray pieces of metal which were littering the Town Forest.

Rinehart is pleased that the committee has changed their name to the Bicycle & Pedestrian Connectivity Committee (BPCC) in recognition of a broadened mission. “The mission is to expand our scope to investigate and advise about alternatives to driving,” Rinehart said. “It includes working with the Town Planner and trying to set up priorities in budget and grant applications. We want to talk about connectivity issues including kids being able to walk to school.”

Professionally, Rinehart’s career has had an interesting trajectory involving what he describes as his two big loves: music and archeology. “I’ve wanted to be an archeologist since I was a kid,” he said, “but I also enjoyed playing music.” Rinehart went to school to study classical archeology with an emphasis on Greek and Latin but gravitated towards music, instead. He played jazz on an upright bass, but he was also classically trained and played guitar and sang in rock bands. He headed to graduate school for jazz studies but after two semesters, he began to doubt that career choice and returned to archeology where he met his wife who was also in the anthropology department.

Initially, Rinehart worked as a contract archeologist on federal and state projects. “I really enjoyed that work a lot,” he said “but then I began to work with Vermont Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR). I’ve been there for seven years and have worked with my supervisor to create a program to help FPR comply with the federal and state regulations to protect historical resources.” Rinehart is currently working on a large project at Sandbar State Park which requires excavation to put in a new stormwater system. Most of his work is on smaller areas and trails. “I haven’t been out in the field and gotten dirty in a long time,” he said. “I miss it, but I still go out to review project areas to see if there are historic sites present.” FPR also works with architectural historians to ensure that when historic structures are adapted, they stay true to the integrity of the structure.

Rinehart is slowly returning to his musical roots. He noted that after playing six to seven hours a day, it’s hard to play at hobby level and just do 20 minutes a night. However, he has grown out the nails on his right hand and is getting back to playing classical guitar which is less physically taxing than his old upright bass.

Rinehart is happy to be on the BPCC because he enjoys being outside, hiking, camping, and skiing. “It’s great to have access to all these trails within a few minutes of my house,” he said. “Trails require an inordinate amount of work to keep them up. I don’t know if the public understands the amount of work that it takes including stormwater management and clearing fallen trees. It’s a lot of infrastructure work.” The good news is there is some carryover on trails maintenance from Rinehart’s day job which often deals with similar issues. “We have a lot more money in the state so that informs some of the potential problems including engineering issues,” he said. “There is a huge push to deal with stormwater runoff. There’s a real science to it in terms of the water bars and drainage ditches.” Rinehart noted that a lot of historic roads and old trails including some at Mills Riverside Park have become gullies because of erosion.

Rinehart has high hopes for the newly-renamed Bicycle and Pedestrian Connectivity Committee. He recognizes that there is some opposition to sidewalks, but he believes that cars in Jericho travel much too fast. “I look forward to having a town where people can walk more,” he said. In addition to sidewalks, he’d like to see more paths through the woods so kids can walk to school, and adults can access other destinations. “I know that these take years to make happen,” he said, “but I’d like to see a town which is much more connected. That might also slow down traffic.”

Allaire Diamond: Protecting natural communities in her professional and volunteer work

A dozen years ago, Allaire Diamond moved to Jericho. She had been living in Williston where she served as Tree Warden and began looking for ways to volunteer in her new hometown. She helped out at Jericho Elementary School but on the advice of Liz Thompson, who had been a mentor and was her supervisor at work, she joined the Conservation Commission. That group seemed to be a perfect fit for Diamond because she is trained as an ecologist. “I’m happy to volunteer in a way that uses my training and skills,” she said.

Diamond is particularly pleased with the work the Conservation Commission has done in creating the Natural Resources Overlay District which helps inform development decisions. She noted that although some other towns have those kinds of districts, most do not. “I’m really proud we have it,” she said. “Now we’re in the phase of making some revisions using better data.” Diamond noted that the formation of the overlay district required a lot of effort and collaboration, and she is proud of how the Conservation Commission worked with the Planning Commission to create and implement it.

Diamond’s parents were teachers in Springfield and Bellows Falls and her initial foray into the professional world was teaching science to ninth and tenth graders at Missisquoi Valley Union High School. She subsequently worked as a teaching assistant at UVM before enrolling there to get two masters’ degrees.

