Cavendish Update 12/24/21: Elections/News/Christmas

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12/24/21

1.    Cavendish Info

2.    Cavendish Open Election Positions

3.    Covid update

4.    Events 

Transfer Station Closed Saturday, Dec 25 and Saturday, Jan 1

Church services appear in Events Section

NORAD Santa Tracker is live.

Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 10 pm tonight to 8 am Sunday

Merry Christmas

1. CAVENDISH INFO

• Cavendish Christmas Ghost Story 2021: Enjoy this year’s Christmas tale of what the Cavendish ghosts have been up to at the CHS Blog.

• Ludlow Rotary Tornado Relief Effort:: The Ludlow Rotary is collecting donations to assist those in Kentucky who were impacted by the recent tornados. From now until January 12, the following items can be dropped off at Cota & Cota or Benson’s in Ludlow: Coats, socks, non-perishable foods, diapers, can openers, towels, feminine products, cleaning supplies, shoes, water, baby formula and bottles, batteries, blankets, personal care items, pet care items, and under garments. For children, toys, books, art supplies, stuffed animals, Legos. Items should be new or very gently used. FMI: Kate Lampert 802-228-4000

• New Executive Director for Mount Ascutney Regional Commission (Regional Planning): Tom Kennedy is stepping down as Executive Director of MARC and will be the Director of Community Development effective January 1st.   Jason Rasmussen, currently MARC’s Director of Planning, will replace Kennedy as MARC’s executive director.

• Free Efficiency VT Kit: Efficiency Vermont is offering Vermonters a free kit of general purpose LEDs and water-saving devices. Get your FREE kit today and start saving money on energy bills. This offer is only available for a limited time. This kit contains one (1) 60w Tuneable Wifi LED A19, five (5) 60w LED A19, three (3) 40w LED A19, two (2) 75w LED A19, one (1) 1.5 GPM fixed showerhead, one (1) kitchen aerator, and one (1) bathroom aerator. A $34 value, it’s free. Order by going to the Efficiency VT website. Note this does not apply to second home owners.

• VT Everyone Eats Program Extended: Vermont Everyone Eats, a program that addresses food insecurity by providing a weekly meal to residents through the state, has been extended through April 1, providing an additional three months of meals from its originally scheduled conclusion at the end of this year.

2. CAVENDISH OPEN ELECTION POSITIONS: The list of open elected positions for the Town of Cavendish is available below. Please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 802-226-7292 if you are interested in filling out a petition to run for any of these positions.

• One year position: Town Moderator; Town Agent; Auditor, Select Board (2 vacancies); Town Grand Juror; Trustee of Public Funds; GMUSD Director

• Two Year Position: Auditor

• Three Year Position: Auditor; Select Board; Trustee of Public Funds; GMUSD Director

• Five Year Position: Library Trustee

3. COVID-19 UPDATE: For local information on testing, vaccinations, boosters, notifying contacts as well as other resources, including those for people with  Long Covid, please see the Cavendish COVID-19 Resource Guide.

WEEKLY DATA:

Cavendish & Surrounding Towns: Cavendish had 7 new cases (87 total) this past week, Ludlow 5 (165 total); Chester 39 (360 total); Springfield had 104 new cases (1,188 total) and Weathersfield 25 (1761 total).

Schools: The VT Dept of Health’s school report for Dec. 20, reports 1 new case for CTES (3 total) and 1 at Green Mountain Union High School (18 total). There were no new cases at Chester (15 total) or Ludlow Elementary (8 total) schools. There were 278 cases last week in Vermont schools and 3,003 cases since the start of the school year.  Note-there will be no school data until after the new year.

State: Tuesday’s modeling showed a  decrease in cases, 16% over the last 14 days. It is anticipated that the combination of the holidays and omicron will send cases soaring, potentially reaching 1,000 or more new cases a day. Nationally, omicron is now the dominant strain in the USA, having reached that status in just a few weeks. Though VT reported its first case of omicron on Dec. 18, it’s been spreading since early December. 

