Cavendish Update 12/29/17: News/Events

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12/29/17 Cavendish Update

1.Cavendish Related News

2. Events

1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

GMP to Raise Rates by 5%: The Public Utility Commission has approved a 5 percent rate increase for Green Mountain Power. GMP initially filed for a 4.98 percent effective rate increase for 2018, and said the rate increase was needed to pay for increased transmission costs, for increases in electricity costs from the regional grid, and for increased costs associated with Vermonters’ growing reliance on small renewable-energy generators. Filings by GMP’s corporate owners say the Vermont utility saw a $6.8 million drop in revenue compared to last year.

Ludlow residents petition for school merger re-vote, hope to keep BRHS alive: On Wednesday, Dec. 27, Ludlow’s Assistant Town Clerk and Treasurer Pamela Todt confirmed that the petition had 127 valid signatures and is therefore sufficient to cause a re-vote of the merger with Mount Holly. The Chester Telegraph

Hobby Lobby Signs Lease for Former Claremont Kmart: Hobby Lobby, the Oklahoma City-based big-box craft supply store, has taken out a lease on the former Kmart building on Washington Street. The corporation and its owners are openly Evangelical Christian, and stores are accordingly not open on Sundays. The chain also saw substantial national news coverage in 2012 after its owner opposed provisions in the Affordable Care Act requiring companies to provide coverage for morning-after pills in employee health plans. Eagle Times

Boston Developer Buys 3 Upper Valley Shopping Plaza: The Davis Companies purchased three plazas in the area: the Miracle Mile Plaza, the North Country Plaza and the Kmart Plaza. Each contains a mix of storefronts, anchor tenants and restaurants. The Boston-based real estate company says the $27 million price tag is a good investment, even with the ever-increasing influence of online retail giants. WCAX

2. EVENTS

DECEMBER 31 (SUNDAY): New Year’s Eve

 JANUARY 1 (MONDAY): HAPPY NEW YEAR. Legal holiday, town office and schools closed.

 JANUARY 2 (TUESDAY): Community luncheon at Gethsemane Church, noon, all are welcome. The luncheon is held in the Parish Hall, which is directly behind the church off Depot Street.

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

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Cavendish Update 12/22/17 News/GMUSD

Students caroling at the 4th grade classroom on Thursday, Dec. 22

 The National Weather Forecast has issued a Winter Warning Advisory for our area from Dec.22 at 7:00 am until Dec. 23 at 10 pm. Estimates are 4 to 9 inches for the next 24 hours. Wintery mix is anticipated on Saturday. More snow is being predicted for Sunday night and Christmas Day. Please use caution.

 NO SCHOOL TODAY!!

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12/22/17 Cavendish Update

1.Cavendish Related News

2. GMUSD Should Principal & Other Positions be Shared

3. Events

1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Cavendish Christmas Memories-Guica: After four long years in the war, Carmine Guica returned home from serving on Okinawa in the Pacific theater. As it turns out, this was to be his “best Christmas ever.” Read an excerpt of Carmine’s autobiography where he describes this Christmas at the Cavendish Historical Society blog.

Phineas Gage’s Accident Lego Video: Even Gage’s accident, whose 170th anniversary we’ll be celebrating in 2018, can be presented in Lego format.

2. GMUSD: SHOULD PRINCIPAL & OTHER POSITIONS BE SHARED? At Tuesday night’s Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) board meeting, there was a discussion about not replacing the principal of Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES), George Thompson, when he retires in June 2018. Instead there would be one principal for Chester Andover Elementary School (CAES) and CTES with a “dean of students” at each school. The sharing of personnel across schools is also being considered for nursing-one nurse would oversee GMUHS, CTES and CAES determining the needs for each school and a half time director for CTES and CAES extra curricular activities.

The issues being raised are important ones, as is evidenced by the on-going dialogue on the Cavendish Town Elementary PTO Facebook page. How would the principal be shared? Is it based on student population? What specifically is the role of the principal? One parent noted, Was there an explanation provided as to why this proposal is being made? What is the anticipated value of having a dean of students at each school with a principal sharing both schools? Is this configuration supposed to be better for the students? What about the teachers?

Clearly these are questions that need to be answered. Some will be addressed by the board but more importantly voters will be deciding in March whether to approve budgets.

