Rutland Daily Herald from Rutland, Vermont • 12

12 Rutland Daily Herald Saturday Morning, March 18, 1995 Dole Train Continued from Page One Continued from Page One term alternatives for passenger service to the state. But he was not so keen on the subsidy itself, which will come from the Transportation Fund. Theres no way I would consent to having an annual fee of this magnitude, Mazza said. Future alternatives could include service through the western side of the state, from New York City to Burlington, via Whitehall, N.Y., and Rutland. Dean and other officials said they remained committed to pursuing that alternative.

I am determined to push ahead on the western route, Dean said. I really do want rail service in Rutland if we can possibly do it. Administration officials and the Legislature have so far held off, however, on budgeting funds for capital improvements needed on that route. They say that firmer cost estimates are required. The Vermonter will make regular stops in Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Claremont, N.H., White River Junction, Montpelier, Waterbury, Essex Junction, and St.

Albans. that it would end the Montrealer service as part of its national costcutting efforts. Dean credited legislative leaders like Sen. Richard Mazza, I) Grand Isle, and Rep. Richard Pembroke, D-Bennington, with helping to bring the deal to fruition.

He also singled out Glenn Gers-haneck, the deputy secretary of Transportation, for hard work in recent months to bring Amtrak down from its original demand of a $2 million subsidy. And Dean said that although his dealings with Amtrak had involved some bureaucratic problems, he was pleased by the railroads cooperative attitude in the negotiations. Its true we had to work very hard, but they are a big corporation with lots of problems, Dean said. Remington said both sides acted in good faith all along. There was the usual give and take in coming to a number, Remington said.

The important thing is we did reach an amenable solution here. Mazza, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, said that he was glad to have a years breathing room to consider long- rive in Washington at 11:15 p.m. The northbound train will arrive in St. Albans at 10:15 p.m. Travel times will also be shorter through the Connecticut River Valley, according to Amtrak spokesman Richard Remington.

Currently, it takes 15 hours to get from the nations capitol to St. Albans on the Montrealer. More aggressive marketing by state organizations and by Amtrak will raise the routes regional profile. The new service will make stops near Hartford, and Springfield, drawing urban travelers who formerly were too far from the Montrealers stops to make the trip worthwhile. In addition, Amtrak has agreed to raise fares along the route by roughly 20 percent as a means of gaining revenues.

The one-way fare between St. Albans and Washington is now $96. The new fare would be roughly $115. Amtrak announced in December that is not going to be in vain." Sen. Thomas A.

Daschle of South Dakota, the Democratic leader, said, We will be on the floor a long time if he wants to repeal the assault weapons ban." Sixty votes are needed to break a filibuster; there are 54 Republicans in the Senate. Dole's pledge sets the stage for a confrontation with President Clinton, who has vowed since the Republican victory in November to fight against any attempt to roll back the assault weapons ban. A lot of people laid down their seats in Congress so that police officers and kids wouldn't have to lay down their lives under a hail of assault weapon attack, and I will not let that be repealed, Clinton said in his State of the Union Message. Friday, a White House spokeswoman, Ginny Terzano, said Clinton remained committed to that pledge. I hope the Republicans in Congress have the good sense to not let the House and Senate become the chambers of the special interests, she said.

Polls have shown that four-fifths of the public support the gun ban, which outlaws the sale of 19 types of assault weapons. But the fact that Dole has raised the issue, even in a letter intended to be kept private, indicates that he believes he controls the votes to undo parts or all of the crime bill, including the gun ban. To lose on such a public fight would cause mqjor damage to Doles political standing and his presidential campaign. Robert Walker, the legislative director for Handgun Control a lobbying group, said that there is more than enough support for repeal in the House of Representatives, where the NRA has given 225 of the 435 members its top ratings in terms of support for its causes. In the Senate, Walker said, there are 48 members who either voted for last years law or have stated that they support gun control.

Its not clear today which way the tally would go in the Senate, Walker said Friday. Bob Dole said in January that he did not have the votes; he obviously now thinks he does. Handgun Control is led by Sarah Brady, the wife of James S. Brady, the former White House press secretary who was severely wounded during the 1981 assassination attempt against President Reagan. Since then, however, Dole has seen a chief rival for the nomination, Sen.

Phil Gramm of Texas, pick up support from conservative voters whose backing will be crucial. Dole was unavailable for an interview Friday, but his office issued a statement in which he called the complaints about his promise an attempt to shift the focus from Democratic votes to defeat the balanced budget From the outset of this Congress, it has been our intention to consider anti-crime legislation in the months ahead, and our focus will be on punishing criminals, not limiting the freedom of law-abiding Americans," Dole said. It is my view that the Senate will consider repealing the gun ban passed as part of last years pork-laden crime bill. The reaction from Democrats was swifl and stern. Should this issue come up on the floor of the Senate, I will launch the mother of all filibusters, said Sen.

Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who wrote the assault weapons amendment to the crime bill last year. A lot of political capital has been shed on this issue, and Tracks Continued from Page One Navin Continued from Page One ure saw deep cuts in the Department of Public Works budget and staff. During that time, he and the administration sought to make numerous DPW jobs private, often losing the battle in grievances brought by the union that represents public works employees. So his relations with workers were often stormy. I hate to see anybody lose their job, but he was a hard man to work with, said Richard Battles, the unions local president.

Navin earned public ire when the city billed an elderly local resident $110 for removing a skunk for her lawn. Navin eventually offered to cut the bill in half. I cut it in half for her because was crying, Navin said at the timfe. But he did not forgive the bill He added that Navin had always been a strong advocate for improving neighborhoods that had been neglected before he was hired in 1989. He acknowledged, however, that Navins style was a problem.

There have been occasions when Bobs sense of humor was not appreciated, but I dont think he ever intended it in a mean or unkind Hes gotten more performance for less money than anybody whos ever been in that job, Wennberg said. We were fortunate to have him. Navins most recent salary was $52,000, the highest salary in the administration. Wennberg said he would inform aldermen at their meeting Monday about his strategy for finding a replacement. until he was forced to by the aider-men.

Everyone pays some are old, some are young, Navin had said. In 1990, he shut off water service to the Rutland City Fairgrounds. Most recently, he was the focus of anger of Phillips Street residents, who said Navin was indifferent to their concerns over dirty water in their neighborhood. But Wennberg sought to highlight Navins achievements. And he argued that the commissioners job was often a thankless one, because it so often required saying no to citizens.

He noted that during Navins tenure, the city had paved 35 miles of streets, upgraded the sevfrage treatment plant twice, and constructed a $6 million water filtration plant due on line later this year. the price of bringing the tracks up to par would be cut by nearly $2 million, according to Vermont Railway officials. But there is a bigger hurdle to jump, called switch-point protection. The term refers to an electronic sensing system that warns engineers 4,000 yards ahead of time if a train switch is in the wrong position, allowing time to stop before the switch. The system is very costly Amtrak estimates upward of $2 million for the Rutland to Whitehall route.

Vermont Railway argues that there are some points where it simply is not needed. Pennington, the Vermont Railway president, points out that in Fair Haven, for instance, the close-hugging ledge would force a train to slow down no matter what, leaving time for less costly switch-point warning systems. But Remington said Amtrak is unlikely to compromise on the point. The basic policy is that for safety reasons, we have to have it, Remington said. He added that Amtrak expected to work up a new proposal on costs for track renovations by next week.

At that point, the Legislature may be able to consider whether it wants to foot part or all of the bill. lent of the interstate highway that was built on the eastern side of Vermont. While Amtrak will make the decision about whether to start such a service to Rutland, the state and Vermont Railway will be expected to foot the bill. Vermont Railway says the tracks need somewhere between $3.5 million and $4 million in improvements to allow trains to run at the speeds Amtrak says is necessary to make the line commercially viable. Amtrak at first said at least $8 million would be needed, but is showing some willingness to compromise.

Amtrak spokesman Richard Remington said that the railroad was willing to consider alternatives to a continuously welded rail it had at first demanded for 12 miles of the route. Vermont Railway believes that is not necessary, given that the line will see much lighter usage than other Amtrak lines. They hope that less expensive track, or even the track that is already there will be sufficient. They have proposed using the existing tracks and double-checking them with a specialized ultrasonic detector, which in previous tests has shown the track to be sound. If that alternative is accepted, necessary.

Swampland idled by. Canvasback ducks took off from Castleton River, winging over fields just shaking off the last winter snows. Closer to the villages Rutland Town, Castleton, Fair Haven typical detritus emerged into view: an old Volkswagen Bug split in two, couches, discarded slabs of marble big enough to crack a foundation. Itd be good to do something about that, said Munger. But stuff like that we cant control, he adds, between blasts of the diesel-electric engines horn.

Two children in snowsuits wave at the Pullman car as it moves though Fair Haven. The train slows there to 5 mph, because rock-ledge makes for a very tight squeeze. The ledge will likely prove too costly to do anything about. But there are many other things that can be done: strengthening bridges, replacing tracks, installing better signal equipment, shoring up embankments. The debate over costs has been rumbling since earlier this year, when Amtrak said that given enough capital investment a train run from New York City to Rutland could actually turn a profit.

The western side of the state sees nhe possibility of a route as a solution to the long-promised equiva Vaccine Continued from Page One The American Academy of Pediatrics, the leading association for pediatricians, said it would soon recommend the vaccine for all children and for adolescents and adults who have not had the disease. The academy is working with an expert committee on immunization practices that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a federal agency in Atlanta, to draft consistent guidelines for use of the vaccine. Each state will decide whether to add chicken pox to the list of vaccines required for admission to school. The states usually follow guidelines set by the pediatrics and centers advisory groups, a spokesman for the pediatric academy said. For parents, the federal agencys approval means they can take children under the age of 13 who have not had chicken pox to doctors and clinics for a single injection of the vaccine.