In 2011, Diamond was hired by the Vermont Land Trust as a contractor and that turned into a full-time job the following year. Diamond was very familiar with the organization. Growing up, her parents were members, and she remembers that they received a Sabra Fields print after one of their donations. She took that print with her when she went off to college and hung it in her dorm room. “Land conservation is fundamentally a good thing,” she said. “It’s really practical and I knew this was a place where I wanted to work.”

Diamond’s job involves doing ecological assessments of land that is in the process of being conserved. That work starts by using GIS, a computer system which analyzes and displays geographic information. For some projects, that is followed by field work in which Diamond looks for uncommon, rare natural communities such as clay plains, floodplains, bogs, or fens.

Although she is no longer in the classroom, teaching is still a part of Diamond’s life. She conducts workshops and other activities through her job at VLT. Diamond is also a freelance writer and has contributed to magazines like Northern Woodlands. A recent issue featured her story about beaver restoration.

Lately Diamond’s job has expanded to include more ecological restoration. That work includes water-related tasks like dam removal, culvert replacement, tree planting, and stream restoration. While some of this work takes place on VLT-owned land, other work is done at the behest of private landowners. Most of the easements owned by VLT are on private land, but the organization has a close relationship with those landowners.

Diamond noted that recent flooding events have created more interest in these types of projects, as well as greater funding. “Almost every culvert in the state is probably undersized or not sited correctly,” she said. Her work involves a type of matchmaking in which she finds interested landowners and willing funders.

Diamond stressed that wetlands are very important because of their ability to hold and clean water. “They have amazing habitat in terms of biodiversity with fungi and microorganisms,” she said. Diamond also noted that wetlands are complex in terms of climate resiliency. She said a large number have been drained or converted to agriculture and it is her hope that some of these can be restored.

In her spare time, Diamond enjoys skate skiing, classic Nordic skiing, and cycling. She is an avid reader and is currently organizing a VLT event bringing Leila Philip, the author of the book Beaverland, to the state to give a presentation in Shelburne on April 18. In keeping with her love of wetlands, Diamond thoroughly enjoys the fact that the Browns River flows through her property. “I love being able to learn about my local landscape and see if it changes over time,” she said.

Susan Bresee wants to plan for Jericho’s future

In 2015, Susan Bresee decided to apply for a position on the Planning Commission. “I had an interest in volunteering and serving my community,” she said. Although Bresee didn’t have a background in land use planning, her professional career had involved market and product planning. “It seemed like a good fit where I could translate my skills to a role in town that looked at long-term strategies,” she said. “It was a lot like what I did at work.”

Bresee was eventually elected clerk of the Planning Commission. She served two years in that capacity and when the chair had to step down in 2020, she was asked to fill that role. She was subsequently elected to that position and has served as chair ever since. She finds the role to be a challenging one because in addition to doing the planning work, she has to take other factors into account. She likens it to captaining a boat and having to consider the weather and sea conditions in addition to the route.

Bresee is still enthusiastic about working on the Planning Commission. “What I enjoy the most is working with my fellow members, as well as residents who participate in meetings, other committees, and the town staff,” she said. Bresee adds that the work done in Jericho also affects the greater community, the county, and the state. “There is so much in the world that is negative,” she said. “We’re part of an effort to make life better for a lot of people and I like being a part of that. It’s important to think of the town as a shared experience rather than everyone living within their four walls. Being on the Planning Commission forces you to look beyond your own self-interest.”

Bresee spent most of her professional career working for IDX but ironically it was in satellite offices in Boston and San Francisco. In 1997, she and her husband decided to relocate to Vermont, so she requested a transfer. She remembers driving around Chittenden County with a paper map in her rental car, trying to figure out where she wanted to live. “We fell in love with Jericho,” she recalls. “Jericho Elementary School reminded me of the school I went to as a kid.”

After leaving IDX, Bresee worked for a smaller company, mostly doing health care consulting. She currently has her own consulting business. A good portion of Bresee’s professional work has involved negotiating contracts and she believes that has informed her work on the Planning Commission. “There are a lot of similarities between contracts and regulations,” she said. “Regulations are like contracts with the town. Because of my background, the nitty gritty of the regulations doesn’t drive me crazy.”

With Jericho equidistant between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, Bresee gets to enjoy downhill and cross-country skiing, as well as swimming and sailing. She enjoys cooking and also gardens but derives more enjoyment from weeding and pruning than planting. Mostly, Bresee loves walking and appreciates her proximity to the trails at Mobbs Farm.