To learn more about what is being discussed, have your questions answered and/or voice your concerns, consider the following:

• Attend GMUSD board meetings, which are open to the public. The Finance Committee of GMUSD will be meeting on January 2 at 6 pm at the Fletcher Farm office and their monthly meeting will be January 9 at 6 pm, location yet to be announced.

• Watch meetings on-line at okemovalley.tv if you are unable to attend.

• Cavendish Connects posts school board minutes and agendas. Notification of their availability appear in the Cavendish VT Facebook page as well as in Friday’s Cavendish Update. Other places to check include the CTES Warned Meetings Calendar or the Two Rivers SU Calendar

• Contact the Cavendish representatives on the GMUSD board-

 Fred Marin, fred.marin@trsu.org

Doug McBride, doug.mcbride@trsu.org

Kathleen Lamphere Kathleen.Lamphere@trsu.org

• VOTE

3. EVENTS

DECEMBER 24 (SUNDAY): Christmas Eve services will be held at 6 pm at the Cavendish Baptist Church and 8 pm at Jackson Gore

 DECEMBER 25 (MONDAY): MERRY CHRISTMAS

 DECEMBER 26 (TUESDAY): HAPPY KWANZA

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

IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 12/15/17 SB Mtg/News/Events

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 12/15/17 Cavendish Update

1. Cavendish Select Board Meeting 12/11/17

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Events

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 12/11/17: Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by Okemo Valley TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television.  Written minutes are available at the town’s website. The following action was discussed/taken at Monday night’s meeting:

• Requested town manager, Brendan McNamara, to write to TDS Telecom requesting their presence at the January SB meeting in order to explain what their plans are for Cavendish regarding upgrades to Internet service.

• Health Officer, Doris Eddy, and Brendan McNamara will site visit a home in Proctorsville that is believed to the source of rats on Main St.

• Representatives from the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission provided a report to the SB on the condition of the town’s 590 culverts and 14 bridges.

• Approved Sewer Budget. Metered rates will now be as follows:  Base rate-up to 10,000 gallons $89.16. For every 1,000 gallon over 10,000, the cost will be $1.85 per 1,000; Inactive accounts will be $116 annually; Non metered flat rate $91.66

• Approved Step 2 Engineering Services Agreement from Weston & Sampson for the Waste Water Treatment Plant’s Aeration System Improvement. Work will be begin in June.

• Accepted with regret Jillian Flinn’s resignation from the Select Board

• Approved the sand pit area as the location for the new town garage

• Heard requests from various community groups for funds as part of budget preparation

• Updated on the new E-waste building installed at the Transfer Station

For a more in-depth report go to The Dish.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Cavendish Crime Watch: In addition to the report from the VT State Police, the incident report for Dec. 7 indicates there was a "theft of vehicle" on Main St. in Cavendish at approximately 10 am. On 12/8/17, at approximately 0400 hours, two males wearing masks followed an older female employee into the Downers Corner Store prior to opening. Upon entering the store, they pushed the employee, June French. The two males stole a variety of cigarette packs and cigars. The employee was transported to the Springfield ER for evaluation. The State Police is asking that anyone with knowledge of the incident or who may have seen any suspicious individuals or vehicles parked in the area to contact Trooper Tyler Noyes of the Westminster State Police Barracks at 802-722-4600. Several photos are included with this press release of the suspects. Go to the website for the photographs.

Sick Fox seen on Main St: A fox who is acting strangely has been seen near the Proctorsville Fire Department. It’s killing chickens and has even been found in the basement of a home. If your pets have their own door, be sure to check it. The fox appears to have mange and looks sickly. If seen, DO NOT TRY TO TRAP, TOUCH OR CAPTURE IT. Call 802-722-4600 Note that in the spring, two foxes that attacked people in Londonderry VT tested positive for rabies.

Cavendish Christmas Memories: Enjoy a 1930’s Christmas in Cavendish as related by Philip Tiemann in his Memoirs of Coming into Vermont (Cavendish) in the Depression,” which is available at the Cavendish Historical Society blog.

Cavendish Resident Dale Wade Survives the Odds: The VT Journal includes a story on the recovery of Dale Wade’s recovery from pancreatitis.

