Cavendish Update 1/5/24: Illness/News/Events

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Winter Storm Watch from Saturday Evening Through Sunday Evening. 6-8 inches of heavy snow possible.

1/5/24

1. COVID RSV and Flu

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Events

1. COVID RSV AND FLU: We are now into the time of year when respiratory illnesses are sweeping through the area. There has been a run on COVID tests and very few are now available at the Cavendish Fire Dept. These are being reserved for those with symptoms and are available Monday-Friday from 9-4. Unfortunately, the state is no longer providing free test kits for the fire department to distribute so consider other options:

-       Ludlow Pharmacy has ordered more kits. Call first 802/228-2500.

-       Ludlow Health Center has a few take home test kits 802-228-8867. You can be tested as part of a visit as well. They are no longer offering the PCR test.

-       The ICATT Program offers no cost Covid testing for uninsured people that are symptomatic or exposed. The closest one to Cavendish is Quest Patient Service Center, 214 Washington St., Claremont.

-       Order free kits from the Government site https://special.usps.com/testkits

-       Claremont Walmart had a few tests as of yesterday.

If you have Covid test kits, check expiration dates by clicking here. Many tests have had their expiration dates extended. An expired test kit will not give accurate results.

To reduce the risk of COVD, RSV and flu, consider the following:

• Be vaccinated. All three conditions now have vaccines. The Ludlow Health Center offers the Covid and flu vaccine but not RSV. Certain pharmacies Rite Aid (Springfield), Walmart etc. provide vaccines but may require appointments. Ludlow Pharmacy does not provide vaccines.

• Wear a mask, particularly in crowded indoor spaces. Free masks and hand sanitizer are available at the Cavendish Closet (next to the Museum steps) 24/7 and at the Cavendish Fire Dept. Monday-Friday from 9-4.

• 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 a respiratory illness.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

• Memorial for Roger Sheehan: For many years Roger  served as the Cavendish Town Fire Warden, was a life member of the Proctorsville Fire Dept and a former Marine. Services will be held on Saturday January 6th 10:00am at the Saint Joseph Catholic Church at 58 Elm Street in Claremont NH.  Proctorsville Fire Department will give Roger his last ride on Engine 2 from the Church to the Hillcrest Cemetery in Proctorsville. There will be a small service at the graveside with a last call and honorary 1 minute blast of the firehouse siren. Reception to follow at the Proctorsville Fire Department.

• Wendy’s and Chipotle are Coming to Claremont: Eagle Times

•  In State of the State, Phil Scott tackles Vermont’s demographic challenges — and Democrats’ spending: In his annual State of the State address Thursday afternoon, Republican Gov. Phil Scott reinforced his perennial concerns: state demographics, public safety, affordability and housing. And at least partially at fault for these grim trends, he scolded, is a Legislature emboldened by its veto-proof Democratic supermajority. “Now, I’m a realist, and I know you have a supermajority. I know all too well,” Scott said. “You’ve proven the final budget, and the growing burden of taxes, fees and other policy-driven costs, is in your hands. So all I can do is make my case.” VT Digger

3. EVENTS

JANUARY 8 (MONDAY): Cavendish Monthly Select Board Meeting, 6:30 pm at the Cavendish Town Office.

JANUARY 15 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King Day Town office and schools closed.

FEBRUARY 13 (TUESDAY): Mardi Gras

FEBRUARY 14 (WEDNESDAY): HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

FEBRUARY 19 (MONDAY): President’s Day. Legal holiday town office and schools closed

FEBRUARY 19-23 (MONDAY-FRIDAY) Winter Break no school

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Cavendish Update 12/29/23: News/Events

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The Cavendish Transfer Station is open normal hours New Year’s Eve.

Okemo Fire Works will be at 8 pm on New Year’s Eve

See ya next year!

