Hartland News

A Midwinter Dance Party, February 11

2012-02-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

Hartland Community Arts presents A Midwinter Dance Party

Saturday, 11 Februrary 2012 at 7 pm, Damon Hall, VT
Admission: $5 per person, or $10 per family

Do you feel like you've been hibernating too long? Are the long dark evenings eroding your social energy? Hartland Community Arts has the cure for your cabin fever.

Come out and dance the night away at the first annual Midwinter Dance Party on Saturday, the 11'th of February at 7 pm at Damon Hall. We will feature an eclectic mix of dance music from old standards to current hits, delivered via Hartland's fabulous new sound system. There will be food, fun, and maybe a contest or two. All we need is YOU, and all you need is a pair of comfortable shoes to help us heat up the floor. Mark your calendar, and beat a path to Damon Hall to dance away the winter blues.

This is a family friendly, alcohol free event. All are welcome.
For more information: Richard Crowley, 802-281-9145, or rickybw@aol.com
www.hartlandcommunityarts.org

PACE to be on ballot at Town Meeting

2012-01-30T05:12:00.000-08:00

Pace is on the ballot for this Town Meeting, I am not planning on holding an informational meeting so I thought I'd post this page about it here. If you have another place it should be posted please let me know.
Thanks, Karl Kemnitzer, kkem@vermontel.net

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) District

Vermont towns can vote to create a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) District, which helps homeowners finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Efficiency Vermont will act as the administrator of the program for towns and provide funding. The owners of each project pay the loan back with an extra payment attached to their property tax bill. Vermont has set up two reserve funds to protect towns against defaults. This program is paid for only by the people who use it.

Vermonters spend 60% more than the national average to heat their homes (about $800 million a year, most of which leaves the state), due to a cold climate and having the second oldest housing in the country. Weatherization can easily reduce this amount by 20% to 30%, but the up front costs are a major stumbling block for most energy projects, and more financing methods are needed.

To use a PACE loan, a homeowner would have a qualified contractor do an estimate, (Efficiency VT has a list of weatherization contractors, and Renewable Energy Vermont has a list of renewable energy partners, Do It Yourself projects are not eligible), and then submit an application with a fee to the town clerk, who checks that the tax information is correct.

-Efficiency Vermont then evaluates the project, and approved homeowners sign an agreement with the town o have a lien attached to the property. After the finished project is inspected, Efficiency Vermont issues a check.

-The homeowner pays the loan back on their property tax bill, and when it is fully repaid the lien is removed.

The loan is tied to the property, not the homeowner. Efficiency Vermont will take into account the cost savings from a project, and the loan will be for 10, 15, or 20 years, so more homeowners may qualify than might for a Home Equity Loan. The lien automatically transfers to a new owner, making it easier to sell a house. The savings in heating or energy costs should be greater than the cost of the project, so the new payments are predicted to be 10-15% less than the old energy bill. This is a selling point for a house, but if a purchaser wishes to have the lien removed, it can be paid in full with no penalty.

The PACE legislation (Vermont Statute Title 24, Chapter 87, subchapter 2, 3261-3271) has 5 criteria for loans, and towns are allowed to make these limits more restrictive if they choose:
-PACE can be used for residential properties of 1-4 units, condo units, or mobile homes, but not for commercial properties.
-The maximum amount that can be financed is 15% of the assessed value of the property, with a cap at $30,000.
-The total amount of the PACE loan plus any other mortgages cannot be more than 90% of the assessed value of the property.
-A homeowner cannot have any late property tax payments for 3 years prior to the PACE application.
-A list of eligible projects can be found on the Efficiency Vermont website.

Efficiency Vermont will be running the program, with administration and financing provided by it's parent organization Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC). Based on national statistics, VEIC has estimated that about 6 houses a year in Hartland will use PACE. The state legislation set up two loan loss reserve funds to protect towns in case of defaults, the first is from a 2% charge that is part of the loans, and the second is 5% of the state's income from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) fund. These funds are for the uncollectable defaults only, not the balance of the lien, which will be taken over by the new owner. The PACE interest rate will vary with the market each year, and is predicted to be 1-2% higher than a 30 year fixed rate mortgage. VEIC has been working with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the Municipal Bond Bank, BISHCA, the State Treasurer, and NMREC (provides tax programs to towns) on standard procedures and forms.

Hartland Energy Committee

2012-01-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

Hartland Garden Club 2012 Calendar

January 8th Sunday, Hartland Public Library, 3pm

-“The language of flowers speaks to anyone who has ever pored over a seed catalog and dreamed of spring...”

Bring a garden reading, story or poem to share with the group. Susan Botzow will be making Mocha Bavarian Cream for a winter treat!

February 5th, Sunday, Hartland Public Library, 3pm

-Master Gardener, Tina Barney, shares her experience growing fruit trees in Hartland. Think peaches, hardy kiwi and more!

Co-sponsored by the Windsor Chapter of Extension Master Gardeners.

March 4th, Sunday, Hartland Public Library, 3pm

-Robin French of the Windsor Floral Shoppe will share secrets on how to create easy floral arrangements at home and how to make a perfect bow.

March 31st, Saturday, Hartland Public Library, 3 pm

-Movie, "Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for our Time"

April

-No meeting

May 6th, Sunday, Damon Hall, 4pm

-Need some spring garden inspiration? Roger Swain, the former host of "The Victory Garden" on PBS, will speak to us about The New Victory Garden. Q & A after the presentation.

May 20th, Sunday, Hartland Public Library, 9 am

-Spring Cleanup and planting on The Wall

May 26th, Saturday, Damon Hall, 8am-12pm

-Memorial Day Plant Sale

Summer Garden Tours

-June 3rd, Sunday, 4pm

Brita Bergland and Peter Mittenthal, Woodland Garden

"Our garden is a woodland garden with many ground covers, a pond, moss garden, and perennials. We garden by ourselves and the longer we do, the garden seems to guide us as well. This is not the usual blooming garden in June. It will be more about textures, ground covers, and contours of space."

July 4th- Old Home Day

August 5th, Sunday, 4pm

-A special garden tour TBA

September 16th, Sunday, 4pm

-Pierre Fournier's garden tour. Wander through Pierre's colorful and whimsical woodland garden that has evolved over the past twenty years.

October 14th, Sunday 5pm

-Annual Meeting and Potluck

November 4th, Sunday, Hartland Public Library, 10am

-Fall cleanup and planting on the wall

December 2nd, Sunday, 4pm

-Holiday pot luck party

-Our Vice President Prudence Merton presents simple holiday decorations with dried and fresh natural materials.

Hartland Garden Club

c/o Linda Schneider

292 Clay Hill Road

Hartland, VT 05048