Those 18-64 and not fully vaccinated were 46X more likely to be hospitalized over the last 6 weeks than those fully vaccinated & boosted. Those not fully vaccinated were 34X more likely to die from Covid-19 over the last 6 weeks compared to those fully vaccinated and boosted. Hospitalizations by vaccination status for this age group are as follows: For not fully vaccinated 112, hospitalizations per 100K; fully vaccinated but not boosted 12 hospitalizations per 100K; fully vaccinated & boosted 2.4 hospitalizations per 100K

Seropositivity (percentage of tests that are positive) has dropped from 4.8% to 4.3% in the last week. Vt has had 60,265 cases, 460 deaths with 53 people in hospital, 17 in the ICU.  

THE GOOD NEWS: Two large new studies-from the UK and South Africa-were published on Wednesday. They found that people who get COVID-19 infections caused by the Omicron variant are less likely to need hospital care, compared with those infected by the Delta variant. The first analysis found that overall, people infected by Omicron had about a 20% reduced risk of needing any hospital care for their infections and a 40% lower risk of an overnight hospital stay, compared to those infected with Delta. The second study, compared to people infected with the Delta variant, those with presumed Omicron infections were about 70% less likely to have severe disease.

This week the FDA granted emergency use authorization of two new antiviral pills, Merck’s molnupiravir and Pfizer's ritonavir plus nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid)   to treat people with symptomatic COVID-19 and who are at high risk of death or hospitalization. It is available by prescription only and should be taken as soon as possible after diagnosis and within 5 days of the start of symptoms.

Omicron in South Africa appears to be subsiding just as quickly as it grew. It’s expected that other countries will follow a similar pattern.

TESTING FOR THE HOLIDAYS: The state is preparing for holiday testing with 16 pop-up clinics. If you want a free PCR or LAMP test at a Health Dept. site, you will need to register on-line. More testing options will be added based on demand, so check the state site frequently.

Free Rapid Antigen Take Home Tests are available on the following dates and in various location. Below are the sites closest to Cavendish. There is no registration for these tests as they are distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Plan in advance for high demand and wait times. Yesterday’s test allocations were distributed within the first hour or two of opening. Each kit contains 2 tests. For Agency of Transportation sites, there is a limit of two kits per household. For other public test sites, it’s one kit per person present.

• Rutland: 275 Stratton Road 11 am -5 pm Dec. 30th

-       Rutland Regional Medical Center 160 Allen St.  9-10 and 4-6, Dec. 30

• Springfield 51 Pearl St., Level 2 10-4 Dec. 30th.

• White River Junction, Agency of Transportation, 223 Beswick Drive. 8-Noon Dec. 24, 28 and 29th

• Windsor-Mt Ascutney Hosp. 289 County Rd 9-12:30 and 1-4:00 Dec. 30th

• Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 417 Canal ST. 2-6 pm Dec. 30th

• Manchester Northshire Rescue (6041 Main St.) Dec. 24, 27 and 28 from 8-Noon. 

For other locations, check the state website.

If you test positive on a home test-Isolate and call your primary care provider. Do not go to the emergency rooms for PCR testing. ERs are being filled with asymptomatic Covid + people looking for a PCR test and it’s having a negative impact on patient care.

GATHER SAFELY: To help slow the spread, below are ways to protect yourself and others:

• Vaccinate and/or get your booster shot

• Have the vaccination/booster conversation with those you plan to gather with

• Stay outdoors when you can

• Keep groups small and with  people who you know

• Wear a mask in-doors in public setting or around people who may be at higher risk. Avoid crowed spaces

• Test before and after an event

UPGRADE YOUR MASK: Check With omicron, you need a mask that means business, to learn more the masks that will help protect you from this new variant. Time to ditch the cloth mask for an N95.

4. EVENTS

DECEMBER 24 (FRIDAY): Christmas Eve Town Office Closed

-       Cavendish Baptist Church Christmas Eve service will be at 6 pm. In-person and virtual via Facebook Live.   If you attend in-person, please wear a mask and practice physical distancing. FMI: www.CavendishBaptist.com or 802-226-7131

-       St. James Methodist Church (Proctorsville)-7 pm service

-       Annunciation Catholic Church (Ludlow): Services at 5 pm and 9 pm.

