Cavendish Update 4/8/16 News/Events

4/8/16 Cavendish Update
1. Cavendish Related News
2. Got Rain? Storm Water Expo April 16
3. Input Requested for The Current Bus
4. World Team Sport & Face of America Ride
5. Drug Take Back Day in Windsor County April 30
6. Events
 
1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Pet Owners Should Vaccinate Pets for Distemper After Fox Tests Positive: Vermont's Department of Fish and Wildlife is warning people about a potentially growing outbreak of canine distemper among wild animals in central Vermont. So far, just one gray fox has tested positive for canine distemper Fourteen foxes have been turned into the department for "behaving in a weird way" that the department associates with distemper. Press Release
 
Police Probe Animal Cruelty Allegations at Chester Shelter: Webster House, formerly known as TARPS, closed its doors on Friday, April 1, due to an investigation over its practice of taking in sick animals and euthanizing some of the cats. The shelter has also received an eviction notice effective July 1. Eagle Times
 
Hikers Asked to Avoid Muddy Hiking Trails: The Green Mountain Club (GMC), maintainer of Vermont’s Long Trail and Vermont’s hiking trail advocate, and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation (FPR), manager of State Forests and Parks, announce that Mud Season has returned to the Green Mountains a month early. We ask hikers to stay off muddy trails from now until Memorial Day weekend; the forest has not caught up with our variable climate so the trails will remain wet, muddy, and prone to erosion. Hikers walking on saturated soils or on the sides of trails cause irreversible damage to surrounding vegetation, widen trails, and inhibit natural drainage of our beloved hiking trails. Press Release
 
Weather Makes for a Good Sugaring Season: Both the quantity and quality has been positively impacted by the strange winter, with warmer temps and little snow. The season is actually longer this year. WCAX
 
Net Metering Rule Changes: Sharing the Burden of the Grid Costs: The program that gave liftoff to Vermont’s renewable energy industry is getting a makeover, and new rules from the Public Service Board could alter the solar power landscape across Vermont. Lawmakers approved the net-metering law back in 1998 as a way to jumpstart the construction of small-scale renewable energy projects. By forcing utilities to pay a set price for the power, the legislation allowed for the construction of environmentally friendly power sources that the market wouldn’t have otherwise borne. When do premium prices for renewables begin to cause undue financial impacts on other ratepayers? Utilities need ways to collect from net-metering participants the money needed to maintain their local transmission grid. VPR
 
2. GOT RAIN? STORM WATER EXPO
If it snows or rains on your property, you need to come to the Storm Water Expo on Saturday, April 16! From 9-12, the Expo will be held at HCRS (Health Care Rehabilitation Services) located at 390 Route 106 (River St) in Springfield, VT. Learn about some of the tools, programs, and partners available to help YOU deal with rain and snowmelt on your property. Exhibits include rain barrels, erosion-control socks, the Stream Table, and more; learn about a new rain garden being installed this spring on a private property with a history of storm water devastation; tour the infiltration area (rain garden) at HCRS; pick up a flyer for a free public presentation about working with nature's water cycles coming up in Ludlow later in April.
 
A program of the Black River Action Team, the Expo features speakers, materials, and exhibits from the BRAT, State of Vermont, Jan Lambert, Filtrexx Erosion Control Products, Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District, and EJ Prescott.  The $15 registration fee covers all Expo materials and refreshments. Pre-registration is requested; registration may be paid on the day of the Expo. Register by contacting Kelly Stettner of the Black River Action Team: (802) 738-0456 or blackrivercleanup@yahoo.com.
 
3. INPUT REQUESTED FOR THE CURRENT BUS
Southeast Vermont Transit (often known as “The Current”) is in the middle of a project to evaluate the buses it runs in the Springfield/Ludlow/Bellows Falls area, which includes Cavendish.  The majority of this project is focusing on a survey of existing and potential bus riders that was completed in January.  We had a great response to the survey and now we want to continue the conversation with two public meetings. 
 
