Bud Singleton

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It is with sadness that we report that Harold “Bud” Singleton, 94, of Reading, died Sunday morning Aug. 17, 2014, at Valley Regional Hospital. In 1978, Bud and his wife started Singleton’s Store in Proctorsville, which kicked off the revitalization of that part of town.

 A condolence book has been set up at Singleton’s near the checkout counter. Please stop by and sign the book, including your favorite stories about Bud. A note of thanks to Pang Ting, the Cavendish fiber artist who made the book

 A memorial visitation will be held on Thursday, Aug. 21 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, Aug. 22 at 11 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Windsor, Vt. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to the Old Stone Church Steeple Fund, P.O. Box 96, Reading, VT 05062. Bud's obituary appears in the Valley News. 

 

Cavendish Update 8/15/14 Solar/SB/News

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 1. SELECT BOARD MEETING 8/11/14: Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by LPC-TV and are available at their website  and on Comcast Television. 

 At Monday’s meeting the board voted:

•  In favor of having TDS attend the Sept. 8 SB meeting to discuss the difficulties people in Cavendish are having with their Internet service.

• To have John Saydeck, landscape architect, assist the town in selecting the correct shade for the new concrete railroad embankment stabilization wall on the Cavendish Gulf Rd and to request that a clear coat be applied to the wall shortly after completion, as part of the maintenance contract. The latter will help to reduce the impact of graffiti.

• To allow the Cavendish Historical Society to sell non historical items from the Cavendish Stone Church, with Cavendish residents having priority purchasing ability, to help offset the costs of the restoration of the church’s belfry/cupola.

• Accepted the 2014/2015 Municipal Sewer System Budget and set the rate as follows for the coming year, starting in Sept- $301.48 per active user ($75.37 per quarter) and $112 annually for inactive accounts.

 The board also discussed the upcoming vote on the proposed town solar project; progress on the ERP grant; Davis Rd Bridge; the new recreation director Terry O’Brien; and the replacement of lighting in Cavendish village with LED lights. For a more indepth report, go to The Dish. 

 2. SOLAR ENERGY FORUM: On Tuesday 8/12/14, members of the Cavendish Energy Committee held a forum to provide information about the proposed solar project and to answer questions. As has been previously described [ Cavendish Energy Committee Report  or Cavendish Connects Report ] the project would include a 150 kW solar photovoltaic system, located south of the wastewater treatment plant that would be owned by the town.  Net metered with Green Mountain Power (GMP), savings would occur in the first year.  A bond of up to $450,000 would need to be passed by the town voters in order to make this possible. The Energy Committee has been looking at solar options for over two years, and it’s been in the last three months that the Committee understood the considerable savings if the town pursued their own system versus join venturing with an outside group.

 At this meeting, in addition to the Energy Committee members, Steve Birge, Cavendish resident and co-owner of Black River Produce,  was present to discuss their experience with a much larger solar array. The following additional information was shared at the meeting:

 • A 150 Kw system is being sought since a larger unt would require significantly more paper work including an Act 250 permit. That noted, other locations for a solar array will be considered in Proctorsville, tying in with the Ludlow Electric at such time as they are willing to pursue net metering.

 • Cavendish has until Dec. 31, 2014 to have an operational array if they want to take advantage of the state’s .6¢ per Kw incentive. In January, this will drop to .4¢ The incentive is good for 10 years.

 • According to both the Energy Committee members and the company that installed BRP’s system, there is time to install and begin operation of the system before the end of the year. The town has the RFP ready for bidding, which would go out the day after the bond is approved. For this type of project, a 30 day period is not required and so it’s very possible that the contract would be awarded and equipment ordered before the end of September .It will take a month’s lead time to purchase equipment and six weeks to install it.

 • Price estimates for the project from at least one company is $428,000. It is anticipated that the bond will be less than the $450,000 being asked for.

 • BRP is extremely pleased with their arrays, two of which are on roof tops and one, similar to the Cavendish proposal, on a slope. They have no issues with snow removal from the slope array. They are currently producing considerably more solar than projected.

 • It is not clear what the project would do to the town’s bond rating, which is currently excellent. Rich Svec, town manager and Energy Committee member, said he would check with bond counsel before the town meeting on Aug. 25.

 The town meeting regarding this project will be on Monday, Aug. 25, 7 pm at CTES. Voting is on Tuesday, Aug. 26 from 10-7 at the school.

 3. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Riley’s Tree: The pine tree in front of the Cavendish Elementary School was removed last week because of a pine bore infection. The school is willing to plant another tree if this is of interest to the community. 

 CCF Accepting Applications for Fall 2014 Grants: The Cavendish Community Fund has announced that it is now accepting grant applications for fall 2014 awards.  The deadline for applying is October 1, 2014.  Applications are available at the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association’s website and include instructions on how and where to apply. 

 Greven Field Beach Test Results for 8/13/14: The August 13 test for E.coli levels at Greven Field Beach are 43 cfu, which means the water is safe for swimming and recreational use. Please note that it is recommended that you stay out of the water when it appears cloudy and within 24 hours of a heavy rain. The weekly water testing is made possible by BRAT and the Cavendish Recreation Department.

 Fletcher Farm Awarded VT State Designation: The State of Vermont has named Fletcher Farm School the latest Vermont State Craft Center, a distinction designed to promote Vermont’s high-quality craft galleries and craft schools as well as its craftspeople. Vt Digger 

 Button Up Vermont’s Video Contest: The Button Up Video Contest is coming! Capstone Community Action is looking for very short videos that inspire viewers to take action to lower their heating costs and do something positive for the planet. The competition runs September 2 to October 19, but contestants can start creating their videos any time. There is no entry fee and prizes will be awarded in several categories. Contest details and other background information are available at http://buttonupvermont.org/button-up-video-contest/.