-      For other area Christmas services

DECEMBER 25 (SATURDAY): MERRY CHRISTMAS Cavendish Transfer Station Closed.

-       Annunciation Catholic Church (Ludlow): 10 am

DECEMBER 26 (SUNDAY)-DECEMBER 31 (SATURDAY): HAPPY KWANZAA

DECEMBER 31 (FRIDAY) New Year’s Eve Town Office Closed

JANUARY 1 (SATURDAY): HAPPY NEW YEAR! Transfer Station Closed

JANUARY 17 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King’s Day Town Officer Closed

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

   IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 12/17/21: SB Mtg/Composting/Masks Required/News

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12/17/21

1.    Cavendish Select Board Mtg 12/13/21

2. Cavendish Info

3.    Cavendish Transfer Station: Composting

4.    Covid update

5.    Events

Masks required in all indoor public spaces in Cavendish

Winter Weather Advisory Saturday 6-8 inches possible

Holiday concert Saturday at St. James Methodist 5 pm

Calcutta’s Gift Giveaway Sat. 12-2 Cavendish Fire Dept and 2-4 at the Proctorsvile Fire Dept.

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 12/13/21: A video of the Select board (SB) meeting is available at the Okemo Valley TV website. Minutes of the Select Board will be available at the Cavendish Municipal website. Both the Chester Telegraph and the Vermont Journal  have filed reports on this meeting.

The following actions/discussions took place at the meeting:

• Mask Rule Requirement: The board adopted the VT League of Cities and Towns Rule for masking. It is effective immediately and will be reviewed at the monthly SB meetings. Note that because it is a Rule, it cannot be changed by a petition.  Ludlow has passed a similar mandate, while Weathersfield has a modified requirement pertaining to town office buildings. Holiday surgical masks are available for free at the Cavendish Post Office. The CHS Cares Closet (next to the Museum) also has masks available 24/7.

• ARPA eligible projects: Brendan McNamara, town manager, is working with regional planning regarding the use of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding. The town has received half of its allotment (slightly more than $200,000) and McNamara has been developing a list of potential projects, which include: water, wastewater, storm water (includes culvert replacement); updating the pump station; digitizing land records; upgrading software for hybrid systems for meetings; and replacing water meters.

•  ‘Mineral Rights Request’ regarding ‘Narbut’ Property on Rt 131. The Town owns the mineral rights on the 65 acres owned by Vincent Narbut, who is looking to sell his property. Narbut would like the Town to give up their “rights.” The board agreed that the town should retain them, but offer a compromise of delaying extraction based on various factors. McNamara will draft a letter to this effect. 

• Select Board budget process. First meeting is Wed. Jan 5 from 6-8.

• Recent ruling by the Supreme Court and Act 250: Cavendish has no zoning. A recent decision issued by the Vermont Supreme Court would change the way Act 250 functions in towns without zoning and subdivision regulations. With implications for Cavendish, the SB will discuss this issue at the January monthly meeting, inviting the Planning Commission to attend. VT Digger posted an article in November, In towns with no zoning, reopened Supreme Court decision has big implications for Act 250.

2. CAVENDISH INFO

• Calcutta’s Gift Giveaway: The Calcutta crew will be at the Cavendish Fire Station from 12-2 p.m., and Proctorsville Fire Station from 2-4 p.m. with free gifts and cheer for local children. They will then return to Calcutta’s to meet with Ludlow’s Fire Department and local children from 4-6 p.m. Free buffet from 4-8 p.m. Everyone is invited. Free gift for all kids 16 and younger.

