Charest and Douglas discuss shared concerns
Premier Charest and Governor Douglas reviewProgress on Agreements and shared concernsBurlington, August 3, 2004-Québec Premier Jean Charest and VermontGovernor Jim Douglas met Tuesday at ECHO at the Leahy Center for LakeChamplain in Burlington, Vermont, to review progress made under the Cooperation Agreement Between the Government of Québec and theGovernment of the State of Vermont and discuss shared concerns includingsecurity, environmental issues surrounding lakes Champlain andMemphremagog, and the extension of Highway 35 in Québec.Progress has been made in many areas under the Québec-Vermont agreementsigned in December 2003, including* Establishment of a joint Québec-Vermont committee to draw upand monitor the 2004-2005 action plan* Renewal of agreements on lakes Champlain and Memphremagog, aswell as the acceleration of measures under the Missisquoi Bay phosphorousreduction agreement* Frequent information exchange meetings between the VermontState Police, the Department of Homeland Security, and Sûreté du Québec”I’m delighted to meet again with Governor Douglas to strengthen ourspecial ties to the State of Vermont, a neighbor with whom Québec has longhad a rich, solid relationship based on many shared interests. Québec andVermont share security concerns, bodies of water requiring cleanup andprotection, and a road system in need of improvement. The governor and Iare on the same wavelength regarding the importance of these issues andwhat must be done. For example, we have agreed to tighten the deadline forMissisquoi Bay cleanup work aimed at reducing phosphorous content from2016 to 2009,” said the premier.Governor Douglas said he considers Québec to be Vermont’s most importantinternational ally. “It continues to be a great pleasure to work withPremier Charest. He shares my concern for several issues of mutual ofimportance, and it is a particular pleasure to welcome him, and hisdelegation, to the beautiful state of Vermont,” Governor Douglas added.”Together, we have identified areas were we can build on our relationshipand work cooperatively to improve and protect our environment, oursecurity, and our commerce-and I am pleased to report that we are makingsteady progress.”Among other issues, Governor Douglas and Premier Charest agreed on open,transparent participation in the international working group establishedby the joint international committee regarding the bridge linking Alburgand Swanton, Vermont.The Governor and the Premier also discussed expansion of the sanitarylandfill in Coventry, Vermont, and the extension of Highway 35 in Québec,as well as security issues, including the participation of domesticsecurity directors from Vermont and Québec at the Northeast HomelandSecurity Directors meeting to be held in Québec City on August 5 and 6.###
Next Step Consulting, LLC FormedDr. Daniel J. Fleming, a veteran of more than 25 years as a manager, corporate officer, and Corporate Director in semiconductor and semiconductor equipment companies, has established Next Step Consulting, LLC to provide technical and management consulting services to technology companies. Prior to this, Dan was COO of JMAR Technologies (South Burlington, VT), CEO of SAL (South Burlington, VT), VP Engineering and Customer Support at SVGL (Wilton, CT), and an executive with IBM MicroElectronics.
SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT Matthew Cohen the owner of Pinnacle Properties, a landscape installation and maintenance services company located in South Burlington, has announced that Chad Ransom has joined the growing company. Chad brings over 10 years experience in masonry craftsmanship allowing Pinnacle Properties to add hardscape installations to its already wide range of landscaping services. The company previously offered the installation of trees, shrubs, planting beds and various other commercial and residential property maintenance services. Now, with the addition of hardscapes, the companys already diverse list of services will include patios, retaining walls, walkways, outdoor living spaces and much more.
