Community news: Johnson

• State Sen. Bill Doyle, who is a legend in these parts, is retiring after a 60-year career in public service and teaching. He’s a man who has truly made a difference in his world.

Johnson State College, where he has taught for many years, will hold a retirement celebration on Monday, May 7, in the Stearns Dining Hall from 3 to 4:30 p.m. It’s open to all but RSVPs are needed; email cecilia.north@jsc.edu to let her know you’re coming.

Johnson State is also honoring Bill’s impact by establishing the William T. Doyle Scholarship Fund. From the college: “Every year, Professor Doyle has provided scholarships to students studying political science who are in excellent academic standing, and we want to ensure that this valuable support for our students continues. With your contribution, we can keep his spirit of support and generosity here on campus for decades to come.” You can make your donation at bit.ly/doylefund.

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The Skate Park is moving ahead with creating a terrific new mountain bike track and it’s inviting the public to help. On Saturday, May 12, from 3 to 7 p.m., it will hold its annual Spring Tune-Up, a celebration of spring, terrain, and all around fun with live music, jams, food, raffles, and prizes. Sunday, May 13, will be the rain date. This will be an alcohol- and substance-free event and is sponsored by Laraway Youth Services, the Town of Johnson, and donations from the community. An impressive conception of the new trail is available and will be seen at the celebration.

• Johnson will be jumpin’ in other ways, too, as spring proceeds. Work on the twin bridges on Route 100C will begin the week of May 12 and materials are already being moved to the site. A section of Route 100C will be detoured cars onto Routes 15 and 100 for about six weeks. An informational meeting on the project will happen on Monday, May 7, at the municipal building at 6:30 p.m.

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Every so often, the subject of speeding tickets arises during a select board meeting. Not too many are handed out in Johnson, or in Hyde Park or Wolcott, the two towns included in our joint contract with the Lamoille County Sheriff’s Department. Turns out, the concern is not without reason.

Did you hear the news on Vermont Public Radio last week about the discrepancy of speeding tickets across the state? Johnson comes in at 84th from the top of the list; that is, in 83 towns, you’re more likely to get a ticket than you are here. Those towns also reap a whole lot more in revenue from speeding tickets, too; in some cases, a lot more.

In 2017, 47 tickets were issued in Johnson, resulting in a per-capita revenue of $1.58 for each of Johnson’s 3,446 citizens. The total revenue to the town was $5,449.

On the other hand, Cambridge made 19 cents per person from its tickets and Jeffersonville made 32 cents.

Compare that to the top three revenue-winners of Plymouth, Bridgewater and Mount Tabor, all with much smaller populations than Johnson, and who rake in anywhere from $220,969 to $131,074, and you’ll see that traffic tickets are proven moneymakers for a town. Their per-capita revenue was $363, $215, and $524, respectively.

— Sue Lovering, 635-8315