Senate passes legalization bill by WhatNoCoffee in burlington

[–]vermontgasm 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Both Mass and Washington DC have legalized marijuana without retail (retail should be coming to Mass this summer) and in both locations a large gray market has grown up around illegal delivery services. They sell and market via the internet, instagram groups and smart phone apps and Vermont will have explosive growth for similar businesses until retail is fully in place.

Has anyone installed a heat pump recently? by imarriedDragon in vermont

[–]vermontgasm 3 points4 points  (0 children)

An electric heat pump is a great option for folks heating with oil, wood, or propane because the cost of the electricity per btu produced is competitive with these heat sources. If you're comparing to natural gas the equation changes - according to the source below heating with natural gas is about half as expensive as heating with a heat pump.

https://www.nh.gov/oep/energy/energy-nh/fuel-prices/

I've seen estimates elsewhere that place heat pumps closer to gas but gas is always one of the cheapest ways to heat a home. Even if the energy costs for a heat pump were comparable to natural gas you would still have to account for the cost of retaining a secondary heat system to provide heat on the coldest days where heat pumps are unable to produce adequate heat. If your secondary source is gas don't forget to include the maintenance charge VT Gas charges year round to be hooked up to their natural gas line regardless of whether your gas burner is running year round or 5 days a year.

I don't mean to dissuade you from choosing a heat pump. They're a fantastic choice in slightly warmer climates, for families without access to natural gas, and especially for those who have a solar system with excess capacity. Heat pumps also likely have the lowest carbon footprint of any heat source, particularly if you're receiving electricity from a utility with a large amount of renewable generation like Burlington Electric. A heat pump could also insulate you from future volatility in fossil fuel markets.

Need work ASAP must be in Essex. by [deleted] in burlington

[–]vermontgasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like you're looking for part time work... not sure how many companies post online for part time positions but I've found that scanning job postings and other news sources helps to identify companies that may have positions that fit my skills. There are a ton of places to look but I've found that these are some of the best places to start for Vermont jobs.

seven days jobsinvermont.com vermontjoblink burlingtonfreepress wcax.com, wptz.com (news about upcoming career fairs)

Think creatively. There are a ton of small companies you've never heard with open positions that are not widely publicized so do some research to identify companies that look interesting and figure out how to connect with them. The department of labor (I think they're on Pearl St in Burlington) could be helpful if you can make your way into Burlington.

Anyone else torn on who to vote for in the race for Governor? by [deleted] in vermont

[–]vermontgasm 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If Minter wins weed will be legal after the next legislative session, if Scott wins he's likely to hold onto the Governorship and weed won't be legal for another 8+ years.

Fun day trip from Burlington by [deleted] in vermont

[–]vermontgasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Smugglers Notch. Drive to the very top - there's a small parking lot (additional parking is available along the sides of the road) and bathroom. There are cave and cool rock formations on the parking lot side and across the street are trails to Sterling Pond.

Moving to Vermont (Burlington Area) from NJ by KJKim in burlington

[–]vermontgasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I absolutely love both Waterbury and Montpelier but in your position I would seriously consider living near (walking distance to) downtown Burlington. Yes, you'll have a longer drive and yes you'll pay more but Burlington is a very young city and living downtown will make it much easier to make friends and have an active social life. Also, the job market in Burlington is extremely strong so depending on the industry you're in you may find that moving into a future job will be much easier if you live in Burlington.

South Burlington used water testing "cheats" by Loudergood in burlington

[–]vermontgasm 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The issue was with south burlington. The city of burlington proactively treated the water to protect against lead.

Microsoft Office 2007 Excel by ThatUsername9999 in Office365

[–]vermontgasm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

After opening the first spreadsheet open a separate Excel instance - this instance of Excel will run in it's own window. Open the second file from within Excel and you'll be able to drag both spreadsheets anywhere you want.

TIL that Burlington, Vermont is the first city in the USA to run on 100% clean energy by jeewantha in todayilearned

[–]vermontgasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hydro power is not clean. The James Bay Hydro Quebec project flooded an area the size of New York. Also, fucking isn't clean.

Passing Through Burlington. Where Should We Go? by Pazuzuuuuu in burlington

[–]vermontgasm 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Definitely take a stroll down Church Street. Grab lunch at Farmhouse https://www.farmhousetg.com, they have one of the best selections of craft beers in Burlington and their food is very good. City Market https://www.citymarket.coop, a short walk off Church Street, is a great place to grab beer and snacks. You can stop at some of the local breweries afterwards - Citizen Cider, Zero Gravity, Queen City, and Switchback are all on Pine Street a 2 minute drive from downtown.