On Tuesday April 12, 2016, meetings will be held at 11 am and at 5 pm at the Springfield Hall, 96 Main St. The following bus routes are included in this project:
·         Springfield In-Town (#1)
·         Bellows Falls In-Town (#2)
·         Bellows Falls to Springfield (#55)
·         Bellows Falls to Ludlow (and Rutland) (#57)
·         Bellows Falls to Okemo (#61) (seasonal)
 
For more information about the project, the draft report with survey results and information about how to get to the meetings by bus, see http://swcrpc.org/bus-route-evaluation-project-2016/
 
For more information on existing bus routes, see www.crtransit.org
 
4. WORLD TEAM SPORT & FACE OF AMERICA RIDE
On April 23 and 24, Mark Huntley will be riding with the American Portfolios team, in cooperation with the U.S. military, for the 16th annual Face of America (FOA) bike ride from Washington, D.C. to the battlefields of Gettysburg, P.A. The 2016 FOA is a two-day, 110 mile inclusive bike ride to honor, appreciate and include service members from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Participants include severely injured as well as able-bodied service members and civilians. According to Mark, What makes this trip unique, as is the case with all World Team events, is its inclusive nature. We get to ride alongside these brave individuals, we get to support them, honor them and understand more fully what they have sacrificed for our country. This is so important for them but it may be equally important for those who ride alongside them. The opportunity to connect with those brave men and women whom have given so much, to ride with them in both support and more importantly in understanding of what they have done for us and what they are now experiencing is the opportunity World Team Sports makes available through The Face of America Ride
 
Last year, Mark raised over $2,000 for this effort and is looking to increase that amount for the 2016 event. For more information on the ride and how you can support Mark’s efforts go the World Teams Sports link
 
Please note: This Ride is not part of Wounded Warriors.
 
5. DRUG TAKE BACK DAY IN WINDSOR COUNTY 4/30
On Saturday, April 30, the Windsor County Sheriff’s Office, local and state law enforcement agencies, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. The Take-Back Day event is free and anonymous, no questions asked, with drop-off sites located throughout Windsor County.
 
The following locations in Windsor County will serve as drop-off sites on Take-Back Day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30: Chester Police Department; Windsor Police Department; Weathersfield Transfer Station (operated by the Weathersfield Police Department); Springfield Police Department; Ludlow Police Department; Hartford Police Department; Woodstock Police Department; Royalton Police Department; Royalton State Police Barracks; Norwich Police Department; and Rochester Constable’s Office. The Take Back Day and Permanent Collection services are free. Liquids, lotions, powders and patches are accepted in addition to pills and capsules. Press Release
 
5. EVENTS
April 9 (Saturday): Stars Wars: The Force Awakens will be screened at 7 pm at the Cavendish Library. This is a free event open to the public.
 
April 11 (Monday): Cavendish Select Board Meeting, 6:30 pm at the Cavendish Town Office. The Agenda will be posted to The Dish as soon as it’s received.
• The April meeting of the GFWC Okemo Valley Women's club will be held at 7pm at the Black River Valley Senior Center in Ludlow. The evening will include a speaker, followed by a business meeting and refreshments. During and after the meeting there will be a teacup silent auction to raise funds.
 
For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar. 

Cavendish Update 4/1/16 News/Events/Handout

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4/1/16 Cavendish Update

1. Cavendish Related News

2. Star Wars at the Cavendish Library

3. Welcome to Cavendish Handout

4. Events

1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

• Fox Near Greven Rd: There has been a report of a fox around the Greven Rd area that is distressed. Please do not go near the animal, but instead contact the Cavendish Animal Control officers Jill Flinn 802-282-9426 or 226-7393 or Matt Flinn 802-591-3334. Be advised that the VT wildlife officials are concerned about the spread of distemper from foxes to pets. Please take advantage of the Rabies Vaccination Clinic on Sat. April 2 from 9-11 at the Proctorsville Fire Hall. Shots are $15 per cat or dog.

