Cavendish Update 2/3/23: SB Mtgs/Warnings/News/Events

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DUE TO EXTREMELY COLD TEMPS & HIGH WINDS, EVENTS ARE BEING CANCELLED OR POSTPONED THROUGHOUT THE AREA. CHECK FIRST BEFORE VENTURING OUT AND BE PREPARED. In the event it is needed Cavendish’s Warming Center/Shelter is at the Cavendish Baptist Church.

2/3/23

1.    Cavendish Select Board Budget Meetings

2.    Cavendish Info: Includes warnings for town meeting

3.    Covid/Flu update

4.    Events

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD BUDGET MEETINGS

Select Board Meeting 1/23 Unapproved Minutes 1/23

• Sheriff: Town Manager, Brendan McNamara reported said that the new Sheriff proposes a total cost of $70,000 broken down into 12 monthly payments of $5,834 each. Sheriff Ryan agreed to work with the Town if this contract wasn’t accepted but they would not provide the 12 hours per week traffic control that we currently have. McNamara said  that he felt there weren’t enough facts to add the full $70,000 into the budget, and if the Town doesn’t sign the contract, then we have more time to think about a plan. Further, if the Sheriff didn’t provide traffic control after July 1st it would be no big deal. The Board agreed to increase the Sheriff’s budget to $25,000.

• Draft budget: McNamra said that he put additional money into the following items: equipment diesel, tires for many of the highway vehicles, capital equipment fund to cover a possible dump truck lease, resurfacing fund and road signs for 4 digital speed signs in the villages along Route 131 and Depot Street.

• Anticipated deficit from last year: $40,000 that will be added in to the 23-24 budget.

Select Board Budget Meeting 1/26: Unapproved Minutes

• 23/24 Budget: Approved the Selectman’s Budget as written in amount of $1,950,584.99. George Timko voted no. Bob Glidden, Mike Ripley and Sandra Russo voted yes.

• Town Meeting Warning: Agreed to hold a hybrid Town Meeting and vote the Town budget by Australian ballot. Accepted the town meeting warning as written.

2. CAVENDISH INFO

• Cavendish Town Meeting Warning: The legal voters of the Town of Cavendish in the County of Windsor, are hereby notified and warned to meet at the Cavendish Town Elementary School or via Zoom on Monday, March 6th, 2023, at seven (7:00) o’clock pm and at the Proctorsville Fire Department at ten (10:00) o’clock in the forenoon on Tuesday the 7th day of March 2023 to elect town officers for the ensuing year, to adopt the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Town Budget as proposed by the Board of Selectmen in the amount of $1,950,584.99. All voting will be done by Australian ballot on Tuesday March 7th at the Proctorsville Fire Hall from 10-7. Note that current Select Member Sandra Russo will not be running for re election. Shannon Deverux will be running for the one year position with incumbents Stephen Plunkard (1 year) and Bob Glidden (3 years).

• Green Mountain Unified School District Warning: The Annual School District Meeting will take place on March 2 at 6 pm at the Green Mountain Union High School. Voting on the school budget will be by Australian Ballot at the Proctorsville Fire Dept. on March 7 (Tuesday) from 10-7.

• Proctorsville Wildlife Photography Talk Postponed: The slideshow and talk entitled “How to Photograph Wildlife” by noted wildlife photographer Tim O’Donoghue, which was scheduled for this Friday has been postponed to Friday, February 10th because of the extreme weather expected. The presentation will take place at the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library, 573 Main Street in Proctorsville, and will begin at 6:30 PM. FMI: contact Robin at 802-259-2327, or email cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.

• Forrest E. Williams: Known to many in Cavendish as “Dr. Joe,” he worked at the Ludlow Health Center for many years. All services will be at Ludlow Baptist Church. Calling Hours on Friday, February 3, 2023 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Funeral on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.

• Green Union cannabis dispensary opens in Plymouth

 3. COVID/FLU: For local information on Covid, please see the Cavendish COVID-19 Resource Guide, which was recently updated.

Vaccination for Covid and Flu-  Doctor’s office or pharmacy.  

