CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 11/10/14

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Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by LPC-TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television.  Written minutes are available at the town’s website. Items discussed included:

 A. Vacant Lot Next to CTES: Sharon Huntley, CTES Director, is chairing a committee that is overseeing the development of the vacant lot next to the school. The committee is seeking input from the community until the end of November about its use and plans to have several options for the SB to review at their December meeting. At this juncture, various ideas have been discussed, all of which include additional parking for the school, and will have varying funding needs. For more on this issue, see The Dish. 

B. Funding for Special Investigation Units (FIU): The town received a survey from the State of Vermont about whether they have helped or would fund a Special Investigation Unit (SIU). The SB completed the survey, indicating that an SIU has not been needed or funded, and it would depend on the circumstance as to whether they would fund one in the future. Learn more about SIUs from the State’s website.

C. Telecommunications: Since the last SB meeting, changes in service have occurred to TDS/Dish subscribers. A number of channels were lost due to the pending merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Internet connectivity issues continue, but there has been considerable national press showing this is a national problem. The best solution appears to be when towns broker their own system.

SB member Wendy Regier attended the EC Fiber  meeting in South Reading to learn more about this coop and whether it’s a possibility for Cavendish to join. EC Fiber has been installing high fiber optics in 24 towns in the Upper Valley including Reading. The SB agreed to ask them to attend the February meeting to discuss the possibility of their providing coverage for Cavendish. In addition, town manager, Rich Svec, said he thought he was going to be meeting with the TDS general manager shortly. It was also recommended that Comcast and VTel come to the SB to discuss what their respective plans are for the community.

D. Town Projects

• Underpass on Cavendish Gulf Road: The drawings have been reviewed for this project and changes requested by the town have been made to the extent possible-dyeing concrete that is closer to the existing embankment color and using a finish coat that will make it easier to clean graffiti. The project will take place during the 2015 construction season.

• Davis Rd Bridge: The bridge replacement should begin sometime this week in two phases, with the second part completed in the spring 2015. The by pass will not be taken down initially as it involves pipes and the river conditions must be appropriate before they can be removed. It is likely that the bypass will remain in place briefly after the bridge has been replaced.

• Brook Rd Bridge: Work began on the bridge on Monday and will remain closed until Dec. 1. Svec, noted that the traffic tests showed a daily utilization of 98 vehicles prior to the closing of the Whitesville Bridge this summer. While the bridge was replaced, traffic on the Brook Rd Bridge increased to 778 vehicles a day, definitely justifying the expense of the temporary Maybe Bridge.  

E. Sustainability

• Solar : The solar panels have been delivered and installation is underway. Eighty percent of the fencing has been completed and Green Mountain Power has put in a new pole. The project is on track for its completion and operation by December 31.

• Solar/Weatherization Workshop: On Thursday, Nov. 6, the Town Energy Committee, in conjunction with CCCA, held a workshop for the community on weatherization and solar. Well attended by the community, the topics of most interest were home solar and cold weather heat pumps. A report on the workshop appears at The Dish. 

SOLAR/HEAT PUMPS FOR YOUR CAVENDISH HOME

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On November 6, the town’s Energy Committee and the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA) hosted a program on weatherization and solar for home use. From the turn out and questions asked, the audience’s primary interest was in solar and cold climate heat pumps.

The latter is a very efficient way to heat your home at one-half to one-third the cost of heating systems that use propane or heating oil, while also providing a significant greenhouse gas benefits. Learn more about this system, and whether it would be a good fit for you home by going to Efficiency Vermont’s Cold-Climate Heat Pumps.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a Ludlow Electric or Green Mountain Power (GMP) subscriber for a cold climate heat pump, however, solar is a different matter. Because these are net metered systems-the amount of energy produced by your solar panels is deducted from your energy bill as your system is tied into the grid-this is only available to GMP subscribers.

The representative from SunCommon  explained that their company provides an opportunity to install a new solar system at your home with no upfront costs. In fact, their goal is to develop a system that will offset your utility bill. With a fixed rate for a bank loan, this will save you money over the 20 year loan period. As the price of monthly bills rise, this “monthly” does not, thereby saving you money even before you’ve paid off the loan.

SunCommon will assess for free whether your home is suitable for solar. If it is, they will determine the number of panels needed to meet the anticipated energy use at your home. SunCommon will process all the paperwork, incentives, permitting etc. along with installing your solar system. To arrange for a free assessment, call 802-8828181 or visit their website.

For a variety of reasons, some people were more interested in a community solar farm, whereby individuals can buy into a solar project-no solar panels at their home- that provides energy credits with GMP as well as tax benefits. There are a growing number of community solar projects in the area and at least one community member expressed interest in having their property evaluated for such a purpose. Stay tuned for more information from the Energy Committee. 

How Should the Vacant Lot Next to CTES Be Used?

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A committee has been formed to develop plans for the lot adjacent to Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) recently purchased by the town with funds donated by local resident Curtis Bidgood.  The lot will be developed for use by both the school and community.  CTES School Director Sharon Huntley chairs the committee, which includes CTES Directors Fred Marin and Brenda Gregory; principal George Thomson; sixth grade teacher Robin Bebo-Long along with  local landscape architect Tim Calabrese and Select Board member Wendy Regier.  

 After an initial walkthrough in early October, the committee has met to discuss some preliminary ideas. As a follow-up to that first meeting, the committee is now seeking input from the community before moving forward. 

 Cavendish and Proctorsville citizens are encouraged to submit their thoughts by Nov. 30, 2014 in one of the following ways:

• Comment below or to the Cavendish VT Facebook page. 

• E mail comment  to george.thomson@trsu.org 

• Send a letter to writing to Rich Svec at the town office.

One caveat for the lot use – all plans need to include at least some additional parking for CTES.