Environment: A Dome for Winooski?

A far-out scheme could reduce the city's heating bills

Like other New England cities and towns, Winooski (pop. 7,500), Vt., has every reason to fret about rising heating costs. During the long winter, temperatures there frequently plummet to —20° F or lower. But some Winooskians think they may have found a way to beat their rising oil bills. They are seriously looking into the idea of covering the town with a dome to reduce the escape of heat. Says the dome's chief proponent, Community Development Director Mark Tigan: "It would be the ultimate in Yankee ingenuity."

The idea of Winooski's dome began as...