Cavendish Update 2/23/18: TRSU Budget/Rabies Vaccine Clinics/News

It's been a red sky morning today so not surprising a winter weather advisory is in affect starting at 1 pm this afternoon.

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2/23/18 Cavendish Update

1. TRSU Budget Passes

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Rabies Vaccination Clinics

4. Events

TRSU BUDGET PASSES: At the Semi-annual meeting of the full Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRSU) board on Feb. 1, board members overwhelmingly rejected the Supervisory Union budget due to its lacking detail, including previously unseen budget items, and falsely presenting the budget as a decrease compared to last year. A meeting was scheduled for February 15, but was cancelled the afternoon of the meeting because the TRSU had failed to properly warn it.

Last night’s meeting, Feb. 22,  resulted in an approved budget, which came after a heavily debated discussion. By a vote of 9 to 6, a TRSU budget of $6,018,132 was approved.

After the vote was completed two members of the audience voiced concerns that were reflective of some of the discussion.

A Mt. Holly resident commented, “I was surprised that the budget passed. I thought it could be cut a lot more. There is not a ton of money around here. There are a lot of services that are not educational…..administration creating their own demands.   We could have cut a lot more.” Earlier in the meeting this same person noted, “It seems strange to me that you would vote a budget down and then come back to meet again with the budget not changing.  Either the budget goes up or goes down….it is apparent that the budget needs to go down...so basically you didn’t do your job.”

Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) parent Denise Hughes stated I appreciate the job that you all do.  This is about the kids, for the kids. There is less than half of the budget going to the kids. You cut out little things. Things that don’t matter, things that have nothing to do with our kids. You are still not meeting the Act 46 requirements. We need to look at Supervisory Union size. 

 The recommended national standards stated in Act 46 list 2000-4000 students per SU. I know we got some waivers, but we all know those are temporary.  We don’t meet those requirements.  We are less than half of the minimum recommended student size. We are spending close to $100k to house the offices for TRSU. That’s a very expensive workplace to house 10 people. These are the things you need to be thinking about. This budget is all about central office costs. 

 We’re talking salary increase for TRSU staff and benefits that are non-negotiable in this budget discussion.  These are people who already have a much higher salary than our teachers.

 I appreciate Doug’s comments [Doug McBride is one of the TRSU board members from Cavendish] questioning the need of the dental plan that was negotiated in the TRSU Central office (not Special Ed staff) budget, and staff from central office receive this benefit. What’s important for this board to know is that our own teachers don’t have dental. 

Going back to my original point, the average recommended SU size is 2000-4000 students.  If this board wants to start looking at really saving money for taxpayers and finding ways to fund better educational programs, we need to stop looking at nickel or diming schools and start looking at SU consolidation…..I still think we totally missed the mark.

As one board member noted, after a meeting that stretched over two hours, ultimately it’s the town voters who decide what the budget will be. Given how confusing it has been for the boards of the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD), TRSU and the respective schools, to say nothing of the merger votes that have taken place among towns that are part of the TRSU, the voter needs as much help as possible to make a decision.

There are two upcoming meetings where the public can discuss budgets, per pupil costs, impact on taxes, changes being made at the TRSU, ACT 46, and other aspects of the educational system:

• Feb. 27 (Tuesday): Green Mountain Unified School District annual meeting, 7 pm at Green Mountain Union High School in Chester. See the Cavendish Connects Calendar for more information.

• March 5 (Monday): Cavendish Town Meeting, 7 pm at Cavendish Town Elementary School’s Multi Purpose room.

Voting on the school budget takes place on March 6 (Tuesday) by Australian Ballot. Polls are open from 10-7 in the CTES Art Room. 

