Select Board Meeting 6/13/16

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.

In an evening with many important issues discussed, probably the most significant piece of information was given at the end of the meeting when Rich Svec, town manager, gave notice that he was retiring in Sept. Svec has been town manager since 1988 and is the longest person to have served the town in this capacity.

 The following action was taken at Monday night’s meeting:

Fire Districts: With both Fire Districts present, Stewart Lindberg, Prudential Board Chair for Fire District #2 (Cavendish) discussed how the current economic climate, limited volunteers and costs indicated a need for one taxing fire district. Because Fire District 2 was created by an act of the Vermont legislation, dissolution of the District would need to go back to the legislature. As part of getting the process started, it was agreed that the two Prudential Boards should meet. Since there is a desire that their be transparency in this process, Svec offered to help arrange for a public meeting at the Cavendish Elementary School. While he also suggested that the town and school board moderator, SB member Mike Ripley could moderate, many in the audience felt that an independent be hired to serve this purpose. One suggestion was John Wood Jr who recently completed the report Fire Services Evaluation for the Ascutney and West Weathersfield Volunteer Fire Departments, who are discussing a merger.  

District #1’s (Proctorsville) Prudential Board meets on June 14. Lindberg said that he wouldn’t be able to make that meeting because of work but he hoped to have someone from Fire District #2 present who could begin this discussion.

It was noted that more than 10 years ago, there was an effort to merge the two districts into one. For more on the history of the fire districts, and what transpired in 2005, go to the Cavendish Historical Society’s blog post Town of Cavendish Fire Districts History 

Town-Wide Reappraisal: Because there is a growing disparity between assessments and fair market value, particularly for one group of properties, the SB has agreed that a town –wide reappraisal is needed. While work will begin in 2017, the actual reappraisal will take place in 2018-2019. The SB went into executive session for the discussion of this agenda item.

Adjustments to Accounting System: Diane McNamara, Town Treasurer, discussed with the board two bookkeeping items dating back to 2000 and 2005 respectively, which were entered incorrectly. Neither item will impact the town’s bottom line. However, the town’s auditor Peter LaBelle, said he would not make adjustments without the SB’s approval. The SB agreed that changes could be made and that this be reflected in next year’s Annual Town Report.

Cemetery Operations: Since the dissolution of the Cemetery Commission and their function taken over by the town, costs have been significantly reduced and revenue significantly increased. The latter is due to the implementation of a new fee schedule. Two different youth groups will be working in the cemeteries this summer, righting and cleaning stones, as well as pruning trees and bushes. Last summer’s work by volunteers from the Cavendish Historical Society has kept the orange mold from spreading in the Cavendish Village Cemetery. However, not all affected stones could be cleaned last year, so that will be priority one for the July volunteers. All stones in Hillcrest have been righted and the vault has been restored. A new roof is on the Cavendish vault and painting is planned for the sheds in Cavendish and Hillcrest.

Cavendish Municipal Water System By-Laws: The SB reviewed another draft of the By-Laws and agreed that a public hearing should be held on July 11 with implementation taking place in September.

Cavendish Flood Hazard Area Regulations: A meeting has been set for June 20 at 5 pm for the SB to meet with John Broker-Campbell, Floodplain Manager for Southern VT.

Transfer Station E-Waste Law and Fee Increases: Cavendish has not increased transfer station related fees since 1991. Since then significant changes have taken place in Vermont requiring that anything that can be recycled or compostable be kept out of the landfill and some items have been banned from the landfill altogether.

Cavendish is reimbursed at the rate of .8¢ per pound for some Electronic Waste but it is not sufficient to cover the cost of running the E-waste facility and removal cost. The Zero Sort recycling at best is break even but generally does not cover operational costs. The state wants to see that those using the transfer station be responsible for paying for it so that a town’s transfer station doesn’t rely solely on taxes.

Over the last 25 years, Cavendish has expanded the function of the transfer station thereby reducing not only the town’s carbon footprint, but also costs, since many items that once went into the municipal solid waste (MSW) compactor are now recycled for free.

In developing the fee schedule, surrounding towns’ transfer stations policies and fee schedules were studied and Cavendish has been found to charge significantly less for similar service. For example, the Ludlow Transfer Station has a $10 yearly residential permit fee, which includes 52 transfer station logoed disposal bags. These are the only ones that can be deposited in the MSW compactor. These bags are clear so the attendant can see what’s being thrown out. Many of the surrounding towns weigh trash while Cavendish charges by the bag .75¢ or $1.50 depending on the size of the bag. While it would be ideal for Cavendish to go with a “weighing” system, there isn’t the space to do that. To understand how other towns operate, check out the Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste District website. 