The Castle Included in the 18 Best Upscale Hideaways in the Northeast USA 2017: The Castle Hill Resort and Spa made the Huffington Posts number 3 spot on their best upscale hideaways. There are actual “angels in the architecture” at this man-cave-luxe inn several miles from the town of Ludlow and Okemo Ski Resort. Built in 1901, in the “English Cotswold Style” of rough-hewn granite, as a summer home for industrialist Allen M. Fletcher (who was elected Governor of Vermont in 1912), the 10-room Castle Hill Resort and Spa, the first home in Vermont to be wired for electricity, is on the National Historic Register and a Historic Hotel of America. Owners have lightly updated rooms and amenities for modern visitors, but Castle Hill retains its original beauty. Huffington Post

Holiday Scam Seeks Unwitting Mystery Shoppers: Kroger Mystery Shopper has been targeting Vermonters with a scam. Learn more at the WCAX report

3. EVENTS

DECEMBER 19 (TUESDAY): Board meetings for CTES and GMUSD will take place at 5:30 and 6:30 respectively in the Conference Room at CTES. For more information and agenda, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar.

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

IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

SB Meeting 12/11/17

Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by Okemo Valley TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television.  Written minutes are available at the town’s website. The following action was discussed/taken at Monday night’s meeting:

1. Telecommunications: Residents need to be aware that the telecommunications funding received by Comcast from the state will only impact the most under served part of Cavendish-Tarbell Hill and Knapp Pond area. Comcast is willing to expand their services but it will require a “contribution” for those areas that have fewer that 13 E-911 addresses (individual structures) per mile. The fewer the E-911 addresses the higher the cost that needs to be absorbed by the consumer. The SB/Town Office has been asked whether property owners with multiple structures on their property would experience a tax increase if they were to seek additional E-911 addresses. Town manager Brenan McNamara will check with the listers and the town’s E-911 coordinator.

2. Rodent Problem: There is a problem with rats on Main Street, which are believed to be from one residence. The town’s health officer, Doris Eddy, will be site visiting the area along with Brendan McNamara. Action will be required by the SB depending on findings but it appears the town’s “junk yard ordinance” will be applicable in this situation.

3. Cavendish Road Erosion Report: Representatives from the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission provided a report to the SB on the condition of the town’s 590 culverts and 14 bridges. Five percent of the culverts were found to be in poor condition and there are sections of ditching and other erosion control measures that require replacement. This is a long term project, as there are 15-20 segments of the town that will require significant upgrades.

4. External Appropriations: Various community groups presented funding requests to the town as budget planning is underway. Those requesting funds include: Black River Good Neighbor; RSVP; Winsor County Youth Service; Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice; SEVCA; The Current; Okemo Valley TV; Council on Aging; Black River Senior Center and the Cavendish Historical Society.

5. Aeration System: The SB approved Step 2 Engineering Services Agreement from Weston & Sampson for the Waste Water Treatment Plant’s Aeration System Improvement. Work will be begin in June.

6. Sewer Budget: Approved the budget that was provided to the board at the November SB meeting. The biggest increase was for personnel. 

Also discussed was the need for an overhaul of the water meters as some aren’t working or not being used at all. The preference is to use a digital meter, which allows for meter reading outside the building. This is being tested at Mack Molding. It will take a number of years to replace all the meters, however, the town is loosing money with some of the “flat rate” customers. Plan to replace 5-7 meters year, which should pay for itself by more accurate accountability of costs being assessed for actual use. The new billing rate will be as follows:

• Base rate-up to 10,000 gallons $89.16. For every 1,000 gallon over 10,000, the cost will be $1.85 per 1,000.

• Inactive accounts will be $116 annually

• Non metered flat rate $91.66

7. SB Resignation: Jill Flinn’s resignation from the Select Board was accepted with regret. She will remain Animal Control Officer. Ashley Rose has expressed interest in also helping with animal control. Brendan McNamara will be following up with her.

8. Town Garage: The SB  approved the location to the sand pit area. Boring tests indicated that the sand pit location is ideal for constructing the new building, while the current location was found to have a problem with the right rear portion with the ground having insufficient fill. An Act 250 permit is not required. Permitting and other activities are underway so that construction can begin as soon as possible in the spring.

9. E-waste Building: The new building for E-Waste is now in place at the transfer station and will soon be ready to receive electronics, batteries and related items.