Cavendish Update 4/29/16 News/Fire/Jobs

4/29/16 Cavendish Update

1. Help Prevent Fires

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Job Opening

4. Red Sox Tickets

5. Events

1. HELP PREVENT FIRES: In the last several weeks, the town’s firefighters have been going almost none stop. Proctorsville Fire Department alone responded to 16 calls in 7 days. The gorgeous blue skies, low humidity and winds have set up the perfect conditions for brush fires. A child playing with a found lighter, a cigarette butt tossed out a window, or burning trash in a metal container can set off incredible devastation in these situations. 

While the majority of calls for our fire fighters have been mutual aid to other towns, it’s important that everyone understands and observes some basic rules:

• Do not open burn: This includes burning in burn barrels and fire pits. Open burning is anything that is not in a wood stove and by law any outside fire is required to have a permit.

• Do not toss cigarette butts on the ground or out the car window. Dispose of properly

• Do not leave matches, lighters or other materials around for children to find and use

• Follow the VT’s Division of Fire Safety’s guidelines for Barbecue Grills

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Barbara Kingsbury Has Died: We have recently learned that the author of “Chubb Hill Farm and Cavendish Vermont,” Barbara Kingsbury died on April 7 in South Dakota. Her obituary is available at The Brookings Register. 

 Congratulations Elliot and Thank You Zach: Cavendish Elementary School alumni Elliot Thompson (his Mom Ann is the 5th grade teacher) recently won VTel’s video contest with his short film “Life Gives You Lemons.” Thompson is currently a senior at Springfield High School and a student in the audio video production class at River Valley Technical Center and will be attending film school at Chapman University Dodge Film School. He won $1,000 for his film and credits his teacher, Proctorsville resident Zach McNaughton and the classes he has taken over the last three years for his skills. The Message 

 Expungement Law Available to Young Adult Offenders: The Springfield Restorative Justice Center (SRJC) is now offering assistance to community members from Southern Windsor County who want to take advantage of a criminal record expungement law that went into place last year. SRJC is now working with Vermont residents who committed a crime before the age of 25 and seek for that crime to be removed from their criminal record. FMI springfieldrjc@vermontel.net or 802-885-8707 Eagle Times 

 Congressional Delegation is seeking information on VTeL: Vermont’s congressional delegation (Sanders, Leahy, and Welch) is seeking information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service on the $116 million broadband project that VTel Wireless started in 2010. VT Digger 

 Unclaimed Property Owner: Every so often it’s worth checking the VT Treasury Dept’s “unclaimed property owners’ list.”  Lots of names for Cavendish and Proctorsville this time. 

Thinking About Changing Cell Carriers? If you are, check out the article, Before You Switch Wireless Carriers Read This

Frozen Vegetable Recall Affects 35 States Including VT and NH: The items —including frozen peas, corn and mixed vegetables — “have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause serious health issues particularly for pregnant women, newborns, older adults and those with a weakened immune system. The veggies were sold between Sept. 13, 2015 and March 16 2016 and include stores such as Costco and brands such as Schwan’s Wellsley Farms Organic, Organic by Nature. So far there have been no illnesses associated with this recall. To learn more, go to the FDA website

3. JOB OPENING: Are you enthusiastic about recycling? Are you interested in part time work? The Cavendish Town Transfer Station is currently looking to hire an attendant. Please apply in person at the Cavendish Town Office, 37 High St. Cavendish or e-mail brucem@cavendishvt.org The Town of Cavendish is an equal opportunity employer.

4. RED SOX TICKETS: Again this summer Gethsemane Church is raffling off two pairs of Red Sox tickets :  Tampa Bay on July 8, first base grandstand or  NY Yankees, August 10, right field box.  Raffle tickets are $5 each or $20 for 5 tickets.  Don't. Miss this opportunity to visit historic Fenway Park and see David Ortiz play his last season.  For tickets, call Barbara Dickey, 226-7187, or email Barbara.dickey5@gmail.com

5. EVENTS

APRIL 29 (Friday): Murder Mystery Dinner at the Golden Stage Inn, 7 pm. Tickets are $25 and include dinner. Benefits Cavendish Library

APRIL 30 (Saturday): Got Drugs? Turn in unused or expired medications for safe disposal, 10-2. Local sites include Ludlow, Springfield, Chester and Windsor Police stations as well as the Weathersfield Transfer Station. Needles will not be accepted.

