Craig Allsopp, new President of the Quechee Lakes Landowners Association (QLLA) Board of Trustees, and I sat down recently on a beautiful fall day in Quechee to talk about his new role.

Allsopp and wife, Jo, moved to Quechee full-time in 2007. Allsopp describes moving here as “a bit of a ‘bucket list’ lifestyle change.” They had always liked Vermont, enjoyed ski vacations at Okemo, and summer visits to Woodstock and the Upper Valley area. Both are avid golfers, and that was the Quechee Lakes lure. They visited in 2005 for a weekend, and ended up buying a lot on Fletcher Lane, excited to build a house and eventually move here full-time.

In 2007, the “Bob Vila house” on Willard Road came on the market. (Yes – you can view the building of the Quechee Vermont Farmhouse by Bob Vila in 2001 at www.bobvila.com.) “It was the right price at what seemed the right time, so we bought it,” he says. “Little did we know a real estate crash was unfolding. We were lucky enough to sell the lot on Fletcher. I wish I could say the same for our house in New Jersey. So much for planning.”

Eventually they did sell their New Jersey house and there was no turning back. “We really like it here,” he says. “And so does our family. What a great place for our kids and grandkids to visit.”

The Allsopps met playing softball at college—Davis & Elkins in Elkins, West Virginia. They married after graduation, and then moved to State College in Pennsylania where Allsopp went to graduate school at Penn State. They raised their three children—Drew, now in Rhode Island, Emily in Los Angeles and Erik in Portland, Oregon—in Pennington, New Jersy. Allsopp worked for Dow Jones, and was later CEO of a small publishing company. His background in journalism and business set the stage for his work now—advising small business owners on growth strategies. The Allsopps have two grandsons thanks to Drew and his wife, Lindsay—Elijah, 5 and Jasper, 1.

Getting involved

The Allsopps became immersed in Quechee soon after making it home. Jo volunteered at the library, and served on the Golf Committee. Allsopp joined the Strategic Planning Committee in 2009. “Jo and her friends ran most of the volunteer organizations in our town back in New Jersey,” he says, “and I coached kids soccer, and served on the boards of our local swim and golf clubs.”

His philosophy centers on trying to add value. “I’ve worked with small teams, and managed far-flung groups. I figure if I can identify things that need to be done and think I can help solve a problem, I’ll get involved and give it a shot.”

Allsopp was on the QLLA Greens Committee in 2014 when he was asked to run for the Board. He took over as treasurer in 2015, and then president this July. He chuckles at his time as treasurer. “I was an English major. I’ve got a working knowledge of finance, but Jo won’t let me near the checkbook at home,” he says, adding, “it’s a good thing we’ve got a good accounting staff to do the heavy lifting.”

Role of Board of Trustees

Allsopp explains that his view of the Board’s role is to set direction, allocate resources, and monitor performance. “QLAA is a $10 million operation with lots of moving parts,” he says. “I’m glad we have skilled managers and dedicated staffers to run the day to day.”

As president, he believes the Board’s biggest challenge is balancing the needs of different member constituencies. “QLLA is like a jigsaw puzzle with 1375 pieces [members]; it’s not always easy to make them fit together.” He says he always wants the Board to be “member-centric” in its decision-making.

“We want to get participation up,” he says, noting the member survey in 2014 revealed that barely more than 50% of members actively used QLLA amenities. “I think we’re starting to make headway with our policies and programs in areas like golf, tennis, fitness, and ski, but we’re still not where we want to be.”

He notes usage of the new pool and increases in the number of golf rounds played since 2010 as positive signs. “There were times when I had to park on the grass this summer because the lot was full,” he says. “That more than anything—plus all the kids at the tennis and golf camps—says we’re on the right track.”

Allsopp also cites increases in property transfers—to 68 through September versus 59 for the same period last year—and meaningful developer activity as encouraging signs. Taurus made a business decision to resume investing in Quechee, and has five homes in the works now with plans to build 10 to 20 new homes a year in the foreseeable future. That’s a big change.

There are also some interesting capital projects underway. The Board has authorized updates to the locker rooms and Deck Bar to make the member experience more enjoyable. And the playground at Lake Pinneo will be replaced with modern and safer equipment.

Craig and Jo

“I consider these to be high-impact, relatively low-cost improvements,” he says. “I think we are in pretty good shape otherwise. The Facilities Planning Committee is looking to provide more space in the Base Lodge, but as far as big projects like the pool there is nothing in the short term. This will give us a chance to bank some money for the next big project.”

