The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page 13

OtlBurlinstonJfrtePress Classified 5B Vermont Crossword 6B Employment 5B Real Estate 9B Automotive 11B Mall opponents5 appeals denie criteria. The groups were denied party status to the hearings under the criteria of the law that requires the mall developers to demonstrate that their proposal complies with regional plans. The mall would be built at Taft Corners, the intersection of U.S. 2 and Vermont 2A. The groups were admitted as parties under other criteria, such as air pollution and traffic, but they contend admission to the hearings under the regional plan criteria is crucial to their cause.

The cities of Burlington and Winooski also appealed the decision of the District 4 Environmental Commission denying them status under other criteria of the law. Their appeals also were denied by SECTION Friday, December 23, 1988 City Editor, Sam Hemingway Phone: 863-3471, ext. 2017 State notes Burlington man denies sexual assault charge Francis L. Hamlin, 49, of Burlington denied for the second time in less than a week, a charge of sexual assault on a girl. Hamlin pleaded innocent in Vermont District Court Thursday to a charge of sexual assault on a pre-teen girl.

Last Friday, Hamlin pleaded innocent to a similar charge involving a teen-age girl. A police affidavit said the pre-teen girl told state Social and Rehabilitation Services officials that Hamlin had sexually assaulted her twice during the last month. A court report said the other girl told police Hamlin had been assaulting her for several years. blues tt-! i My' Vr- ft! f- r. IT; fs the board.

The board denied two additional requests. The first was from the state Natural Resources Agency, which asked for a delay of the Act 250 hearings until the Public Service Board decides whether to allow the relocation of a transmission line that runs through the mall property. The second, which Frank contends is the crucial part of the decision, was a request by Burlington that the Vermont Electric Power owner of the transmission line, be forced to apply for the land-use permit along with Maple Tree Place. The board denied all the motions, but only because, according to the opinion, they were filed at the wrong time. Decorators in South Burlington.

Last fresh-cut firs Moffatt's family does the actual cutting itself. For this reason, Moffatt said he will not be hurt financially. "Since we raise our own, we're OK," he said, "but guys who pay will be worse off." Trees prices have been running anywhere from $10 to $60 this season and most dealers said they have not raised those prices during the past few years. Bob Pariseau, a 40-year veteran of Christmas tree sales, is still selling his trees for an average of $30 each, depending on the tree. Pariseau, Gaulin and Moffatt all said the hottest sellers this year seem to be Fraser firs, balsams and Scotch pines.

But first-time tree dealer Rod Campbell believes only in his balsam firs. Campbell said he has sold about 500 this year, all at $35 each. He called his trees premium show trees and said that has made a difference in his sales. Turn to TREE.3B ADAM RIESNER, Frc Pr.il By Kevin Ellis Free Press Staff Writer The state Environmental Board rejected Thursday a series of requests from opponents of a proposed Williston shopping mall that could have delayed, if not killed, the project. The developer of the Maple Tree Place mall, Ben Frank, hailed the decision as a "major victory" for his project, while mall opponents were perplexed.

The board refused to allow two citizens groups, Williston Citizens for Responsible Growth and the Vermont Natural Resources Council, to become parties to the Act 250 hearings on the mall under one of the land-use law's 'They're just not says Rick year, most of his Christmas trees Tree dealers left By Bridget Barry Free Press Staff Writer For most businesses, today and Saturday will be busy days as last-minute shoppers race through the aisles, but for many Christmas tree salespeople the season will end with a surplus of trees. Local dealers of fresh-cut trees, accustomed to having empty tree lots with two shopping days until Christmas, say they still have anywhere from 10 to 100 trees each left to sell. The reason is apparently a glut of trees on the market. More tree dealers have set up business in Chittenden County this year than in years past, and the increased competition has meant an abundance of trees. "We've never had this many left over," said Rick Gaulin, "We have about 50 trees right now and normally we only have between two and 10." Gaulin's parents, Bob and Doris The balsam 1 1 1 1 V-U sW 1 I 'Deck the It said the parties could resubmit their appeals and requests at the conclusion of the Act 250 hearings.

