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If 2010 was the year of political turnover, 2011 was the year of losing longtime staff in both the town and school.

Three weeks into the new year, Milton’s school district hired John Barone as superintendent to replace outgoing Marty Waldron. Barone, previously curriculum and assessment director for the Barre Supervisory Union, has stressed openness and transparency.

Barone has already led the district through challenging and controversial issues, including a case where high school boys used school netbooks to access an email account containing indecent pictures of their female classmates and the recent decision to merge grades seven and eight at the elementary school building.

Through it all, Barone has received praise from the School Board and students for being visible in classrooms and hallways. This was particularly evident during the inaugural Bring Your School Board to School Day when Barone dined amongst students, choosing the ever-popular cafeteria lunch.

Before Barone was hired, however, the school saw the departure of two principals – Sandra Jump, who worked in district for a year, and Laurie Hodgdon, middle school principal for eight years, who took another job in Massachusetts.

The board hired Mary Jane Stinson, Wendy Savery and Jacqui Gale to full principal positions in June. Two months later, Gale resigned for personal reasons.
Georgia Elementary and Middle School also had its fair share of principal-searching.

The Georgia School Board voted unanimously in early November to hire Steve Emery as the permanent K-4 principal at Georgia Elementary & Middle School, a job he held in the interim capacity since January. He stepped up following the unexpected departure of Flora Hurteau, who was on extended medical leave during fall 2010 due to the debilitating Sjögren’s syndrome.

“The last thing I wanted to do was hire two principals in my first year,” Franklin West Supervisory Union superintendent Ned Kirsch said in April. He started July 1, 2010 and had just hired a new principal at Fletcher Elementary School in April.

The search yielded two candidates who couldn’t commit to GEMS. Luckily, Emery, who taught middle school science at GEMS for 16 years, had his administrative licensure and was ready for the next step in his career, Kirsch said.

“[Emery is] someone who fits Georgia very well,” longtime first grade teacher Joan Nye said in the spring.

“Those are huge shoes to fill,” Emery said of Hurteau in April. “She has a lot of great things in place, and I don’t see any great vision of change.”

Milton schools also saw the departure of nine longtime teachers in a retirement buyout. The town also offered a buyout, which was taken by three employees who logged at least 20 years of service. Betty Couture, David Joachim and Loretta Devino took the option, but after a month of retirement, Devino returned, part-time, to the town clerk’s office.

Other veteran staff left without the buyout’s help. Highway crewmembers Howard Beaupre and Bob Smith retired in June, but because they both like plowing so much, they’re on call for big winter storms.

The highway department also joined with buildings and grounds, forming an overall Public Works operation. Dave Antone, previously at the highway helm, also got a new job, so Craig Plumb was hired and started this month in charge of both departments.

Library director Fran Ferro also retired, and the town hired Heidi Cava, who wants to put a greater focus on technology, in her stead. Planning Director Regina Mahony was the last of the three department heads to leave this year.

Results from the 2010 census were released this year, showing a 9.2 percent population increase in Milton from 2000, moving the town from ninth to eighth most populated town in Vermont.

Georgia grew 3.2 percent, a net growth of 140 people, but lost a ranking in state population, dropping from 31st to 32nd most populous town.

Though towns don’t track how many new homes are built, zoning permits give an idea of how a town grows. In 2011, Milton issued 47 permits for single-family homes, multi-family units, accessory apartments and other residential units, Milton Planning Director Carrie Violette said. That’s seven more than last year.

This year saw fewer single-family homes (14 vs. 20 in 2010), and multi-family units were the most popular residences built in Milton. Twenty-nine of those units were permitted this year versus 12 in 2010.

Georgia issued 29 residential zoning permits this year, up five from 25 last year, according to Zoning Administrator Cindy Deyak. The most popular in both years were single-family homes. This year’s 17 is an unusual high, Deyak said.

Both towns also saw growth in town infrastructure. Milton started and finished a portion of the expansive, $3 million town core sewer project, which will lay 2.5 miles of pipes on six heavily traveled roads when complete.

Wastewater Superintendent Roger Hunt said Monday that the project will resume in April to be complete in September.

This year also saw the completion of an expanded public library in Milton. Voters approved the $1.3 million project in March 2010. The project doubled the library’s square footage, adding a kitchen, larger offices, a meeting room, and, of course, space for more books.

Milton’s Middle Road playground also got a makeover this year. The new facility, which includes play structures for toddlers and older kids, opened in July and was funded with the “half-penny for parks” 2009 ballot item, capital improvement funds and a state grant.