The SB approved that starting September 1:

• All vehicles using the transfer station must display the transfer station sticker. These are $5 a vehicle, with the first one being free. Those not displaying the sticker will not be allowed to use the transfer station. Permits can be purchased at the Cavendish Town Office. Permits are replaced for free if the old one is scraped off and brought to the town office. Whether this will become a yearly fee will be discussed in the fall.

• The cost to deposit in the MSW will double in price, with tipping fees being $1.50 for small bags and $3.00 for large.

• There will be no charge for the disposal of the following: Lawn mowers; BBQ/Gas Brills; Bicycles/Tricycles/Metal Kiddy cars; Part/pieces of cars, truck motorcycle, snowmobile, farm equipment, brake rotors, drums, exhaust components, shocks, struts, fuel tanks, body panels, front end components, block transmissions, radiators, pumps etc.; Misc Metal-fence posts, piping, metal gutters, aluminum siding, aluminum windows/doors, metal roofing, lawn chairs, and other small metal parts; washers, dryers and stoves; water heaters and pressure tanks; furnaces, boilers and wood stoves; televisions; computers (desktop, laptops and tablets), printers (laser, ink jet and dot matrix) and monitors (tube type, LCD and flat panel); auto rims with out tires.

• Tipping fees will be charged for a number of items, with a new fee schedule to be posted shortly at the Cavendish Transfer Station website. One of the bigger changes will be for building and demolition debris. Currently there is a $40 per cubic yard fee. This will be increased to $50 per cubic yard. Fees for bulky furniture will also be increasing along with those for mattresses and box springs, tape recorders, windows, tires, VCRs, CD//DVD players etc.

Note that the following items are not accepted at the Transfer Station and need to be disposed of as household hazardous waste: urethane cartridges or tanks, partially filled spray paint, hair sprays, lacquers, enamels, shellac window cleaners; wood and metal finishing products; solvents, such as carburetor cleaners; all anti-freezes; insecticides and lawn and garden products. Note that household paint can be disposed locally at LaValley’s and Aubuchon Hardware.

For questions about the Transfer Station, please call Bruce McEnaney at the Town Office 802-226-7291. 

Cavendish Select Board Meeting Agenda 6/13/16

The Cavendish Select Board will meet on Monday, June 13, 6:30 pm at the Cavendish Town Office. The Agenda will be as follows:

1. Call the meeting to order

2. Review/approve minutes of the meetings of May 9th and May 23rd, 2016

3. Sign Orders

4. Review Correspondence

5. Adjust agenda

6. Hear Citizens

7. Board of Listers to discuss a matter of adjustments to the grand list as a result of grievance hearing proceedings and discussion with regard to planning for a future town-wide reappraisal.

8. Diane McNamara, Town Treasurer to discuss with the Board of Selectmen the need to make some minor adjusting entries in the accounting system to resolve some long needed corrections.

9. Follow-up to discussion which took place at the May 23rd meeting with Cavendish Fire District #2 Prudential Committee chair and the Cavendish Fire Department Chief on Fire District and Departmental affairs.

10. Update on town cemetery operations and review of the activities during the past year under the general supervision of the Board of Selectmen

11. Review of update draft of the Cavendish Municipal Water System By-Laws. The Board of Water Commissioners has made proposed modifications to the existing document and has submitted it to the Board of Selectmen for review and adoption. Board of Selectmen to establish a date for public hearing and adoption of the by-laws.

12. Set date for review and discussion of Cavendish Flood Hazard Area Regulations update with John Broker-Campbell, Floodplain Manager for Southern Vermont.

13. Discussion of the new (effective July 1, 2016) E-Waste (electronics waste) state plan program and Cavendish contract with NCER. Review of revisions to the Cavendish Transfer Station fee schedule for approval and establishment of effective date.

14. Updates on other town activities

15. Other business

Cavendish Update 6/10/16 News/Book/Volunteers

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 6/10/16 Cavendish Update

1. Cavendish Related News

2. The Book A Community Wrote About a Writer Who Changed History

3. Volunteers Needed for Spring Clean Up at Fletcher Farm

4. LPCTV Annual Meeting and Elections

5. Share Your America With a High School Exchange Student

6. Events

1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Cavendish Historical Society Newsletter: The spring issue of The Scribbler II is now available on-line at the CHS Blog. 