If those appeals are successful, the citizens groups, for example, could testify about the criteria under which they were denied status. "It's a major victory for Maple Tree Place," Frank said. "There was a major effort by our opponents to stop the (Act 250) hearings cold. It may seem esoteric to some, but it is a great victory for us." The mall's opponents admitted defeat on this issue. Harvey Carter, the lawyer for the citizens groups, said the decision denies the groups the chance to argue evidence at the District Commission level.

Clavelle resigns position By Lisa Scagliotti Free Press Staff Writer Peter Clavelle Thursday resigned as head of Burlington's Community and Economic Development Office to avoid any potential conflict over his heading the federally funded office while running for mayor. Clavelle, in a Nov. 29 letter to Mayor Bernard Sanders, said he would resign if he won the Progressive Coalition's endorsement for mayor. He won the endorsement Dec. 8, and his resignation will CLAVELLE take effect Jan.

30 the day nominating petitions for the city election are due. Clavelle position is funded by the federal government. Under the Hatch Act of 1939, people may not participate in partisan elections if they are federal employees or if they work for state or local agencies that receive federal funds. In Clavelle letter to Sanders, he did not concede that city elections are partisan within the context of the federal law. "However, I do not want the issue of the applicability of the Hatch Act to become a political issue during the impending campaign.

Nor do I want it to become a legal issue for the city of Burlington," he wrote. Nonetheless, Clavelle said he thought it best not to cloud the campaign by Turn to CLAVELLE, 3B 3 suspects in drug bust still in jail By Ian Polumbaum Free Press Staff Writer Lawyers for three suspects in one of Vermont's largest marijuana busts failed to get them out of jail Thursday after attacking the government's case as full of innuendoes. U.S. Magistrate Jerome Niedermeier said William Riley, 26, of Underhill and Jeffrey Sizemore, 29, of Bradenton, must be presumed dangerous to society due to the seriousness of drug offenses. Vincent Mazza, 35, of Golden Beach, also will be held without bail while his Burlington lawyer, Joseph Kershaw, prepares a bid to get his case dismissed.

Another hearing is scheduled Jan. 3. The three were arrested at a South Burlington motel Tuesday night after, a prosecutor charged, they met several times to arrange for 1,200 pounds of marijuana to be shipped to Vermont. U.S. Attorney George Terwilliger III said the bust broke a major cocaine and marijuana trafficking ring.

Seized the same night were 140 pounds of marijuana allegedly the first shipment of the deal from Riley's house and a car he is accused of driving to his home; and $44,980 in cash from the motel Turn to SUSPECTS, 3B either clear or arrest if there is evidence. "This is probably the most inappropriate thing a correctional officer can do," Turner said. He said if a guard is involved in misconduct, the department does not want him or her around. If the guard is clean, the department will stand behind him or her, Turner said. Turner said when a similar complaint happened at St.

Albans about a month ago, the guard was cleared and an inmate charged with providing false Information. Waterbury Village Manager William Shepeluk and Williston Town Manager Paul McGinley said that once the criminal cases are resolved, their respective communities will determine Desorda's future employment status. JKjjjj Hamlin is scheduled to appear in court on the charges next month. If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000, for each sexual assault charge. In 1981, Hamlin's brother, Louis A.

Hamlin II, was sentenced to six to 15 years on a similar charge. Charges were brought after police seized pornographic material from Hamlin II's home during an investigation of his son, Louis A. Hamlin III, for murder and sexual assault. St. Albans barracks lauded for drug busts WATERBURY The St.

Albans barracks of the Vermont State Police has been named the top office for marijuana busts in 1988. The barracks, one of 12 maintained by the state, was responsible for eliminating 1,060 out of the 5,757 marijuana plants seized by troopers during the year, Major John H. Sinclair, chief of the criminal division, said Thursday. An additional 1,400 so-called marijuana "ditch weeds" were also confiscated statewide by troopers during the year, Sinclair said. The award was accepted by Senior Trooper Ralph Chilton, who coordinated the seizures for the barracks, which covers Franklin and Grand Isle counties.

