This Week in History (12/29/22 - 1/5/22)


Gold medalist Kelly Clark was offering locals a chance to ride with her at Mount Snow 20 years ago. File photo

10 years ago:
The Hermitage Club was back in the news for a second week with permit problems at their Haystack development projects. A Vermont Environmental Court judge ordered the Hermitage to immediately halt all work that wasn’t covered under existing permits, and to stabilize areas of “exposed or disturbed” earth. The stabilization order included an unauthorized snowmobile trail on municipal and federal land, as well as other unauthorized or noncompliant work found at Haystack. The unauthorized snowmobile trail crossed a parcel of land placed under conservation to preserve American beech forest, prime bear habitat.

15 years ago:
Two Mount Snow ski patrollers traveled to Bucaramunga, Columbia, to provide medical assistance to local residents. Dr. Ann Bartlett, of Marlboro, and nurse anesthetist Steve Cohen, of Holliston, MA, performed surgeries on patients with cleft lip and/or palate deformities.
For the third year in a row, Wilmington Town Manager Bob Rusten announced a 6-cent drop in the town’s projected tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year. The previous year, the rate had fallen by 8 cents.

20 years ago:
Olympic Gold Medalist Kelly Clark was back in town, and offering local snowboarders a chance to ride with her at Mount Snow. Clark started skiing at Mount Snow at the age of 2, and started competing in snowboard events at the age of 13.
Whitingham School Principal Jurg Jenzer handed in his resignation, saying that he had accomplished his goals at the school, and wanted to move on.
Whitingham Treasurer Jennifer Twitchell resigned, accusing the selectboard of breaching their promises to increase her compensation.

25 years ago:
After two decades on the job, Deerfield Valley Elementary School Principal Don Finck resigned abruptly to take a job in the snowmobile industry. Finck said he had accepted a position in sales management with snowmobile manufacturing giant Arctic Cat. Kathy Larsen, who would later be selected to fill the principal’s position at DVES, said Finck would leave a “real void here” for some time.
Lensey “Buzz” Cole was celebrating his 40th year at Misty Mountain Lodge.

30 years ago:
Deerfield Valley News reporter Bonney Prince wrote about Dorr Fitch – not the road, but the person for whom the road is named. Fitch was a resident of Dover from the late 1800s to his death in 1962. He was a selectman, off and on, beginning in 1906, and fire warden and poundkeeper up until his death at age 87. His house was located at the corner of Dorr Fitch Road and Negus Road.
Whitingham School Board members wrestled with the issue of technology amid a round of budget cuts. The board cut $70,000 from their budget but administrators were asking for $80,000 in new spending on technology. Although the board didn’t resolve the issue during the meeting, school board chair Ann Betit said, “We have got to make up our minds that we are going to educate our children so they will be prepared for the world out there, and it is a computer world.”

35 years ago:
David Epstein, of the Abbey Group, presented plans for further development at Season’s Condominiums in Dover. Epstein planned to build 82 units on 10 acres.
Dover firefighters were called out to two fires, one in East Dover and one in West Dover. The fire at a West Dover house began as a chimney fire that may have smoldered for hours, according to fire investigators. In East Dover, a tenant arrived home to find the house on fire. He rushed into the house and awoke his roommate just in time to escape the blaze.

40 years ago:
Ski areas across New England were struggling, some reporting that business levels were down by more than 50%, thanks to warm, spring-like weather. Larger ski areas, like Mount Snow, were able to make a sufficient amount of snow for the skiers who did show up. Smaller ski areas and cross-country ski centers were waiting for colder weather. Some visitors to the Deerfield Valley “made do.” One inn owner said he packed lunches for his guests, who were taking advantage of the warm weather to go hiking.

50 years ago:
Wilmington Planning Commission Chair Michael Kimack said publicity describing Wilmington as a development “disaster area” was detrimental to the town. Kimack pointed the finger of blame at the Windham Regional Commission, which had described Wilmington as an area where “growth has proceeded uncontrolled” and an example of the need for strict land use regulations.
A new sewage plant, built to serve the Haystack Golf and Country Club development, was completed. At least 30 houses and 15 townhouses were to be hooked up to the new system. Owners of condominiums in the development had expected to move in to their new units a year earlier, but no certificate of occupancy could be issued until the sewer system was operational..

The Deerfield Valley News

797 VT Route 100 North
Wilmington, VT 05363

Phone: 802-464-3388
Fax: 802-464-7255

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