Week Ending May 23, 2009. There were 958 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 422 from the week before. Altogether 15,386 new and continuing claims were filed, 951 less than a week ago and 7,809 more than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,629 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 162 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 1,095 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program which is a decrease of 284 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/(link is external). Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc(link is external)
Northstar Vermont Yankee,An inspection Friday by Vermont Yankee engineers and technicians revealed a dime/quarter size hole at an elbow in a 1 to 1.5 inch diameter AOG drain line, according to a statement released late Friday afternoon. Water and steam Could be seen coming from this hole. Concrete blocks at the junction of the Advanced Off Gas pipe tunnel and the OG-100 drain line connection have been removed allowing telescopic camera and Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) inspection of the tunnel.The ROV inspection of the Advanced Off Gas pipe tunnel and the AOG drain pipe identified to be leaking water continues today, with completion expected tomorrow. The inspection will allow engineers to determine the source for the small amount of leakage remaining internal to the tunnel and develop additional remediation steps that can be taken to completely eliminate the leak. As previously reported, water coming from the pipe is not reaching the environment. The water is being collected in a sump for processing through plant systems as designed. Preliminary planning for both soil and groundwater remediation actions has commenced.Also, the installation of a new groundwater monitoring well is expected to be completed today. This well will help to further characterize groundwater flow at the site. Tritium levels in test wells have been going down. The Vermont Department of Health and Nuclear Regulatory Commission personnel are at Vermont Yankee monitoring the investigation.Ongoing engineering activities include pipe identification and locations where guided wave technology can be used to inspect piping; inspection options to confirm the integrity of the Condensate Storage Tank; and the installation of two new monitoring wells. One well is to be located between GZ-10 and GZ-7, very near the CST. Installation of the second well, to be located between the Containment access Building and the Construction Office Building will commence this weekend. Down hole geo-physics testing of five wells is complete; the final well will be completed next week. The purpose of this testing is to determine the structure of the bedrock and will help engineers and hydrology experts to better understand how groundwater flows beneath the site.While this investigation continues, it is important to note that there has been no detectable tritium levels found in any samples taken from drinking water wells or the river.For more details on the tritium investigation, the Vermont Department of Health has a thorough status report on the investigation at this web link: http://healthvermont.gov/enviro/rad/yankee/tritium.aspx(link is external)Source: Vermont Yankee. 3.5.2010
The Vermont Community Foundation announced that its Special and Urgent Needs – Irene Recovery Fund has awarded a total of $185,000 to 40 Vermont nonprofit organizations impacted by Tropical Storm Irene since its creation in early September. As of November 30, total contributions received or pledged to the fund exceeded $369,000.Grants awarded to date have been available to nonprofits, schools, and municipal entities that sustained damage from Irene or face significant resource challenges in providing services for those affected by Irene. The fund will continue to make grants to these organizations and has announced that it will expand its grantmaking to include community relief funds and programs that provide financial assistance to individuals and families impacted by Irene.‘Thanks to the generous outpouring of support for the fund, we are able to grant more money to help those programs most in need, including local relief funds and programs that support individuals and families,’ said Stuart Comstock-Gay, president & CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation. ‘We’re aware that many affected organizations are still lining up sources of funding and we continue to encourage them to apply.’In order to receive a grant, community relief funds and programs must be administered by a town, church, or registered 501c3 organization, or have one of those entities serving as a fiscal sponsor.The Community Foundation continues to accept applications from nonprofits, schools, municipal entities, and relief programs and funds. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and grant decisions awarding up to $5,000 are made within 14 business days of application submissions. The Special and Urgent Needs-Irene Recovery Fund does not provide grants directly to individuals or businesses.Visit www.vtfloodresponse.org(link is external) to apply for a grant, to make a contribution, or to read stories about grant recipients. The website was established by the Community Foundation to provide detailed, updated information about the Foundation’s Irene recovery efforts, including grants available and grants awarded. It also has a comprehensive list of flood resources and other useful information about Irene recovery work being done by other organizations.The Vermont Community Foundation has been helping donors give to the causes and organizations they care about since 1986. It is Vermont’s largest homegrown grantmaker. Together, its family of over 600 funds provides more than $10 million in grants per year. In addition, it helps keep Vermont’s nonprofit community vital by offering endowment management and planned giving services, and providing leadership in charitable giving of all kinds. Visit www.vermontcf.org(link is external) or call 802-388-3355 for more information.