 Two Brothers Charged with Illegal Logging: Two brothers from Cavendish face charges of illegal logging. State prosecutors say Matthew Wyman, 31, allegedly cut down and sold the wood from a maple and a yellow birch cut from the Proctor Piper State Forest, according to documents the AG’s office filed in criminal court in Windsor County. The lumber allegedly fetched a price of more than $1,200. The two pleaded not guilty to their respective charges at an arraignment in court Wednesday. Matthew Wyman could face up to five and a half years in prison and a fine of $5,500 for allegedly cutting down the trees, while Joey Wyman could serve as long as 11 years in prison and a fine of $6,000 for selling the lumber. Attorney General’s Office Press Release 

 New Hostage Scam: Police are warning of a phone scam where callers seek to convince people their loved ones are being held hostage and will be killed if the victim doesn’t pay the scammers. An investigation found multiple reports from Burlington, Williston and Bennington of similar scams, according to police. “This scam is very concerning as the suspects are extremely convincing and have caused a significant amount of emotional and financial stress on the victims they have targeted.” The public should be cautious anytime someone asks for money to be sent via Western Union or another money order service. If people suspect they are being targeted in a scam, police encourage them to call law enforcement immediately. VT Digger 

 VT To Become First State to Require Drug Price Transparency: Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the prescription drug transparency bill that will make Vermont the first state to require pharmaceutical companies to justify why their drug prices go up. Vermont’s new law will require pharmaceutical manufacturers to justify why the “total wholesale cost” of specific prescription drugs go up in a given year. VT Digger 

New Law Limits Prescriptions for Painkillers: A new law signed into law by Gov. Peter Shumlin on Wednesday limits the amount of opiates that can be prescribed for minor procedures. Vt. Digger

VT State Police Kick off Operation S.T.R.I.V.E: Starting June 6 and running through Labor Day, the Vermont State Police will be increasing enforcement efforts focusing on speed and aggressive driving on all state roadways. Called Operation STRIVE (Safe Travel on Roads In Vermont Everyday), the goal is to deter and identify hazardous violations that increase the risk of motor vehicle crashes. VT Dept. of Public Safety 

2. THE BOOK A COMMUNITY WROTE ABOUT A WRITER WHO CHANGED HISTORY: The Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) is pleased to announce their most recent publication “Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: The Writer Who Changed History.” This was very much a local effort from it’s inspiration-Isabele Gross when she was in the third grade-to it’s publication-Julia Gignoux was responsible for the layout and design. Along the way were the incredible photographs donated by the Solzhenitsyn family, the book’s website-Katie Hamlin webmaster-, funding for editing from the Cavendish Community Fund, and the author, Margo Caulfield, the coordinator of CHS. All proceeds from the sale of the book go towards the CHS Solzhenitsyn project. You can purchase the book locally at the Cavendish Town Office, CHS Museum (Sundays 2-4), and Minibees-formerly the Cavendish General Store, once home to the now famous “No Directions to the Solzhenitsyn’s” sign. You can also order it on-line at Create Space and Amazon.com. Note that the profit margin for CHS is best when you purchase it locally. Second best is Create Space. Bulk ordering is possible by contacting CHS at 802-226-7807 or margocaulfield@icloud.com To learn more about the book, go to The Dish. 

3. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SPRING CLEAN UP AT FLETCHER FARM : Saturday, June 11, is Spring Clean Up Day at Fletcher Farm School. Adult volunteers are needed to help clean and setup the classrooms for the summer session. Runs from 9-3, but we would welcome an hour or two of your help! Free lunch of pizza and soda! FMI: 228-8770.

4. LPCTV ANNUAL MEETING & ELECTIONS : LPCTV, “community television for the Black River Valley & Okemo region”, is holding its Annual Meeting on & elections for Board of Directors on Thursday, June 16 at 7 pm at the Ludlow Community Center complex at 37C Main St in Ludlow. An open house and tour of the facility will take place prior to the meeting from 6:30-7:00 pm. All community members in Ludlow, Plymouth, Cavendish, and Mt. Holly are invited to attend and participate. For those unable to attend the meeting in person, voting for the LPCTV Board of Directors elections is made available by downloading or requesting a ballot.

Ballots will be available to anyone attending the Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 16th; prior to that, ballots are available by download on LPCTV’s website, or by request by calling the station at 228-8808.

5. SHARE YOUR AMERICA WITH A HIGH SCHOOL EXCHANGE STUDENT: Local Community Coordinator Kimberly Eckhardt invites families in the Green Mountain and Black River communities to “Share Your America” with a high school exchange student from one of 70 European, South American, Asian, or African countries during the upcoming school year. Sponsored by PAX – Program of Academic Exchange (PAX), these students arrive to the U.S. in August.

PAX students are 15-18 years old, have studied English for at least three years, and are motivated to learn more about the U.S. by attending high school and living with a host family. PAX students are eager to experience American activities—backyard barbecues, birthday celebrations, and holidays—with their host families. They are covered by comprehensive medical insurance and have their own spending money for incidentals.

Host families come in all different shapes and sizes! Single parents, families with young children and/or teenagers, empty nesters or retirees are all encouraged to host. The host family's primary responsibility is to provide a bed, it need not be their own room, three meals a day and the love and support you would offer any teenager living in your home. You can hope for world peace or invite it into your home and table! Travel the world without leaving home. 