• River Dippers Expanding in Cavendish: River Dippers is the Black River Action Team’s (BRAT) volunteer water quality monitoring program. From May through September they collect monthly samples from the Black River at strategic points.  This year, BRAT received funding through the State of Vermont's Watershed Grant Program and is once again approved for participation in the LaRosa Partnership Program, which allows them to have various samples tested, and to expand the program.  This summer three new sites, two in Cavendish and one in Ludlow, will be added. BRAT  FMI: 802-738-0456 or blackrivercleanup@yahoo.com

•  Known all over the country, Cavendish Game Birds (now located in Springfield, with co-owner Bill Thompson still living in Cavendish) sustained a major fire, wiping out their initial venture breeding pigs. Recently new piglets can be found on the farm, which will eventually go to Black River Meats. Seven Days VT 

•  Seth Smith, 22, of Perkinsville and Noah Jakway, 18, of Springfield both pleaded innocent to three felony counts of burglary and an additional felony count of unlawful mischief while Liam Vezina, 19, of Chester pleaded innocent to two felony counts of burglary and one felony count of unlawful mischief. Stephen Miller, 24, pleaded innocent to one felony count of burglary for serving as lookout in the Downer’s break in. The Downer’s Four Corners store was broken into shortly before midnight on July 15, 2015. Drugs and alcohol played a role in the burglaries. Rutland Herald  

• Farmers are cheering plans to delay the adoption of new water quality standards on Vermont agriculture operations. Critics, however, say the decision to postpone will only exacerbate the pollution issues that have led to toxic algae blooms in Lake Champlain and other water bodies.  The new rules are part of a water-quality bill that lawmakers passed in 2015. And they’re supposed to reduce the amount of phosphorus flowing off of farms and into lakes and rivers. But farmers say they haven’t had enough time to vet the complex regulatory proposals. They recently asked the Agency of Agriculture to delay adoption of what are known as Required Agricultural Practices. VPR 

Vermont CVS to Sell Naloxone Without a Prescription: The nasal mist temporarily blocks the effects of heroin, OxyContin and other powerful painkillers, and has been used by ambulance crews and emergency rooms for decades to save lives. The medication, also known as Narcan, is $60-90 for two doses. WPTZ 

2. STAR WARS AT THE CAVENDISH LIBRARY: The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library will present the Movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Saturday, April 9 at 7:00 PM.  The event is free and open to the public. There will be a bake sale to benefit the library.  FMI: 226-7503.

3. WELCOME TO CAVENDISH HANDOUT: For new property owners, Cavendish Connects has developed a handy one-page resource guide to relevant websites and town related numbers. A PDF file of the handout is available at The Dish. 

 4. EVENTS

April 1 (Friday)-April 2 (Saturday): Bye-Bye Birdie at GMUH, tickets are $5 for Students/seniors and $7 for Adults. Curtain is 7pm in the school auditorium

April 2 (Saturday): Rabies Vaccination Clinic, 9-11 Proctorsville Fire Hall. $15 per dog or cat

For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects April Calendar.  For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar. 

Welcome to Cavendish Handout

It can be difficult moving to a new location. To help new property owners, download the PDF file of Welcome to Cavendish, a handy resource guide. 

Cavendish Update 3/25/16 News/Tag Sale/Events

The lush green of early summer is not that far away. Photograph by Elizabeth Rankin on Chambers Rd. 

3/25/16 Cavendish Update
1. Cavendish Related News
2. 6th Annual Town Wide Tag Sale
3. Jazz, Blues & Soul Raise the Roof
4. LPCTV’s 5th Annual Kentucky Derby Gala
5. Events
 
1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Passing of Novack and Guica: In the last several weeks, Cavendish lost several well-known residents -Carolyn Novack (95) and Richard “Dick” Guica (64). Novack was an integral part of Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church in Proctorsville and worked first at Gay Brothers and then Mack Molding. Guica served in the Navy and worked for J&L Machine Tool Co as a welder and as a machinist at General Electric. Calling hours for Guica will be March 25, 3-5 at the Adams Funeral Home in Ludlow with a reception to follow at the American Legion in Ludlow.
 
