Rt 2 Vanpool Celebrates 30th Birthday

Thirty Years and Three-Quarters of a Million Miles

By Sharon Lakey

Picture this. It’s the summer of 2008. Gas prices are at an all-time high. Ending our vacation in Salt Lake City, my husband and I are entering I-15 during morning rush hour. We spot a black diamond lane sign that reads: 2 PERSON MINIMUM PER VEHICLE. There are two of us in the car, so we move into that far-left lane, and, shockingly, mile after mile we discover we are the only car in it. To our right, I watch as we move past a multitude of cars and trucks, all bearing one person, drivers’ eyes focused dead ahead.

Now picture this. It is November 5, 2008. Gas prices have lowered some. It is 6:25 a.m. in Danville, Vermont. Three people, standing in front of the Dole Block building, are chatting about the election, waiting for their ride. Soon, a GMC 15-passenger van pulls up bearing the license plate “Route 2.” The three disappear inside, greeting the driver and fellow passengers, and the van eases back onto the highway.

America has just elected a President whose talking points have included the need to change an energy policy that makes us dependent on foreign oil. But the much larger issue, as Obama describes it, is a “planet in peril.” Consider the two opening scenarios above and the following statistics from an air quality report published by the State of Vermont: in one year’s time, the Route 2 commuters vanpool saves an estimated 3,875 gallons of gasoline, thereby reducing nitrogen oxides by 690 pounds, volatile organic compounds (some of which are carcinogenic) by 604 pounds, and carbon monoxide by 5,002 pounds. And this has been going on for 30 years!

In 1978, as part of its effort to encourage fuel conservation and help the environment, the Vermont Agency of Transportation made it possible for groups of like-minded people to obtain a van at 0% interest. Enter the Route 2 commuters vanpool, made up mostly of State workers traveling daily from the Northeast Kingdom to Waterbury. In those days, the group was required to form a non-profit organization, following all the regulations that go with that designation. They had to purchase a van and handle all of their own business. This program is still available today, but the State has also partnered with VPSI (Vanpool Service Inc.), a national organization that leases vans. Under the new system, a group does not need to become their own non-profit, and VPSI will coordinate maintenance, insurance, and fare collection.

On November 5, Route 2 Commuters, Inc., members were invited to gather at the home of Nancy and Dan Lewis on Sugar Ridge road in Danville to celebrate the 30th birthday of their organization. It was a charming event for the 18 who attended. Good food and drink was enhanced by the many stories to share. With three-quarters of a million miles on the road behind them, there are bound to be stories.

Richard Boulanger of Lyndonville, who has been riding and driving for 26 years, shared the story of the moose accident. The commuters and van survived despite the fright and flying glass shards. “There was about $4,000 worth of damage,” noted Richard.

“No,” interrupted Gary Gulka of Cabot, who has been riding for 22 years and is the organization’s business manager, “it cost us $6,000!” Richard acquiesced and went on to tell of the time he was a victim of “Abandonment by the Van.” His audience burst into laughter as they imagined Richard chasing after the van on foot with a blissfully unaware driver avoiding all contact with the rearview mirror.

Gulka shared the story of Laser, the seeing-eye dog that rode with one of the passengers in the front of the van. “Yeah,” broke in Tom Dimatteo of Marshfield, “remember when that dog ate Jim’s lunch!” Dimatteo, a driver and rider for 22 years, went off on a few of his own stories--black ice and a near miss with a clueless pickup driver. Most fun was the telling of the hair-raising ride when they went “4-wheeling” with Bob Taplin at the controls.

One of the big questions in my mind was how difficult it might be to organize a vanpool. “At first,” said Boulanger, “we worried about trying to make it fair, like maybe reducing the riding fees for those who drive. But we gave that up, and it just worked its way out. Those who want to drive, do, and those who don’t, that’s okay. We quit worrying about that.”

According to Gulka, in all 30 years, only one rider was asked to leave because they weren’t paying the fees. Maybe that is because it is so much less expensive to ride the van than pay the expenses of driving one’s own vehicle. As the business manager, Gulka remembers the exact cost of all three accidents. Luckily, the reserve of dollars built up in the treasury managed to cover the repairs to the van without raising extra rider fees.

The question, “Why do you ride the van?” was asked of all, both new and old riders. Surprisingly, the answers never wavered from the following: it saves a lot of money (the most common first response); it is easier than driving yourself every day; there is time to “read,” “knit,” “sleep;” and, it helps the environment.