Free Covid Test kits/masks & hand sanitizer: Available Monday-Friday at the Cavendish Fire Dept from 9-4. For weekends and off hours, call 802-226-7807. Pick up free masks and sanitizer when picking up a test kit. Masks and hand sanitizer are available 24/7, 365 at the CHS Cares Closet, next to the steps of the Museum.

Schools: 4 cases of Covid were reported for CTES-3 on 1/27 and 1 on 2/1

Vermont Covid Surveillance Report: The 1/22-1/28 report indicates low community levels state wide.  However, the five western counties are testing at medium levels, with Rutland county having “high” levels.  Five additional Covid deaths were reported in the last week, bringing the state total to 894, with 17 deaths in January. Three outbreaks are reported for Windsor County

Vermont Flu Surveillance Report. The 1/15-1/21 reports VT as having minimal levels of flu statewide.

Long Covid Resources: Have you had Covid 12 weeks ago or longer and just don’t feel right? If you are experiencing anxiety, body aches, brain fog, depression, headache, insomnia, extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, lightheadedness, stomach pain, odd taste or some other some odd symptom, you could possibly have “long covid.” The term long COVID does not necessarily mean that a person is still infected with the virus. It means that they are experiencing troublesome, often debilitating symptoms that last beyond 12 weeks after the acute infection is over. If this applies to you or someone you know, check out  Dartmouth Hitchcock’s new Long Covid website and the special section on patient resources.

End to national Covid-19 emergency order could affect Vermont’s tools to fight the disease: On Monday, President Joe Biden announced that the federal government plans to end the emergency declarations for Covid-19 on May 11, a move that could affect Vermonters’ ability to access vaccinations, testing and treatment for the disease. VT Digger

4. EVENTS 

FEBRUARY 10 (FRIDAY): How to Photograph Wildlife. Feb 3, 6:30-7:30pm @ Cavendish Fletcher Community Library. Tim O’Donoghue will show some of his bird and wildlife photos, and discuss techniques and equipment, with an emphasis on wildlife biology and specific skills needed to photograph wildlife. Recommended for ages 12 and up. FMI: Robin at 802-259-2327, or email cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY 13 (MONDAY): Cavendish Select Board Meeting, 6:30 pm Cavendish Town Office

FEBRUARY 14 (TUESDAY): Happy Valentine’s Day

FEBRUARY 15 (WEDNESDAY): 3rd Quarter Property Taxes Due

FEBRUARY 20 (MONDAY): President’s Day, Legal Holiday, Town Office Closed

FEBRUARY 21 (TUESDAY): Mardi Gras

MARCH 2 (THURSDAY): The Annual School District Meeting will take place on March 2 at 6 pm at the Green Mountain Union High School. Click here for a copy of the warning.

MARCH 6 (MONDAY): Town Meeting (informational)

MARCH 7 (TUESDAY): Voting takes place from 10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Hall.

MARCH 12 (SUNDAY): Daylight Savings Time Begins. Set clocks ahead one hour

MARCH 17 (FRIDAY): HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

APRIL 7 (FRIDAY): Good Friday. Town Office Closed

APRIL 9 (SUNDAY): HAPPY EASTER

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Cavendish Update 1/27/23: SB & ARPA Mtgs/News/Events

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1/27/23

1.    Cavendish Committee/Board Meetings

2.    Cavendish Info

3.    Covid/Flu update

4.    Events

1. CAVENDISH COMMITTEE/BOARD MEETINGS: A number of meetings are taking place in preparation for Town Meeting.

• ARPA 1/17 Mtg: According to member Peter LaBelle, there are 4 broad criteria for eligible projects – public health emergency, workers doing essential work during Covid, provision of government services during Covid, and water/sewer or broadband projects. The government is presuming that all towns had some lose and can elect to treat the entire ARPA sum (if it is under $10 millions) as “revenue loss” which can then be used for “provision of government services”. Peter said that this is the broadest category, and the filing requirements are less burdensome. in order to be allowed to claim the $10 million standard allowance, the Select Board needs to make a motion to do so by April 30, 2023. The Committee passed a motion to recommend that the Select Board of the Town of Cavendish make the one-time irrevocable decision to elect the “Standard Allowance” approach for our ARPA award in the amount of $420,000 to spend on the “provision of government services throughout the period of performance of the grant.” The committee discussed various ways to determine what projects they should put forward to the select board. Minutes

• Select Board Budget Meeting 1/18: Unapproved minutes are available at the town website. Among the discussed:

-       Sheriff: Town manager, Brendan McNamara, thought there should be more public discussion before increasing the Sheriff’s budget to $70,000, though he did feel that the town needs more police coverage. Current contract runs through June 30th.