TRSU meetings are taped and available at the Okemo Valley TV website. Minutes are posted to the TRSU website.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Save the Date-CHS Annual Meeting: The Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) will hold its annual meeting on March 18 (Sunday) 2-4 pm. As March is Women’s History Month, this year’s program will be on Cavendish women. During March, there will be biographies of different women posted to the CHS blog with a summary included in the Cavendish Update. FMI: 802-226-7807 or margocaulfield@icloud.com

 Proctorsville Resident Running in the Boston Marathon: On April 16, Lisa Marks from Proctorsville, Vt. is running to conquer cancer as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon. Marks, along with more than 500 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge teammates from across the United States and around the world, will run Massachusetts’ historic marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston to raise $5.5 million for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Challenge team in the 122nd Boston Marathon. VT Journal

How Long Are you Contagious With the Flu? The CDC says you are contagious one day before you start feeling sick and up to seven days after. If you're a kid, elderly, or have a weak immune system, you can be contagious for even longer. There appears to be a spike in flu in our area. If you or someone you know could use a Cavendish Cares Package (provides items to both prevent flu as well as help deal with symptoms) please send an e-mail to cavendishconnects@gmail.com or call 226-7131 VPR

3. RABIES VACCINATION CLINICS: Springfield Animal Hospital is offering rabies vaccination clinics for cats, dogs and ferrets for $10 per pet-cash or check only at the following times and locations

March 5 (Monday): 6-7:30 pm at Springfield Animal Hospital

March 10 (Saturday) 9-11 am, Springfield Fire Department

March 17 (Saturday) 9-11 am, Baltimore Town Office

March 28 (Wednesday) 6-7:30 pm, Springfield Animal Hospital

Please bring proof of prior vaccination for 3-year certificate, otherwise a 1-year certificate will be issued.

 4. EVENTS

FEBRUARY 26 (MONDAY): CTES board meeting, 5:30 pm in the Arts Room

 FEBRUARY 27 (TUESDAY): ANNUAL MEETING GMUSD 7 pm Green Mountain Union High School auditorium

• Hydroponic Gardening Workshop, 6 pm at the Cavendish Town Office, Free, Sponsored by the Cavendish Energy Committee

 MARCH 1 (THURSDAY): Spaghetti Dinner & Silent Auction to Benefit the Kauffman Family. Drew Kauffman a father of a CTES student has undergone surgery for a brain tumor and the funds from this evening will help offset medical costs and treatment while Drew recovers 5-7pm at CTES. Price is $10 a person and $25 per family.  Dinner includes all you can eat spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, salad, lasagna while it lasts, dessert, lemonade, iced tea, and a feeling of fullness for helping out the Kauffman family.

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 2/16/18: SB Mtg/News/Workshop

Happy Chinese New Year

CHECK THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE DAILY FOR THE LATEST NEWS You don’t have to be a Facebook subscriber to see this page.

 2/16/18 Cavendish Update

1. Cavendish Select Board Meeting 2/12/18

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Cavendish to Sponsor Hydroponics Workshop

4. Spaghetti Benefit-Save the Date

5. Events

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 2/12/18 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:

•  The paving of 131 from Downers 4 corner to 103 continues to be pushed back by the state. This year’s reason is lack of money as well as structural and drainage issues that need to be addressed before paving can begin.

• Outter Limits Brewery, which is being planned for the Proctorsville Green, provided the SB with their parking plans for staff and visitors. No opening date has been given.

• Approved and signed Mascoma Bank Promissory Note in the amount of $40,000 for a term of one year at an interest rate of 2.60 %.This amount represents tax refunds and credits as a result of the Castle Hill and Cavendish Pointe Hotel Condominiums appeals.