Arrest Made in 2015 Robbery of Cavendish Cemetery: On 5/25/2015, Vermont State Police responded to the Cavendish Cemetery, in the Town of Cavendish, for a reported burglary of a shed that was located on the property. During the burglary a lawn mower was stolen from the shed. During the investigation DNA evidence was collected from the scene and sent to the Vermont Forensic Laboratory for testing. As a results of those test, Douglas Sargent, was arrested on 3/22/2016, for the burglary at the Cavendish Cemetery. Sargent was transported to the Rockingham State Police Barracks for processing. A court clerk was contacted and bail was set on Sargent. Sargent was held at the Southern State Correctional Facility for lack of $2,000.00 bail. VT State Police Report
 
GMUHS Teams Win at Jr Iron Chief: GM's high school and middle school teams participated in the 9th Annual Jr Iron Chef competition on March 19th at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. Jr Iron Chef VT is a statewide culinary competition that challenges teams of middle and high school students to create healthy, local dishes that inspire school meal programs. The High School Team won the Local Lively Award for using local ingredients while the Middle School Team won the Mise en plac award for organization and teamwork.
 
Act 46 Focus Forum: Confused about Act 46? Missed the focus forum last week? No worries, watch it on-line at the LPC-TV website.
 
VTel Pulls Back Plan to Bring Cell Service to Remote Areas: A plan to bring cell phone service to nearly 1,000 miles of Vermont roads that do not get any signal reception has been sharply curtailed four years after the project was announced with great fanfare. VTel Wireless has dropped plans to provide cell phone service along roads in 35 unserved areas around the state, according to the Federal Communications Commission. The company will move forward with providing cell phone service along about 343 miles of roads in 11 areas in Vermont, mostly in northern part of the state. VTel president Michel Guite told Vermont Public Radio that VTel decided not to move forward with a majority of the sites because of federal regulations regarding the provision of a cell phone caller’s geographical location for 911 emergency calls. He said the 911 requirements are not compatible with the 4G LTE technology that VTel plans to deploy in its network. (The voice portion of mobile wireless communications typically is carried over 3G networks.) “We’re disappointed VTel is not going to be providing the cellular service it said it would to Vermont areas that do not receive it,” said James Porter, director of the telecommunications and connectivity division of the state’s Department of Public Service. Although the state didn’t have any role in VTel’s federally funded project, Porter said his department is working with Cambridge, Mass.-based CoverageCo to build 500 cell sites around the state that would bring coverage to unserved areas. CoverageCo contracts with cell phone providers to extend coverage so that customer calls are not dropped when traveling through a “black hole.” Porter said the CoverageCo project, which is “requiring a lot of resources,” should be completed with the next 12 to 18 months. Valley News
 
Be on the Look Out for Ticks: For the past month, ticks have been out on sunny days and are out most of the time now. Some are the size of poppy seeds and some a little bigger. Ticks especially like spring when the ground is damp, or they are in shaded areas. They climb high or hitchhike on birds. It's time to take your birdfeeders down if you have any ground feeders. Rultand Herald
 
April 9, Trout Season Opens: Vermont’s traditional trout fishing season is set to open on Saturday, April 9, and officials from Vermont Fish & Wildlife say the mild winter could be a boon for early season trout action across the state.
 