He says overall QLLA is in good financial shape. “It looks like we will end 2016 ahead of budget and, thanks to previous Boards, we have a solid plan for capital improvements. “

“I think back—since we moved to Vermont, QLLA has endured a major recession, and a 100-year flood [Tropical Storm Irene]. We’ve made millions of dollars in improvements since then without any extra assessments. That’s pretty remarkable.”

Speaking of Irene, I asked him about the Board’s view on the pocket parks issue and other town related matters. He said the town and FEMA—with prodding from Senator Leahey’s office—are trying to sort out their differences on the park design. Everything else is status quo.

What’s next

Allsopp says he and Jo are giving serious thought to getting an RV and traveling the country in the near future. Since moving to Vermont, they have taken golf trips to Scotland, Ireland, and Canada; and made visits to Switzerland and to Hawaii to celebrate their 40th anniversary. “There still are lots of courses to play, and mountains to ski,” he says.

Meanwhile, he has a new job this year as a ski instructor at Killington. He won’t spend all his free time skiing there though. Elijah is ready for the chair lift at Quechee. “He was asking me this summer when he was at Kid’s Camp—which he loved—what the cows were doing on the ski hill. I explained that they share the space with us in the winter when they are in their warm barn.” It’s the magic of Quechee!

The Dismas House is a non-profit organization that was first brought to Vermont in the 1980s by Frank and Rita McCaffrey. The original Dismas House began in 1974 in Nashville, Tennessee, as a program developed by Father Jack Hickey and a group of Vanderbilt University students. The Dismas name comes from Hickey’s original inspiration–Catholic tradition Dismas is the name of the penitent, or good thief, crucified on Calvary alongside Jesus. Dismas, is the thief that Jesus saves. The Dismas House reunites criminal offenders with the community, and it has been so successful that the original program model can be found in various forms nationally and internationally.

In Vermont, the McCaffrey’s were known for their involvement in criminal justice reform. Frank McCaffrey was a lawyer and criminal court judge who has since retired, but when he and his wife, Rita, met Jack Hickey back in the 1980s they were determined to bring the Dismas program to the Green Mountain State. It was Rita who founded the Vermont Dismas, and the Hartford Dismas House, opened in March 2014, became the fourth Vermont location to open. The Hartford Dismas House supports 10 transitioning inmates at a time. Typical residents stay from 4 to 8 months while paying $75 a week, this enables the residents to find work and save money, and it also saves taxpayer money by keeping inmates from remaining in prison past their release dates due to lack of housing.

The Quechee communities’ involvement

Locally, the Quechee Club has helped support the Hartford Dismas House from it’s beginning by donating food for the house’s inception party in 2014. Most recently, the Club hosted a successful dinner. It was a special night on all accounts–the benefit awarded Dan Fraser of the Norwich store Dan & Whits with the Jack Hickey Award for Dan’s support of the Dismas House. The Dan & Whit’s store has employed multiple Dismas House residents finding it a mutually beneficial arrangement that will continue into the future. Suzanne Lyons, Penny McClure, and Christine McKenna were awarded the Jonathan Sylvia Volunteer of the Year Award for their consistent volunteer work. The award dinner raised more than $20,000 in donations to be put toward winter heating and care for the home.

Previous Jack Hickey Award recipient, and current democratic candidate for Vermont’s Attorney General, T.J Donovan emceed the event. The special guest speaker was Chris Herren, a former professional basketball player from Massachusetts who was first drafted into the NBA to play for the Denver Nuggets, and later traded to the Celtics. Herren realized a dream that became unfortunately derailed by an addiction. He co-authored the book Basketball Junkie with Bill Reynolds, detailing his journey. Herren brought the same story of addiction and recovery with him to the event on October 23.

Assistant House Director of the Hartford Dismas Debbie Diegoli tells me that the event exceeded attendance and donation expectations. While the donations amounted to more than ever expected Diegoli doesn’t seem surprised by Quechee’s generosity, only completely grateful. Quechee residents have been previous board members for the house, and she tells me that there are dedicated volunteers from Quechee community. The Dismas House was sad to see the Quechee Community Church close, as they had been non-stop supporters of the program as well.