However, the response that brought a smile to everyone’s face and was most often said at the end of the interview was “camaraderie,” the connection between people in a daily activity, the team-ness of it all. “That is what makes it fun,” said Dimatteo.

For those who may be interested in accessing commuting options of all kinds, there is information available through Go Vermont, ConnectingCommuters.org. Their website url is http://www.connectingcommuters.org/

To view photos related to this article, click here

To hear Tales from the Van, click here

This story was originally published in The North Star Monthy, December, 2008

Feted in Fantasy Land

Story published in The North Star Monthly
November, 2008
Danville, Vermont

Winona Gadapee brings her experiences in Nashville back home

By Sharon Lakey

At midnight on October 10, Winona Gadapee was still flying high as she and her husband, Arnie, touched down at the Burlington airport. In a few short hours, she would be sharing the experiences of two whirlwind days in Nashville while leading a “Music with Winona” session at the St. Johnsbury Health and Rehabilitation Center.

Dressed in the same turquoise dress and jacket that she wore at the Volunteer of the Year award ceremony, Winona arrived at the Center at 10:30 a.m. sharp. The piano she has played for the last nine years awaited her in the great room, and a small group of residents were already gathered there in expectation of her arrival. As she greeted them personally, more wheelchairs began circling up, and a caged ring-necked dove came to life with throaty cooing and bowing. “He loves music, too,” confided Milly Whitney, who was seated beside me, holding an open book of songs in her lap.

When the room was filled, Winona began by speaking. “I feel like I’ve been to Fantasy Land!” she exclaimed. And then, pulling a note from her bag, she shared some of the interesting points of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel where the event took place. “It’s all under a glass dome that covers 4.5 acres and houses 824 rooms. We were on the fifth floor with a balcony overlooking two waterfalls and a jet fountain that shot up 85 feet in the air. Arnie heard from one of the 3,000 employees who work there that the rooms run about $400 a night!”

There were “oohs” and “ahs” from the appreciative audience as she passed around some postcards. Bob Woods, who sat in the back of the room with his wife, Iva, smiled broadly. “Hey, Bob,” she said, “those roses you gave me before I left still look good on my counter.”

And then she sat down at the piano. A music teacher of many years, Winona’s hands moved comfortably to the keyboard, and a flurry of notes floated out across the hardwood floor. Her soprano voice led the group through “It’s a Grand Old Flag,” followed by a number of old, familiar songs like “Roll Out the Barrel,” “Home on the Range” and “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy.” She has made up six different sets of books for her singers, so they have a variety of tunes to enjoy.

Breaking between songs, she shared highlights of the convention: a spellbinding luncheon speaker, Chris Gardner, who is the author of the book and subject of the movie The Pursuit of Happyness; cocktails and a steak dinner, cooked to perfection, for 1800 people; and the topper, a concert by Wynonna Judd. “People had an easy time remembering my name,” Winona joked.

But perhaps it was the people she met, the other volunteers who were being honored, that impressed her the most. There was the 13-year-old girl who had already devoted three years to writing letters, doing nails and hair, and being a chatty adolescent friend for residents of her center. There were the four Girl Scouts, who earned their Golden Badges, by interviewing, photographing, and publishing the stories of 40 residents in their center. There was the car salesman who took charge of a float and transportation for challenged children in his center. Forty-eight states were represented, each with their own compelling stories of love.

Near the end of the session, Winona rose to show her award, an impressive engraved plaque. “I understand the Center will be getting one of these, too,” she said. She shared that the awards ceremony was carefully choreographed, requiring several run-through practices until perfection was reached. Then she let the residents know that she had volunteered to speak briefly before the large crowd.

Holding her award in front of her, she personalized the words that she spoke that day to the crowd: “I am amazed that anyone can be recognized to this degree for something that I enjoy so much. Thank you. I gain as much from you as you receive from me.”

Winona received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the American Health Care Association. She was nominated by St. Johnsbury Health and Rehabilitation Center’s activity director, Cindy Davidson, for her “Music with Winona” sessions held at the Center every Wednesday, 10:30 a.m., rain or shine. Cindy invites community members to visit the Center at any time. She would be glad to speak to you about possible volunteer opportunities, or you might just stop by some Wednesday morning to enjoy the music and company. You will be warmly welcomed.

Click here to view photos of the "Music with Winona" session: