NORTH BENNINGTON — Anyone thinking about raising children in Vermont may want to consider North Bennington first. That’s what Business Week says in its recent “2010 Best Place to Raise Your Kids” ranking.

In the business magazine’s annual selection of the top municipalities in each state to raise children, the most heavily weighted criteria considered the affordability, safety and school test scores in each.
Also considered were the number of schools, household expenditures, air quality, job growth, family incomes, diversity, museums, parks, theaters and other amenities of each town.

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The following has been reprinted from the Battenkill Business Journal, November 2009.
By TRICIA N. HAYES

The possibility of generating hydroelectricity to power the Bennington College campus and some homes is a license away, if Bill Scully gets his way.

In June, Scully and wife Maria Scully purchased the former Vermont Tissue mill on the Walloomsac River next to the Paper Mill covered bridge.

The couple hopes to restore the historic 12,000-square-foot-building with 27-foot-tall ceilings, and refurbish the dam and hydroelectric power station to generate 250 kilowatts annually. The dam predates the entrance of Vermont into the Union as the 14th state. It powered the mill until its decommissioning in the 1950s.

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The Bennington VT real estate market is defined as the market towns of Arlington, Sunderland, Sandgate, Shaftsbury, Bennington, Old Bennington, North Bennington, Woodford and Pownal.

These statistics were compiled as of: October 5, 2009

The following statistics are for the market area.
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Southwest Vermont Career Development Center Students Build State-of-the-Art Home

I sit on the Board of Directors of the Building Trades Department of the Career Development Center which teaches high school students building trades through the actual building of a house. This press release was produced by Efficiency Vermont in recognition of the most recent homes energy efficiency features.

Local Teachers Occupy Energy Efficient Residence

North Bennington, Vt. – Students from the Southwest Vermont Career Development Center
teamed up with the nonprofit Building Trades Corporation, Blue Heron Construction and
Efficiency Vermont to construct a house that serves as a model of energy efficiency both for the
students who built it and for the residents who are thrilled to occupy it.

Laurie and John Camelio, two local educators with a combined 50 years of experience in the
Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union, wanted a house that that was more energy efficient and
closer to town than the wood-stove-heated house (complemented by a Monitor heating system) in
Sandgate they had occupied for 30 years.

“As teachers and members of the community, we like the idea of supporting the students at the
Southwest Vermont Career Development Center,” said the Camelios.

Approximately two dozen vocational students worked on the Camelio’s new house, garnering
incredible work experience in the process. According to Jim Gilbert of the Southwest Vermont
Career Development Center’s Building Trades group, almost every student who participated in
the construction program went on to a job in the industry.

The construction of the Camelio’s North Bennington home was made possible by the Building
Trades Corporation, a nonprofit corporation affiliated with the Southwest Vermont Career
Development Center that provides the vision and funding for the student-staffed building projects.
Chairman Jim Goodine, who also is an owner of Blue Heron Construction, noted that local
craftsmen – specialists in plumbing, electric, HVAC, etc. – on the Career Development Center
committee led the team effort.

When Jay Walsh of Efficiency Vermont inspected the Camelio’s new home prior to the final
touches completed by the residents, he noted how well it had been constructed.

“You would never know that this house had been built by students,” said Walsh. “The quality is
good, from the tight building envelope to the ventilation to the appliances and lighting. This
residence is very energy efficient.”

The house received a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) score of 58. The HERS scale starts
at 100, with each one-point reduction corresponding to a one percent reduction in energy
consumption. Thus, the Camelio’s home is roughly 42 percent more energy efficient than a
standard home. Key energy efficiency features of the ENERGY STAR® -Rated house include:
• Foam insulation that acts as an air and sound barrier.
• High-performance windows and doors that contribute to the efficiency of the building.
• Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) that supplies fresh air while exhausting stale air. The
system also recovers between 60-75 percent of the heat being exhausted and preheats
the fresh air as it is brought into the home.
• ENERGY STAR-Rated products that can reduce energy typically consumed by up to 75
percent for lighting and 10 percent for appliances.

During their first winter in their new home, the Camelios were amazed at its energy performance.
The house was comfortable because the heating level was always the same, which was not

possible in the Camelio’s prior home that was heated by a wood stove. This year, the Camelios
burned only one tank of fuel during the entire winter-heating season and they were more
comfortable.

Building Trades Corporation chairman Jim Goodine is excited to have had the opportunity to work
with the next generation of home builders in Vermont, noting that Efficiency Vermont was a great
partner throughout the entire process.

“We’ve got students building state-of-the-art energy efficient homes,” said Goodine. “To me,
that’s pretty incredible, and a great sign of things to come.”

Efficiency Vermont was created by the Vermont Legislature and the Vermont Public Service
Board to help all Vermonters reduce energy costs, strengthen the economy, and protect
Vermont’s environment. Efficiency Vermont is currently operated by Vermont Energy Investment
Corporation (VEIC), an independent organization under contract to the Vermont Public Service
Board. VEIC is a Vermont-based nonprofit organization founded in 1986. For more information,
contact Efficiency Vermont at 888-921-5990 or visit www.efficiencyvermont.com.

Bennington VT, North Bennington VT, Press Release

Each year the Bennington County area Maple Sugar Makers open their sugar shacks in order to show the public how maple syrup is made.  This year Maple Sunday is on March 25. (more…)

Bennington will be celebrating Winter with a festival on February 2, 3 and 4.

The Winter Festival will be a fun filled three days of fun and activites for every member of the family.

Highlights include:

• Ice Sculpture Contest – Carvers will be working all weekend, with judging on Sunday
• Student Art Show – Free admission at the Bennington Museum
• Penguin Plunge – Lake Paran in North Bennington – jump in the icy waters or cheer on the brave ones; benefits Special Olympics
• Concert – featuring Bob Stannard and Mark Toistrup at the Bennington Center for the Arts
• Chili contest and bonfire
• Wagon rides
• Dining and Shopping specials all weekend

A complete Bennington Winter Festival schedule of events is available.