• Provided updates on summer projects: repaving local roads will start end of July/beginning of August; replacement of the Town Wastewater Treatment Plant’s Aeration System will begin late July/early August and will be on-line the latter part of September; utility pipes/lines on the Depot Street Bridge will be moved under the Black River, boring is scheduled for around July 1; the new town garage should be in place by the end of July

• Provided updates on other projects-Using Mitel https://www.mitel.com/ phone system now for the town Office; secured  funds to remove pine trees from the Cavendish Cemetery; Town Reports are at the printer and will be mailed out shortly; Safety lights for the CTES crosswalk will be installed this spring

For a more in-depth report see The Dish.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

New Principal for Green Mountain Union High School: At Tuesday night's Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) board meeting, after reviewing evaluation forms from students, parents and teachers, as well as interviewing the candidates themselves, the board voted unanimously to offer the Green Mountain Union High School principal position to Lauren Fierman. She is currently the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment at Regional School District No. 8 in Hebron, CT and has previously worked as a district data coach, an English department chair and a middle school teacher.

TRSU Budget Meeting Cancelled: A Two Rivers Supervisory Union meeting scheduled for Feb. 15, was cancelled at 2:30 pm. According to the SU, the postponement was a result of not posting the agenda on its website at least 24 hours ahead of the meeting as required by Vermont’s Open Meeting Law. his is not the first time TRSU has run afoul of the statutes that govern public meetings. Earlier this year, The Telegraph alleged in a formal complaint that the GMUSD board and executive committee had violated the law by holding closed door meetings in which discussion of budget cuts in overall staffing were held under an exemption for evaluating and disciplining individual staff members. Chester Telegraph

VT Can Regulate Voice Over Internet: VOIP is a technology that allows telephone service to be delivered over the internet, instead of over traditional phone lines. Ever since the technology was introduced, states have been fighting with cable companies about whether the service should be regulated, like telephone service, or if it is merely information traveling over the internet, which states do not have the authority to regulate. In a unanimous decision, the Public Utility Commission found that VT can regulate the service under federal law. However services like Skype are called "nomadic," because the user can access it anywhere, and the courts have made it very clear that states can't regulate the nomadic service. VPR

Legislature Considering Registration Fee for VT Airbnb: Lawmakers are debating a bill that would require people who use Airbnb, and other online short-term rental companies, to register with the state. If the bill is passed as written, Vermont would become the first state in the country to develop a statewide registry for people who rent out their homes with companies like Airbnb. VPR

3. CAVENDISH TO SPONSOR HYROPONICS WORKSHOP: The Cavendish Energy Committee will sponsor a workshop on Tuesday, February 27th at 6:00 p.m. to be held in the Cavendish Town Office meeting room on the subject of Hydroponics.

Casey Hodge of Southern Vermont Hydroponics in Mount Holly will present the workshop. He will discuss suitability for southern Vermont climate, and practicality of growing our own fresh food year round. His presentation will include a general overview of the different types of hydroponics and the most used and useful growing methods for the home. Also, he will address the reasons why we should grow this way, including the economies and advantages over traditional agriculture. He will also include examples of plants and equipment.

An underlying reason for our concern with energy is the state of our natural environment and the need for people to live more sustainably. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. While the practice of hydroponics has been around for hundreds of years, the issue of sustainability has taken on new meaning in our world today and hydroponics is one way of helping to feed us. NASA is studying hydroponics for future space missions, and countries such as Holland and Canada have many acres of hydroponic systems producing a variety of crops.

Anyone from any town may attend the workshop. The Cavendish Town Office is located at 37 High Street in Cavendish. Light refreshments will be served at the workshop. For additional information please contact Karen Wilson at 203-550-7430.

4. SPAGHETTI BENEFIT-MARCH 1-SAVE THE DATE: A parent of a CTES first grader has undergone brain surgery for a recurring cancer. A spaghetti dinner fundraiser is being planned for March 1 to help with expenses. In addition to the dinner, there will be a silent auction of themed baskets (local eatery gift certificates, gas cards etc.) If you would like to help with the supper or have something to donate, please contact Lisa Marks runninginvt@yahoo.com

  5. EVENTS

FEBRUARY 18 (SUNDAY): FACE OFF!!-Hockey Match between Proctorsville Fire Department and Chester Fire Departments has been cancelled due to weather.

