Celebrate Earth Month/Week/Day in Cavendish

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April is Earth Day, the 22nd is Earth Day and the 20th begins Earth week. To mark the occasion, here are some ways you can celebrate without leaving town:

1. Attend the Solar Array Dedication: Monday, April 20th at 11:00 a.m. It will be held at the new Cavendish Municipal Solar Array site, which is located off Power Plant Road next to the wastewater treatment plant. All citizens and residents of Cavendish are invited to attend. After the ribbon cutting and remarks there will be a reception with light refreshments at the Cavendish Town Offices, 37 High Street in Cavendish.

2. Protect the Bees: Try one or more of these activities this summer:

• Let the Clover, Dandelions and Wildflowers Grow: Bees love meadows, with clover being one of their favorite flowers. Cutback on the size of your lawn and let the dandelions (often their first feed after a winter in the hives) and clover grow. If you really are intent on pruning the blackberry bushes, let them bloom first and then trim.

• Avoid chemicals & pesticides in treating lawns and gardens: Research alternative methods to battle bugs and weeds. These include white vinegar, cayenne pepper and insecticidal soaps.  Note, just because a product is organic it doesn’t mean that it cannot harm honeybees and other pollinators.

• How and when you apply products: Apply products to plants when they are not blooming if possible.  Honeybees would not spend time on a plant without blooms. Apply the products during the very early morning hours or at dusk.

• Plant their favorites: Honeybees are most attracted to purple blooms, such as Russian Sage, Lavender, purple Butterfly bushes, Coneflowers (Echinacea), and Liatris to name a few.

• Learn about Bee Keeping: Cavendish is fortunate to have an active bee keeping community. To learn more, check out the VT Golden Honey Festival Facebook page and/ or call 802-226-7744  This year’s Festival will be held on Sept. 12 (Saturday) 10-4.

3. Order a Composter or Sure-Waste Container: Composting bins and Sure Waste Containers are available from The Southern Windsor/Windham County Solid Waste Management District (SWWCSWMD).

Step 1: Download the form in PDF to purchase one or both items. If you can't print out the form, the Cavendish Town Office (226-7291) is happy to do this for you. 

Step 2: Complete the form and enclose a check for $50 for the compositor and/or $5 for the Sure Waste Container. Who to make the check payable to is included on the form.

Step 3: Mail the check and form to the address included on the form by May 1.

Step 4: Pick up your items at the Cavendish Transfer Station on the date provided by SWWCSWMD. FMI: Mary O'Brien 802-226-674-9235

 4. Take a Green Clean Walk (Clean up litter in your neighborhood): With the snow receding at a rapid rate, the trash is blossoming. Take a bag and pick a mile, or whatever distance is comfortable for you,  loop by your home and pick up trash. Go for a “green clean walk” with a friend, kids, family and neighbors. Vermont Green Up Day is May 2 (Saturday). Meet at CTES at 9 to pick up bag and route. BBQ at noon on the Proctorsville Green. 

 5. Try making earth friendly cleaning products 

Select Board Agenda 4/13/15

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The monthly Cavendish Select Board Meeting will be held on Monday, April 13, 6:30 pm at the Cavendish Town Office. The Agenda will be as follows:

1. Call the Meeting to Order

2. Act upon minutes of the meetings of March 9th, 2015

3. Sign Orders

4. Review Correspondence

5. Adjust agenda

6. Hear Citizens

7. Katherine Otto of the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission will be present to share the report and summary findings of the Cavendish Bridge and Culvert Inventory work which is now complete.

8. Town Manager to discuss the submission of the Annual Town Highway Financial Plan which needs to be signed and submitted to the Agency of Transportation.

9. Town Manager to present Town Treasurer’s request for the Select Board to sign resolutions for two new bank accounts.

10. As Local Liquor Control Board, review of Liquor License application for Williams’ Country Store.

11. Town Manager to review Cavendish Local Basic Emergency Operations Plan (LEOP) annual update with the Select Board.

12. Updates on Energy Committee activities including the ribbon cutting event on the solar project and the Solarize Program (in partnership with Reading, Windsor, Weathersfield and Brownsville).

13. Update on Davis Road bridge project

14. Discuss update of Cavendish All Hazards Mitigation Plan

15. Discuss dates for forthcoming VELCO Connecticut Valley Transmission Line Project presentation and Alternatives Presentation by Vtrans regarding Bridge #58 on Depot Street

16. Update on various town activities including spring roads, quarterly budget report, cemetery operations, recent water system boil notice, forthcoming activities, ERP program activities, recreation activities, transfer station activities, etc.

17. Town Manager to discuss plans for the hiring of an assistant to work with him in several areas including, but not limited to: cemetery supervision, transfer station administration, project and program development and supervision, grant applications, grant administration, wrapping up remaining Irene recovery activities.

