Cavendish Upate 11/27/15 News/Black Friday Options/Abundance/Fire Safety

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11/27/15 Cavendish Update Contains:

1. Cavendish Related News
2. Opting for Cavendish Instead of Black Friday
3. 2nd Annual Cavendish Abundance Swap is Almost Here
4. Prevent Winter Fires
5. Proctorsville Fire Dept.’s Annual Tree and Greens Sale
6. Events

 1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
National Chain Applies to Buy VT Nursing Homes: A national nursing home chain that is facing U.S. Justice Department charges of fraud and inadequate staffing is seeking regulators’ approval for its purchase of five Vermont homes, including 102-bed Springfield Health and Rehabilitation Center in Springfield as well as homes in Bennington (100 beds), Berlin (141), Burlington (126) and St. Johnsbury (110). Valley News
 
DLS Amnesty Program Expands to Windsor County: Supporters of the program say people without licenses often can't get to work and therefore lose their jobs. They also can't get insurance, so if they're driving and crash, the other driver may end up paying. Those are a couple of reasons why Windsor County will now offer a Driver Restoration Day on December 11th.  For $25, an old suspension can be made good.  The DLS gone, you get your license back. Drivers with suspended licenses in Windsor County have a one-time chance to square things with the state. For more information about the program go to the State’s Driver Restoration Day.  WCAX
 
Utilities Reach Net Metering Cap on Customer Generated Power: Green Mountain Power says it is reaching the limit for net metering projects. The company has filed with the Vermont Public Service Board asking for a strategic limited expansion of net metering through 2016. The utility will continue to accept net metering applications for projects under 15 kilowatts. Typically those are rooftop or ground mounted solar systems for a single home or business. GMP wants to allow for a total of 7.5 megawatts of larger community solar projects, which will allow homes and businesses that can't site solar on their own properties to join together with landowners who can host a project. VPR
 
2. OPTING FOR CAVENDISH INSTEAD OF BLACK FRIDAY 
It’s only been in recent years that stores are opening on Thanksgiving to get a jump on the merchandizing mayhem that ushers in the holiday season. Really, does it make sense to short change the day celebrating what we’re thankful for to wait in long lines in order to trample people purchasing items that aren’t needed, necessary and possibly not affordable? Are the leisurely post Thanksgiving dinner activities of family games, stories etc. being replaced by pouring over circulars and strategizing the “great shop?”
 
There are many wonderful ways to enjoy and explore Cavendish where you spend little to nothing on Black Friday. Check out a list of options at The Dish.  The 2nd Annual Cavendish Abundance Swap on Dec. 5 see article 3, is also an excellent alternative.
 
3. 2nd ANNUAL CAVENDISH ABUNDANCE SWAP IS ALMOST HERE An alternative to Black Friday, and holiday shopping that creates unnecessary debt,  the Cavendish Abundance Swap is all about celebrating the bounty of the holiday season by giving and receiving.  It requires no money, expectations or demands on resources. Instead it’s an opportunity to let go of stuff that someone else might enjoy or appreciate rather than having it taking up space in your house. Need some help in this department? Check out the post on using the KonMari approach. 
 
How it works:
• Pick 3-5 items in your home, shop or office that someone would enjoy as a gift. These should be in really good shape and of quality, meaning it’s well made and likely to be valued by someone. Children are encouraged to bring gently used toys they may have outgrown or no longer use.
 
• Bring them to the Cavendish Town Elementary School on Saturday morning, December 5, starting at 9:30 am.
 
• Drop off your items, enjoy a visit with your neighbors and the Cavendish Connects team, as well as share the stories of what you are bringing to the swap. If you’d like to bring cookies to share, that would be great.
 
• From 10-11:30, select presents for someone on your holiday giving list (it can be you). 
 
FMI: 226-7807 or cavendishconnect@gmail.com
 
4.  PREVENT WINTER FIRES
With a little bit of effort and care we can keep our fire and rescue volunteers at home with their families and friends, not only during the holidays but throughout the winter. In Vermont heating equipment is the leading cause of homes fires followed by cooking fires. The leading factor contributing to home heating fires was failure to clean creosote from solid-fueled heating equipment chimneys. The Long cold Vermont winters put added stress on heating systems. Furthermore, higher fuel prices can force people to use alternative heating sources that may not be safe. An improperly installed and maintained heating appliance is dangerous and can result in carbon monoxide poisoning or be the source of a fire. 2014 Report of the State Fire Marshall
 
Wood Stove and Fireplaces

• Chimney inspected yearly and cleaned if necessary, especially if it hasn’t been cleaned for some time.
• Do not use flammable liquids to start or accelerate any fire
• Stove should be burned hot twice a day for 15-30 minutes to reduce creosote build up
• Keep a glass or metal screen in front of fireplace openings
• Don’t use excessive amount of paper and never burn charcoal indoors
• Keep flammable materials away from woodstoves and fireplaces, including mantels.
• Before going to sleep make sure the fireplace fire is out. Never close dampers with hot ashes in the fireplace.
• Do not discard hot ashes inside or near the home. Place in a metal container outside and away from the house.