Volunteer award winners

Previous to her current role with Dismas House, she was the outreach coordinator for several years. The overall resume Diegoli brought with her to The Dismas house speaks volumes for itself: she’s worked for the Lebanon Women’s Infants and Children (WIC) Program, Vital Communities, the Upper Valley Housing Coalition and Upper Valley Strong. Currently, she also serves as a member of the Upper Valley Food Co-op board of directors, and volunteers for the Weathersfield Energy Group.

Diegoli stresses the need for the relation between the Dismas House and the community. “We have relationships with all sorts of community organizations and businesses. Dismas’ mission is to reconcile prisoners with society and society with prisoners, so our connections with the community are essential.” The house is currently seeking board members and are in need of volunteers, especially cooks. More information can be found at http://www.dismasofvermont.org/hartford-dismas/.

The Beverly Fowle Fiertz Community Center, located at The Upper Valley Haven in White River Junction, Vermont, is better known throughout the community as “Bev’s House.” When you listen to those who work or volunteer at Bev’s House speak about their experience, you can hear the warm familiarity spoken with the name, and walking through the halls and rooms lends one to believe she will come around the next corner and introduce herself. It could be her home after all: Bev’s artwork is found in every room, and her family portrait and diploma are prominently displayed in the front sitting room.

Her memory—she passed in 2010—provides the mission of the home. Through the various interpretations I’ve heard, she was an engaging, intelligent, and pioneering woman who worked on her personal development in undeniably meaningful ways: she became a lawyer in her late 50s to work for low-income women, pursued art into late life, traveled the world, and married her high school sweetheart. Next to the front door, pieces of her life story are framed along with the center’s mission statement:

“Bev’s House gives people experiencing poverty the opportunity for change in their lives through the internal discovery that comes from the expressive arts, and the justice that comes from legal advocacy. The goal of Bev’s House is to enrich the lives of others through her model of creative contemplation and active community service.”

The mission is provided through her husband, Alden Fiertz, a current resident of Woodstock. Judy Frost, the previous owner of the home, sold it to the Haven with the understanding that it would be used to extend the Haven’s mission. The multipurpose house serves any community organization that needs a meeting place. Most importantly, it is still very much a home saturated with the presence of children. This Friday afternoon, I’m led around the house by Upper Valley Haven Director Sara Kobylenski and it’s full to the brim with kid’s voices and laughter. If you come to Bev’s House, you’ll likely be greeted by a child, or multiple children, running after each other, calling out to a favorite staff member, or if they notice you at all, it might be to offer a Play-doh cupcake.

“What flavor are they?,” Kobylenski asks a seven-year old. The child seems disappointed that she doesn’t know so she informs her: “they’re Play-doh flavored.” Kobylenski gives the cupcake a pretend nibble, and declares it delicious, the girl satisfied runs out the front door where the next adult given a Play-doh cupcake is heard declaring “Mmmmm, tastes like Play-doh!,” and a cacophony of delighted laughter from any kid within earshot follows.

Guided through the home with Kobylenski, we find a different group of kids involved in activities with various staff and volunteers in almost every room. There are around 30 kids on this Friday afternoon, other days typically have more, but some are out with their Dartmouth College mentors from the Dartmouth Dream Kids programs. The Bev’s House after-school program boasts a healthy 2:1 child to adult ratio. In the half hour that I’m there, I see a group making peanut butter dip for apples in the dining den by the kitchen, from the kitchen window a group is playing basketball with a few volunteers, upstairs in the reading room two younger kids are cuddled up close on a beanbag chairs listening to a story being read aloud, and next to that, the art room has a single child working with multiple colored pencils drawing a piece of paper in the surprisingly quiet space.

Erin Wetherell comes to check in on this child. Wetherell is the Children’s Services Coordinator and she tells me that the room is typically the homework space, but they take a break from homework on Fridays. This day is a bit atypical as a key staff member is out. Usually, the kids would visit the “store” every Friday. The Children’s Program includes a token economy replete with bank accounts, Haven dollars earned through helping with tasks, taxes to pay. They can use their Haven dollars to purchase a number of fun things during a trip to the store, or the kids can decide to save up their Haven dollars to go on the winter trip to Smitty’s Movie Theatre—where you get to eat while watching a show!

The children’s program serves the children of any family that is a previous or current resident of the Haven family shelter. Any school-aged child can participate in the after school and summer programs. The summer program is varied with a diverse range of activities that would excite any kid: from horseback riding at Moonrise Farm in Taftsville, Vermont, to hiking, visiting museums, swimming lessons at the Hartford pool, photography lessons, and overnight stays at local summer camps. The Weekend Backpack program sends the kids home with meals for the weekend for the entire family.