FEBRUARY 19 (MONDAY):  PRESIDENT’S DAY, TOWN OFFICE CLOSED

 FEBRUARY 22 (THURSDAY): Sit N Knit at the Cavendish Library from 5-7.

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 SELECT BOARD MEETING 2/12/18

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:

Repaving of 131: The paving of 131 from Downers 4 corner to 103 continues to be pushed back by the state. This year’s reason is lack of money as well as structural and drainage issues that need to be addressed before paving can begin. Given the condition of the road, the SB discussed possible options. Being a former state representative, whose committee was Transportation, SB member Mark Huntley is arranging for a meeting with key legislators where Cavendish can plead its case for repaving to happen sooner than later.

Parking Outter Limits Brewery: The proposed brewery will be located on the Proctorsville Green, next to Murdock’s Restaurant. In view of the recent ACT 250 hearing for Murdocks,’ regarding  parking for their proposed expansion, Outter Limits Brewery provided an update to the SB on where they plan to have employee and customer parking. No date has been given for the opening of the Brewery.

Mascoma Bank Promissory Note: Approved and signed Mascoma Bank Promissory Note in the amount of $40,000 for a term of one year at an interest rate of 2.60 %. This amount represents tax refunds and credits as a result of the Castle Hill and Cavendish Pointe Hotel Condominiums appeals.

Summer Projects

• Paving: Should be receiving $175,000 paving grant from the state for projects for the summer. Will begin paving projects by end of July beginning of August, as it will allow culvert and other work to be completed before paving begins. Areas for consideration include Quent Phelan Rd, Twenty Mile Stream by Winston Churchill’s property, Greven Rd and Cavendish Gulf Rd. Priority has yet to be determined. As soon as it thaws, culvert and other repairs will begin as soon as possible so there is time for them to acclimate before paving begins.

• Wastewater Aeration System: Approved by the voters at Town Meeting 2017, Cavendish is doing a complete replacement of the Town Wastewater Treatment Plant Aeration System. Bids will go out for construction in March, which is set to begin late July/early August and is projected to be on line by middle to late September.

• Bridge 58 (Depot St): Discussions are underway to relocate utility pipes/lines, currently attached to the bridge, to be buried under the river. Waiting for agreements with property owners for right of way (Goodman, Pipkin, Provance), which VTrans is currently overseeing. The borings are scheduled for this summer, around July 1. There are concerns about the esthetics of the bridge. The extended railings would be problematic for the Goodman and Provance properties; however, there appears to be some ways to work around this.

• Town Garage Replacement: A survey is being done for the sandpit location site this week. Once the scope of site prep work required is known, the Town’s highway department can begin to do some of the work. April 2 is the last date to put out bids for building fabrication, if it is to be installed by the end of July.  It is anticipated that the building will be completed this summer.

Other Projects

• Using Mitel phone system now for the town Office

• Funds have secured funding to remove pine trees in the Cavendish Cemetery, which are jeopardizing graves, including those of the founders of Cavendish

• Town Reports are at the printer and will be mailed shortly

• Safety lights for the CTES crosswalk will be installed this spring

Cavendish Update 2/9/18: Warnings/News/Events/Principal

PLEASE NOTE: Face-Off Hockey Match, between Chester and Proctorsville Fire Departments has been postponed to Feb. 16 (Sunday).

 CHECK THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE DAILY FOR THE LATEST NEWS You don’t have to be a Facebook subscriber to see this page.

 2/9/18 Cavendish Update

1. Warnings for school and town

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Warning Annual Meeting Cavendish Fire Department

4. Meet the Finalists for GM Principal

5. Free Energy Efficiency Program Extended for Seniors

6. Events

1. WARNINGS FOR SCHOOL AND TOWN

Warnings Annual Meetings School: The Annual District Meeting for the Green Mountain Unified School District is Feb. 27 (Tuesday) at GMUHS in Chester at 7 pm. The Annual Meeting for the Green Mountain Union High School will take place the same night at 7pm.

The Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) Annual Meeting with take place on Monday, March 5 at 7 pm at the CTES multipurpose room.

Voting for school budgets take place on March 6 (Tuesday), Election, from 10-7 at the CTES Arts room. To obtain absentee ballots call or stop by the Cavendish Town Office. Download a copy of the various warnings

Warning Annual Town Meeting: Town Meeting will take place on Monday, March 5 at 7 pm in the CTES multi purpose room.  Among the articles to be voted on that are unique to this year are: 

• To see if the legal voters of the Town of Cavendish will vote to dissolve the position of Town Constable as proposed by the Board of Selectmen

• To see if the legal voters of the Town of Cavendish will approve the amount of $796.00, a Town surplus realized from Fiscal year 2017-2018, to be used to help offset Town expenses for FY 2018-2019

Please note that the town budget is voted on at this meeting. To obtain absentee ballots call or stop by the Cavendish Town Office. Download a copy of the various warnings

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

TRSU Full Board Votes Down the Supervisory Union Budget: At the Semi-annual meeting of the full TRSU School Board last Thursday, Feb. 1, TRSU board members overwhelmingly rejected the Supervisory Union budget at the end of a meeting that was filled with criticism for a budget that lacked detail, included previously unseen budget items, and falsely presented the budget as a decrease compared to last year. Once again, CTES and GMUSD board member Doug McBride pointed out inconsistencies and the continual ignoring of the goals of Act 46. VT Journal

Ludlow Voters Affirm BRHS Closure: Ludlow residents voted 288-231 on Tuesday – for the second time – in favor of merging school districts with neighboring Mount Holly, effectively closing the door on the historic high school. The two towns, under pressure from the state Board of Education to come up with a merger plan that met the requirements of Act 46, had hammered out an agreement to close the middle and high school in exchange for a promise that each town could hold on to their elementary schools. Black River High School will close June 2020. An effort is underway to convert the school into a private “magnet” school. Rutland Herald

Cavendish Olympians-Henri van Schaik: With the opening of the Olympics beginning today, we note past Olympians that have lived in Cavendish. Henri van Schaik won a silver medal in the 1936 games for Holland in dressage. Not only did he write the book “Misconceptions and Simple Truths in Dressage,” but he establishing a riding school in Cavendish after immigrating here in the early 1950s. Learn more at Dr. Henri Louis Mari van Schaik: To the Threshold of Your Own Mind

Sound of Music Sing Along: On Feb. 22 Thursday, FOLA will be showing the Sound of Music –sing along as loud as you want-to benefit the Black River Good Neighbor food shelf. The show will be presented at the FOLA Theater, 37 Depot Street in Ludlow, which is on the second floor, above the Ludlow town offices, and is handicapped accessible. Bring the whole family. A $5 donation is suggested. FMI: 802-228-3663 or www.brgn.org

 Stopped for No Seat Belt? Highway Safety Bill Could Revamp Rules of VT: VT Lawmakers are taking up a new highway bill that makes not wearing a seat belt a “stoppable offense” as well as making stiffer penalties for young drivers who use cell phones while operating a vehicle. While the bill has passed the house, Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Dick Mazza says he'll oppose a primary enforcement seat belt law this year. “I haven't been a big supporter of primary enforcement. I think it's working well under the present law — we're running 85 to 90 percent compliance. It's not high on my priority because I think we're doing fine without primary enforcement." If the Senate strips the seat belt enforcement plan from the highway safety bill, it could re-emerge as an amendment to another transportation related bill later in the session. VPR

VT Research News: VT has per capita more participants in the Winter Olympics than any other state. Climate change however could reduce that number in years as many ski areas in the northeast will not be viable by mid century. VT’s hub and spoke model for treating opiate addiction is turning out to be highly successful based on research being conducted at UVM. VT was one of 13 states to earn a failing grade in the 2018 Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws, released by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. VT ranked the third healthiest state in America’s Health Rankings Annual Report, behind Massachusetts and Hawaii, and was only one of four states to receive an A grade on the latest March of Dimes Birth Report Card. VT Research News Feb. 7, 2018