 
Download and read the U.S. Fire Administration Winter Fires Safety Tips for Home
 
5. PROCTORSVILLE FIRE DEPT ANNUAL TREE AND WREATH SALE The Proctorsville Fire Dept. will once again conduct their Annual Christmas Tree and Wreath sale the first two weekends in December (5 & 6, 12 & 13) from 9-4. Santa will be on hand from 10-12 on Saturday, Dec. 12, along with free coffee and donuts. Trees start at $30, Wreaths are $15, and Kissing Balls $35. Funds raised benefit the PFD’s Equipment fund.
 
PFD’s Junior program will be collected redeemable cans and bottles to benefit their program.
 
6. EVENTS
Upcoming events for Cavendish include:
• Nov. 27 (Friday): Town Office closed
• Dec 2 (Wednesday): Planning Commission Meeting
 
For more information on this and other events, go to the Cavendish Connects December Calendar.  For regional events, check out the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce Calendar.

Opting for Cavendish Instead of Black Friday

It’s only been in recent years that stores are opening on Thanksgiving to get a jump on the merchandizing mayhem that ushers in the holiday season. Really, does it make sense to short change the day celebrating what we’re thankful for to wait in long lines in order to trample people purchasing items that aren’t needed, necessary and possibly not affordable? Are the leisurely post Thanksgiving dinner activities of family games, stories etc. being replaced by pouring over circulars and strategizing the “great shop?”

Consider the following ways to “opt out” and enjoy Cavendish instead:

• Sleep in on Friday and enjoy some local treats for breakfast, such as Singleton’s  bacon or a trip to Crows Bakery, with family or friends. Have lunch, or even dinner, at Proctorsville owners’s American Pie  or Ludlow Cooking Company  in Ludlow.

• The 2nd Annual Abundance Swap is on Dec. 5, so use the KonMari Approach for finding those items you want to bring. 

• Participate in the Great Thanksgiving Listen Day: Record an interview with yourself or an elder by using the Story Corp App  and/or asking the following questions.

- What childhood was like

- Family traditions and how they started

- Vivid memories of school

- Courtship-how they/you met spouse/partner

- What piece of wisdom or advice they would like to share for future

Be sure to check out Researching Your Cavendish Roots

• Be in nature-use the trail at Greven Field for a leisurely hike or participate in one of the 5 K Trot it offs that are taking place in Ludlow and Springfield.

• Take a Danish Hygge Break

 • Relax

• For this year’s gift giving, think local:

-       Make a donation in a friends name to Cavendish Connects  and we’ll be sure to acknowledge your gift. You can even have an issue dedicated to them.

-       Donate to local organizations, such as the Cavendish Historical Society,  where one of their books or other items makes a treasured gift.

-       Give the gift of experience, such as a day of being pampered at The Castle’s Aveda Spa;  a class or two at Six Loose Ladies or Fletcher Farm; a night at The Golden Stage Inn ; dinner at The Castle; or make up a gift certificate of all sorts of fun things to do in Cavendish-hiking, biking, dinning, or relaxing.

-       Cavendish has lots of tasty treats, including being the home of Old Cavendish Products’ Monkey Chews and Fruitcakes.  Check out the Food and Drink section of Cavendish’s Pinterest board to learn more. 

-       Use the Cavendish Business Directory  to purchase gift certificates for goods and services. 

Cavendish Update 11/20/15 News/Fire District 2/Events

View from where the Cavendish Train Depot once stood.