MAY 4 (Wednesday): Planning Commission meeting

MAY 7 (Saturday): Green Up Day-Meet on the Proctorsville Green at 9am for bags, gloves and routes-BBQ at noon; LPC-TV Kentucky Derby Gala

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

Cavendish Update 4/22/16 Wi-Fi Calling/Tag Sale/Volunteers

4/22/16 Cavendish Update
1. Cavendish Related News
2. Improve Cell Coverage with Wi-Fi Calling
3. 6th Annual Town Wide Tag Sale-7/30/16
4. Volunteers Needed
5. Events
 
1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
CORRECTION: Last week we reported thatProctorsville resident Jace Provance took the bronze at Nationals for Skiercross. He actually took the gold!!!
 
Thank a firefighter today! For the last three days, Cavendish and Proctorsville Fire Departments have been battling one brush fire after another. Fortunately none have been in Cavendish. Please honor the red flag warnings –no burning-and dispose of cigarettes properly and not thrown from cars. For a report on the most recent fire see the Eagle Times.
 
Congratulations to Lisa Marks on Another Successful Marathon: Proctorsville resident Lisa Marks once again completed the Boston Marathon running as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) team. Since 1990, DFMC has raised more than $74 million, resulting in improved survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients everywhere. The largest charity group in the Boston Marathon, the 2016 DFMC team aims to raise $5.4 million in pursuit of the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer.
 
April Showers Bring Construction Season: Various projects taking place late spring and through the summer could impact travel in and around the area, including: Springfield; I-91 Bridge Brattleboro; and other parts of Vermont (Check the VT 511 Online Map for roadwork, closures, obstructions, detours etc.)
 
House Asks Federal Government to Audit VTel Wireless Project: Fifty-one lawmakers are calling on federal regulators to conduct an audit of a $116 million telecommunications project that started in 2010. Five senators and 46 representatives have signed on to sponsor concurrent resolutions in the Senate and House asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to examine VTel Wireless’s performance in building out wireless broadband infrastructure. The identical resolutions ask the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service to also do a financial audit of the grant and loan that VTel received and to require VTel to finish building three remaining towers on the project. VTel was awarded an $81.7 million grant and a $35.2 million loan in 2010 to run fiber-optic cable to households and major institutions in the Springfield area and build 119 towers and antennas to set up a system of wireless broadband in the state’s most rural areas. VT Digger
 
Flu Season Not Over in VT: Health officials say the flu is unpredictable, and that's definitely been the case this year. Typically by now the flu season is certainly winding down, but we had a late start to the flu season, but it's just one of those years where it started later and it's continuing on. WCAX
 
New Rules Would Lower Rates for Net Metered Power: The Public Service Board is taking public comment on proposed rules that would lower the reimbursement rate utilities pay for net-metered power. The scheme also incentivizes development in preferred locations, and subsidizes projects that keep renewable energy credits in-state. Utilities and state officials say the new rules will tie net-metered power prices closer to the market rate. Net metering customers who sell energy to utilities get reimbursed at a particularly high rate, in order to subsidize development of small-scale (fewer than 500 kilowatts) renewable-energy projects. Currently, net-metered customers get paid 19 cents per kilowatt-hour for whatever they produce in excess of what they use. The wholesale market rate for power purchased by utilities runs as low as 6 cents per kilowatt hour. Utilities say “under ideal circumstances,” power companies could still pay up to 20 cents per kilowatt-hour for some projects. Most net-metering customers, however, would get a significantly reduced rate under the proposed rules. The Public Service Board is taking public comment until May 12. The board will convene public meetings May 4 and 5. VT Digger
 
2. IMPROVE CELL COVERAGE WITH WI-FI CALLING
In continuing to look for solutions to the reduced cell coverage in Cavendish due to the G4 upgrade, check and see if your iPhone or smart phone has Wi-Fi Calling capability.
 
Instead of relying on the cellular phone network, WI-FI calling and texting uses an available Wi-Fi network to place your call over the Internet. This can be very handy when there isn’t a signal or it’s spotty at best-perfect for our rural area. It can also work if you are traveling in other countries. In fact for AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile & Sprint there is free international Wi-Fi Calling services via iOS 9.3 update for iPhones.
 
Wi-Fi calling is not new as apps like Skype, Google Hangouts FaceTime, Google Voice, Line,  and WeChat allow users to make voice and video calls and send text messages over the Internet and forgo mobile networks altogether. As this option has become increasingly more beneficial to users, cell carriers have shown increasing interest in adopting Wi-Fi calling themselves. Whether it's because they want to bolster their network coverage or improve user experience, but it’s looking more and more like the next cellular upgrade (G5) will be via the Internet. However, G5 isn’t expected until 2020.
 