2011 was a year of municipal renovations in Georgia, too.

Back in January 2010, voters authorized the town to borrow up to $2.5 million for three municipal projects, but thanks to local donors, the town has only spent $1.58 million.

Shortly before the vote, Bryce Realty offered to build the new fire and rescue station from the ground up, saving taxpayers an estimated $1 million, former Selectboard member Colin Conger said in February.

The station opened in early spring, and a ceremonial wet down honoring the camaraderie among local volunteer firefighters took place in May.

When the Fire Department moved its equipment out of the highway garage, the latter department had more room for its equipment, and the recently completed sand and salt shed added even more space. The 7,200-square foot structure replaced a dilapidated, underused building on Georgia Plains Road.

Also in the spring, Georgia put $115,000 into its municipal building, town administrator Carrie Johnson said in June. Grant money made the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including installing an outdoor ramp and an elevator. Thermal blinds and interior insulation made the building more energy-efficient, she added.

Johnson attributed savings on all three projects to local developers and businesses, namely Bryce, Harrison Concrete, carpenter John Aubin and Flags, Etc., Johnson said.

Though local support has always been strong in Georgia, “It seems more pronounced in the last few years when the town has started the construction projects,” she added.

A major private development in Milton also created headlines this year. Ernie Pomerleau’s Hannaford and shopping center project went through several Development Review Board hearings over a controversy on where the plaza’s entrance would be sited – Centre or Haydenberry drive.

The DRB first approved Pomerleau’s sketch plans showing Haydenberry in February 2010. Concerns about traffic on Haydenberry Drive held up a final decision at the DRB’s hearing in March of this year.

In April, Pomerleau resubmitted plans still showing his desired Haydenberry entrance, despite the DRB’s saying that several town plans show a preference for a traffic light across from Centre. The DRB came back by approving Pomerleau’s project – with a condition he move the entrance back.

“I don’t think anyone realizes the magnitude of the cost and the time,” Pomerleau said at the time. “It seems like a simple thing [to move the entrance], but I’ve got leases that are tied to it.”

Eventually, he relented and moved the entrance. Contacted in July, Pomerleau said he wasn’t sure of his economics, but this month, Pomerleau was more optimistic about the future of an expanded Hannaford and total of 70,900 new retail square feet.

“The economy has not bounced back, but it’s come back a little bit,” he said, noting he’s finalizing negotiations with and has letters of intent from “a number of tenants” to take over retail space. Pomerleau plans to start construction this spring.

Other small business owners celebrated success this year.

Steven and Becky Lamos opened Rocky Ridge Vehicle Storage in Georgia this spring. They converted the former pallet mill into a 7,800-square foot storage facility that offers secure placement for boats, cars, motorcyles and more.

Another Georgia couple, Julie and Craig Quintin, fulfilled their dream of opening a gym. Genesis Fitness on Yankee Park Road opened in June, the perfect birthday present for Julie, who turned 30 days after the ribbon cutting.

Route 7 in Milton also saw some new development. The Savery family bought Milton’s Hometown Sears, and just down the road, the Apollo Diner duo opened Madeleine’s Bakery, which specializes in French pastries.

Another café, Sweet Pea, opened at long last in September after some permitting issues. Customers there enjoy fresh sandwiches, coffee and treats. The same month, Lauren Thompson, a lifelong dancer, opened her own studio, DanceWorks Academy, where students can learn tap, jazz, hip hop and more.

Milton and Georgia voters were feeling generous in 2011, passing both town and school budgets and every ballot item.

The towns were two of only 14 schools to commit to Challenges for Change, a legislative initiative to trim spending. Georgia voters passed the $11,620,071 school budget, a 1.5 percent decrease, 326 to 188.

In Milton, the $23,922,914 school budget passed 696 to 411. Of that, $1,288,765 was funded by grants and $22,634,149 was raised by taxation and other revenue sources. The tax revenue was a .59 percent decrease from the previous year.

The district again ended the year with a fund balance, which was approved to pay for improving the middle-high school’s science labs ($800,000) and two bathrooms there ($150,000). An additional $250,000 was approved to pay off debt from the woodchip heating plant.

Town budgets also passed. Georgians approved the $2,761,987 town budget, 104 to 13. Of that, taxes raised $1,328,774, an increase of one cent on the tax rate.

Milton’s voters approved a $6,171,350 budget with $4,452,663 raised by taxes. The total operating budget was a 4.5 percent increase.

Still, voters approved two capital projects on the ballot. One was replacing a 1998 ambulance, and the other was the aforementioned town core sewer project.