12/29/23

1. Cavendish Related News

2. Events

1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

• GMUSD board votes 6-3 to drop Chieftain name/Chair Resigns: At the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) Meeting on Dec. 21, the  board was informed by the vice chair, Adrienne Williams, that the chair Deb Brown, had resigned due to medical issues stemming from a concussion  she received weeks ago.  The board also voted 6-3 to “retire” the Chieftain name, which has been a bone of contention for most of the past year. While the reaction on Facebook to the removal of the Chieftains name was mixed, more than one person was far more concerned about the quality of education. “Fix the education and stop focusing on the stupid name. GMUSD is churning out kids who can't read at grade level, are woefully behind in math and the topic of Chieftain keeps coming up. What a wonderful distraction to keep the focus off the abysmal education the kids are receiving.” Chester Telegraph

• Shaw’s reopening timeline still unclear: At the meeting of the Ludlow Development Review Board on Monday, Dec. 18, the board heard updates regarding the rebuilding of Shaw’s Supermarket in Ludlow. Construction will begin on an expanded Shaw’s in January and will include flood mitigation measures. No timeframe was given for when Shaw’s will reopen, though rumors on the street place it closer to June 2024.  VT Journal

• 2024 brings new Vt. DMV fees, registration requirements: As part of last year’s budget, DMV fees are slated to increase about 19% across the board starting on January 1. That will include everything from registering a vehicle to getting a new license. It will cost $15 more to register a car, $10 more for a motorcycle, $6 for a small trailer and $11 more for a driver’s license. Also changing is now you get a title for your car. Starting Monday all vehicles will need a title, regardless of their age. WCAX

2. EVENTS

DECEMBER 31 (SUNDAY): New Year’s Eve. Fire Works at Okemo, 8 pm

JANUARY 1 (MONDAY): HAPPY NEW YEAR Town office closed

JANUARY 15 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King Day Town office and schools closed.

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Cavendish Update 12/22/23: Floods/Elected Positions/News

Greven field on Monday Dec. 18, 2023

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The Cavendish Transfer Station is open normal hours on Sundays Dec. 24 and 31-Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

12/22/23

1. Return of the Floods

2. Elected Town Positions for 2024

3. Cavendish Related News

4. Events

1. RETURN OF THE FLOODS: Monday’s combination of snow melt and heavy rain resulted in many people feeling anxious and concerned. A high stress day for sure. Fortunately, with the exception of two roads, Cavendish Gulf Rd and Knapp Pond, the town was okay. Note: All roads are now open.  Basements once again needed to be pumped out in various locations and Greven Field served its purpose as a flood plain. Singleton’s reported that while they were again flooding, they were open for business. The Cavendish Shelter was open briefly on Monday to accommodate families that were concerned about rising water and by Tuesday was offering sump pump, dehumidifiers, flood recovery kits etc. Fortunately, few needed these supplies. More than one person noted, “we dodged a bullet.” 

• The Cavendish Gulf Rd and Proctorsville Gulf are different: A major source of confusion this week. The Cavendish Gulf, a dirt road, runs from 103 (Chester) to Mill St. that takes you to 131 in Cavendish. This is a town road and was closed to thru traffic for repairs.  It reopened yesterday. The Proctorsville Gulf refers to the stretch of 103 (a state road) that goes through Proctorsville.  

• Register for VT Alert: If you want to know about approaching storms, road conditions, hazards etc., register for VT Alert at www.vtalert.gov  Cavendish is now part of this alert system. You can receive personalized alerts via phone, text or email about emergencies that affect you, where you travel etc.

• Post-flood legal clinics to continue monthly: Vermont Law and Graduate School’s (VLGS) Entrepreneurial Legal Lab and Legal Services Vermont have been working in collaboration to assist Vermont business owners affected by the summer 2023 floods. The January 2024 Ludlow clinic will be held on Thursday, Jan. 11, from 1-4:45 p.m., at the Fletcher Memorial Library, 88 Main Street in Ludlow. Individuals can come prepared to the clinic with pictures of before and after the flood if accessible; receipts of repairs, replacement items, and lodging if displaced from flooding; insurance information, including a reply or settlement from insurance after a claim was submitted; household income information; any documents sent to or received from FEMA or the SBA; log-in information for your FEMA Disaster Relief account (if you have one); and any additional notes about damages, losses and impacts from flooding. This effort serves as a lifeline for affected individuals and businesses and reinforces Vermont Law and Graduate School’s dedication to fostering practical legal education and community engagement.

2. OPEN POSITIONS FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS (2024): If you are interested in filling one of the 2024 elected town positions, pick up a petition from the Cavendish Town Office, which need to be returned by 5:00 pm on Monday, January 29th, 2024. Positions available are as follows: Town Moderator (one year term); Town Agent (one year term); Auditor  (one, two and three  year terms); Select Board (2 one year terms and 1 three year); Town Grand Juror (one year); Library Trustee (five year); Trustee of Public funds (1 and 3 year terms); and GMUSD Director (1 three year term)

3. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

• Robin Bebo-Long Retires from CTES: After spending more than 20 years teaching at CTES, Robin Bebo-Long’s last day of work was Wednesday. Many will remember her 6th grade plays, trips to Keewaydin and much more. We wish her the best in a well deserved retirement.

• Kendall to Resign from the GM Board: After one year of a three year term, Scott Kendall, representing Andover is resigning his position on the Green Mountain Unified School District Board (GMUSD) as “the school board gets nothing done.” He not only doesn’t support the he does not support the district budget and questions why the costs are so high “for such a low level education for our kids.” “I really love that school,” Kendall told The Telegraph on Wednesday morning, “I graduated from it, but to see how it’s gone down hill … it’s sad.” The Chester Telepgraph

• Christmas Eve Services: Cavendish Baptist Church, 7 pm. Brent Buswel, accordionist, will be playing. Annunciation Catholic Church in Ludlow: 4:30 pm The Vigil of the Nativity

• Christmas Day Services: Annunciation Catholic Church in Ludlow Church 9 am.

• Covid wastewater levels spike as Vermont goes into the holidays VT Digger

4. EVENTS

DECEMBER 25 (MONDAY): MERRY CHRISTMAS Town office closed

JANUARY 1 (MONDAY): HAPPY NEW YEAR Town office closed

JANUARY 15 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King Day Town office and schools closed.

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Cavendish Update 12/15/23: SB Mtg/News/Events

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12/15/23

1.    Cavendish Select Board Meeting 12/11/23

2.    Cavendish Related News

3.    Events

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 12/11/23: Select Board (SB) meetings are taped by Okemo Valley TV and available at their website. Unapproved minutes for Monday’s meeting are available at the Town’s website.

Prior to the SB meeting, a hearing was to be held on the proposed Energy section of the Town Plan. However, due to missing the deadline for sending notices to surrounding towns, it became an information meeting. Unapproved minutes from the meeting are available at the town website.

Items Discussed/Acted on

Approved

• Correct errors found in the 2023 as Billed Grand List for  Parcel #1R06-148.02: Omission of education tax billing

• Accepting Carlton Rd Survey by Gary Rappanotti and doing away with the Class 4 status. This will allow a building permit to move forward

• VT Alert: This allows Cavendish to provide personalized alerts via phone, text or email about emergencies. This is part of the state’s alert system. People can register for the service by going to vtalert.gov

• Begin the process of adding Park Place( dirt road behind Murdock’s & Outer Limits in Proctorsville) to the town roads as a class 3 road.

• Shannon Devereux to serve as the liaison to the Planning Commission

• Request that the Planning Commission look into the issue of short term rentals and provide recommendations

• First budget meeting has been set for Dec. 21st (Thursday) at 6 pm at the town office

Discussed

• Voting 2024-Agreed that voting by Australian ballot for the town budget basically would kill Town Meeting. However, town meeting hasn’t been well attended in previous years. To permanently change to Australian Ballot would require a town vote. The board has until the end of January to make a decision about this coming year’s voting.

• Short Term Rentals: Anything less than 30 days is considered a short term rental. During peak times, there is more demand for town services including water and emergency services. While Cavendish has always had short term rentals, passing an ordinance raises the question of who does the enforcement. If something does happen, the potential it places the town in a vulnerable position.

• Academy Building: Rick Chambers has contacted a survivor to determine what’s town property, however, it makes no sense to have a survey done if the business restriction isn’t lifted  from the deed.  The owner, Reese Brown  will develop a letter for himself,  Preservation Trust, and the Town to sign, which would remove the restriction against residential use first.