• Benson’s Toys for Tots: Benson’s Chevrolet in Ludlow  is supporting the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Help fill their truck with assorted toys (e.g. books, crayons, puzzles, trucks, cars, games etc.) for those who are in need. Unwrapped toys can be dropped off until Dec. 23rd. FMI: 802-228-4000 or www.bensonchevy.com

• Cavendish Historical Society leads a Christmas Ghost Walk

3. TRANSFER STATION: COMPOSTING: The town’s Energy Committee has recently released a statement regarding what is, and what is not, compostable at the Town Transfer Station.

The town’s transfer station has onsite composting. What must stay out of the trash and be composted includes those parts of food items that are typically discarded rather than eaten such as peels, rinds, cores, eggshells, seeds, pits, bones, coffee grounds and paper filters, loose-leaf tea & paper tea bags, and fats/oils/grease. It also includes food plate scraps or leftovers and any food that went bad. And not just food must be composted - if it was once part of something alive, like a plant or animal, it does not belong in the landfill. So, grass clippings and any other yard debris must stay out of the trash and can be put into the compost.

Plastic bags are not compostable-they can be recycled at Shaw’s and other grocery stores. Dump the contents into the pile and either throw the plastic into the trash or take it home and clean it for recycling. Most plastic food containers and utensils are likewise not compostable, even if the manufacturer says they are. Food scraps will compost in a few months, the containers and utensils will take many years if at all to compost. Please no plastic or containers in the Transfer Station compost pile!

Read the full statement from the Energy Committee

4. COVID UPDATE: For local information on testing, vaccinations, boosters, notifying contacts as well as other resources, including those for people with  Long Covid, please see the Cavendish COVID-19 Resource Guide.

WEEKLY DATA; Cavendish & Surrounding Towns: While Cavendish had 3 new cases (80 total) this past, Springfield had 110 new cases, surpassing 1,000 cases (1,084 total). Ludlow had 8 cases (160 total), Chester 22  (321 total) and Weathersfield 28 (151 total). Windsor County is now experiencing a sharp rise in cases, and along with Rutland, and Bennington counties, are the highest in the state

Schools: The VT Dept of Health’s school report for Dec. 13, reports no new cases at CTES or Ludlow Elementary. Green Mountain had 3 new cases (17 total), while Chester Elementary had one new case (15 total). There were 258 cases last week in Vermont schools and 2,749 cases since the start of the school year. 

State: At Tuesday’s press conference, Gov. Scott and his team stressed that the current surge squarely rests on the 5% of VT adults who are un vaccinated. They account for about 75% of hospitalizations. Last week, there were days the unvaccinated made up 90% of the Covid patients in the ICU…The vast majority of Vermonters have stepped up, done the right thing, and gotten vaccinated. And as a result, they’re not the problem. I simply can’t justify going back into a state of emergency, putting restrictions on the 95% of Vermont adults who have done the right thing and gotten vaccinated, when the problem is being driven by less than 5% of that population - unvaccinated adults - who by now have had every opportunity to get vaccinated and have decided not to. Secretary Mike Smith took it a step further by describing the high costs of treating the unvaccinated as well as the negative impact it’s having on the health care system.

Tuesday’s Modeling showed that VT cases have decreased 15% over the last 7 days and increased 31% over the last 14 days. Those not fully vaccinated were 34X more likely to die from Covid-19 over the last 6 weeks compared to those fully vaccinated and boosted. VT reported 350 fewer cases this week compared to last week, though Dec.

Seropositivity (percentage of tests that are positive) has dropped from 4.8% to 4.6% in the last week. Vt has had 57,333 cases, 448 deaths (30 so far in December) with 60 people in hospital, 19 in the ICU.  

TESTING: In an effort to try and lessen the anticipated increase in cases from the holidays, Mike Smith said Tuesday that the state is purchasing more LAMP tests and rapid at home tests. In response to an inquiry yesterday about which health department testing sites would be offering LAMP (results similar to a PCR are available in less than an hour), VT Department of Health responded by saying, Currently, the health department is not providing at-home test kits directly to Vermont residents. The provision of LAMP testing for COVID-19 through select health department sites is being considered. Specific details and logistics have not been finalized. At-home rapid tests may available at some major pharmacies and retail outlets. The health department is not currently recommending one brand over another. Note that many test sites are closed on Dec. 24.