-       Mowing Contract: Wish to increase budget as the town is responsible for mowing all of Fletcher Field, the only soccer field in town.

-       Transfer Station: Will be adding an item for uniforms for the attendant.

-       Garage: McNamara met with Regional Planning regarding the soil tests from the former town garage site. Regional Planning will hire and pay for a project manager to remove the diesel tank and pole barn. Water will be restored to the Historical Society Museum.

-       Street Lights: Proctorsville street lights will be converted to LED’s which should save the Town about $3,1000 per year.

2. CAVENDISH INFO

• Walk and Talk Presentation: How to Photograph Wildlife. Feb 3, 6:30-7:30pm @ Cavendish Fletcher Community Library. Tim O’Donoghue will show some of his bird and wildlife photos, and discuss techniques and equipment, with an emphasis on wildlife biology and specific skills needed to photograph wildlife. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Snow date Feb 10. FMI: contact Robin at 802-259-2327, or email cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.

• Community Luncheon: Lasagna and Bingo, Thursday, Feb. 2, noon, at the Ludlow Community Center Cafeteria, 37 Main St. Ludlow. SEVCA staff will share data on emergency fuel assistance. All are welcome, free of charge. Sponsored by Black River Good Neighbor

• Vermont Everyone Eats program will end on March 31, after distributing 3.5 million meals VT Digger

• Divided Sky: Coming soon to Ludlow, Divided Sky Residential Recovery Program, opening mid-2023, will be a retreat center where guests will follow an abstinence-based, 12-step outline.

• Ludlow Citizen on Jeopardy: Jake DeArruda, a delivery dispatcher from Ludlow, Vt., is set to compete on America’s favorite quiz show on Jan. 27 on WPTZ-TV (NBC). Please check your local listing for additional information or visit www.jeopardy.com.

• New Report on VT’s Solid Waste Law: Vermont’s solid waste law hasn't helped the state reduce its trash output, according to a new report. It’s been about 10 years since lawmakers enacted Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law, which is intended to divert waste streams from the landfill. Josh Kelly, with the Agency of Natural Resources, says the law has made a difference, but there's still work to do. “While we are doing a really good job with recycling, in general, and we have more services for composting than ever before, we’re still wasting a lot of stuff," he said. A new report from the agency shows that the number of tons that end up in the landfill has remained fairly constant. Kelly says with about 20 years left in the state’s only landfill in Coventry, Vermonters need to make tougher choices about what they consume and throw away.

3. COVID/FLU: For local information on Covid, please see the Cavendish COVID-19 Resource Guide.

Vaccination for Covid and Flu- This is the last Friday for vaccinations at Riverside Middle School in Springfield; 3-6pm, no appointment needed. Shots are free. After today, the best place to be vaccinated is your doctor’s office or pharmacy.  

Free Covid Test kits/masks & hand sanitizer: Available Monday-Friday at the Cavendish Fire Dept from 9-4. For weekends and off hours, call 802-226-7807. Pick up free masks and sanitizer when picking up a test kit. Masks and hand sanitizer are available 24/7, 365 at the CHS Cares Closet, next to the steps of the Museum. Items are on the top upper left hand shelf.

Schools: No cases of COVID at GM or CTES

Vermont Covid Surveillance Report: The 1/15-1/21 report indicates low community levels state wide. However, Bennington is registering high levels and there was a major increase in Covid levels at two of Burlington’s waste water treatment plants. One outbreak has been reported for Windsor County.  Five additional Covid deaths in the last week, brings the state total to 889, with 13 deaths in January.

Vermont Flu Surveillance Report. The 1/8-1/14 reports VT as having minimal levels of flu statewide. Windsor County reports 8 outbreaks.