This year saw one of Milton’s greater tragedies when 26-year-old David Driscoll, a 2003 Milton High School graduate, died in a boating accident on Lake Arrowhead on April 12.

The forceful current, wrought by the spring snow melt, proved too strong when the motor failed on Driscoll and fishing companion Sean Scichitano’s aluminum boat.

It pulled the vessel toward the rushing dam, and Milton police officers Charles Brown and Frank Scalise were able to rescue only Scichitano. Crews called off the search at dark.

Brown and Scalise later received medals of valor from the New England Association of Chiefs of Police for their heroic actions that day.

More than 170 community members signed up with Milton Fire and Rescue to help search the river on Friday, April 15, not counting the 59 trained emergency responders, fire Chief Don Turner said. Despite the joint efforts from nearby municipalities and states, Driscoll was still missing. Police Chief Brett Van Noordt vowed to keep searching.

Finally, one day short of a month since the accident, Driscoll’s father, also named David, found his son in the Lamoille River.

The community came together over the death of the young man who was remembered as a generous and lively prankster.

“There was no negative in David,” said Amanda Mobbs, a Maplefields coworker. “He was always laughing, cheerful, easygoing. He always had a smile on his face, and if you didn’t, you’d have one within five minutes.”

The accident at the dam marked the beginning of flooding woes for Milton. Spring floods caused some serious damage that drew both Gov. Peter Shumlin and Congressman Peter Welch to survey Sand Bar State Park that was nearly totally under water.

The Lamoille River jumped its banks, closing part of Route 7 and leaving the park a mess of driftwood and debris. River Street resident Paulette Peltier had to evacuate her home on April 27 after her basement flooded, decimating many personal belongings.

Peltier and her husband returned home the next day, but one Rainbow Place family is still displaced from their home.

Dan and Kathleen Pulling and their toddler Danielle were relegated to a camper after floodwaters finally receded from the private road that lines the Lamoille. They don’t expect to return until after the new year.

The town initially assessed the Pullings’ damage as 30 percent of the structure’s value – not high enough to meet the 50 percent threshold to qualify for increased insurance coverage that the Pullings wanted to use to elevate their home three feet.

The Pullings were determined to make 50, but receipts submitted from builders showed it would cost $14,908 to return their home to pre-flood status. That represents 24 percent of their home’s $62,760 value.

A week after their story ran in the Independent, the Pullings decided they couldn’t rely on the extra funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; they got a permit to elevate their home on October 5. It cost $15,000 and is complete.

Kathleen Pulling, contacted last week, said it was the right choice: When they pulled up the foundation, they found the piers holding their home weren’t very sturdy.

“We’ll have a few years of trying to scrape by to get the savings back, but we’ll figure it out,” Pulling said, adding, “When we get all the snow in January and it starts raining in April, I don’t have to worry about it.”

Though Hurricane Irene left Milton and Georgia alone, students here weren’t blind to the destruction of their home state.

Fifty-eight Georgia first-graders started a Flood of Coins the week after Irene and raised $750 for the Vermont Red Cross, teacher Joan Nye said. Fourth-grader Marcus Aloisi coordinated a school supply drive for Moretown Elementary School, which Irene shuttered until September 19. Some of Marcus’ classmates are still pen-pals with Moretown students.

Milton Elementary School teacher Kendra Gorton, originally from Rutland County, started a “Fill My Van” campaign post-Irene. She drove her personal vehicle to a Restoring Rutland donation center, full of cleaning products, canned goods and bottled water.

Students at both Milton schools donated to the Vermont Foodbank and local foodshelf in the wake of the storm.

This year was also one of celebration, especially for those awarded for being among the best in their field.

Local priest John Feltz was promoted to a full-bird colonel in the U.S. Army just eight days after the new year. Feltz was deployed to Afghanistan as the only Catholic chaplain with the Guard’s Brigade Support Battalion out of Northfield.

Phil Morton of Milton was also named to a top post. He was elected the 83rd Grand Master of the Vermont Freemasons in June. Morton was humbled by the title and said it gives him the chance to meet all sorts of interesting people.

In an entirely different slice of life, big-rig driver Dave McGranaghan earned an all-expenses-paid trip to Florida after winning Vermont Grand Champion in the American Trucking Association’s National Truck Driving Championships in August. And Milton native Jamie Dragon was crowned Miss Vermont USA after six years of competing and never taking the top spot.

Finally, Milton High School’s drama department took the state title for the second year in a row for its one act play. This year, the crew put on a condensed version of “Macbeth,” proving that in 2011, a play written more than 400 years ago is still relevant.