“Jericho is a really friendly town, especially for families with kids,” Bresee said. Her three children, now in their 20’s, attended Jericho schools from Saxon Hill Preschool through MMU. “I had really positive experiences with the schools,” she said, “and I still have those friendships.” Bresee considers Jericho to be a very accessible town and notes that it is easy to find something for everyone. “There are many different interest groups you can tap into,” she said. “It feels rural but it’s close to conveniences.”

The Planning Commission spent a year drafting a new Town Plan which has just been approved by the Select Board. Bresee is proud of the multiple ways the commission worked to increase citizen participation in the process including in-person events, Zoom calls, and outreach at the farmers’ market. Still, only a few hundred people provided input. Bresee said she chooses to interpret passive participation as tacit approval but wishes more people would take part in the process. “People’s concerns are legitimate,” she said, “but it’s a constant exercise to focus on the work and to hear comments as concern, not criticism while we figure out how to address those concerns.”

Bresee notes that Planning Commission work can be hard because there is so much to be done but there aren’t always sufficient resources. Although there are a lot of volunteers, the town also relies on staff and consultants to make things happen. “You have to pick and choose your priorities and balance short and long-term benefits,” she said. She praised Jericho Town Planner Linda Blasch as a great person to work with. “She has a great professional background and is a Jericho resident,” she said. “The Planning Commission is lucky to have her support and guidance.”

“The Planning Commission is cool because it’s hard,” Bresee said. “It’s more complicated than people realize. We have an incredible group of hardworking people coming at things from different points of view. We don’t always agree but everyone is looking out for the best interest of the community.”

Olivia Arent: Jericho’s New Animal Control Officer

Front Porch Forum is full of posts about missing dogs and cats. As Jericho’s new Animal Control Officer, Olivia Arent wants to reunite people with those missing pets, but she also wants to help people learn how to keep their critters from leaving home in the first place.

Serving as Animal Control Officer requires Arent to be on call to help people locate their pets, as well as to mediate disputes between pet owners. Arent is a professional dog trainer, so she has experience working with both pets and their humans. She also believes that her time working as a project manager has helped hone her people skills. “Everyone wants to be heard,” she said. “I think I can bring a lot of empathy and communication skills to the job.”

Photo caption: Oliva Arent and Riggins on the trail.

Growing up, the only television station Arent wanted to watch was Animal Planet. Her pets included dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, and guinea pigs. When she was younger, Arent thought about becoming a veterinarian, but she recognized that she would never be able to put an animal down, so she chose another career path as a dog trainer.

While getting her degree in environmental science at UVM, Arent volunteered with All Breed Rescue. The non-profit shut down after Covid so these days she works with Vermont English Bulldog Rescue which is based in Williston. Every month, roughly 40 dogs of all breeds arrive from Texas, and Arent assists with their arrival at the facility and makes sure their needs are met before their new, pre-approved humans come to pick them up. She helps walk the dogs who are awaiting adoption and offers her assistance to new dog owners who want help with training.

Arent is certified in Animal First Aid and CPR. She said pet CPR isn’t that different from the human version because it involves checking the airways and then applying compression. She noted that there are helpful videos available for those who haven’t taken the course, but she highly recommends taking it.

Through her business, Arent provides a variety of training options for dog owners. She is in the process of getting certified to work with aggressive dogs and specializes in fearful and reactive ones. Arent enjoys providing Trail Puppy Training for those who want to take their dogs to areas that don’t require leashes.

Arent has lots of personal experience with off-leash dogs since she took her Australian Cattle Dog, Riggins, with her when she through-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2019. After college, she had moved to Boston, but she was done with that phase of her life and looking for an adventure. “It felt like a time warp,” she said of her time on the trail. “I’ve always had a really great connection to the environment and the hike just fostered a deeper love.” Arent’s favorite part of the trail was the section in Vermont, and she vowed to move back to the state.

These days, Arent shares her home with two dogs and a cat and enjoys being as active as she can. “I grew up playing every sport imaginable,” she said. “Soccer was my first love, but I discovered Ultimate frisbee in college and that was my second love.” Arent also played basketball, softball, and lacrosse. These days, she is part of a recreational Ultimate league but would like to get back into playing soccer.

Arent is looking forward to easing into her role as Animal Control Officer. “I think this will be fun,” she said. She has been in touch with her counterpart in Underhill to learn more about what the job entails. Arent is already thinking about hosting community events in which she would answer questions and offer different topics of conversation. In particular, she would like to host a class on dog body language. “There’s a lot they have to say,” she said, “but you have to know how to listen and watch their bodies. If we are empathetic to animals and really listen to them, we can avoid a lot of conflicts.”