 Springfield Solar: The town of Springfield could save up to $20,000 a year if it bought electricity from a solar project proposed by Winstanley Enterprises, the project developers told the Springfield Select Board on Monday night.Winstanley, which had previously proposed building a 35 megawatt wood-fired power plant on the same site in the North Springfield industrial park, said the town would save about 17 percent to 18 percent on its power bill by signing a contract with the company and its partners. Rutland Herald 

 4. EVENTS: Wednesday, Aug. 20,  will be the final concert on the Proctorsville Green featuring Sensible Shoes. This is a free event and begins at 6 pm.  For the full calendar of events, go to Cavendish Connects Calendar.

 If you wish to add an event to the calendar, be sure to use the “Submit an Event” feature after the calendar. For other activities in the area, check out the Okemo Valley Chamber’s Events Calendar. 

5. SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Select Board Meeting 8/10/14

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Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by LPC-TV and are available at their website  and on Comcast Television.  The following was discussed or acted on at Monday night’s meeting:

1. TDS and Internet Connectivity: At the June 13 SB meeting, the board voted to have Rich Svec, town manager, contact TDS and arrange for a community meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to have TDS address the myriad of problems residents are having and what plans TDS has for increasing Internet capability. Currently, the poor service is having a negative impact on the town’s ability to move forward in an era when so many depend on the Internet for business as well as daily living. Unresponsive to calls, the SB has directed Svec to write a letter to the CEO of the company and to arrange for a TDS representative to be present at the Sept. 8 SB meeting.

2. Brook Road: A resident of Brook Road, requested that Svec and the highway foreman meet with him as there are several problems with his property and the town road. Not only is Brook Rd significantly raised after Irene, but stop gap measures done by the town immediately following the flood have had no follow up work. Between the two, there is damage being done to his property. Svec agree to meet with the homeowner and the highway foreman this coming Friday at 8:30 am.

3. Railroad embankment stabilization: Discussed at SB meetings of March 10, May 12 and July 14th, a retaining wall needs to be stabilized on the Cavendish Gulf Road near the overpass. The current stonewall, which is about 150 years old, is slated to be replaced by a concrete one, made up of blocks measuring 3x3x6. Both the Planning Commission and SB stated that this proposal does not fit with the historic nature and aesthetics of the town. VTrans has been informed of the concerns. Because FEMA funding is being used to fund the project, any alternations would send it back to square one. However, it does appear to be possible to tint the concrete so that it will blend in a bit better. The board has requested that Landscape architect and Cavendish resident John Saydek help in selecting the best color. In addition, the SB voted to have a clear coat put on the wall immediately following construction, as part of the maintenance contract, in order to reduce the impact of graffiti.

4. Solar Project: The bond vote for the proposed 150Kw solar array has been advertised in the Vermont Journal, the town’s paper of record. This notice will appear a total of three times and warns the voters of Cavendish to meet for an informational town meeting, 7 pm, on Aug. 25 at the Cavendish Town Elementary School. Voting will be by Australian Ballot on Aug. 26, 10-7 at the school, as part of the general primary election. A Solar Forum is scheduled for Aug. 12, 6:30 pm at the Town Office. Svec explained that he has requested an extension for the Certificate of Public Good, which was originally obtained when the Town was working on a collaborative project A detailed report on this project is available at the Cavendish VT blog.

5. Selling of Stone Church Content: Now that the town owns the Cavendish Universalist “Stone” Church, restoration efforts are underway. The building will ultimately be the permanent home of the Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn exhibit as well as a small venue community space. There is a need to repair the belfry/cupola  area, which has an estimated cost of $14,000. While a Foundation grant to Jeld-Win has been filed by the Cavendish Historical Society for $10,000, additional monies are needed to complete the project. CHS is requesting that the non historical content of the Stone Church be made available for sale with the first priority going to Cavendish residents. The SB approved the selling of the content. For more information about this project, please call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margoc@tds.net

6. Progress Report on ERP Grant: Cavendish has received funding to help purchase property that is in the Black River floodplain, thereby allowing the town to maintain and ultimately reduce flooding in future storms. There are three parcels of land the town is currently wanting to purchase -Stubelecks (old Wheeler Farm on Route 131); the Mills Property ajacent to the Black River and Pieter van Schaik’s property by the transfer station. Each property has its unique issues, but progress is being made on all three. Because this funding comes with a sunset date, transfers need to be completed in the next few months.

7. Davis Bridge: Still don’t have approval for the bridge replacement. It needs to be done by 2015. The construction firm that will be used to do the work claims there is still time to do the replacement before the end of the 2014 construction season.

8. Municipal Sewer System Budget and Rates for FY 2014-2015: The budget approved by the SB is $153,855. There are 498.25 active units and 20 inactive ones for a total of 518.25 equivalent residental units (ERUs). The user fees are as follows: $301.48 per active ERU ($75.37 per quarter) and $112 annually for inactive accounts. Fees are slightly higher than last year, with only a .20¢ increase in the quarterly costs for active ERUs. Rates go into effect with the Sept. bill. 

9. Recreation Department: Terry O’Brien has been hired as the director and has an office at the town office. His initial focus is organizing activities for the fall and developing a policy manual. A CTES summer program is now underway with 17 students enrolled. This is being underwritten by the After School grant. There are a group of students and a parent that have been working to raise money for repairs to the play equipment on the Cavendish Green. Svec noted that the Homemaker’s Club has given money for a playground fund.

10. LED Street Lights (Cavendish Village only): Green Mountain Power will be transitioning to LED lighting in Cavendish village sometime this month. A decline in the power rate is anticipated.