3. WARNING CAVENDISH FIRE DISTRICT 2 ANNUAL MEETING: The legal voters of Cavendish Fire District #2 (Cavendish village) are hereby notified and warned to meet at the Meeting Room at the Cavendish Town Office on Tuesday, February 12, 2018 at 7L30 pm to act on the following articles:

Article 1: To hear and act on the Auditors report (position vacant)

Article 2: To elect officers as follows: Moderator for one year (currently Abraham Gross); Prudential Committee Member for three- year term (currently Robert Evens). Current members are Stuart Lindberg (2019), David Burgess (2020), Robert Evens (2018), Clerk for one year (currently avid Burgess), Tax Collector for one year (Town Manager Brendan McNamara), Treasurer for one year (currently Robert Evens)

Article 3. To see if the legal voters of District #2 will raise money and in what amount for the purpose of defraying expenses for the FY July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

4. MEET THE FINALISTS FOR GM PRINCIPAL 2/13/18: Whether you are a community member and/or a parent of a Green Mountain Union High School (GMUHS) student, please come to "Meet the Finalists Night" on Feb. 13 (Tuesday) 4:40pm to help select the candidate for the GMUHS principal. Your input will help shape the future for our students.

Finalists include:

• Mr. Chambers has served as a Director of Curriculum for the Windsor Southeast and Windham Northeast supervisory unions, a principal and a high school teacher.

• Mrs. Fierman is currently the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment at Regional School District No. 8 in Hebron, CT and has previously worked as a district data coach, an English department chair and a middle school teacher.

• Mr. Ripley is the Associate Principal at the Green Mountain Union High School and has served as an assistant principal and a science teacher in other school settings. Ripley is also a Cavendish Select Board member, lives in Proctorsville and serves on the Ludlow Ambulance squad.

Community members will have twenty minutes to meet with each candidate separately and will switch classrooms so they can meet all three finalists. After meeting with the candidates, you will provide feedback, which will then be shared with the GMUSD Board of Directors that evening.

5. FREE ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM EXTENDED FOR SENIORS: The Energy Efficiency program, which is designed to reduce utility bills for older adults and people with disabilities in southeastern Vermont, has been extended until March 31, 2018. Senior Solutions is continuing to offer free home energy visits in Cavendish and the other 46-town service area. The energy visits, conducted by a team of trained staff and volunteers, include the installation of free energy efficient light bulbs, shower heads, and hot water heater pipe insulation. During the energy visit, they will also try to identify other energy-saving opportunities and programs that could possibly provide additional assistance. Volunteers are also still needed to do the energy visits. If you are interested in receiving a home visit, making a referral, or volunteering call 802-885-2655

6. EVENTS

FEBRUARY 9 (FRIDAY): Look & See Film (about Wendell Berry, farmer, activist and writer) at the Cavendish Baptist Church, 7pm.

FEBRUARY 12 (MONDAY): Select Board Meeting, 6:30 pm Cavendish Town Office

FEBRUARY 13 (TUESDAY): HAPPY MARDI GRAS

• Book Discussion and Movie of “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," noon at Fletcher Library in Ludlow.

• Meet the candidates for GMUHS’s next principal at Meet the Finalists Night 4:40 pm at GMUHS

• GMUHS Board Meeting, 5:30 at the CAES library

• Cavendish Fire District #2 (Cavendish Village) Annual meeting, 7:30 pm Cavendish Town Office

FEBRUARY 14 (WEDNESDAY): HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

• Energy Committee Meeting, noon, Cavendish Town Office

FEBRUARY 15 (THURSDAY): 3rd Quarter Taxes Due

• TRSU Budget Meeting, at CTES, 6 pm

• Sit N Knit at the Cavendish Library from 5-7.

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