Photo caption: Olivia Arent with her two rescue dogs, Riggins, an Australian Cattle Dog, and Tuke, a probable Great Pyrenees/Husky mix.

Joe Flynn: Stepping up to fill the vacant Selectboard position

When Wayne Howe stepped down from his position on the Jericho Selectboard, several people volunteered to fill his shoes on an interim basis before Town Meeting Day. The candidate the board chose – Joe Flynn – is no stranger to municipal government, having spent the last eleven years as a member of the Development Review Board. For Flynn, volunteering to serve was an easy decision. His mother had been a role model, working as the postmaster in his childhood town of Burke, New York, and writing that town’s history so he was motivated to carry on her tradition of municipal service. Additionally, Flynn felt this was a way to learn more about the decision-making process in his adopted town. After one meeting, Flynn has already decided the Selectboard is a good fit for him. “The other board members are knowledgeable and patient,” he said, “and the staff is phenomenal in what they do.” For Flynn, the three-hour budget meeting was enlightening. “I pay taxes,” he said, “so I want to know what’s going on.”

When Flynn was in high school, he attended a Future Farmers of America conference. A professor from Paul Smith’s College had a booth there and he convinced Flynn to spend a day shadowing a surveyor so he could learn more about that profession. Flynn was hooked and got his degree in land surveying from Paul Smith’s. He loves that his profession includes both inside and outside work and requires a variety of disciplines ranging from history to mathematics. He has spent the last seven years working for O’Leary and Burke.

Flynn’s volunteer work also extends to his professional field. For the last 12 years he has been on the Vermont Board of Land Surveyors, a body whose members are appointed by the governor. His term will end in 2024. He also served on the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying as chair of the committee overseeing the development and scoring of exams.

Back when Flynn was going for his licensure, he needed a project and volunteered to help Jericho catalogue existing roads and plot them out. Several years later, when Jericho began the process of mapping out their so-called ancient roads, he already had that information. He has helped other towns including Westford and Plainfield with similar road projects. Flynn enjoys surveying so much that he occasionally does volunteer work on the weekends. He recently helped Bob Krebs, who he considers a mentor, find a 1930 geodetic marker in Grand Isle.

Flynn played baseball, basketball, and soccer in high school and was the captain of the soccer team at Paul Smith’s. He coached soccer for 25 years and ice hockey for 12, crediting Phil Jacobs of Underhill for teaching him a lot about people in the process.

A self-described farm boy, Flynn grew up hunting, fishing, and camping. He has fond memories of getting his hunting and fishing licenses at Mel Mitchell’s Jericho Country Store but although he loves traditions, he is not upset at the way Jericho has changed and appreciates Jericho Ale and Bean which occupies Mel’s former storefront. “It fits,” he said, “because we have a younger, more urban population.”

Flynn married his high school sweetheart and moved to Jericho in 1991, purchasing Selah Babcock’s house which was built in 1835. After growing up in an area with limited services, he enjoys being close to various options in town and doesn’t object to some of the newer business establishments, noting that he can walk across the street in his Crocs to get a gallon of milk. That said, Flynn also enjoys the fact that Jericho is on the outskirts of Chittenden County. “I think we still have our rural character,” he said. Flynn believes his background in civil engineering will be helpful on the Selectboard. “I like to see a balance on maintaining and improving our infrastructure, roads, waterlines, and maybe municipal septic,” he said. Equally important is his enjoyment of learning new things and meeting new people. “Most of the people I’ve been surrounded with have been very good at what they do,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I want to give back to my town.

Peter Booth: Plunging into volunteer work in Jericho

Peter Booth didn’t waste any time getting involved in Jericho after he and his wife, Amy Beaton, bought their home in 1992. He tried various boards and committees including the Conservation Commission and ran for a seat on the MMU School Board. He attended a meeting of the Underhill ID School and when he discovered that nobody was running for their vacant seat, he accepted the challenge. More recently he served two terms on the Planning Commission and one on the Affordable Housing Committee. He has been involved in Democratic politics for three decades and spent several years as chair of the Jericho Democratic caucus. “I always wanted to be out in the community, meeting and helping people,” he said. “That’s how I like to spend my time.”