4. EVENTS 

JANUARY 27 (FRIDAY): International Holocaust Remembrance Day

FEBRUARY 2 (THURSDAY): Free Community lunch-Lasagna & Bingo, Ludlow Community Center Cafeteria, 37 Main St. Ludlow, 12 pm. SEVCA will be providing up to date on emergency fuel assistant. Open to the public, sponsored by Black River Good Neighbors.

FEBRUARY 3 (FRIDAY): How to Photograph Wildlife. Feb 3, 6:30-7:30pm @ Cavendish Fletcher Community Library. Tim O’Donoghue will show some of his bird and wildlife photos, and discuss techniques and equipment, with an emphasis on wildlife biology and specific skills needed to photograph wildlife. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Snow date Feb 10. FMI: contact Robin at 802-259-2327, or email cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY 14 (TUESDAY): Happy Valentine’s Day

FEBRUARY 15 (WEDNESDAY): 3rd Quarter Property Taxes Due

FEBRUARY 20 (MONDAY): President’s Day, Legal Holiday, Town Office Closed

FEBRUARY 21 (TUESDAY): Mardi Gras

MARCH 6 (MONDAY): Town Meeting (informational)

MARCH 7 (TUESDAY): Voting takes place from 10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Hall.

MARCH 12 (SUNDAY): Daylight Savings Time Begins. Set clocks ahead one hour

MARCH 17 (FRIDAY): HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

APRIL 7 (FRIDAY): Good Friday. Town Office Closed

APRIL 9 (SUNDAY): HAPPY EASTER

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Cavendish Update 1/20/23: News/Events

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1/20/23

1.    Cavendish Info

2.    Covid/Flu update

3.    Events

1. CAVENDISH INFO

• Dan Churchill 1937-2023: It is with sadness that we note the passing of Dan Churchill of Cavendish on January 18. Dan was the owner of Commercial Radio and at various times served on the Cavendish Select Board, Planning Commission, Board of Civil Authorities, as well as being the town’s representative on the boards of the Black River Senior Center and the area Agency on Aging. He was one of the founding members of the Cavendish Historical Society.  Our condolences to his daughter Centura, his brother Winston, nephews and other family and friends. A memorial service will be held on June 4 (Sunday), 2 pm at his home 66 Duttonsville School Dr. in Cavendish. The family is requesting, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Cavendish Historical Society.

• Congratulations Denise Hughes: Congratulations to Cavendish resident Denise Hughes who has been named the Deputy Secretary of the new state Agency of Digital Services. VT Digger

• Smokin’ Bowls Now Open: With a “soft” opening this past weekend, Smokin’ Bowls is now open in what was formerly Neal’s Restaurant on Rout 103 near the intersection of Rt 131. They are open for lunch and dinner-11:30 am-10 pm. Please follow their Facebook page for more information and menus.

• GMUSD board agrees to ‘retire’ Chieftain name 'Indian head' image was dropped two years ago: In a move that was a surprise to at least one board member, the Green Mountain Unified School District board voted Thursday, Jan. 19, to discontinue the use of the Chieftain name. The district had voted to stop using the image of a Native American in a headdress back in October 2021. The board voted 7 to 2 to retire the name effective immediately. Chester Telegraph

• VT Towns That Can’t Afford School Construction Projects Look to Montpelier: The Agency of Education says there’s a growing inequity between districts that can get their projects passed by voters, and those that can't. There’s now a backlog of projects that’s potentially causing health and safety issues at the schools with the highest needs. At Green Mountain Union High School in Chester, voters recently rejected a $20 million bond proposal to upgrade the school’s aging infrastructure. And Todd Parah, who’s head of facilities at Green Mountain, says the district has to figure out a way to upgrade the equipment. “Here in our school district, along with a majority of them in the state of Vermont, we’re not at a want-basis, we’re going to be at a need-basis,” Parah said. “The systems are at their end-of-use life, and nobody knows where the money’s gonna come from.” VT Public

2. COVID/FLU: For local information on Covid, please see the Cavendish COVID-19 Resource Guide.

Vaccination clinics nearby for Covid and Flu- Fridays, through January, at Riverside Middle School in Springfield; 3-6pm, no appointment needed. Shots are free. Note The Walk In clinics cease after Jan. 31. Vaccinations will be available from your doctor and pharmacies.  