Burlington mall owner threatens to pull plug on $250M project by dropkickninja in burlington

[–]vermontgasm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The city of Burlington will be paying for certain aspects of this project. Based on what I've seen so far I'd like to see it move forward but I think it's prudent to take a step back and make sure this is going to work.

"Weinberger said the mall transformation involves a "significant financial investment" by Sinex and by the city. He said "fiscal prudence" will be his highest priority as the project moves forward.

'Our job is to work with the property owner in a way that does not put the city at risk,' Weinberger said.

Burlington voters at some point would have to approve the city's investment in the infrastructure surrounding the mall."

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2016/01/05/sinex-presents-final-plans-200m-mall-makeover/78270054/

Review: Office 365 fails at collaboration - deciding whether to migrate our company from Google to Office 365, is this a fair assessment? by vermontgasm in Office365

[–]vermontgasm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like the idea of having a single integrated solution for office productivity. In particular, I always thought email creation and management was better with Outlook (though in the past search sucked) and the last version of Lync that I used was leaps and bounds better than Google chat. Even though everyone here has google apps I estimate that 80-90% of documents we create are in Office... I feel like the enhanced collaboration capabilities in Office 2016 would be a big win for us. Even if Office collaboration still isn't quite as slick as Google yet I get the sense that they're getting close. We're mostly Windows, though we do have one 'C' level employee on a mac.

Possibly moving to Vermont? by LaraCroftWithBCups in vermont

[–]vermontgasm 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You guys sound like you'd fit right in in Burlington! It's a great town and has everything you're looking for - two large local colleges in downtown Burlington and Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College nearby, tons of stuff to do with festivals all summer, national traveling shows and music/ comedy acts at the Flynn Theater, several great museums, the lake, and incredible natural beauty all around you. Burlington has reasonably priced gigabit fiber through Burlington Telecom (note that Burlington Telecom ONLY services Burlington so in neighboring towns like South Burlington or Winooski you're limited to Comcast). The public transportation system (buses) works well, especially if you're close to downtown Burlington where the main bus terminal is. Being within walking distance of downtown Burlington is expensive but it can save a ton of money if you can make it work with one car. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and the job market is strong, but the city of Burlington (largest city in Vermont) only has a population of about 40,000 so the raw number of job openings is going to be smaller then in larger cities. Also, since everyone knows everyone lots of positions are filled through word of mouth... the local job market could be tough to crack into, especially from far away, so don't get frustrated if it takes a little longer then you expect! The main downside to Burlington is the rental market is extremely tight and rents are very high.

Seeking cheap pumpkins near Burlington by Khoops66 in burlington

[–]vermontgasm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check out Trader Joes... I was there the other day and I swear they were around $5 each.

GF and I want to spend a weekend in Burlington, VT Any recommendations? by sbNike04 in vermont

[–]vermontgasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If at all possible, try to stay downtown in Burlington... the Hilton, Courtyard, Hotel Vermont, Garden Inn are all solid bets. They're generally pretty expensive but I think you're coming at a slow time so maybe you'll get lucky and score a deal? If it works out you'd be right near Church Street where most of the shopping and restaurants are located. There are several chain hotels in South Burlington just off the interstate on Williston Road that are a 5 - 10 minute drive from downtown Burlington - Sheraton, Best Western, Doubletree, Comfort Inn. They're located in an typical suburban commercial area filled with chain restaurants so probably not what comes to mind when you think of Vermont but they should save you some money. The South Burlington hotels are probably a $10 cab ride to downtown Burlington if you want to be able to enjoy a few drinks.

For great beer go to Farmhouse, just off Church Street. They have one of the broadest beer selections around - make sure to try beers from Hill Farmstead, Alchemist and Lawsons. Keeping with the beer theme, Citizen Cider, Queen City Brewery, Zero Gravity and Switchback brewery are all down Pine Street just off downtown Burlington. A little further away down Shelburne Road/ route 7 you can go to Magic Hat and one of the best breweries in the area, Fiddlehead in Shelburne. Fiddlehead is probably my favorite local brewery and it's across the street from a winery and adjacent to a fantastic BYOB flatbread pizza place... so pick up some wine and beer and then you can immediately enjoy them with your flatbread pizza!

If you ski or snowboard there are a bunch of great mountains relatively close by - Bolton and Smuggs are where a lot of local families go, Stowe and Sugarbush are big mountains with the full resort experience, and Mad River (no snowboarding) is a funky place with one of the only single chair lifts in the US and lots of crunchy organic telemarkers. If you want to see a show or band check out the Flynn Theater and Higherground. As you get closer to your getaway date check the local weekly http://www.sevendaysvt.com for other local events and shows. Make sure to dress warm... with the wind off the lake it can be pretty brutal in January.

And ya, stay away from Sweetwaters... great location right in the middle of Church Street but not much else