In 1995, Booth ran for Justice of the Peace, and he has been reelected every year since then. The most visible work done by JPs is staffing elections. “We’re the people behind the tables checking off your name when you come in and out, and handing out ballots,” he said. Less well-known is the work JPs do as members of the Board of Civil Authority which oversees property tax disagreements. When taxpayers contest a reappraisal, the Board is the quasi-judicial body which decides who is correct. They also review applications for abatement of taxes and penalties for late tax filings.

One of the most enjoyable parts of being a JP is performing weddings. Booth said that 20 and 30 years, ago, he officiated a wedding every summer and when civil unions were legalized, he was initially quite busy, but he’s getting fewer calls and hasn’t united a couple in five or six years “That’s one of the more fun parts of the job,” Booth said.

Booth gives back to the community in part because the community has given back to him. In 2001, while he and his family were vacationing in Maine, their house burned down. When they got home, a neighbor who had been watching over the property was waiting for them and immediately called Gaye Symington who offered the family the use of her in-law apartment. An Underhill couple put a $300 credit for Booth and his wife at Jeri-Hill Hardware and a Jericho resident opened an account in the couple’s name at Merchant’s Bank which eventually grew to $30,000 from community donations. Booth used his knowledge of tax appraisals to ask that his taxes be lowered since there was no longer a house on his lot.

In 2001, Booth joined the teaching staff at CVU following stints working at People’s Academy and the Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center. He teaches math from pre-algebra to calculus. Fifteen years ago, a para-educator at CVU had the idea of issuing a fundraising challenge to students for the upcoming Penguin Plunge which benefits Special Olympics. If they raised $15,000, a teacher would shave his/her head. Booth volunteered to be that teacher and was confident the students wouldn’t raise that much money. Instead, they almost doubled the goal by raising $28,000. Booth was true to his word and has taken part in similar challenges – once sporting a mohawk after his students passed their fundraising goal – over the years and proudly notes that CVU has raised over $400,000 for Special Olympics through the plunge.

Booth has always worked with kids. In his second year in Jericho, before having children of his own, he coached a Little Leage team of third graders. “I was the only one who wasn’t a parent who had been strong-armed into coaching,” he said. Since then, Booth and Beaton have adopted four children. Shortly after buying their home, they called the Vermont Department of Children and Families because they were interested in foster care. It was there that learned that adoption was not an expensive process if it was done through the agency, and they proceeded to open their home to four youngsters.

The first three children Booth and Beaton adopted came to them at a very young age. Jesse was roughly six weeks old, Avery was only 30 days, and Aiden was six months old. They were only supposed to keep Aiden for a night but that turned into a weekend, then a week, and then a month, and he just celebrated his 19th birthday with them. The couple thought they were done with adopting until 2008 when they got a call, asking if they could keep a 15-year-old for one night. Booth recognized Jessica as a former student and once again, one night turned into a full-time commitment. This summer, Booth and Beaton flew to Lisbon for Jessica’s wedding. Just before Booth walked her down the aisle, she whispered to him “we’ve come a long way from pre-algebra.”

Although weddings are the most enjoyable part of being a justice of the peace, Booth really likes working at the polls. “You get to meet every voter in Jericho,” he said. “We’re getting more and more isolated behind our screens but when you’re running the elections, every voter in Jericho comes through. Seeing the community face to face is great.”

Catherine McMains: Jericho’s institutional memory

Catherine McMains thought her fifth term on the Select Board, which was scheduled to end earlier this year, might be her last but she was talked into running again. With ARPA money coming in, she sees the opportunity for transformative change in Jericho and wants to be able to help with the process.

McMains began her municipal service with the Development Review Board around the year 2000. She served several years as chair and in 2007, while still holding that position, she was appointed to fill John Shullenberger’s seat on the Select Board when he retired. She won re-election in 2008, and every election since then, resigning from the DRB after the open seats had been filled.

During her DRB days, McMains served on an ad hoc committee of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC). When the Jericho representative to that body stepped down, McMains was appointed to fill the seat. When the CCRPC merged with the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization, the number of representatives from each town was reduced, but McMains remained Jericho’s representative. She spent two years as Vice Chair and two years as Chair, as well as serving as Chair of the Climate Action Committee. She now holds the position of Immediate Past Chair, so she still has a seat on the Executive Committee.

In 2009, McMains co-founded the Jericho Energy Task Force, and she currently serves as chair of that body, as well. The JETF has held several energy tours and Button Up events, sponsored a middle-school poster contest and an annual icicle contest, and hosts a popular winter movie/lecture series. The group has also sponsored electric vehicle presentations, worked with the CCRPC to create an enhanced energy plan for the town, and this fall will hold its first ever Repair Café.