• Back roads are currently in a muddy rutty mess due to the thaws. Roads crews are working to make repairs

• Continue working with FEMA and reimbursement. Currently the town has spent  $1.91 million on this event. Still have guardrails and paving that will be done in the spring. Still accepting pictures of the flood, which should be texted to 802-738-6445

• ARPA: The ARPA Committee is meeting to finalize applications next week and will forward them to the Board for consideration.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

• Maren Muter will be running the hot chocolate tasting for Sunday's (Dec. 17) "A Christmas Carol" Open Studio. 3-5:30 at the former Crow's Bakery at 73 Depot St. Proctorsville. Learn more about Maren’s interest in all things chocolate at That Chocolate. The Golden Stage Inn is making cookies to go along with Maren's hot chocolate and there will be lots of opportunities to make various types of Victorian ornaments.  This event is sponsored by the Cavendish Historical Society thanks to a grant from the Cavendish Community Fund. This is free, open to the public and suitable for all ages.

• CTES Snow Sports Program - Critical Need for On-Mountain Volunteers: 60 students have signed up for the program and we need 2 more snowboard volunteers and 5 more ski volunteers so that we can meet the required student to adult ratio. You get a free full day lift ticket for the day. You ski/ride with students from 12:00-4:00 each day. Our program day are Tuesdays in January and February. Even if you can only volunteer a few dates, that would be so helpful! If you can volunteer or can reach out to someone who might be able to, please contact Jarrod Harper (jcharpervt@gmail.com or 802-770-2892).

• The once-flooded ski town of Ludlow is back in business. Just bring your own groceries. VT Digger

• Owner of multiple Ludlow businesses arrested following indictment on federal bribery charges: Troy Caruso owns five restaurants and a golf course in Ludlow. He’s charged in New York state with bribing an official in order to receive a $3.55 million contract. VT Digger The Chester Telegraph is also covering this story.

• Kate Lorenz Fund issues first gifts: As the year draws to a close, many thanks are extended to the generous friends of The Kate Lorenz Memorial Community Fund, founded in 2022 in honor and in memory of Kate Lorenz, who lived her 42 years with sparkling passion and generosity. One of the recipients of the gift awards for 2023 is the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library. Chester Telegraph

• Toys for Tots at Benson Chevrolet: Drop off unwrapped items to us at Benson’s Chevrolet, Inc., 25 Pond Street in Ludlow, Vt. until Dec. 22- Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Donated items can be children’s clothing, toys, books, bikes, games, and craft projects to name just a few. FMI: Kim Lampert at 802-228-4000.

• Fletcher Farm School to Take a Pause in 2024: In light of various challenges (financial, personnel and dismal 2023 season), the The Society of Vermont Artists and Craftsmen (SOVAC) Board has made the difficult decision to press pause to reset and regroup during the 2024 season. This temporary status will allow our Board of Directors and small volunteer staff to focus on attaining the support and the resources we need to re-open with a new vision in 2025.Update from the SOVAC

3. EVENTS

DECEMBER 16 (SATURDAY): 1 PM. Sheryl Faye, who presents historical woman, will provide a one woman show about the life and achievements of Queen Elizabeth II. This is a free and open to the public event at the Cavendish Library. Refreshments will be provided.

-       Cookie Bake & Swap  All are welcome, kid games & movies happening while we bake. 1:00pm until we’re done at the Cavendish Shelter and Community Space Cavendish Baptist Church, 2258 Main Street.  Mixers, cookie sheets, and royal icing available to use.  Bring your favorite cookie dough already mixed or the ingredients you need to make your favorite cookies. 

DECEMBER 17 (SUNDAY): 3-5:30 at 73 Depot (former Crow’s Bakery) in Proctorsville. The Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) is hosting a Dickens’ Christmas Carol open studio with a hot chocolate tasting, ornament making and more. This is free and open to the public. This has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Cavendish Community Fund. 

DECEMBER 25 (MONDAY): MERRY CHRISTMAS

JANUARY 1 (MONDAY): HAPPY NEW YEAR

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