Road Construction Notice: Tadmer Road in Pawlet to be closed to through traffic during the week of August 8. The Highway Crew will be working on Tadmer Road during this time.   

Act 46 Merger Study Committee Meetings (Pawlet/Rupert/Wells), Monday, August 8, 6:30 PM, Wells Village School: Act 46 is the new education reform law which will require school district mergers in the near future.

Vermont Primary Election, Tuesday, August 9: This election is being held to vote for candidates for these offices: U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, Auditor of Accounts, Attorney General, State Senator(s), Sate Representative(s) and High Bailiff. The polls will open at 9 AM and close at 7 PM, located at the Pawlet Town Hall, 122 School Street. Sample ballots can be viewed at: http://pawlet.vt.gov/town-offices/town-clerk/ . Please note: Voters will be given 3 ballots to take to the voting booth. ONLY one ballot will be marked. All three ballots will then be taken by the voter to the exit checklist table. The two unvoted ballots will be handed by the voter to a designated elections official who will then deposit the unvoted ballots into an unvoted ballot box. The voted ballot will be taken by the voter and deposited into the vote tabulator. No one will be asked to declare or specify a party. Thank you, Deb Hawkins, Town Clerk

Town-wide Reappraisal Update: The Pawlet Town Listers have completed a town-wide reappraisal. This has been a major project for the town. Many factors influenced the need for this project.  (For details see “Listers’ Report” in the 2013 Town Report.) The Listers are available Monday – Wednesday from 9 AM – 3 PM. Grievance hearings will begin on August 12, 2016 at 9:00 AM. For more information, see Official Notice of Change of Appraisal. The Lister may be contacted at 802-325-3309 ext.4. Thank you, Listers Elaine Decker, Karen Folger, Charles Mason.

Memo to Pawlet Taxpayers: Per the August 2 Select Board meeting, please be advised that the first installment of property taxes this year will not be due until October 10.  In lieu of the reappraisal just being finalized, we have decided it will be prudent to wait until the taxpayers have had a chance to go through the grievance process if they so wish before setting the final tax rate.  We anticipate tax bills will go in the mail around the first week of September. If there are any questions, feel free to contact my office. Thank you, Judy Coolidge, Town Treasurer. 

Flood resiliency workshops and community gathering:  The Poultney Mettowee Conservation District and the Rutland Regional Planning Commission are working on flood resiliency education, planning and project implementation in the Flower Brook Watershed shared by Tinmouth, Danby, and Pawlet. This involves a series of summer events leading up to a three-town gathering on August 28, 2016 (the 5^th anniversary of TS Irene) from 11-2 at Edie’s Green in Pawlet Village. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Hilary Solomon, PMNRCD at (802) 287-8339; hilary@pmnrcd.org or Elysa Smigielski, RRPC at (802)779-4454; elysa@rutlandrpc.org. Upcoming events are:

• August 13: Flower Brook Hike: Explore Your Watershed – Led by Conservation District Manager, Hilary Solomon, this hike along Flower Brook from Danby to Pawlet will explore the results of weather and land use changes on a sensitive landscape.  Please wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for a several mile hike along an abandoned road.  Some off-trail walking will be included.  Meet at Lilly Hill Road and the Pawlet Danby Road at 9:00 AM for this informational hike.
• August 28: Community Event: Tropical Storm Irene, Five Years Later – Where Are We Now? – Join the three towns of Tinmouth, Danby, and Pawlet for a Flower Brook Community Event on August 28 from 11 AM – 2 PM at Edie’s Green in Pawlet. Presenters include Ned Swanberg, VT DEC Rivers Program; Ethan Swift, VT DEC Watershed Coordinator; and Hilary Soloman, PMNRCD Director. There will also be Tropical Storm Irene Photo and Story Displays. There is great fun for the kids as well: Wonderfeet Museum and the Rutland Area Food and Farm Link (RAFFL) will have hands-on activities, and there will be a Watershed Model and Flume Table: an interactive display with sand and running water that helps users visualize how dynamic streams interact with the landscape.  We’ll have pizza, BBQ, pies and ice cream for sale and rousing music by Spruce Knob Uprising. For those who would like to explore the stream and to better understand its dynamic potential, there will be a hike along the Flower Brook from 2-4 PM starting from Edie’s Green. 

Upcoming Pawlet Town Government and School Meetings: All meetings are open to the public and are held at the Pawlet Town Hall on School Street.

• Select Board, Tuesday, August 16 and August 30, 7 PM. If you have a specific topic to discuss with the board and wish to be added to the agenda, please notify Tim at pawletselectbrd@vermontel.netby the Friday before the meeting you are planning to attend. The meeting agenda is posted at the Pawlet and West Pawlet Post Offices and on the town website at least 2 days in advance.
• Energy Group, Monday, August 22, 12 PM.
• Pawlet Planning Commission, Monday, August 22, 7:30 PM.

Notice of Tax Sales: Properties will be sold at public auction at the Pawlet Town Office, a public place located at 122 School St. – Pawlet on the 17th day of August, 2016, 12:30 PM:

• Parcel ID#0153-2648; E911 address: 2648 Route 153 South
• Parcel ID#0027-0229; E911 address: 229 Robinson Hill Rd.

Detailed information on each property can be found at the Town Office during regular business hours as posted.

Modified Office Hours for Town Clerk during August: Please note the following “modified” office hours for the Town Clerk for a few dates in August:

• Wednesday, August 10, the office will be open from 9-12
• Thursday, August 11, the office will be open from 9-12 (this is the regular schedule for Thursdays)
• Monday, August 22, the office will be open from 9-12
• Tuesday, August 23, the office will be open from 9-12
• Wednesday, August 24, the office will open from 9-12
• Thursday, August 25, 2016, the office will be open from 9-12 (this is the regular schedule for Thursday)

The town offices will be closed Monday, September 5th in observance of Labor Day!