The full extent of the program’s details would be difficult to relate. I feel lucky to have been provided a personal tour surrounded by the children at their most comfortable. Judy Frost and the Fiertz’s have provided the keystones to something that undeniably works to the benefit of the most underserved part of any community. The magnitude of the opportunity provided to these children’s long term well-being is something the Hartford community can truly be proud of.

For more information about Bev’s House or the other programs offered by the Upper Valley Haven please visit http://uppervalleyhaven.org/.

Audrey and Ted Raycroft are Quechee, Vermont homeowners who, for most of the year, reside in Sherborn, Massachusetts, as do the co-owners of their Quechee home, Suzanne and Adam Craig. When Raycroft began looking for a house, she did not set out intending to share with a friend; that happened by a little twist of Vermont fate. As time goes by, however, she has found it is a wonderful way to have a second home and, often, increases the fun of trips to Vermont.

There is an extended network of families and individuals from Sherborn, who own homes in and around the Quechee area. These fellow friends and families are the reason why  the Raycrofts and Craigs, as well as their kids were already very familiar with the area, having visited many times.

From left: Audrey, Cameron, Ellie and Ted Raycroft

Raycroft, a realtor in Sherborn, and Ted, a software salesman, had been talking about places to purchase a second home. As a family, they spent a lot of time on Cape Cod and considered buying there, but, as Raycroft says, “the Cape is very one dimensional for us. And it’s great, I love an ocean fix, I love a beach fix, I love being on water;” however, she pointed out, “once the beach season is over, there is little left to do.”

Quechee, on the other hand, “is more three dimensional so to say, because it’s more of a year-round destination for us, as opposed to the Cape. We all like the outdoors in winter, but one of my favorite times in Vermont is the summer too,” she says before listing off a wide variety of activities in the area her family enjoys. The Quechee Club amenities such as golf and tennis are important to their family, as is the ability to go fly-fishing and hiking. The freedom of Vermont summers is enjoyable, especially for their kids, although Raycroft explains, “now that my kids are older, they are into the bridge jumping thing. It makes me so nervous!”

One thing in particular that makes Quechee special in her mind is the location. A lot of people they know who own homes in Vermont live a good distance off the interstate, driving 45 minutes or an hour. She loves the fact that you can just drive right up the highway and hop off and you are in Quechee.

“I love the proximity to Woodstock and resources there. I love the proximity to Hanover, especially when we are there in the winter and can catch hockey games, at Dartmouth, and the little town of Hanover is obviously very charming and gives you all the restaurant-type amenities. It’s great because you have so much available while you are there,” she says.

The house the Raycrofts eventually purchased with the Craigs is one that they first looked at themselves. Raycroft had been looking at several houses with her agent Derek Cosentino, when she fell in love with a house that was going to be, in the end, too expensive when she included the things that needed to be done. So she passed and kept looking. Nothing caught her attention, most of the houses they were looking at were on wooded lots, and she wanted views and mountains, she wanted to be able to see Vermont.

Then, while visiting a mutual friend for a girls’ weekend, they were standing in the window looking out, she realized she could see the beautiful house for sale, and asked her friend about the road below. Realizing how close they were, Raycroft texted Cosentino, asking if they could get in for a look in the next two hours. The eight women went for a walk, and four of them peeled off from the group to go look at the house, among the four was Suzanne Craig.

The house was a farmstead lot, so there was a smaller building lot that came with it. After seeing the property, Craig offered to buy the smaller lot from Raycroft if she bought the house, but Raycroft pointed out that if she did that, Craig would be outside of what she wanted to spend too. So instead, Raycroft suggested they buy it together. Neither of them had ever thought of doing so before, either with each other or with another family, but feel that it has worked out great.

“You never feel like you aren’t using it enough, everything is a 50/50 arrangement of course. We are literally just below the cornfield belonging to the house of the mother of our other mutual friend,” she says.

Instead of doing what many in this situation might do and completely split the time at the house, the two families often stay at the house at the same time. They’ve even taken to vacationing elsewhere together!

The best, though, is always the benefits the kids get. “I love that they are making their little memories there, being with their families in the house.”