Results of Sen. Doyle’s Town Meeting Day Survey: With nearly 11,000 surveys returned, respondents supported paid sick leave, believe that VT has too many school districts, the state is not business friendly and that political campaigns are to expensive. Ninety percent support giving cities and towns input into renewable energy siting projects in their backyard. Respondents were split with 42% in favor and 44% opposed the legalization of marijuana. Only 32% expressed satisfaction with health care in VT. The written comments had a consistent theme, “we can’t afford to live in this state.” WCAX
 
2. 6th ANNUAL TOWN WIDE TAG SALE
It may not have felt like winter, but spring is definitely on its way and with it cleaning. This is a good time to put some items aside for the 6th Annual town wide tag sale, which will be held on July 30 (Saturday) from 9 – 3 pm.
 
Sponsored by Cavendish Connects, the following information is provided for vendors:
• The sale will be concentrated along Main Street (Route 131), with both village greens available.
•  Anyone setting up on a village green is responsible for bringing all supplies and removing all trash and items that did not sell by the end of the day.
• Secondary areas will be off High Street in Cavendish Village and Route 103, Twenty Mile Stream and Depot Street in Proctorsville. Those along High Street, Route 103, Twenty Mile or other areas should think about signage.
• The familiar red poster boards will go up two weeks before the event.
 
FMI: cavendishconnects@gmail.com or call 802-226-7807
 
3. JAZZ, BLUES & SOUL RAISE THE ROOF
On Sunday April 3, Proctorsville’s Raise the Roof winter concert series will be capped with a stellar performance by the beautiful Wanda Houston, known for her soulful singing of blues, funk, jazz and dusky romantic standards.   Performing since third grade and trained in opera, Houston has sung and acted her way across theater stages, on film, in cabarets, recording studios and large concert halls.  She can belt out the blues, move your spirit with gospel and stir your soul with timeless romantic standards.  A critic for Time Out magazine in New York wrote, “The mega voiced Wanda Houston blows the roof off!”
 
The concert is at 4:00 at Gethsemane Church on Depot St. Admission is $10 at the door, a small price to pay for a memorable performance of terrific live music in an intimate venue.  Put it on your calendar!
 
4. LPCTV’s 5th ANNUAL KENTUCKY DERBY GALA
LPCTV is holding its fifth “Kentucky Derby Gala – A Night at the Races” fundraising event on Saturday, May 7th at Willie Dunn’s Grill at the Okemo Valley Golf Course in Ludlow from 5:00pm to 8:30pm. The event has become the primary annual fundraiser for the local community access television station.
 
The event will feature food and entertainment which is included in the per person ticket price of $30. Entertainment will include several locally sponsored “horse races” with charity betting, a viewing of the Kentucky Derby live on television, a silent auction, and other activities.
 
This event is made possible by the Okemo Mountain Resort, which is hosting the event and providing the dinner, as well as the “Circle of Roses” race sponsors. This year’s sponsors include Stemwinder / Wine & Cheese Depot, George B. Tucker, Inc., The Book Nook, Vermont Properties & Development, and Jim & Anita Alic. A limited number of additional “Circle of Roses” sponsorships are still available.
 
Local businesses and individuals are invited to consider racehorse “sponsorships”. For $50 per horse, each sponsor names their own horse, which is printed in the event program. From now until April 15th, LPCTV is offering a 10% discount package of one horse sponsorship and two tickets to the event for $100. One winner from each race will receive a prize donated by local merchants.
 
Please contact Patrick Cody at LPCTV by calling 228-8808 or emailing pcody@lpctv.org to make prize donations, to sponsor horses, and to purchase advance tickets for the Kentucky Derby Gala. Tickets will also be available for purchase at LPCTV, The Book Nook, and the Wine & Cheese Depot. 
 
5. EVENTS
March 25 (Friday): Good Friday Town office and school closed
March 27 (Sunday): Easter
March 31 (Thursday)-April 2 (Saturday): Bye-Bye Birdie at GMUHS, tickets are $5 for Students/seniors and $7 for Adults. Curtain is 7pm in the school auditorium
April 2 (Saturday): Rabies Vaccination Clinic, 9-11 Proctorsville Fire Hall. $15 per dog or cat
 
 For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects March Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.