A History of Pawlet and Beyond Through Excavated Objects, Thursday, August 18, 7 PM, Chriss Monroe Chapel: The Pawlett Historical Society hosts this presentation by Ken Major at the Chriss Monroe Chapel, located on Cemetery Hill Road (off VT-30, adjacent to and rising past the Pawlet Post Office) in Pawlet. Major will use artifacts excavated from Pawlet and other townships in the Mettowee Valley area to explore its fascinating history, from colonial-era settlement into the early 20^th century. Ken Major is a metal detecting hobbyist who lives in Pawlet. Professionally, he is a licensed psychologist-doctorate in Vermont and Chairperson of the Vermont Psychological Association’s Ethics Committee. This PHS event is free, accessible to people with disabilities, and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. Visitors are asked to park outside the cemetery fence and to walk the fifty yards to the chapel. Those who find this walk to be difficult may be driven or drive up to the chapel door and park within the cemetery fence. If you have questions about this PHS presentation, please contact Steve Williams at 802-645-9529.

20^th Annual Art on Edie’s Green, Saturday, August 20, 10 AM – 4 PM, Pawlet Village: This event is a major fundraiser for the Pawlet Scholarship Committee which provides scholarships to Pawlet and West Pawlet residents 18 years and older who plan to attend college or continue their education. Please plan on stopping by, supporting your local artists and facilitating someone’s education. The artists donate 20% of their profits to support the scholarship fund. Stop by to enjoy works in all media, plus food, music and fun! For more information or to participate as a contributing artist, contact Anita Pomerance, skyshows@vermontel.net, 325-3786 or Facebook “Art on Edie’s Green.”

West Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department Auction, Thursday, August 25, West Pawlet Firehouse: The auction event begins at 5:30 p.m. and continues until all items are gone. Auctioneer for the event will be Chriss Mars. The many bargains will include antiques, tools, tables, dressers, mirrors, an old school desk, knick-knacks, glassware, toys and more. All items will be available to view starting at 4 PM. The auction is a charity event in support of the West Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department.  The proceeds from donated items help the department’s general operating costs and for much-needed equipment and training programs. Donated items for the auction are now being gladly accepted by the department.  Please contact the department for assistance getting items to the auction site. Food will be available for purchase; the menu includes grilled burgers, hot dogs and French fried potatoes. Contact:  Dave Hosley, 802-645-0158.

One Night Only, August 29, 4:30 PM, Mexican Monday Returns to The Pawlet Station to Benefit Mettawee School Generator Fund: The team returns for one night to cook up the Mexican Monday menu that everyone loved. Tom, Stacy and Mark Rees will prepare their Mexican Monday favorites, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Mettawee School Generator Fund. Enjoy fish tacos with their citrus cilantro verde sauce, slow roasted beef burritos with chipotle sour cream, house-made salsa & guacamole, and more. Margaritas will be poured, and of course the tequila watermelon will be waiting for you! The Pawlet Station team has volunteered along with other members of the Pawlet community to make this happen in support of the Generator Fund. The Mettawee School is an American Red Cross-certified shelter for the community in the event of major disasters: however, the school needs a generator in order to be able to accommodate the people of Pawlet overnight. A FEMA grant has been awarded for 75% of the cost, but the remaining $16,200 must be raised locally from the public. This is a first come, first served! Enjoy a margarita while you wait. Cash & checks only please. See you there! For more information, contact Bob Morlino, robertm850@aol.com.

Desert Storm Veterans Memorial Highway:  We have petitioned Vermont State Board of Transportation asking that Vermont Route 22A from Fair Haven in the south to Ferrisburgh in the north be named “The Desert Storm Veterans Memorial Highway.” We have asked all 10 town select boards along Route 22A for their support. The Board will meet in Shoreham at 6 PM on August 17 at the Platt Memorial Library, 279 Main Street, to conduct a public hearing on this request. Please support this tribute to Desert Storm Veterans by writing to the Vermont Board of Transportation, Attention: John Zicconi, 14 Baldwin Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 and asking them to name Vermont Route 22A, “The Desert Storm Veterans Memorial Highway.” Thank you, Steve Leach, U.S. Army Retired, VT State VFW Committee Chairman to name VT Route 22A.

Host Families needed: CIEE is a non-profit agency that coordinates foreign exchange students and has been designated by the State Department to supervise the students when they come into the country.  Our mission is to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world. We have students coming to Vermont for the 2015-2016 high school year and we need to find them homes and families. We accept all kinds of families – kids, no kids, empty nesters, single parents, and so on. The main requirement is kindness and a willingness to learn about a foreign culture. Our students have the appropriate visa, medical insurance and pay for all of their own expenses, with the exception of food and utilities. Students are between the ages of 15-18. A family may act as a welcome family and bring the student into your community for a part of their experience as well. Please contact me if you are interested in helping. Thank you, Virginia Doss, CIEE Regional Director, 300 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101,  vdoss@ciee.org, 207-553-7812, ciee.org/highschool/host.

Rutland Area Visiting Nurse offers monthly community health clinics: The Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice sponsors a wide range of clinics for area residents and businesses, including health education, screening, testing, and adult immunizations. For more information visit http://vermontvisitingnurses.org/events/categories/rutland-area/ to learn about their flu and foot care clinics; cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure screenings; and many other important services.