A skier, swimmer, and a dedicated honors student, Victoria Carlson of Wenham, Massachusetts, does it all! Carlson’s ties to Quechee precede her. Her grandparents, Deb and Dick Carlson, built a house at the top of the Quechee Ski Hill in the early 1970s. Her great-grandmother, Ann Williams, named the road the house is on, Williams Lane. Her father, David, and his brother, Dan, learned to ski on the Quechee Ski Hill as kids. So, when David and his wife, Carol Harlow-Carlson, had Victoria it was only natural that she would spend a great deal of time in Vermont!

Carlson’s love of skiing started with lessons at age 3 with the Quechee Ski Bees. Getting to lessons was easy, she would ski down from their house with her parents, and as she got older by herself. Not only did she learn independence and responsibility, she got herself to her lessons and eventually to ski practice. Carlson joined the Quechee Ski Team when she was 7 or 8 as part of the Mountain Team. Now, her other passion, synchronized swimming has taken some of her time away from being a competitive skier, and these days when she can she trains with the ski team.

Synchronized swimming

A high school sophomore, Carlson is a very busy, disciplined teenager. On Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, five hours on Saturdays, and six hours on Sundays, she’s in the pool training for qualifying meets to compete in the U.S. Nationals and Junior Olympics in synchronized swimming this coming spring.

Carlson competes in both team and solo synchronized swimming. It’s a complicated and difficult sport, combining swimming, dance, and gymnastic skills in a team of eight, a combo of 10, a duet of two, or as a soloist. Synchronized swimming requires advanced swimming skills, great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry, and precise timing, as well as incredible breath control. It’s about interpreting the theme of the music and telling a story. Even in team competitions, individuals are required to show off certain moves, which are scored separately and added to the final team score.

As a soloist, Carlson has to be a higher-performing swimmer. Rather than being synchronized to other athletes, a soloist is synchronized to the music while demonstrating athletic skill, creativity, and her ability to tell a story through her swimming and emotional connection with the judges.

Victoria racing at Quechee

She first hit the water at 2-years old, swimming away in a pool in a quarry in Rockport, MA. Carlson officially started swimming lessons when she was 3. As a second grader, she passed a poster for synchronized swimming at the YMCA every time she went for swimming lessons. She asked to try, and her parents enrolled her in an “Intro to Synchro” class at the Y. She took that class a few times, went to view the Synchro Team’s “water show,” and was inspired to join the Intermediate Team the following year.

Carlson swam for The Selkies of the YMCA of the North Shore until the end of last year. For the past two seasons, she also swam for New England Synchro, another competitive team that combines athletes from other nearby towns. Last year, she and her New England Synchro team came in first in their age group at the U.S. Nationals. This coming year, she will be swimming with ANA Synchro in Andover, MA.

Given all her swimming requirements, Carlson isn’t able to compete on the Quechee Ski Team anymore. “She would love to compete [for Quechee] all winter, but the reality is that as she has become a more competitive swimmer she has had to make choices,” says her mom. Several years ago, in the heart of the ski season, she had a hard time thinking of herself as a swimmer in the winter, she was a skier, but once her competitive swim season rolled around in the early spring, it was hard to think of herself as anything but a swimmer. She is, able to compete on her high school ski team, allowing her to continue participating in a sport she excels at and loves.

The Quechee experience

Victoria and Carol

Her experience spending so much time in Quechee has given her many gifts. She will be a lifelong skier, able to handle any terrain, any conditions, anywhere. Also, a sense of freedom and security, as a tween and teenager, she roamed the ski hill with her friends, coming home only for lunch, and perhaps to dry off a bit. While she and her friends felt like they were completely on their own without parent supervision, there were plenty of people watching out for them—family, friends, the ski patrol, and the lifties. “I never felt like my kids weren’t safe when they were free skiing, even when they were just out with their friends,” says Harlow-Carlson.

I asked Harlow-Carlson what her favorite part about Quechee is, and, besides the wonderful freedom of the ski hill, she mentions the friendships they have developed over the years. “We have fostered friendships with the families we have met through Quechee… there is a common denominator when you find families that also choose to travel up north every weekend of the winter, together as a family, to spend time outdoors. We love the group of friends we have made,” she says.

Family dinners, ski trips, driving each other’s kids to races at 6 a.m. on a cold weekend morning, all add to the experience for Harlow-Carlson. “We cheer for each of them when they do well, we pick them up after devastating falls. We have built some incredibly special relationships that we will have for the rest of our lives.”

Community, support, children, that’s what Quechee is all about.