Founded in 1990, PAX is a not-for-profit educational organization and one of a select few U.S. Department of State designated Exchange Visitor Program’s chosen to participate in its prestigious U.S. government-sponsored FLEX and YES programs. Each year, more than 1,100 teenagers visit the U.S. as PAX exchange students. For more information, call Kimberly Eckhardt at 802-824-3792 or visit www.pax.org. 

6. EVENTS

JUNE 11 (Saturday): Spring Clean Up Day at Fletcher Farm School 9-3. Volunteers needed. Free pizza.

JUNE 13 (Monday): Cavendish Select Board Meeting. Agenda will be posted to the Dish as soon as it’s received

JUNE 17 (Friday): GMUHS Graduation,

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

The Book a Community Wrote About a Writer Who Changed History

Cavendish, Vermont is known for having been the home of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Soviet dissident and Nobel Prize winner who lived here for almost 18 of the 20 years after being exiled from Russia. The town’s willingness to protect his privacy from outsiders is legendary and as a recent visitor to the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) Museum noted, “there is little on the Internet about Solzhenitsyn’s time here, other than people wouldn’t give directions to his house.”

That is about to change, with the publication of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: The Writer Who Changed History. The author, Margo Caulfield, the Coordinator of CHS, explains that this is a community effort that started in the 1970s when a group of volunteers met weekly and clipped articles pertaining to Cavendish. Through their efforts, Solzhenitsyn’s time in Cavendish was well documented and these archives were key in writing the chapter “Life in the West.”

The inspiration for The Writer Who Changed History came from former third grader Isabele Gross. As part of CHS’s outreach to children, Solzhenitsyn’s experience as a Captain in the Russian Army during WWII was included along with the stories of other Cavendish veterans. Isabelle became extremely upset about how Solzhenitsyn was arrested on the front lines and imprisoned just because he wrote to a friend about his concerns with Stalin. She kept on saying, “This is unfair!” and had many questions including “Was he okay?” “Did they hurt him?” By showing her pictures of Solzhenitsyn living in Cavendish, his children and grandchildren, her concerns were eased. It became clear that having a book might be a better way for Isabele and other students to understand that Solzhenitsyn’s war experience was literally just one chapter in a very amazing life.

The Cavendish Community Fund provided funding for editing, while the Vermont Humanities Council gave CHS a grant to develop the book’s companion website. Cavendish resident Katie Hamlin is the webmaster for the site, which includes a study guide and curriculum that teachers and book groups can use. Finally, private donations helped with other costs.

Caulfield states, “There were three things I thought were important. The book needed lots and lots of photographs that on their own could tell the story.” Thanks to the generosity of the Solzhenitsyn family, who provided the majority of the book’s photographs, some of these pictures, until now, have not been seen in the west.

Equally important was the look of the book. “It needs vibrancy and color. We don’t want kids turned off because it appears dark.” Another Cavendish resident, Julia Gignoux, was able to provide the right mix. Responsible for the layout and design, Gignoux made the The Writer Who Changed History come alive, resulting in a final product that is appealing to all ages.

The third element was that the book had to include Solzhenitsyn’s writing. “When you mention his name, people immediately think of “Gulag Archipelago,”  but his body of work is vast and includes plays, poems and so much more. As much as possible I thought it important to rely on these resources so that Solzhenitsyn gets to tell his own story but at a level children will understand.” The Writer Who Changed History includes excerpts from speeches, interviews as well as text from his books.

Of most importance are the people of Cavendish. Their cooperation and willingness to protect Solzhenitsyn from the prying eyes of the public, made it possible for him to complete “The Red Wheel.” That same Vermont spirit brought many locals together to make The Writer Who Changed History possible.

“Yes,” in response to a common question posed by longtime local residents, the book does contain a picture of the now famous homemade sign that hung at the entry of the Cavendish General Store “No Directions to the Solzhenitsyn Home.” And, “No,” is still the answer to visitors who ask for those directions.

In addition to having the book and website for students, teachers and anyone interested in Solzhenitsyn, there is a Facebook page and Pinterest board. CHS plans to use these digital tools as a way to engage students from around the world in discussing issues that were of importance to Solzhenitsyn.

The book is self-published by CHS and is available for purchase as follows:

• Locally: The CHS Museum (open Sundays 2-4 pm); CHS-call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com; the Cavendish Town Office-37 High St and Minibees on Route 131 (Main Street). This is the store that at one time posted the sign "No Bare Feet, No Restroom, No Directions to the Solzhenitsyns." 

• On-line Create Space  and Amazon.com

Please note that CHS makes the most profit if you purchase the book locally. On-line Create Space is a better option for CHS than Amazon. 

 All proceeds from the sale of the book will be used for the Society’s Solzhenitsyn Project, which includes a permanent exhibit, archives, education and outreach. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Margo Caulfield

Coordinator

Cavendish Historical Society

PO Box 472

Cavendish, VT 05142

margocaulfield@icloud.com

802-226-7807