Free Covid Test kits/masks & hand sanitizer: Available Monday-Friday at the Cavendish Fire Dept from 9-4. For weekends and off hours, call 802-226-7807. Also pick up free masks and sanitizer when picking up a test kit. Masks and hand sanitizer are available 24/7, 365 at the CHS Cares Closet, next to the steps of the Museum. Items are on the top upper left hand shelf.

Schools: No cases of COVID at GM or CTES, but 2 cases at Mt. Holly and one at Chester-Andover.

Gill Home: According to their Facebook page, posted January 18, “There are no new cases of COVID at this time. Our remaining 3 residents will conclude their isolation this week and precautions will be lifted on Friday AM.”

Vermont Covid Surveillance Report: The 1/8-1/14 report indicates low community levels state wide, Bennington County reporting medium levels. Three outbreaks have been reported for Windsor County.  Three additional Covid deaths in the last week, brings the state total to 884.

Vermont Flu Surveillance Report. The 1/1-1/7 reports VT as having low levels of flu statewide. This is a drop from high the previous week. Nationally, while flu continues nationally, it’s dropping in most areas. Windsor County reports 7 outbreaks.

3. EVENTS 

JANUARY 22 (SUNDAY): Chinese New Year, year of the Rabbit

JANUARY 27 (FRIDAY): International Holocaust Remembrance Day

FEBRUARY 14 (TUESDAY): Happy Valentine’s Day

FEBRUARY 15 (WEDNESDAY): 3rd Quarter Property Taxes Due

FEBRUARY 20 (MONDAY): President’s Day, Legal Holiday, Town Office Closed

FEBRUARY 21 (TUESDAY): Mardi Gras

MARCH 6 (MONDAY): Town Meeting (informational)

MARCH 7 (TUESDAY): Voting takes place from 10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Hall.

MARCH 12 (SUNDAY): Daylight Savings Time Begins. Set clocks ahead one hour

MARCH 17 (FRIDAY): HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

APRIL 7 (FRIDAY): Good Friday. Town Office Closed

APRIL 9 (SUNDAY): HAPPY EASTER

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Cavendish Update 1/13/23: SB Mtg/Jobs/News/Events

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1/13/23

1.    Cavendish Select Board Meeting 1/9/23

2.    Cavendish Info

3.    Cavendish Immediate Job Openings

4.    Covid/Flu update

5.    Events

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 1/9/23: Cavendish Select Board (SB) meetings are videoed by Okemo Valley TV and posted to their website. In addition, unapproved minutes from Monday’s meeting have been posted at the Cavendish Municipal website.

The following took place at Monday’s meeting:

Approved the following:

• The Town manager will send a letter to the Planning Commission, on behalf of the SB,  instructing them to include the state’s 2022 Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan in the Town Plan’s Energy section. Note that a substantial portion of the meeting was dedicated to this topic, which was the primary subject of the January Planning Commission meeting. Commission member Tim Calabrese noted that it couldn’t be adopted by the Planning Commission. Instead it would be added into the Town Plan and the Planning Commission would hold a hearing, changes could be made, then it would be sent to the Select Board for another hearing and then adopted by the Select Board.

• Appointment of ARPA Committee Members: George Timko,  Wendy Regier, Betty McEnaney, Jen Leak, Julia Gignoux, Peter LaBelle and Stephen Plunkard. Brendan McNamara will be a non-voting member.

• A first class liquor license for ‘Smokin’ Bowls LLC, which is located in the former Neal’s Restaurant on route 103.

Windsor County Sheriff’s Contract: Ryan Palmer, the new sheriff who takes office Feb. 1, spoke to the board. He wants to change the current model from the Sheriff’s office being paid for hours of service (currently Cavendish pays for 4 hour blocks 3 times a week) to being a county wide police department so that calls can be responded to throughout the day. Currently there is a limited response from VT State Police to the Cavendish community. The Windsor Sheriff’s Department’s goal is” to be a community problem solver.” Palmer expects a significant increase in payment from Cavendish as there are a substantial number of calls from Cavendish they are responding to. “Don’t want to leave Cavendish hanging,” Palmer noted, but he does want to do more than 12 hours a week. They plan to have someone on staff that can respond to mental health issues, whether in house or through a contract with HCRS. When asked about dogs, Palmer said they “answer calls for service.” Bob Glidden, SB chair and chief of the Proctorsville Fire Dept., spoke to issues the fire dept is having in getting troopers to respond. Recently, they had to wait 45 minutes for a state police trooper to respond to a serious incident. Cavendish has always received a portion of tickets written. Palmer advised not to count on this source of revenue as it has drastically dropped due to Covid and other factors. Nine towns in Windsor County are already on board, with three or four more most likely joining the new program. The cost of the upgraded service would be $70,000-$90,000 a year. Currently the budget is about $18,000. Note-The Sheriff’s position was discussed at Wednesday’s Budget meeting. Unapproved minutes of that meeting are available at the Town Website.