18. Other business

19. Adjourn

Cavendish Update 4/10/15 Water/Burglary/News/Events

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The Cavendish Connects Spring Fundraiser continues. Quite frankly, this isn’t our favorite activity. So please, if you value the CC website, Facebook page, blog, calendar,  Pinterest, Instagram,  local news, being kept up to date on the water issue, to say nothing of the events we sponsor (e.g. 5th Annual Town wide Tag Sale and 2nd Annual Abundance Swap), HELP US OUT BY:
• Making a donation on-line or by mail (Checks should be made payable to Cavendish Connects and mailed to PO Box 3, Cavendish VT 05142)
• Holding a fundraiser with CC as the beneficiary.
• If you would like to be a CC sponsor, we offer great rates, and we know a lot about marketing. It’s a great opportunity for businesses and community groups. FMI-cavendishconnects@gmail.com or 802-226-7807
 
4/10/15 EDITION OF THE CAVENDISH UPDATE
1. Municipal Water Update
2. Cavendish Burglary Reward Offered
3. Do You Have Comcast
4. Cavendish Related News
5. Depot Street Bridge Meeting
6. Memoirs of Philip Tiemann: Chapter 6/Yankee Thrift Today
7. Events
 
1. MUNICIPAL WATER UPDATE
Pending the last water test, along with permission from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), the state agency overseeing municipal water, the Town Office hopes to lift the “boil water” notice before the weekend. As soon as this occurs, we will post it to Facebook, blog and e-mail Cavendish Update subscribers. Be aware that at no time did the water test positive for coliform. The town has an alert notification e-mail system for those on town water. If you are interested in receiving water notifications, including warnings, please send an e-mail to cavendishwaternotices@cavendishvt.org with “subscribe” in the subject heading.
 
2. CAVENDISH BURGLARY/REWARD OFFERED
On April 4, Vermont State Troopers investigated a burglary that occurred at the residence of Patrick Durkin (this property was the homestead of the first settlers John and Susannah Coffeen) on S. Reading Road, Cavendish, Vermont. Items stolen include a Honda dirt bike and a brass canon. The owner of the property has put up a $500 dollar reward for recovery of and conviction of the subject(s) responsible. The burglary occurred on the night of March 31st to the morning of April 1st.  Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Trooper Brian Berry of the Rockingham State Police Barracks. 802-875-2112 A picture of the cannon is on-line.
 
3. DO YOU HAVE COMCAST?
As part of Cavendish Connects continuing efforts for better Internet connectivity, we are trying to determine where Comcast is available in Cavendish/Proctorsville. If you either subscribe to Comcast or know it’s available at your present location, please e-mail your address to cavendishconnects@gmail.com
 
4. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
• Annual Meeting Proctorsville Volunteer Fire Dept: All articles were passed setting Fire District 1’s budget for 7/1/2015 - 6/30/2016 at $94,230. With the acceptance of article 5, PVFD will purchase a new truck not to exceed $160,000, which will be built by Marco and sold to the fire department by VRS Sales Ltd . This new truck will take the place of U1 and will be labeled as E3/brush.
 
• State House Has a Sweet Tooth: An article in the Burlington Free Press on the snacking habits of Vermont legislatures, features Cavendish’s State Rep Mark Huntley. 
 
• Runnings Now Open in Claremont: Located on Washington St., in the space vacated by Lowe’s, Runnings offers clothing, footwear, automotive, sporting goods, farm supplies, lawn and garden, toys, housewares, tools, pet and animal supplies and more.

 • Low Income Weatherization Funding to Decrease July 1: In July, funding for low-income weatherization will drop from about $10.5 million to $8 million, according to Geoff Wilcox, an administrator for the state program.  Weatherization funding from the federal stimulus and the merger between CVPS and Green Mountain Power has been expended. VT Digger 
 
• Trout Season Opens April 11: Despite the late return of spring, Vermont’s traditional trout fishing season is set to open on Saturday, April 11, marking the start of some of the best trout fishing of the year in the Green Mountain State. Over 18,000 trophy trout will be stocked throughout Vermont in 2015 and anglers will be able to fish over 34 miles of rivers and 28 lakes and ponds that are designated as trophy water. VT Digger 
 
• Notification of Sabra Hummus Recall: The Vermont Department of Health is notifying Vermonters about a voluntary recall of Sabra Dipping Co., LLC Classic Hummus due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the FDA. For a full list of the products being recalled that were distributed to retail outlets, including food service accounts and supermarket visit:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm441863.htm
 
5. MEMOIRS OF PHILIP TIEMANN: CHAPTER 6/YANKEE THRIFT TODAY
Tiemann’s renovations to Windy Hill are taking longer than he or his family would like, and the short Vermont summer isn’t helping. Yet, they still find time to enjoy some of its beauties as well as check out area towns.
 
The height of the depression, Tiemann and everyone else in Cavendish lived by the motto of “ Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” An important skill today, Chapter 6 is followed by resources for ”Thrifting In and Around Cavendish.” Chapter 6 is now available at the CHS blog.   To read the prelude and other chapters of Tiemann’s Memoirs go to Coming to Vermont (Cavendish): Memoirs of Philip Tiemann. 
 
6. DEPOT STREET BRIDGE MEETING
On May 11 (Monday), at 6:30 pm, as part of the Cavendish Select Board’s (SB) monthly meeting, there will a special hearing regarding the Depot St Bridge in Proctorsville, which is due for replacement in the next few years. The meeting will take place at the Cavendish Town Office (37 High Street, Cavendish). Its purpose is to provide an overview of the bridge replacement project to the SB, residents and businesses, emergency services and other interested parties. There will be a review of the existing site conditions, proposed work, potential detour, and overall schedule followed by a question and answer period. Representatives from both VTrans and the Town of Cavendish will be available to answer questions and address concerns about the project. The preferred alternative includes a full bridge replacement with traffic maintained on an offsite detour during a road closure. The Dish 
 
7. EVENTS
On Saturday, trout season opens and “Wildlife Encounters” will take place at 2 pm at the Cavendish Elementary School. Monday is the Cavendish Select Board Meeting and Tuesday begins the Couch to 5 K program. The agenda for the SB meeting will be posted to The Dish as soon as it’s received.
 
For more information on these and other events, go to the Cavendish Connects calendar. For regional events see the Okemo Valley Calendar.
 
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