Read the full article, which includes how to check your phone for this feature, at The Dish. Note that one resident has already commented about her experience with Wi-Fi Calling, At one point AT&T provided free Microcell units that did a very good job of boosting cell signals. Our unit ceased working but happily it's no longer needed as WiFi Calling provides a great connection.
 
3. 6th ANNUAL TOWN WIDE TAG SALE 7/30/16
While the Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale is three months away, now is a good time to decide if your community group wants to have vendor space on one of the village greens and/or you would like to be listed under “Places to Shop & Eat.” There are a few changes this year. We will be allowing vendors from other towns on the greens for a fee. This will help to increase shoppers. For more information on the Tag Sale, please go to the link that has been set up for this purpose at The Dish.
 
4. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The Cavendish Historical Society (CHS), the town and the 6th graders at Cavendish Town Elementary School on May 3 (Tuesday) will spend the day going to all seven of the town’s cemeteries, to lay flags on Veterans’ graves, clean headstone and help to clean up from the winter storms. Drivers and assistance with food for the kids and volunteers is needed. If you can help out, please contact Margo at margocaulfield@icloud.com (yes it’s a new e-mail address) or 802-226-7807.
 
5. EVENTS
APRIL 22 (Friday): Passover; Earth Day
APRIL 29 (Friday): Murder Mystery Dinner at the Golden Stage Inn, 7 pm. Tickets are $25 and include dinner. Benefits Cavendish Library
 
For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar. 

Improve Cell Coverage with Wi-Fi Calling

In continuing to look for solutions to the reduced cell coverage in Cavendish due to the G4 upgrade, check and see if your iPhone or smart phone has Wi-Fi Calling capability.

Instead of relying on the cellular phone network, WI-FI calling and texting uses an available Wi-Fi network to place your call over the Internet. This can be very handy when there isn’t a signal or it’s spotty at best-perfect for our rural area. It can also work if you are traveling in other countries. In fact for AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile & Sprint there is free international Wi-Fi Calling services via iOS 9.3 update for iPhones.

Wi-Fi calling is not new as apps like Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, Google Voice, Line, Skype and WeChat allow users to make voice and video calls and send text messages over the Internet, forgoing mobile networks altogether. As this option has become increasingly more beneficial to users, cell carriers have shown increasing interest in adopting Wi-Fi calling themselves. Whether it's because they want to bolster their network coverage or improve user experience, but it’s looking more and more like the next cellular upgrade (G5) will be via the Internet. However, G5 isn’t expected until 2020.

Wi-Fi calling isn’t automatically enabled and it’s also not available on all phones. Start by checking your phone to see if it has this feature. To turn yours on, go to the Settings menu.

- On iPhones (5s and above) go to Settings > Phone and then toggle on Wi-Fi calling. 

- On Android, you’ll generally find Wi-Fi settings under Settings > Networks > Call, where you can then toggle on Wi-Fi calling.

Once you activate Wi-Fi calling, you dial or text as usual. The routing of your call or text is handled automatically in the background.

While all of the major carriers -Sprint, T-Mobile, AT& T and Verizon- offer some form of Wi-Fi Calling there are limitations so definitely check with the company you use. At this time, US Cellular does not offer this feature. 

The Wi-Fi connection speed will make a difference, but fortunately for many in Cavendish the minimum is 1Mbps.

This is a changing field, and there is new information on this topic nearly every month, so check periodically to see if this is a feature that can improve cell service. 

6TH ANNUAL TOWN WIDE TAG SALE 7/30/16

Note: Starting July 22, we will be posting pictures of items that will be for sale on Saturday, July 30 at the Cavendish VT Facebook page. If you would like an item listed, photo etc., please e-mail cavendishconnects@gmail.com

The 6th Annual Town-Wide Tag Sale will be held on Saturday July 30, 2016 from 9-3

The Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale began in 2011 as part of the town’s 250th anniversary’s yearlong celebration. Because it was such a hit, Cavendish Connects has continued to sponsor it.

There are a few changes this year, with the biggest one being that vendors from surrounding towns will be able to purchase booth space on the village greens for a fee of $15. Non-residents interested in learning more about this opportunity need to call 802-226-7807 or e-mail cavendishconnects@gmail.com

It takes quite a bit of time to coordinate this event, therefore we are asking the Cavendish community to help support Cavendish Connects by making a donation now, the day of the sale or shortly thereafter, which can be done from the CC’s donation page. 