Common Level of Appraisal: The town just received its “common level of appraisal” (CLA).  CLA  is a method of ensuring that each town is paying its fair share of education property tax to the state’s Education Fund.  The CLA score is achieved by comparing the ratio of the grand list listed value to the sale price for all the arm’s length sales in the town over the prior three-year period. The study considers sales price as the best measurement of fair market value. If grand list values are generally less than sale prices for the recent sales, the town will end up with a CLA less than one hundred percent. If grand list values are generally more than sale prices for the recent sales, the town will end up with a CLA of more than one hundred percent. Once the CLA is determined, it is used to adjust the homestead and nonhomestead education tax rates. VT Dept. of Taxes  Cavendish’s CLA was 82% Towns with scores below 85% or above 100% are required to do a reappraisal. Since Cavendish  finished an appraisal in 2019, which took three years to complete, the question is whether another is required. Cavendish’s state representative, John Arrnison, spoke to the chair of  Ways and Means, which is the legislative committee dealing with this issue. He was told that town’s like Cavendish need to sit tight as the session is just getting underway.

Town Manager’s Report  Town Manager, Brendan McNamara, reminded the board that budget meetings begin on Wednesday (6 pm).

-       Old Town Garage: Soil samples, borings, have been completed and McNamara will be meeting with Regional Planning to talk about the results and next steps. Indications are that in the spring activities can get underway including pole barn removal, gas tank relocation and landscaping   

-       Town Water: Received calls from users noticing a discoloration in the water ranging from a light yellow tinge to blood orange. Occurring town wide,  from Mill St in Cavendish to Depot St. in Proctorsville, they’re not sure what’s going on but the water is testing fine. Busy weekends, with heavier usage, sometimes can cause discoloration.

-       Hybrid town meeting: McNamara has spoken to Okemo Valley TV about using Zoom as well as in-person meeting. This means all voting will be done by Australian Ballot on Tuesday, March 7th at the Proctorsville Fire Dept. from 10-7. Town Meeting, March 6 (Monday), will be informational only.

2. CAVENDISH INFO

• Roger Fuller 1950-2022: Known to many for his building and remodeling skills, Roger Fuller died on Dec. 29. Our condolences to his wife Joyce, his sons and his many family and friends. Calling hours are 2-4 pm at the Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield on Jan. 14 (Saturday). In lieu of flowers donations are being requested for the Springfield Humane Society or Kurn Hattin Homes for Children in Westminster.

• Budget Meeting: Unapproved minutes of the 1/11/23 Cavendish Budget Meeting are available at the Town’s Website. Among the items discussed was town manager, Brendan McNamara, stating that it looks like there will be a $40,000 deficit from the FY22 budget. Contributing factors were excess in gravel expenditures due to a horrendous mud season. As permits for a town pit are being finalized, McNamara hopes that crushing, which will be done by Bazin Brothers, will start soon. McNamara, also noted that there were large expenses in the Highway Dept. for equipment repairs. Finally, legal fees are over budget since the Town spent $15,000 in FY 22 but had only budgeted $7,200.