McMains has a Master’s in biochemistry. She worked in labs in Oklahoma and Ohio before moving to Vermont in 1977 for a job at UVM with the Department of Psychiatry. A watershed moment came when McMains got a call that her daughter Casey was the only child who hadn’t been picked up from daycare. She was in the middle of an experiment and unable to leave. Sitting down with her husband Bill, the pair decided that one of them would need to give up their day job and since biochemists worked long hours for little pay, she decided to retire. As Casey grew older and began a career as a glassblower, McMains worked as her business manager.

McMains has seen a number of changes during her years on the Select Board. At the onset, she said it felt as though the staff was siloed and morale was low, so the town asked the Vermont League of Cities and Towns for assistance and eventually decided to switch to a town administrator model. The Select Board still has final approval of projects, so they maintain accountability to the public. For several years, the Select Board alternated chairs throughout the year but of late, they have decided to stick to one chair each year and McMains currently holds that position.

McMains decision to run once more this March was based, in part, on a desire to be part of the process for using the federal ARPA funds. “We were fortunate enough to come through Covid better than a lot of other towns,” she said. “We don’t need the money for the basic things in our budget so that money should be transformative.”

Although her background is in science, McMains is one of the people behind Art in Town Hall, a series of rotating exhibits which began in 2010. Every few months, a new prompt is sent out, resulting in paintings, mixed media, and photographs which grace the walls of the conference room and hallways. Additional artwork is evident in McMains’s garden. Her home has been on the Jericho Garden Tour and her husband is known for making patterns with his lettuce plantings.

For McMains, the positive feeling she gets from giving back to her community and having the opportunity to make a difference outweighs any negatives of public service. One area of frustration is that people who object to projects are more likely to voice their opinions than those who would like to see them through. “We know there are people who want to see things happen,” she said, “but they don’t necessarily come to meetings.”

McMains has lived in Jericho since 1991. “What we like about Jericho is that it still maintains an identity as a community,” she said. “People really do care about each other. We saw that with Covid with people shopping for their neighbors and with conversations about a food hub and food resiliency. That’s the heart and soul of a municipality.”

Jeff York: Settling in Jericho after a lifetime of travel

by Phyl Newbeck

Jeff York comes from a military family. “Every year around July 1, we would move,” he said, “and then we’d land at a new base around August 1 before school started.” The bases were all different but one thing they had in common was a community library and York gravitated to those spaces. When he found himself approaching retirement at IBM, he remembered those sanctuaries of his youth and in 2018, he joined the board of the Jericho Town Library.

“Supporting a small library has always appealed to me,” York said. “One of the best things about Vermont is a sense of community and libraries are a big part of that.” York believes there are a number of ways to support community including getting involved in the schools when your kids are of age, joining houses of worship, or serving on boards and lately, he has chosen the latter. For several years he was a general member of the Jericho Town Library board, but he was soon asked to become Treasurer and he has held that position ever since.

The library board was not York’s first foray into municipal volunteering. Eight years ago, he found himself chatting with Barry King who was the chair of the Development Review Board. King recommended that York apply for a vacant position on the board, and he did so. This year, he has taken over as chair of that body. “It’s interesting to understand the patterns of development and see how things will plan out long-term for Jericho,” York said. “The decisions we make will affect the town for years to come.”

York sees the DRB as a sounding board, tasked with interpreting the town’s regulations. He notes that the rights of property owners have to be weighed against the rights of the greater community. York recognizes that many people are frustrated by what might seem to be a long and expensive process and his goal is to provide a sense of clarity for those who come before the board. He believes the process is generally a good one and can help the town plan for what it will look like 100 years from now.

York spent most of his career at IBM, first as an engineer and then as a financial analyst in their test area. “I became more interested in the decisions on why we made certain investments and made some products and not others, not just the mechanical wear and tear of a certain metal,” he said. “I wanted to help provide data so we could make the best possible decisions on hiring and letting people go.” York believes that during most of his years at IBM, the company cared about its employees. “IBM attracted a very interesting, intellectually alert group of people,” he said. “There was a lot of vitality, and it was very exciting.”

