The Readsboro Memorial Bridge is about five miles south of the intersection of Routes 100 and 8.
READSBORO, Vt. — The deteriorating Readsboro Memorial Bridge over the Deerfield River is set to be replaced with $25.8 million in federal funds.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the award last week, making Readsboro the only recipient in the Northeast for funding in this round of the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program.
The state's congressional delegation, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, and U.S. Rep. Becca Balin, applauded the investment. The federal funding, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will improve and help complete street enhancements, create accessible sidewalks, and improve safety in Readsboro.
"Bolstering Vermont's infrastructure is crucial to ensuring the safety, security, and success of families, workers, and people traveling through the Green Mountain State. We're pleased to see this investment of more than $25 million, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, benefit Bennington County," the delegation stated in joint release. "The replacement of the Readsboro Bridge will boost Southern Vermont's critical infrastructure, improve safety and accessibility, and make Readsboro more resilient to extreme weather."
Bridge No. 25 was built in 1954, replacing the High Bridge that had been in use for 63 years. The 340-foot-long span cost $400,000 and was dedicated on July 4, 1955, to six Readsboro natives who had died in World War II and Korea. Nearly 2,000 people attended the opening, which included a ribbon cutting by then Gov. Joseph Johnson and a parade with a band and floats and Emma Ross, who at 90 was the town's oldest resident.
The new 287-foot bridge will incorporate historic preservation features to honor the character and history of the span and will have a wider sidewalk for pedestrians to cross safely while reducing vehicle traffic. The improved bridge will also be built to better withstand extreme weather events driven by climate change — including Vermont's floods of 2023 and 2024 — with improved drainage systems.
The estimated total cost is $33 million, according to the Vermont Department of Transportation.
"The need to update our infrastructure is something we can all agree on and is long overdue in many of our rural towns," said Gov. Phil Scott. "Making smart investments in projects like this one is important to revitalizing our communities for Vermonters and visitors."
The Vermont delegation urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to support the replacement of the Readsboro Bridge in March 2024. Construction is expected to start this summer and be completed by the winter of 2028. Traffic will be maintained using phased construction and some weekend closure periods with an off-site detour for major stages of construction.
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Sage City Symphony Winter Concert
BENNINGTON, Vt. — On Sunday, Feb. 8 at 4:00 p.m. at Greenwall Auditorium in the VAPA Building at Bennington College, Sage City Symphony will present a concert featuring "Concerto for 2 Cellos" by Vivaldi, "Serenade #11 for Wind Octet" by Mozart, "Pulcinella Suite" Stravinsky and "Siegfried-Idyll" by Wagner.
Admission is free and open to all.
The soloists for the Vivaldi Double Concerto are Annabelle Hoffman and Perri Morris;
Cellist, Annabelle Hoffman has toured with the NY Philharmonic, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Sinfonietta Salzburg and the American Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in the Mostly Mozart Festival, Marlboro Festival, and Aspen Festival. On Broadway, Annabelle has performed in the pit orchestras of Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Carousel, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Aladdin, War Paint, Sunset Boulevard, The Visit and A Grand Night for Singing. In addition to performing, Annabelle also teaches and coaches chamber music. She has been on the faculty of The Calhoun School, the 92nd Street Y, Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and The Berkshire School of Music.
Cellist Perri Morris studied cello with Michael Finckel, Lawrence Lesser, Ronald Feldman, and Aldo Parisot. She earned a bachelor's degree in Music Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, a master's degree in Music Performance from U-Mass Amherst, and later earned a B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College. She has participated in music festivals at Tanglewood, Spoleto Festival of the Two Worlds, and The Waterloo Music Festival, Gerard Schwartz, dir. Ms. Morris has been a member of the faculties at Mount Holyoke College, West Texas A&M, Keene State College and Westfield State College. She served as Assistant Principal Cello of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, in Massachusetts, for 19 years. A resident of Bennington, Vermont, Ms. Morris performs with the Vermont, Springfield, MA, Glens Falls Symphony and Berkshire Symphonies. She is the Principal Cello with Opera North and the Vermont Opera Company. Ms. Morris is a faculty member of the Berkshire Music School and has private teaching studios in Bennington and Williamstown, Mass.
The program will be led by two conductors, Gerald Lanoue of Bennington and Diane Bargiel of Poultney VT
Gerald Lanoue D.M.A., a Bennington Vermont native, is an active conductor and bassoonist in the Upstate New York and Southern Vermont area. Dr. Lanoue is privileged to be the music director for the Music Company Orchestra and is currently the principal bassoonist with the Sage City Symphony. He received an undergraduate education at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam New York and a masters and doctorate at the University of Southern California. He studied conducting with Douglas Lowry, past Dean and conductor at the Eastman School of Music, as well as John Barnett, the associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dr. Lanoue has served on the faculties of Riverside Community College and Santa Monica College. While in California he was an active orchestral and chamber musician serving as Principal Bassoon for the Bakersfield Symphony, Los Angeles Classical Ballet, Redlands Symphony, and the American Youth Symphony. He has performed most notably with Daniel Lewis, Yehuda Gilad, Jerry Goldsmith, Michael Kamien and Zubin Mehta.
Diane Bargiel received her Bachelor of Music degree in clarinet from the Dana School of Music, a Master of Music in clarinet from Michigan State University, Certification in Music Education from Carnegie Mellon University, and a certificate in Arts Administration from New York University. Diane also concentrated on conducting in graduate conducting seminars with Eugene Corporon, lessons with William Wiedrich, seven workshops with Larry Rachleff and Robert Cameron, and additional workshops with Allan McMurray, Elizabeth Green, Frank Battisti and others. In 2021, she retired from SUNY Adirondack as the last Humanities division chair and Associate Professor of Music. In 2015, Prof. Bargiel received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities and in 1995 while at Susquehanna University, was presented the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Diane has been the principal clarinetist of the Sage City since 2012.
Ms. Bargiel currently serves on the board of New England Arts Presenters as the chair of its Engagement committee, and is an adjunct at Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, Vermont. Other professional highlights include having been president of the New York Association of College Music Programs, president of Pennsylvania Presenters, a board member of Arts Presenters of Northern New England, the Pennsylvania state chair of the College Band Directors National Association, a member of the first Creative Communities Council of Windham County (VT), a planning committee member for the first Performing Arts Exchange that covered the entire East Coast, and was also a conductor and panelist at the 2000 CBDNA Eastern Regional Conference at Yale University, among numerous other roles and volunteer involvement. A resident of Poultney, Vermont, Diane had served on the first Poultney 2020 planning committee, is a past board member of the Killington section of the Green Mountain Club, and is a past executive director and board member of Stone Valley Arts in Poultney.
Coggins Auto Group is also involved in events that benefit the community, including its popular annual charity golf tournament that funds local charities and organizations such as the Bennington Little League.
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