The St. Johnsbury barracks won the award in the last two years. The award, established in 1984, first went to the Middlesex barracks and then the troopers in Derby. Shelburne man injured in automobile accident Edward Valenti, 23, of Shelburne was in critical condition Thursday following a spectacular crash that split in half the car he was riding in on Shelburne Road earlier in the day, South Burlington police said. Gregory Vail, 24, of Shelburne, the owner of the car, was In good condition, a Medical Center Hospital spokesman said.

Police Chief John Race said the car was going at least 70 mph when the accident occurred near Queen City Park Road. The vehicle collided with a second car and struck a utility pole in a service station lot, and then sheered off a second utility pole, police said. The car continued until it hit an embankment at the Maple Leaf Motel. Race said the southbound car split in half behind the front seat and the two parts stopped about 200 feet apart in the 1:15 a.m. crash.

1 Police did not know which man was driving. Two people in the second car, Peter Ladensack, 23, and Douglas Chandler, 21, whose hometowns were unknown to police, escaped serious injury, officials said. Restaurant sends Lucky on Christmas voyage The Associated Press BERLIN Lucky the lobster has gone back to sea, thanks to an outpouring of support for the 17-pound crustacean from staff and customers at the Fisherman's Galley seafood restaurant. Waitresses at the restaurant took up a collection to pay for the giant critter and Ray its expenses for a trip to Portsmouth, I.H., where it boarded a lobster boat for the trip out to sea. "The chef and I packed him up and off he went," said restaurant manager Paul Renaud.

Lucky, wrapped in salt-water-soaked paper, traveled In an Insulated box with ice packs. Lobsters can breathe out of water. Lucky's driver was Shelley Pierce, a waitress and one of his most ardent supporters. Renaud said one of the restaurant's reasons for giving up Lucky was that it needed room in its tank for other, more normal-sized lobsters. Inside Births.

2B Day In court- 5B Gaulin of Sleigh Bells Seasonal were sold by this time, Gaulin said. with hundreds of Gaulin, own Sleigh Bells in South Burlington. They have been selling Christmas trees and wreaths for 13 years, with their son running the tree end of the business for the last three years. The younger Gaulin said he has sold about 400 to 500 trees this season, said but business has been slower than usual because of the increase in dealers. He said next year the family will reduce its order.

Andy Moffatt has been selling about 500 Christmas trees each season for the last 26 years. But with only a few days left until Christmas, Moffatt's Dorset Street stand in South Burlington still has at least 100 trees on the lot. Moffatt said there are definitely more dealers in the area, but he couldn't put the blame solely on the new entrepreneurs. Unlike some tree dealers who purchase their supply from other sources, boughs' Prison guard arrested in drug smuggling case said. The investigation began about three weeks ago after police were told about drugs being smuggled into the prison, Blais said.

Both the phone and ln-person conversations between the undercover woman and Desorda were monitored by police, Blais said. Instead of using actual cocaine in the case, police used a powder that looked like the drug, Blais said. Vermont law now includes trafficking in so-called "look-alike" drugs as a criminal offense. The original information about possible drug smuggling came from the correctional center, said Richard Turner, director of security for the state department. He said whenever a criminal complaint is filed, state police are called in to By Mike Donoghue Free Press Staff Writer Investigation of an alleged drug smuggling scheme at the Chittenden Community Correctional Center has lead to the arrest of an Essex Junction man who works as a guard and part-time police officer.

Peter J. Desorda, 22, was arrested on charges of accepting a bribe, negligence of duty by a public officer and unlawful distribution of a non-controlled substance Tuesday night, state police said. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Vermont District Court on the three misdemeanor charges Jan. 30. Desorda was arrested after he walked into the jail with a package that he was told contained cocaine, Detective Sgt.

Leo P. Blais said. A woman, posing as the sister of an Inmate, allegedly paid Desorda $200 to bring the cocaine into the prison for her brother, Blais Bald. The woman was actually an undercover detective from the Southern Vermont Drug Task Force, Blais said. "I don't want to talk about it," said Desorda when asked if he planned to contest the charges.

The village of Waterbury and town of Williston, which employ Desorda as a part-time patrolman, have suspended him without pay from all law enforcement duties, officials said. Desorda, who has been a "temporary employee" for the Corrections Department since July 1986, is not expected to return to work, Assistant Superintendent Joseph Symerskl said. "We just won't call him any more," he.