When he first moved to Vermont, York continued the frequent moving which had characterized his childhood. He lived in Burlington, Winooski, St. Albans, Fletcher, Enosburgh, and Richmond. “I kept moving from place to place but when I got to Jericho 20 years ago, I decided to stay,” he said. “It’s a place that’s rural enough that people still talk to their neighbors but not so rural that it takes an hour to go to the grocery store.”

When York first retired, he and a friend built a small sailboat that he takes out once a week in the summer. He also enjoys kayaking on Waterbury and Green River Reservoirs. In the spring he is part of a program that monitors the nests of peregrine falcons. York is in charge of a section of Smugglers’ Notch and his mission is to check where the falcons are nesting so rock climbers won’t disturb them. Although this year, very few falcon nests were successful – likely because of weather issues – the falcons that York monitored fledged one young. He said that during the ten years he has monitored them, they have almost always produced chicks.

With his military family background, York has seen a lot of the country. He had been living in Atlanta when he decided to move to Vermont because it seemed exotic. “I think it’s the best place in the world to be,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything that has the scale of Vermont in terms of the size of the towns and the lush beauty.” Both of York’s children have resettled in California and although he enjoys visiting them, Jericho remains home.

Catherine Bass: The New Face at Jericho Town Library

by Phyl Newbeck

It’s ironic that Cathine Bass started working at the Jericho Town Library this June just as wildfires from Quebec began fouling the town’s air. Bass is sensitive to wildfire smoke and chose New England as her home because of the air quality but JTL’s new librarian isn’t going to let a little smoke get in her way.

Bass has experience working in both public libraries and school libraries and believes that JTL combines what she likes about each. “I love that a public library services the whole community and that you get to work with people of all ages,” she said “but in school libraries you get to deeply know your community and patrons. This library is so beloved by the people who use it that they use it heavily, but that use is spread among people of all ages.”

Bass’s journey to Vermont has included stops across the globe. Her father was in the U.S. Army, so she travelled a lot as a child including middle school and high school in the Mideast. “I’ve always loved to travel,” she said, “and I was really interested in living abroad as an adult.” After high school she returned to the states and with no specific career plans, she studied ancient Greek and Latin. “There was no obvious next step other than graduate school,” she said, “so I tried teaching English as a second language.” That lead to a job in Finland teaching kids in grades first through sixth.

Bass enjoyed teaching and knew she wanted to keep working with kids, so she went back to school for a Master’s in Elementary Education. She taught fourth grade for a few years but recognized that some of the things she liked about teaching also pertained to library work. The travel bug kicked in again and Bass got a job teaching library and technology classes to students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in South Korea. The library classes centered around foundational literacy skills, information seeking strategies, research skills, and media literacy skills. Covid struck and although Bass was impressed with how the government handled the pandemic, she had already decided to move back to the states. She and her husband ended up in Bozeman, Montana.

In Montana, Bass worked as a library assistant on a bookmobile and although she enjoyed it, the pandemic limited the services they could provide. The couple wanted to return to the northeast where they both had strong support systems and also to escape the wildfire smoke. “I became interested in air quality issues when we lived in South Korea,” Bass said. “I’ve done a lot of research on information dissemination on wildfires and secondary effects. I knew New England would suffer too, but I wanted to get as many years of clean air as possible.”

One of Bass’s best friends had moved to Vermont and was living on a farm in Peacham and working at the Morrisville Centennial Library. She encouraged Bass to look for a Vermont job and Bass’s husband agreed. For now, she is living in an apartment and commuting to Boston to see him on weekends, but he hopes to be moving to Vermont as soon as possible and at the very least, come north to visit her on weekends.

Bass’s first summer program was with the Four Winds Nature Institute, and it attracted 21 people. The library’s weekly summer programs include a Tuesday “crafternoon” for kids seven and up, a Wednesday morning family story time for families with kids five and under, Thursday morning story time yoga for kids three to six followed by a late morning playgroup for kids six and under, and a Friday morning drop-in maker club for kids seven and older. Recurring events include outdoor yoga with Ginny Churchill and musical story time with Miss Emma. Bass said she is really looking forward to a back-to-school carnival which will be held on August 19 and the annual Pet Parade which will also be held on August 26.

Bass admits she misses teaching a little because in school libraries, children are a captive audience whereas in public libraries, a bit more outreach is necessary. She is looking forward to finding more ways to engage the community. Bass said she has been impressed with how welcoming Jericho residents have been. “People have stopped by to say hello and to introduce themselves,” she said.

