This Week in History: October 23 - 29

10 years ago:
Hermitage Club owner Jim Barnes reached an agreement with the US Attorney’s office in Vermont over unauthorized snowmobile trail work that took place on Green Mountain National Forest land at Haystack. Barnes and the Hermitage Club were fined $25,000 and required to pay $47,000 in restitution for repairs to the Deerfield Valley Ridge Trail. National Forest officials described the damage as “significant unauthorized excavation” that threatened to damage the surrounding public lands from erosion. 
15 years ago:
East Dover's fire rescue truck was stolen from the department's fire station on Dover Road. The missing truck wasn't discovered until police received a call from a motorist on Interstate 91, reporting that the truck was southbound near the Bernardston, MA, exit. Police and fire officials were mystified as to why anyone would steal such an easily recognized vehicle, speculating that it might be destined for a parts “chop shop.” The truck was eventually found parked at the Rensselaer, NY, Amtrak station.
Wilmington Fire Chief Ken March was tapped to serve as interim town manager following the departure of Wilmington Town Manager Bob Rusten.
20 years ago:
The owners of Maple Leaf Brewery sought a zoning permit in an ongoing battle to add more seating to their pub. Darren Fehring and Mark Marchionni first applied for a permit to increase capacity from 25 to 85 seats in 2004. An ensuing battle over parking involved the town and neighbors who argued that, because the pub had no onsite parking, patrons of the establishment would park at their nearby inn, depriving the inn's guests and restaurant patrons of parking. The town changed its zoning regulations so that parking was no longer a requirement in the downtown area, and vowed to provide municipal parking.
25 years ago:
Readsboro teachers were outraged after the school board rejected a report by a federal fact finder that recommended pay raises, and took the unusual step of imposing a contract. Although the town spent just $12 per pupil above the state’s block grant, the board’s attorney said pay raises were “just too expensive and not the direction they want to go.”
The Vermont Council on Rural Development planned a “community visit” in Wilmington. The purpose of the visit was to bring community members together to brainstorm and discuss local issues and priorities.
30 years ago:
Business owners and employees met to debate the valley’s future at a meeting sponsored by Vision 2000+. The meeting devolved into a complaint session, with business owners complaining about employees and visitors, and employees complaining about employers and visitors. Taddingers owner Jim Knabe said “It goes both ways. Some tourists think we’re hicks, some people here call them coneheads and flatlanders.”
35 years ago:
A Midwest real estate broker contacted the town of Dover to see if they would be interested in selling their 11-acre landfill on Dorr Fitch Road, which was to be closed by July 1992. The broker noted that reclaiming landfill sites for agriculture, and harvesting methane from closed landfills, were “big business” in the Midwest.
The town of Dover was facing budget pressure from a drop in revenue. Thanks to a downturn in the economy, filing fees and zoning fees had fallen drastically, and there was more than $650,000 in back taxes outstanding.
40 years ago:
A “sewer crisis” in Dover was averted thanks to an agreement between North Branch Fire District and the state. According to the state, Dover’s sewer capacity was overextended, and if all of the businesses and developers holding certificates were to use their entire allotment, the plant would be at capacity. The agreement between the state and sewer district outlined a long-range plan and avoided a moratorium on development.
More than 40 members of the Porsche Club of Connecticut were in town for a rally. Club members left Connecticut at intervals of one minute, and were expected to arrive at Timber Creek Condominiums within 60 seconds of an allotted time. Only one club member didn’t show up at the finish, and another was delayed after he hit a duck, according to organizers.
45 years ago:
Henry Wheeler and Hillary Cooke were involved in a project to convert sugar beets to fuel alcohol. According to Deerfield Valley News writer Kent Pierce, Wheeler grew the beets and built a “contraption” for the project. “Using an age-old steam boiler from the Covey Funeral Home, an old radiator reworked into operation by Wheeler, a couple of storage tanks, a pair of 10-foot iron columns, and appropriate piping and pumps, the two men have put the conversion system in place.” After harvesting and fermenting the beets, the “contraption” produced a 190-proof alcohol that could be used in most vehicles with only a minor adjustment to the carburetor.
55 years ago:
Suzi “Chapstick” Chaffee, of Rutland, was awarded the New England Council Winter Sports Conference Silver Bowl for her outstanding contributions to winter sports in New England. The evening included a showing of a segment of a television special produced by The Deerfield Valley News publisher Ed Pickett featuring Chaffee and Mount Snow’s Reudi Wyrsch.
David Switz, a graduate student at North Adams State College, was a student-teacher at Wilmington High School.
Mount Snow General Manager John Christie took to the slopes on Mixing Bowl after three inches of snow blanketed the region. Christie joked that he expected better skiing later in the season.