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Architect David Kadoch’s Renovation on Quechee Main Street |
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Written by Anne Clemens
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July 2009 |
 Over the past four years, people who travel along Quechee Main Street or walk on the green have witnessed Quechee resident David Kadoch’s extensive renovations of the building at 2024 Main Street. Tenants occupy the penthouse, the ground level, and he and his wife Laurie have just moved into their space on the main floor.
“It took a long time to design and to make sure that the building fit into the vernacular of the locale. I wanted to integrate the past with the new and keep it simple.” He set out to preserve and reuse as much of the building materials as possible, like the two hundred year old beams that should last another two hundred years. “To maintain the same language through the project, (was) very difficult,” explained Kadoch.
Born in Morocco and raised in Israel, David came to the United States in 1971 as a skilled nuclear welder. He worked in nuclear power plants in Maine, Oregon, and New York, as well as on the Alaskan pipeline. In 1997 Kadoch decided to go back to school and for the next five years he pursued a degree in architecture from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. With his background in construction and business—he once owned a couple of restaurants, a nightclub, and a gourmet confectionary business—he thought a degree in architecture would connect his skills and interests.
He and his wife Laurie (at the time a family law professor at Vermont Law School) decided that “Quechee was the best place to finish our lives,” he said and in 2004 they purchased the building. “This was my first project. We had to start from the bottom up because the structure was weak,” Kadoch explained. Built in 1810 the building had four apartments and was in need of major repairs. The street side foundation wall was twisted seven inches and the entire building had to be recalibrated. Much of the foundation materials inside were rotted or in need of repair. Where possible, he and his crew preserved and reused what they could. They used the salvageable old floor joists as decorative beams and even removed and chipped off the old mortar from over 1200 bricks before they put them back. “We needed a level surface so we took everything that was rotten and questionable out.”
 “It was important to me to express the original structure of the building,” he said. His overall goal was to create a space that was uninterrupted and free. Throughout the interior stone, glass, wood and steel have been integrated into the design.
While the building is zoned for ten units and 50% of the property must remain as green space, Kadoch plans to have not more than five units on the site and to keep the green space at 70% as it is now. His architecture office will be in the building as well. “I’ve worked hard to reduce the footprint of the building,” he said.
On Sunday, June 21st David has an Open House planned from 2 to 4 p.m. for those interested in the building. “People have watched me work on this for the past few years and might be curious. I want to open it up and let people enjoy.” |
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Written by Louise Cullen
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July 2009 |
Our home is a busy place. Two working parents, two active school-age children, two cats, one dog, fish, a turtle, and chickens (pets, not dinner). So when my husband bemoaned once again the cost and aggravation of garbage duty it only made sense to add one other activity to our busy and hectic lives—composting! Composting is a way to reduce trash, save money, and do something really good for your garden and the planet. Some experts say that composting can reduce your trash by a third. Composting is really quick and easy and can be done on any scale that suits you. My simple plan has now grown into three separate compost piles each with separate uses. The secret to success is starting small and growing as you need or want to.
Kitchen composting is very easy but not all kitchen waste is good for making compost. Most material will break down over time. Some items make more smell and mess. Good composting items include vegetable scraps, grains and pastas, fruit rinds and peels, breads and cereals, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, egg shells (broken into small pieces) and even paper napkins. Items to avoid composting are meats, fish and poultry, cheese, oils, butter and other animal products.
Next decide where you want to collect your kitchen compost and what container you want to use. (A word of advice—invest in a composting collection container that you really like, has a lid, goes with your décor and is easy for you to use. I once tried an under the counter mounted container with a flip top lid. I thought the lid would be easy to use. It did not work for me as it was the wrong height for me to use consistently and it was not easy for me to clean on a weekly basis. I have moved to a small copper container with a lid that sits on my counter by my sink.)
Now think location. Where should you put your composting bin? (Sometimes discounted bins can be found through recycling centers.) The key is easy access and heat. You want the location sunny enough so that the compost pile will generate heat and accelerate the decomposing. Some locations to avoid include under trees, which may provide too much shade, under house eves or against the house, and in sight of neighbors.
Keep an eye on your compost. You don’t want it too dry or too wet. Sometimes I turn my compost, sometimes I don’t and yet it always comes out fine. Basically once in my bin I let the compost sit and bake. The fun starts in a few weeks when your compost is rich and dark and ready to go into those garden beds. From garbage to garden gold! n
Editor’s Note: The Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District (GUVSWMD) located in Hartland, Vermont has a number of compost bins starting at $41 for residents of member towns. Also available is a 2-gallon kitchen container to collect scraps for $10. For more information call 802-296-3688 or visit www.guvswd.org
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Recycling at the Quechee Club |
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Written by Anne Clemens
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July 2009 |
This past spring the Quechee Club embarked on an effort to help reduce the club’s carbon footprint. “The Quechee Lakes Landowners Association management and staff believe strongly that we have a responsibility to act as leaders of our community in the effort to promote recycling and “greening” in the Upper Valley,” explained General Manager Ken Young.
To achieve this goal the club has implemented a two-component program. The first component was to establish a food scrap program with local egg farmers Lester and Susan Blake of Rocky Ridge Farm in Hartland. David Diaz, the Club’s Executive Chef contacted Lester to see if he would be interested in the club’s food scraps to feed their chickens. Blake was and had Chef David contact Linda Schneider the district manager of the “Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District.” This non-profit “matches” local restaurants and farmers, and provides educational information on how to properly execute a food scrap program. Soon after an agreement was put in place between the Blakes and the Club. “We now dispose of a significant amount of food scraps to this farmer, versus it ending up in a landfill,” said Young.
The kitchen staff separates out chicken scraps and everything else gets put in a container that Blake picks up. “Egg shells, oyster shells, mussel shells everything but chicken gets collected and picked up,” said line cook Jeremy O’Shea. Once the scraps get to the farm the Blakes dump the food scraps on the barn floor in the winter or on the ground in the summer for the chickens to eat.
O’Shea noted that, “we went from six to eight bags a night of trash down to one or two.” Line cook Tyler Brock added, “there’s less clean-up work for us. We don’t have to carry out so many bags at the end of the night.” Chef David has plans to implement the food-composting program at all the food preparation areas at the club.
Young mentioned that there’s even talk of the possibility of The Quechee Club purchasing some of the Blake’s eggs in an effort to continue their policy of buying locally. Sharon Blake likes these arrangements, “we get their scraps and they buy eggs from us. Keeps food very local.”
Schneider pointed out that these restaurant-farmer relationships benefit both parties. “The farmer provides better nutrition for their chickens with more protein which changes the color of the yolk to a much brighter orange. They are also able to cut down on their grain bill. The restaurant in turn is able to reduce the amount of trash and save on tipping fees and reduce smells and flies.” So far the Blake’s chickens receive just under a ton of food a week from four area restaurants: The Quechee Club, Simon Pearce Restaurant, Big Fatty’s Restaurant, and Upper Valley Produce.
The second component of The Quechee Club program was to implement a club wide recycling program. “One piece of this program is the utilization of reusable/recyclable food containers for our “take out” service. Our hope is that our members will take advantage of these reusable items and continue the recycling effort by appropriately disposing of their recyclable containers when utilizing the facilities,” explained Young. They are also focused on purchasing items made from biodegradable materials that can be composted or recycled. Plans are underway to develop recycling stations throughout the club facilities to encourage staff, members, and guests to recycle and not simply throw their waste in the trash. |
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