• Green Mountain school officials, police address student threat: Chester Police were called to Green Mountain High School on Tuesday, Jan. 3 after school officials received word of a threat made during a social media conversation (Snap Chat) among five high-school students, apparently while they were away from the school. Chester Police Chief Tom Williams said that the school did not need to be locked down and that the threats were neither racial nor anti-LGBTQ in nature but were a general threat “against students” by someone who felt slighted and felt the threats of physical harm  — to kill people in general  — were a solution to their problem. Three of the students have not been allowed to return to school — two specifically because of the incident and one because contraband — in this case apparently a vape pen  — was found when police interceded. No weapons were found, Williams said. Chester Telegraph 

• 200-year-old inn’s romantic history repeats itself with new owners: The former Okemo Lantern Lodge, on Main St. in Proctorsville, is now called the Black Bear Den, after being purchased in Sept. 2022. VT Journal

• Staff and incarcerated people at the state prison in Springfield are struggling with high levels of anxiety, stress and suicidal thoughts, according to a new survey that looks at health and well-being inside the prison. It's the second year of the survey at Southern State Correctional Facility. One of the most concerning points in the new survey was the high number of staff and incarcerated individuals who considered suicide in the last 12 months. "For staff, that rate was 30%. And for the incarcerated it was 37% -- and those are really high," said Abby Crocker, a professor at the University of Vermont and one of the project researchers. Department of Corrections officials say they plan to make more mental health supports available for staff. DOC says it'll also increase mental health services for incarcerated people through a new medical services contract, which is expected this summer. The Frequency/Vermont Public

3. IMMEDIATE JOB OPENINGS IN CAVENDISH: Experienced office manager, 12 hours a week estimated, flexible times you can choose. Requirements include; knowledge of office equipment; minor accounting; bill payment; inventory control using an inventory program; E Bay-list items. If interested call 239-340-5154 ASAP!

Singleton’s is looking for someone to join their register crew-full time or part time. Call 802-226-7666.

4. COVID/FLU: For local information on Covid, please see the Cavendish COVID-19 Resource Guide.

Prevent Flu & Covid:

-       Vaccinate. Vaccination clinics nearby for Covid and Flu- Fridays, through January, at Riverside Middle School in Springfield; 3-6pm, no appointment needed. Shots are free. Note The Walk In clinics cease after Jan. 31. Vaccinations will be available from your doctor and pharmacies.  

-       Wear a mask in crowded places, particularly in doors;

-       Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, throw the tissue away, and wash your hands immediately;

-       Avoid close contact with those confirmed or suspected of having the flu, COVID-19. Stay at home and away from others when you are sick

-       Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, especially after sneezing, coughing or using the bathroom and before eating

Free Covid Test kits/masks & hand sanitizer: Available Monday-Friday at the Cavendish Fire Dept from 9-4. For weekends and off hours, call 802-226-7807. Also pick up free masks and sanitizer when picking up a test kit. Masks and hand sanitizer are available 24/7, 365 at the CHS Cares Closet, next to the steps of the Museum. Items are on the top upper left hand shelf.

Schools: 2 Covid cases were reported on Jan. 5 at GMUHS; 2 cases at Ludlow Elementary and 1 at Chester Andover Elementary

Gill Home: A first case of Covid was reported on Jan. 6, with more patients testing positive on Jan. 9

Vermont Covid Surveillance Report: The 1/1-1/7 report indicates low community levels state wide, Bennington County is reporting high levels and Windham County medium. While there were 21 Covid deaths in December and 4 so far in January, On January 6, the VT Dept of Health issued a report that stated, “Following an analysis of COVID-19 data, the Department of Health is reporting a cumulative 86 additional COVID-associated deaths that occurred over the course of the pandemic but had not been previously reported. Most of these deaths occurred in 2022. This brings the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Vermont to 877, as of January 6. The additional deaths were identified through a Health Department review of COVID-19 data that took place shortly before the holidays. While Vermont’s COVID-19 death rate will now increase from 126 per 100,000 to 140 per 100,000, it is still the lowest in the continental U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vermont Flu Surveillance Report. The 12/25-12/31 reports VT as having high levels of flu statewide.

5. EVENTS 

JANUARY 16 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King Day. Legal Holiday Town Office and schools closed

JANUARY 17 (TUESDAY) ARPA Committee Meeting, 5:15 Cavendish town Office

JANUARY 22 (SUNDAY): Chinese New Year, year of the Rabbit

JANUARY 27 (FRIDAY): International Holocaust Remembrance Day

FEBRUARY 15 (WEDNESDAY): 3rd Quarter Property Taxes Due

FEBRUARY 20 (MONDAY): President’s Day, Legal Holiday, Town Office Closed

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