VENDORS The sale will be concentrated along Main Street (Route 131), with both village greens available to Cavendish/Proctorsville residents, property owners, businesses and community groups for free. Please register if you are interested in space on one of the greens.

•  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.

• The on-line site for information and vendors will be updated weekly

• There will be no printed addresses or maps this year (just what appears below in the Stop, Shop & Eat section) so 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.

Those who wish to register for space at the Greens, or have their site listed on the vendor list (on-line) should send an e-mail to cavendishconnects@gmail.com or call 802-226-7807. Please note that the more information you can provide about what you have for sale, the more shoppers you will attract.

WHERE TO STOP, SHOP & EAT: A copy of the vendor list will be made available by Friday, July 29 in PDF format.

Cavendish Baptist Church Tag Sale in front of the church

61 High St: Abuts the Cavendish Village Green. Large sale including a 2009 Ducati motorcycle in mint condition. Picture of bike posted to the Cavendish VT Facebook page. 

81 High St.: Multi family sale-close to Cavendish Green

126 High St: Furniture, including some in Art Deco style. Pictures of furniture posted to the Cavendish VT Facebook page. 

56 Wiley Hill Rd (Corner of High St and Wiley Hill): Looking for crock pots for college bound kids? This is the place to shop. 

864 High St.:  Former antique dealer who has "a little bit of everything."

Cavendish Village Green:  A vendor will have the following items that are in excellent condition or like new: summer and winter clothes for men and women; women’s shoes (size 7); men’s L.L. Bean snow boots (size 12);  women’s Land’s End snow boots (size 7); chair cushions; lamps; shower curtains; Homedics Contour Memory Foam Pillow; small grooming electronic items; adult’s and children’s books; Ace 1/4 HP Submersible Utility Pump 1050 GPH; Steam Cleaner Plus Household Vapor Storm – VS 200 Multipurpose Craftsman Gasoline Blower/Vac; Conair Professional Fabric Steamer for Clothes, Drapes, Lines; Black & Decker GH1000 Trimmer/Edger 14” Cut Duo-Automatic Feed Edger Light Weight; Hideway Hose Reel; Window Fan; suitcases with wheels and knickknacks. A number of other vendors with a variety of collectables will be on the Green. At least one vendors items have been posted to the Cavendish VT Facebook page.

Cavendish Commons (1900 Main Street): Multi family tag sale

Holy Name of Mary Church Hall (803 Main Street): Baked goods, Jams, Paperback Books   Cook Books, Dishes, Christmas Items, vases and miscellaneous

785 Main St. (Old Grange hall, corner of Twenty Mile Stream and Rt. 131) Yakima DryDock hitch extender fully assembled, rope hammock, inflatable kayak, adult life jacket, free upright piano.

121 Davis Rd (Off of Twenty Mile Stream, look for signs): Bird feeders made by "Bird Man"; household items including antique dishes; Exercise bike (Health Rider); Snowshoes, Tools.

St. James United Methodist Church: Across from Cavendish Town Elementary School

Cavendish Town Elementary School: 6th Grade class will be hosting a car wash and tag sale. 

Proctorsville Green: Cavendish Connects booth will in the Gazebo. The Cavendish Historical Society will also be there signing copies of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: The Writer Who Changed History.

• Proctorsville Volunteer Fire Dept. will host a BBQ with hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages and all the fixings

• Cavendish Energy Committee will be located near the Gazebo with information on weatherization, including funding options, and other solar programs

• A number of vendors including one selling antique furniture and a snowblower;

Gethsemane Church (Depot Street): Recliner (great condition), dehumidifier, small quilting rack, plant stand, Tires-235x55x18 nearly new, radios, bike helmets, tools, small appliances-some that brand-new, kitchen contents of small estate, 2 desks, rolling chair, linens, toys & children's movies,  framed art, crafts & fabric, books, some men & women's clothing. See Cavendish VT Facebook page for "album" of items for sale. 

145 Depot Street: First installment of a moving sale so a little bit of everything. Has lots of kitchen stuff-including glassware, plates and cook books. See Cavendish VT Facebook page for "album" of items for sale. 

Please note that the Depot Street Bridge is closed to vehicular traffic. You can proceed on foot, or drive around to the entrance of Depot St. from Route 103.

Corner of Depot Street and Pratt Hill: "Sale on Porch". Large sale, thirty years of stuff.
All must go.

Little Village Farm (48 Mt. View Ave): Located off Depot Street