Letters: Thanks to the Fire Departments for Saving Our House, and Idyllic Vermont - Not!
June 30, 2011, page 3.....

Prompt and devoted response saved our house
 
 We are writing to express enormous gratitude to our local fire departments. 
On June 16, a fire broke out at our house on McNeil Cove Road in Charlotte and continued for a number of hours.  Because of the prompt, continuous and devoted response from the fire departments the house was saved. More than 80 firefighters arrived on the scene to contain the blaze and put it out. 
It was a very hot day and the conditions inside the house were extreme. Several firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion but we are very grateful that no one was hurt in the blaze. 
We so appreciate the dedicated and timely response. In addition to Charlotte Fire and Rescue and Shelburne, departments from Ferrisburgh, Hinesburg, South Burlington, Monkton, Bristol and Addison arrived on the scene to help. Supporting the firefighters, the Shelburne Police and many EMTs worked continuously to assure the safety and wellbeing of all in attendance. 
These teams deserve a great deal of credit and we are honored to be part of the community they serve with such dedication and expertise.

Ro and Eliza Browning
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Idyllic Vermont – NOT!

On June 20, The Charlotte News received an e-mailed letter to the editor about the firing range on Lime Kiln Road. The writer chose to remain anonymous, and did not confirm address or phone number to enable us to authenticate the message. However, we have heard similar concerns from others who also do not want to speak openly about the issue. For that reason we are printing a few of the comments from the June 20 letter.
“ I was recently in your beautiful state visiting a friend in the Charlotte area. I was very excited to come to this state and experience the unspoiled environment. As Mark Pendergrast put it in his book, Vermont Scenes and Seasons, “One of the sources of Vermonters pride is that, unlike many other states, Vermont has taken extra measures to assure future generations the same opportunity to appreciate its beauty and healthy living.”
“There is an open sore in the Charlotte area… It is called a gravel pit used for shooting practice. From what I understand it began innocently enough – an Olympic sharpshooter was given permission to shoot on the farmer’s property years ago. Everyone made concessions so he could shoot. It has turned into a monster.
“Every day, from morning till night, you hear assault rifles and automatic weapons firing round after round – these are not just hunting rifles – these are very loud guns used in wars.
“….not only do you have the danger of shooters, you have the outrageous noise pollution. The folks who live around this shooting farm have no respite. They cannot plan a BBQ outside on the lawn without the threat of a war zone atmosphere breaking out at any moment. From morning till night, every day – the noise pollution is sometimes deafening. Most towns have a noise ordinance – does Charlotte? If not – they REALLY need one. Even if they just had a designated time that the noise was restricted – it would be better for the folks living in the area.”

A Visitor to Vermont