Stalwart community volunteer John Malter honored with O’Dell Award
April 2, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
Outgoing Revitalizing Waterbury President Theresa Wood awards John "Rock" Malter the 2022 Kathy O'Dell Community Service Award on behalf of the organization at its annual meeting March 27. Photo by Ariel Mondlak, RW
At their first in-person annual meeting in three years, members of Revitalizing Waterbury recapped a busy 2021, looked to projects ahead for 2022 and honored longtime community volunteer John Malter with the group’s annual service award.
About 70 members and staff gathered at the Country Club of Vermont on Wednesday with more tuning in online via Zoom. In attendance was Laura Vilalta, owner of Black Cap Coffee who just two days prior was announced as the new tenant for the Waterbury Train Station which is owned by Revitalizing Waterbury.
The group saluted her as she sets out to transform the downtown landmark into a new coffee shop and bakery, reopening the historic facility after it has sat closed since March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Prior tenant Keurig Dr. Pepper closed the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Cafe and Visitors Center at the station and later decided in 2021 it would not reopen. Black Cap plans construction to customize the space with an opening expected later this year.
Resuming activity at the train station beyond the twice daily Amtrak arrivals was at the top of the group’s list of endeavors for 2022. In a slide presentation that is now available on the Revitalizing Waterbury website, members of the RW board of directors and staff recapped 2021 highlights and pointed to projects for this year.
A busy 2021
Last year saw the completion of Main Street reconstruction for which the organization was involved with coordinating communication for and with local businesses and planning the beautification elements of the project such as signage, flower planters and benches, and public art.
The organization’s various activities from 2021 fall into four categories: economic development, downtown designation status, community programming and outreach, and direct support to businesses.
Economic development activities last year included hiring an economic development director, Mark Pomilio Jr. That work involves assisting businesses with locating and relocating, obtaining guidance on permitting processes, and applying for grants. Downtown-focused activities greatly involved Main Street construction impacts on businesses, work with town planners on revising development regulations, and assisting businesses navigating programs for tax credits and government loans.
Outreach takes in activities including the annual arts festival, grants for local organizations to host events, expanding public art installations, beautification, tourism promotion, and collaboration with the Stowe Area Association and the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce to promote tourism along the Route 100 corridor.
Direct support to local businesses includes the ongoing Waterbury Bucks gift certificate program, holiday shopping promotions, business networking events, advertising, visitor communications and promotions such as the Waterbury Adventure Challenge.
During a slide presentation, Executive Director Karen Nevin announced that the board has developed an equity, diversity, and inclusion statement that will be incorporated into its ongoing work. The statement says: “We commit to help Waterbury be a place that is welcoming and accessible, where people support and encourage each other, where differences are valued and embraced, and all voices are heard.”
Nevin said the ideas described in the statement are practical. “We believe that it's important to integrate our statement into our work,” she said. The diversity principles will be reflected in efforts the organization undertakes, she said, such as a video marketing project this summer for which diverse models will be hired.
Two recently completed endeavors are a housing study and a retail market analysis, the findings from which are just being shared with local government and business leaders and will be with the community as well, Pomilio said.
Transforming Jack’s Alley
Looking ahead to 2022, plans are under way to beautify the alleyway on Stowe Street adjacent to Stowe Street Emporium. Improving the space for public use as a mini-park for music, art and gatherings was something envisioned by Jack Carter, former owner of the retail store and longtime Revitalizing Waterbury and community volunteer.
Carter died last June and since then, Nevin said approximately $40,000 in donations have been collected for the alley project, “many in Jack’s honor,” she said.
Outgoing Revitalizing Waterbury President Theresa Wood said Carter’s legacy fuels the momentum to transform the space. “We will complete this alley project because it was one of Jack’s dreams,” she said.
The project needs town permits and design work is underway with plans to do the work in phases, she said. Collaborators include Waterbury Rotary, MakerSphere, Waterbury Arts, the American Legion, Waterbury Historical Society and the property owners.
In addition to Carter, the meeting presentation paid tribute to former RW member and longtime member of the local business community, Stephen Van Esen, who died in December. A public memorial will be held for him in May.
Looking ahead, the annual Waterbury Arts Festival will return to its pre-pandemic time with dates set for July 8 and 9, board member Scott Weigand said. Due to new tent safety regulations, however, it will be moved to a new spot this year from Stowe Street and Bidwell Lane to the lawn at Pilgrim Park behind the train station. The event is Revitalizing Waterbury’s largest fundraiser each year. It will still feature a Friday night party and Saturday arts market, food vendors and entertainment, he said.
Organization Treasurer Dave Luce offered brief remarks on the nonprofit’s finances for the past year. The group’s financial statements are available online breaking down its approximate $300,000 annual budget.
Malter honored for service
In her last duty as board president, Wood presented the 2022 Kathy O’Dell Community Service Award to John “Rock” Malter who she called an “inspirational community member.” She said many of Malter’s interests and activities reflect his dedication to the environment.
“He was all about the environment before it was in vogue to be about the environment,” she said in introducing him.
The administrator for the Mad River Resource Management Alliance, Malter oversees a myriad of recycling and waste management activities in the alliance’s member communities including Waterbury. This weekend he’s coordinating a household hazardous waste collection; later this month he’s conducting composting workshops; on Green Up Day in May he will oversee a tire collection around the region.
Malter currently is president of the Waterbury Rotary Club where he has been active for many years including organizing the annual sunflower seed giveaway and fall Hunt for Sunzilla giant sunflower (and zucchini) contest that attracts competitors of all ages. Wood noted that Malter for nearly 25 years organized the Rotary’s Home and Garden Show which will be returning in the near future.
Malter also for years has visited local schools for Arbor Day to plant trees at each campus and talk with students about the importance of trees. “In the words of one nominator, John is a tireless and inspirational community member bringing a positive attitude and a generous perspective to all he does for Waterbury,” Wood said.
And it’s along those lines that the O’Dell honor comes with the promise to plant a tree in Malter’s honor at Rusty Parker Memorial Park later this year, Wood added.
The Kathy O’Dell Community Service Award is given by Revitalizing Waterbury to recognize a business or individual’s contributions to the community. It is named after RW founding member Kathy O’Dell, who served as the organization’s first president in 1991 and passed away in 2005.
Nevin said Malter joins “a special list of community members who put Waterbury first in their work and life. Waterbury is grateful to have him as a friend and neighbor.”
Closeup of the O'Dell Award given to John Malter. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Malter spoke briefly in accepting the honor, expressing gratitude to those he serves with in various capacities. “This is for everybody in our community who loves this community, who loves what are, what we do, and what we aspire to do,” he said. “I could never be able to do all these things without the Rotary Club, without RW and without the many other activities that people perform in our community. I’m just a part of that whole process.”
The award presentation capped off Revitalizing Waterbury’s annual meeting where the group also thanked departing board members Jenny Davidson, Whitney Aldrich, and Wood, who has served on the board for seven years, three as president. New members elected to the board were Tyler "Tito" Keefe, Matt Larson, Carolyn Fox, and Scott Weigand. Officers also were chosen with Julie Frailey succeeding Wood as president. Katya D'Angelo and Dave Luce continue as vice president and treasurer respectively. Otho Thompson was named board secretary.
The annual meeting presentation and recording along with RW’s annual reports and financial statements are online at revitalizingwaterbury.org/about-us.