Now that Bass’s position is full-time, she is hoping to expand the services the library offers and is open to feedback about programs, events, and even library hours. This summer, Saturday hours are being extended from 10-2 to 10-4. Bass has heard the story of how her job hours were increased during Town Meeting and notes that one of the things she loves about the state is the way people are involved in local government.

“I feel very grateful that the town voted to make this a full-time position,” she said. “I would love to work in partnership with anyone interested in new programs or ideas. This is a great community space for people in town.”

Jessica Alexander: The Friendly Face at Town Hall

In a sense, long-time Town Clerk Jessica Alexander returned to her youth. The Jericho native attended the Saxon Hill School for the equivalent of Pre-K and Kindergarten and the room where she now serves as Town Clerk was the first location for the teachers and youngsters who were part of that program. In 2001, Alexander returned to that room when she was elected Town Clerk, a position she has held for over two decades.

Alexander has deep roots in Jericho. After the Saxon Hill School, she attended first and second grade at Jericho Elementary School and third and fourth grade at what was known as the Center School. The Center School had some facilities in the Jericho Community Center, and others in the building next door. There was no kitchen, so meals were cooked at the elementary school and transported to Jericho Center.

When she attended middle school, the dividing line between Browns River and Camel’s Hump Middle Schools went through Jericho Center so Alexander attended Camel’s Hump, followed by Mount Mansfield Union High School. She graduated from UVM with a degree in physical therapy and still works in that field on weekends.

After graduation, Alexander worked as a physical therapist in Massachusetts and then did some traveling PT. She spent four years in South Carolina before moving back to Vermont and working at what is now UVM Medical Center. “I was looking for a change,” Alexander said. “Someone asked my mother to run for Town Clerk. She wasn’t interested, but she suggested that I look into it.”

Alexander already had some familiarity with the job. Back in seventh grade, she did a report about the history of the house where she grew up which – coincidentally – had been built by Jericho’s first Town Clerk, Louis Chapin. She shadowed the assistant clerk, Debbie Fitzgerald, and decided to give the job a try, making ten campaign lawn signs which she placed strategically around town.

That 2001 race was the only time Alexander has faced another candidate; she has run unopposed ever since. Although some municipalities elect town clerks every three years, for Jericho it’s a single-year term. Some towns have also moved to make town clerk an appointed position, but Alexander hopes Jericho won’t go that route. “I like being elected because I feel like I’m working directly for the people,” she said.

Alexander said she really enjoys working in the office and continuing to learn about her hometown. “I’m connecting with history,” she said, “and it gives me a sense of place.” In working at Town Hall, Alexander is continuing a family tradition of community service. Her mother Emilie spent nine years each on the boards of Jericho Elementary School and MMU, worked as the librarian at the Jericho Town Library, and also served on that board. Her father Stuart spent some time as Jericho’s Health Officer and over 30 years on the Planning Commission as well as being one of the principal authors of the Third History of Jericho.

In her spare time, Alexander enjoys taking care of her four horses. “They ride and drive,” she said. “They can pull a carriage.” She has entered the horses in some local shows but not in any high-pressure competitions. Alexander used to take part in the annual Dragon Boat festival but took a break during Covid. She hopes to return to dragon boating in the future.

When Alexander first started working at Town Hall, she saw a lot of the parents of kids she had gone to school with and got to check up on her classmates. These days, she sees a whole new generation, some of whom have never known another person serving in her position.

During her tenure, Alexander has seen a real change in technology. When she started, the office had a dot matrix printer and used the FoxPro database. Jericho started using an electronic voters’ checklist in 1998 and these days, that information is kept on the Secretary of State’s server. Liquor licenses are now renewed via a web portal rather than by mail. Another change is the digitization of the land records. “We still keep the volumes,” Alexander said, “but we have scanned the images and most title searching is done on the computer.” That’s important because Alexander believes future generations will be unable to read the cursive writing on the document or figure out the system of index cards.

Alexander misses Jericho’s dirt roads and the triangular intersections which have been replaced by T stops for safety. She and a friend on Schillhammer Road used to go on four-hour horseback rides through town but now that land connectivity is gone and there are fewer farms. Alexander is pleased that groups in town are working to try to reestablish those trail connections.

One real positive that Alexander sees in town is a new emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion which she also sees in her physical therapy work. “There’s a whole new outlook for people’s well-being,” she said. “Vermont may have a head start on the nation in that area because we make a lot of decisions locally. We have a strong voice in what we do.”