For those 13 years and older, the recommendation is for this country. All indications are that it will be long-lasting, agency officials said, but since such studies have run for only a few years, scientists cannot say with certainty how long the protection will last. If the immunity wanes over time, those vaccinated might get the disease as adults when the illness can be more serious. Still another question is whether the vaccine will also prevent shingles, a painful condition that often develops decades after an attack of chicken pox. The vaccine contains a live weakened strain of the chicken pox virus that causes an infection that produces no symptoms.

Theoretically, the virus could re-emerge later in life to cause shingles, which is also called herpes zoster. Studies to date indicate there is no increased risk of shingles among the vaccines, Dr. R. Gordon DouglaB an official of Merck, said in an interview. two doses to be given 4 to 8 weeks apart.

No booster shot is recommended for either group. Any recommendation is likely to be debated because of controversies that have swirled around the vaccine since its initial development in a different form in the mid-1960s. The main focus of controversy is whether chicken pox, whose skin lesions are itchy but rarely fatal, is serious enough to prevent with a vaccine. Though complications from the disease are rare, they do add up because about 4 million Americans develop chicken pox each year. About 90 percent of the cases occur before the age of 15 and 95 percent by young adulthood.

There is a higher risk of serious complications when the disease develops in adolescents and adults. Another question is how long the vaccine will protect against chicken pox. The FDA said that the vaccine had been tested in 11,000 people in Tax SUPER HIGH RATES WITH YOUR MONEY ALWAYS AVAILABLE AND ACCESSIBLE. Compare the Green Mountain Bank with any other account in the market. SUPER NOW gives you: Highest rates available on checking accounts No maturities or early withdrawal penalties Unlimited check writing capability FDIC insured unlike brokerage money markets ATM access to your money anytime Super flexibility combined with high rates for your savings So keep your money accessible while it grows.

For more details, stop by any of our community banking offices or call us toll-free at 1-800-622-4237 Continued from Page One lature should try to adjourn in the next week or two if the two major reform initiatives were dead for this year. The House and Senate had set April 12 as the date to wrap up this years session. Last years session dragged into mid-June, in part, because the Senate Republican leader kept making assurances that property tax reform would be forthcoming from the Senate. In the end, the Senate passed a bill the House clearly would not accept, and property tax reform died. Obuchowski told Webster Friday that he did not want to create false hopes about the prospects for property tax reform if it was evident now that nothing would pass.

It would be fairer to say to the people of the state its not going to happen, if thats the case, said Obuchowski. Webster said one of his committee members, Sen. Matt Krauss, R-Washington, was out sick, and that would delay deliberations. However, Webster said he thought he would have a better idea within a week. If we cant do this by the end of next week, then we probably cant do it, said Webster.

Webster, who is Senate president pro tempore, the highest elected leader in the full Senate, supports property tax reform and has been working in his Senate Finance Committee to draft a bill. But Senate Republicans met in a secret caucus Wednesday morning, and a majority reportedly voted against one of the central elements of most property tax reform plans, sharing of property taxes between property rich and property poor communities. Gear is also a member of the Senate Finance Committee. She said Friday that she liked the concept of equalized yield contained in the House bill. That is a formula that assures that towns that have the same property tax rates can generate the same amount of money per student.

The formula requires that communities with large property tax bases and low tax rates help support schools in communities with less property wealth and higher tax rates. Gear also said Friday that she personally supported this idea of property tax sharing, at least on the county level. However, she said at the moment a majority of her Republican caucus did not like the idea. Dean said Friday he thought there were five or six Republicans who would go along with tax sharing and who would probably support a property tax reform bill that was acceptable to him. A majority of Democrats in the Senate want property tax reform, and Dean said he believed that a majority of the Senate could pass a bill.

According to Dean, the problem was not one of partisan politics, but rather a philosophical split within the Republican Party. This is not partisan, he said. That is why Im deliberately trying not to take a partisan shot at the Republicans. Sen. Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, is the Senate Democratic leader and another member of the Senate Finance Committee.

He said late Friday that some people were fearful of tax-sharing because of the number of towns involved and the amount of money. Under the House plan, about 50 communities would be paying into a property tax trust fund that would be redistributed to the remaining 200 towns. Initially, about $18 million could be redistributed, but at the end of five years, when the House plan was full instituted, as much as $48 million could be collected and redistributed. Shumlin said an alternative proposal could have only the town with the lowest tax rates contribute to the property tax trust fund. Others, he said, might be exempted from sharing their property tax, but they also would be denied other forms of state aid, such as school construction money.

Shumlin said he had been looking at a plan that would reduce the number of sharing towns from 50 to about 12 and cut the amount to be shared to about $12 million. Shumlin tried to sound out other members of the committee to see whether he should pursue the idea and get firm numbers on the cost and effect on each community. Gear declined to offer an opinion about the plan or the fate of taxsharing in general. Im not commenting at this point, she said. i Green Mountain Bank Understanding the Value of People Rutland Bethel Bondville Chelsea Hartland Middlebury Norwich Poultney Proctor South Strafford West Pawlet White River Sykes Maple St.) Access Device for the Hearing Impaired, in Rutland call 1 -802-747-2475.

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