By KEVIN O'CONNOR
Staff Writer
Rutland Herald
December 5, 2007

The Council on the Future of Vermont says it wants to hear the concerns of all 623,908 state residents. So why did members attend a private lunch in Rutland on Tuesday featuring locals with all the power? Because workers at Central Vermont Public Service Corp., the state's largest electric company, had plenty to say.

A cross-section of 28 linemen, meter readers, engineers and support staffers talked about soon-to-expire state contracts for power from Hydro-Quebec and the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. But they also voiced concerns about adequate jobs, affordable housing and health care, as well as how to support schools and an aging population.

"We need to develop consensus on how to replace the vast majority of power sources that might go away," CVPS administrator Joan Gamble said. "As a state, it seems we get too polarized on a lot of these issues. We find it difficult to find common ground and move forward. To me, it's all about balance."

Gamble wasn't alone in her thinking. Council members spent Tuesday meeting with groups of county farmers, students, planners and businesspeople before hosting an evening public forum that drew 50 people to Rutland's Paramount Theatre. The forum was one of many the group is hosting around the state. Many residents voiced concern that the state's population was aging as its percentage of young people who pay taxes and fuel business and government was shrinking. They wondered how the state could attract more individuals and industry yet retain its rural character.

"What I like about Vermontis we're small enough to get things done," CVPS records manager Chuck Piotrowski said. "What scares me is the encroaching look and feel of everywhere else coming here. Let's go forward to the past."

But others feared what that could mean for the state's future.

"There's a real conflict of preserving what is (here) and people being able to do what they want," CVPS lawyer Ken Picton said. "There are people who want to shop at a Best Buy store and don't think that's bad."

In a comparable yet contrasting example, Picton said Vermonters who use electricity don't necessarily want power lines or poles on their land. Others said the tension between the economy and the environment extended to employment.

"We really need jobs here that can sustain a lot of these wants," corporate secretary Mary Marzec said. "It's hard to visualize how average Vermonters in the service industry can fund everything," accounting director Mary Rizk said.

"We have a great opportunity to attract clean, green, smart businesses," lawyer Carolyn Anderson said. But others spoke of the need for more entry-level work.

"We need to be proactive in creating jobs that are going to attract younger people," CVPS spokeswoman ChristineRiversaid.

"There should be a broader balance of jobs," investor specialist Ann Warrell said. "I have a new baby. I don't know what my son is going to want to do, but he may not be interested in finance. He might want to do something with his hands."

People throughout the day spoke of the future not only of Vermont but also of the Rutland region. Several lamented that the county's lack of an interstate highway weakened its economic draw.

"If you're trying to create a central community, the central community has to be alive," CVPS spokesman Steve Costello added. "Bennington is half the size of Rutland but its downtown is far more vibrant."

Others noted that RutlandCity was trying to support local shopkeepers on Merchants Row while neighboring RutlandTown was welcoming big-box chain stores. That caused one person to suggest the two communities merge for the common good of the region.

"We should have an infrastructure that's more powerful and efficient," engineer Bruce Bentley said. "It's going to be hard, but it's something to think about."

That wasn't the only perceived community challenge.

"The concept of local control is a big value in Vermont, but it's difficult to find people to be selectboard and school board members — the grass-roots mechanics of maintaining democracy," information technology director Jeff Monder said. "Even though there's a buy-local movement, I think globalization is going to make it harder to keep Vermont Vermont," engineer John Jockell said. "I think one of the biggest challenges is communities losing their independence."

The nonprofit Vermont Council on Rural Development has formed the Council on the Future to study, as executive director Paul Costello said Tuesday, "do we still have some core values as Vermonters and how do we set some common priorities?"

The council kicked off its forums last month in Randolph and is scheduled to meet in Bennington Jan. 3, St. Albans Jan. 24, Hyde Park Feb. 13, North Hero March 6, Newport March 27, Island Pond April 17, St. Johnsbury May 8, Middlebury May 29, Burlington June 19, Barre July 10, Hartford July 31 and Brattleboro Aug. 21. The council also will seek comment through surveys and on the Internet before reporting its findings in 2009.

Contact Kevin O'Connor at kevin.oconnor@rutlandherald.com.