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11/20/15 Cavendish Update Contains:
1. Cavendish Related News
2. Tree Lighting and Caroling Return to Cavendish
3. Little Village Farm Announces New Format for Shareholders
4. Events
 
1, CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Fire District # 2 (Cavendish Village) Informational Meeting 11/16/15 : The purpose of Monday night’s meeting was to provide information to the voters of Fire District #2 regarding the purchase of a new Rescue Pumper (approximately $500,000). A well attended meeting, lasting over two hours, the Prudential board and members of the Cavendish Volunteer Fire Dept. (CVFD) explained that due to age and reliability, the proposed truck would replace the department’s 1996 Engine 3 and the 1993 Rescue truck. While gratitude and respect for the work of the firefighters was expressed, there were over riding concerns about need and a number of people wanted to know why the town of Cavendish didn’t have one fire district, an issue discussed at length in 2005. The doubling of fire taxes for District #2 was viewed as prohibitive and ultimately those in attendance voted not to ballot on the truck purchase that had been scheduled for Nov. 24. A full report on the meeting, is available at The Dish.  For more information on the histories of the Fire Districts as well as what took place in 2005, when the issue of merging fire districts was discussed, see the Cavendish Historical Society’s blog post Town of Cavendish Fire Districts History. 
 
GMP Maps Solar Energy in VT: Green Mountain Power has created a 2015 Solar Map, which is updated weekly to show where solar is powering Vermont. “The goal of the map is to show developers and Vermonters where there are projects both connected and applied for that may limit the ability of additional projects.” Green Mountain Power released this information on the heels of announcing it will reach its net-metering cap in November or December. That means the utility will be legally allowed to reject net-metered energy, such as from home solar arrays. However, the company still plans to accept some projects, such as rooftop solar arrays. VT Digger
 
GMP Seeks to Raise Net Metering Capacity: Green Mountain Power is asking the state to raise the amount of renewable energy it can purchase from small, non-commercial installations. The utility announced last week that it reached its 112-megawatt net metering cap for solar power, a limit defined as 15 percent of a utility’s peak load. Green Mountain Power has asked state regulators for permission to buy an additional 7.5 megawatts (MW) of net metered solar power. VT Digger
 
Health Care Costs Push Vermont Schools Over New Spending Cap: Schools are facing a 7.9 percent increase in health insurance costs for employees, and local officials say that will push most districts over a spending cap lawmakers put in place last spring. The spending cap, or the so-called “allowable growth percentage,” is designed to hold increases in statewide education spending at 2 percent in fiscal year 2017. The cap is part of Act 46, the controversial education reform law that is driving district merger discussions in communities across the state. VT Digger
 
2. TREE LIGHTING & CAROLING RETURN TO CAVENDISH
On Sunday, December 6 at 6 pm, the Cavendish Town Elementary School PTO and the Okemo Valley Women’s Club will be jointly sponsoring a caroling and tree lighting at the Gazebo/tree on the Proctorsville Green.  This will be following by hot chocolate and Christmas cookies.
 
3. NEW FOMAT FOR LITTLE VILLAGE FARM SHAREHOLDERS: Do You Love Local, Fresh, Organic Produce? Do You Wish You Could Save up to 50% off Farmer’s Market Pricing? Cavendish’s only CSA, Little Village Farm is excited to announce a new format for shareholders as they enter their 7th year of farming! Sign up now online or download and print the 2016 debit-style CSA form. Choose your savings tier and 'shop' the farm stand weekly with 20-50% off retail pricing! Pay in full before December 31st, 2015 and receive 25% off all non-produce items for the entire season. FMI: Little Village Farm
 
4. EVENTS
Upcoming events for Cavendish include:
• Nov.20-22 (Friday-Sunday): Ski Swap to Benefit OMS at Okemo Base Lodge.
• Nov. 20 (Friday): CTES PTO Pie sale at Singleton’s and the Brew Pub in Ludlow 3:30-7PM
• Nov. 21 (Saturday): Holy Name of Mary Holiday Sale, Parish Hall
• Nov. 22 (Sunday): Raise the Roof Concert with House Blend, 4 pm Gethsemane
• Nov 25 (Wednesday): Okemo Valley Women's Club Pie and Bake sale 10-2 pm Singleton’s
• Nov. 26 (Thursday): Happy Thanksgiving
 
For more information on these and other events, go to the Cavendish Connects November Calendar.  For regional events, check out the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce Calendar.

Fire District # 2 (Cavendish Village) Informational Meeting 11/16/15

The purpose of Monday night’s meeting was to provide information to the voters of Fire District #2 regarding the purchase of a new Rescue Pumper (approximately $500,000). A well attended meeting of close to 50 people and lasting over two hours, the Prudential board and members of the Cavendish Volunteer Fire Dept. (CVFD) explained that due to age and reliability, the proposed truck would replace the department’s 1996 Engine 3 and the 1993 Rescue truck. In identifying the number of issues with the existing trucks, it was stated that this is not a “nice to have” but a “need to have” situation.

