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Tuesday May 1, 2012 Edition
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Getting To Know Addison County Towns Through The Eyes Of The Town Clerk

With unparalleled beauty, Addison dwellers keep the land and its traditions always in the fore front of decisions.
photo by panoramio.com
With unparalleled beauty, Addison dwellers keep the land and its traditions always in the fore front of decisions.

Tuesday May 1, 2012

By Cookie Steponaitis

One of the strongest traditions that have stayed with Vermonters since the beginning is the role of the town clerk in the life of small Vermont towns. Each town has its own unique history and the keeper of the books and the source of unbelievable information about the town is the town clerk. The Valley Voice wants to introduce its readers to the towns of Addison County through the eyes of the Town Clerks. Each week the Voice will feature a town and introduce you to the clerk that serves not only as an elected official, but a link to the past of the town they work with.

    Charter in 1761, Addison, Vermont sits poised not only at the juncture of Vermont Route 22A and Route 17, but occupies a critical spot in local history and the agricultural past and present of the region. As Addison’s Town Clerk, Jane Grace is not only the recorder of various documents, deeds, mortgages, liens, releases, powers of attorney, surveys and highway plans, but such vital records as birth, deaths and marriages. With her identified goal of “ preserving all such records”, Jane issues marriages licenses, dog licenses, serves as a notary public and updates all town property maps. “The job makes you a key person in the community for information,” shared Mrs. Grace. “In addition to being computer savvy, you need to keep up with a growing number of State requirements and regulations.”

    When asked to share key dates in the history of the town she loves so well, Ms. Grace identified the charter in 1761, the Opening of the Champlain Bridge in 1929, the merger of town school districts in 1952, the moving of the town hall to its present location, and the upcoming new Champlain Bridge celebration on May 19th and May 20th as dates of impact and relevance and importance for Addison. “The May celebration is really about the new bridge and the re-connecting of
New York and Vermont,” shared Town Clerk Grace. For not only Addison, but the region is well, it is about communities linked on both sides of the lake.

    While many Addison residents recognize Mrs. Grace from her role as the presiding officer over all elections, registering people to vote, and dealing with the checklist, ballots, and warnings, few people know of her longevity in the position stop to think about all the information, history and continuity contained in the position of town clerk and the elected people who take their position so seriously as a keeper of town heritage and information. Many changes have come to the Addison Community during Mrs. Grace’s tenure and the agricultural community has faced many challenges, Mrs. Grace wouldn’t live anywhere else or desire any other position. For her life in Addison is to be cherished because,” Getting to know your fellow citizens, families, children, and even pets is wonderful,” remarked Town Clerk Grace. As a community, there is an eagerness to help in any way.  Sharing good and bad times. Knowing you are not alone.”

    Mrs. Grace and the whole Addison Community hope to see hundreds if not thousands of people on May 19th and 20th to celebrate the new Champlain Bridge and to share a slice of life or a day in the life of a community proud to be at the corners and to spread to the shores of Lake Champlain as well as being rooted firmly in Vermont’s heritage and future. If you are looking for some information, history or just a starting point to get to know Addison, stop by the town offices and speak to Jane or the other dedicated people who keep watch, keep order and keep together all of the information that makes a Vermont town tick!

 


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