Carla OccasoA Corporal and a Citizen Save a Life
MONTPELIER — The Montpelier Police Department presented Life Saving Awards to Corporal Jonathan Bullard and Louis Pregent for their heroic actions following a motorcycle crash on lower State Street June 2. Pregent helped an injured motorcyclist by applying an improvised tourniquet to control life-threatening bleeding, per a press release from the Montpelier Police Department. Upon arrival, Cpl. Bullard quickly replaced the improvised tourniquet with a department-issued tourniquet, helping stabilize the patient until EMS personnel took over. Paramedics later said the patient survived in part because of the rapid hemorrhage control given at the scene. Bullard also regularly trains fellow MPD officers in hemorrhage control, tourniquet application, and other critical medical interventions.
East Montpelier Gets New Tree Warden
EAST MONTPELIER — New Tree Warden Hazen Stoufer has replaced recently retired East Montpelier Tree Warden Paul Cate, according to an article in the East Montpelier Signpost written by Paul and Sandal Cate. Paul Cate had been awarded the Larry Hamilton Award at the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program this year in honor of his work serving East Montpelier for over 40 years. The selectboard appointed the new tree warden earlier this spring. Stoufer attended college to be an arborist and works as a mower and landscaper.
Safety Issues Plague Plainfield
PLAINFIELD — Three aggressive pit bulls from an illegally established encampment on an abandoned Brook Road property have caused anxiety among neighbors, according to the July 13 minutes of the selectboard. Constable Daniel Caddy and Animal Control Officer Peter Yasus reported that the dogs have chased people, causing some to carry firearms for self-defense. Additionally, there has been a rise in neighborhood thefts, such as a stolen laptop. Caddy said he plans to coordinate law enforcement pressure towards these issues with the Vermont State Police, minutes state.
Middlesex Ponders Class 4 Road Policy
MIDDLESEX — Residents of a 0.3 mile stretch of South Bear Swamp Road in Middlesex are seeking to reclassify the road from a Class 4 to a Class 3, according to minutes from public hearings held earlier this year. Discussion has come up in previous years as well, with the selectboard declining the change each time. The issue sparks controversy because residents on other Class-4 roads in town would like their road to be upgraded as well, which would drive up the overall budget. The issue has apparently led to some bad blood among residents and officials, as indicated by the negative comments recorded among them in the minutes, which recounted several instances of accusations and insults. And it came up again including at the July 7 meeting during which the selectboard members agreed to continue to work on the Class 4 Road Policy. The topic was not on the July 14 agenda.