The advantages of the new truck would include: increased ability to provide mutual aid; more efficient pumping and drafting capability; better turning radius than existing trucks; hold more firefighters than combined old trucks meaning more people could be on the scene quicker; meet current standards, which is not the case with existing trucks; and have a foam system for hazardous materials spill (currently don’t have this capacity).

This would be a 10 year lease purchase arrangement, which would double the Fire District #2 tax. For example a District #2 homeowner’s property valued at $200,000 is currently paying $94.2 per year in fire taxes. With the proposed truck, this tax would increase to $188.40.

In many ways the tone of the meeting was set by Evelyn Turco who read a letter to CVFD. She not only expressed her deep respect and regard for the volunteers, noting her own and her family’s long history with the department, but raised the question about need, cost and what’s the most realistic for the town. Could some of the unmet need be addressed in other ways, such as having Reading’s Fire Department respond to the Knapp Pond area?

The concern was raised that many in Fire District #2 were unaware of the informational meeting. While posted in the town’s “paper of record,” The Vermont Journal, under legal notices, there was little information that would alert voters to the issues, including the fact that if purchased, the new truck would double fire taxes.

Several audience members voiced frustration about the use of truck funds to purchase the off road vehicle without letting the voters know about it at the annual meeting, and questioned aspects of the “truck fund.”

However, there was one question repeated in a variety of different ways multiple times-Why isn’t there one fire district? Cavendish is one town so why two departments? Is there sufficient existing equipment and manpower to meet the needs of the town of Cavendish?

To the latter question the two fire districts have the following equipment and manpower:

• Fire District #1 (Proctorsville): Operates three trucks- a 3 year old pumper/tanker, the Quick Attack, which comes on-line Jan. 2016 and a 2006 pumper truck. They have 25 volunteers, 15 of which can be counted on to respond, along with a Junior Firefighter program. Since January 1, 2015 they report having responded to 107 calls.

• Fire District #2 (Cavendish): Operates four vehicles- A pumper tank and rescue truck, which are old, a 2011 Off Road Rescue/Utility truck and a 2002 Pumper/Tanker. They have 18 volunteers, 9 of which are considered “regulars.” Since January 1, 2015 they report having responded to 70 calls, an increase of 20 more than the total for 2014. This was attributed to their availability to respond to emergency medical service’s (EMS) calls.

To have a better understanding of the nature of the calls, The Vermont Department of Public Safety Division of Fire Safety’s report for 2014 was checked.  At the end of this document is a breakdown of incident reports for every fire department in VT.

In 2014, CVFD had 39 incidents all fire related (including 4 False Alarms and 5 cancelled), while PVFD had a total of 73 incidences, 53 fire (including 5 false alarms) and 20 EMS related (extrication 1, Medical assistance 16 and Motor Vehicle Accident 3).

The merger of the two fire districts is a complex issue that was discussed extensively in 2005. This is not something that can be voted on at town meeting. Rather, the vote must occur by fire districts, as these are separate incorporated volunteer entities not under the town or select board’s jurisdiction. While “egos” were identified as one reason the merger hasn’t happened in the past, with a half a million dollars on the line, it is apparent that this is an issue Fire District #2 voters want to see addressed.

For more information on the histories of the Fire Districts as well as what took place in 2005, see the Cavendish Historical Society’s blog post Town of Cavendish Fire Districts History.

In the warning posted in The Vermont Journal, a vote by Australian ballot was scheduled for Fire District # 2 on Nov.24. However, the warning was not done within the state’s specified time frame, meaning those present at Monday night’s meeting had a choice to decide whether to go ahead with a vote on Nov. 24, with the Prudential Board validating the vote at a later time; or cancelling the vote and rescheduling the warning for a new time.

Because the price of the truck increases after Dec. 1, the Prudential Board and CVFD members wanted to see the vote take place as originally planned. However, the majority of meeting attendees voted to cancel the vote for Nov. 24th.  Consequently, there will be no balloting for the proposed truck this month.

Contrary to a comment posted to Cavendish VT Facebook by a member of the Prudential Board, the meeting was not “hijacked by a petulant minority, fueled by personal bias against the Cavendish Volunteer Fire Department, which detracted Citizens who were there to actually listen and ask probative questions.” 

Those present expressed high regard for the work of the firefighters. Yet they have real concerns about costs, need, taxes and whether it wasn’t time to have a consolidated fire district since the two stations are located 1.6 miles apart. At a time when state taxes continue to rise, and the town is loosing residents because of it, voters need to ask tough questions and strategize resources for maximum town benefit.