OMICRON: While Vermont has yet to have a case of the new variant, all of the surrounding states, and Canada have cases. Omicron is spreading like wild fire. In a week, it went from 0.4% cases in the US to 2.9%. In New York and New Jersey, approximately 13% of Covid cases are omicron. Yesterday, NYC health officials reported that the positivity rate had doubled in three days.

Dr. Fauci said on Thursday, omicron “ has an extraordinary ability to transmit efficiently and spread. It has what we call a doubling time of about three days and if you do the math on that, if you have just a couple of percentage of the isolates being omicron, very soon it's going to be the dominant variant.”

Preliminary data on the first 43 people in the US who have been infected with the variant, show that half were 19 to 39 years old, and 34 had been fully vaccinated. Nine people had received a booster shot at least 2 weeks prior to becoming infected.  Most people experienced only mild symptoms, which is what would be expected from a group of fully vaccinated individuals. Medscape

There is a very high rate of transmission associated with omicron variant as well as a much higher rate of breakthrough cases, though those who have had booster shots seem to have better protection. Research, released on Wednesday gives a clue why this might be happening. Compared to the earlier Delta variant, omicron multiplies itself 70 times more quickly in tissues that line airway passages, which may facilitate person-to-person spread. But in lung tissues, Omicron replicates 10 times more slowly than the original version of the coronavirus, which might contribute to less-severe illness.

What We Can Learn from the 1918 Flu Pandemic as the Omicron Variant Spreads

5 .EVENTS

DECEMBER 18 (SATURDAY): St. James Methodist Church (Proctorsville), Christmas Concert, 5 pm. Free Admission. Donations welcome

-       The Calcutta crew will be at the Cavendish Fire Station from 12-2 p.m., and Proctorsville Fire Station from 2-4 p.m. with free gifts and cheer for local children. They will then return to Calcutta’s to meet with Ludlow’s Fire Department and local children from 4-6 p.m. Free buffet from 4-8 p.m. Everyone is invited. Free gift for all kids 16 and younger.

DECEMBER 23 (THURSDAY)-JANUARY 2 (SUNDAY): Schools’ holiday break

DECEMBER 24 (FRIDAY): Christmas Eve Town Office Closed

DECEMBER 25 (SATURDAY): MERRY CHRISTMAS

DECEMBER 26 (SUNDAY)-DECEMBER 31 (SATURDAY): HAPPY KWANZA

DECEMBER 31 (FRIDAY) New Year’s Eve Town Office Closed

JANUARY 17 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King’s Day Town Officer Closed

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

    IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Masking Rule

At the Dec. 13 Select Board, the Cavendish Select board unanimously adopted the following Rule requiring the wearing of face coverings in public spaces. Masks are available for free at the CHS Cares Closet, next to the CHS Museum on Main St. in Cavendish Village. Masks are in the upper left hand corner, are free and available 24/7.

TOWN OF CAVENDISH VERMONT: RULE REQUIRING FACE COVERINGS INDOORS IN PUBLIC SPACES

Section 1. Authority. The Rule is adopted by the Select Board of the Town of Cavendish under authority of Act 1, an act relating to temporary municipal rules in response to COVID-19 (2021).

Section 2: Purpose. The purpose of this Rule is to require all individuals to wear face coverings while indoors at locations that are open to the public in order to prevent and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect the public health and safety of the Town of Cavendish.

Section 3. Requirement to Wear Face Coverings. All individuals in the town of Cavendish shall wear face covering while indoors at locations that are open to the public.

Section 4. Exceptions. Face coverings are not required for:

• “children under 2 years;” “ A person with a disability who cannot wear a face covering or cannot safely wear a face covering for reasons related to the disability;” “A person for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to workplace health, safety, or job duty as determined by the workplace risk assessment;” “ Any person while eating or drinking inside any establishment that serves food or beverage;

Section 5. Other Laws. This Rule is in addition to all other ordinances and rules of the Town of Cavendish and all applicable laws of the State of Vermont. All ordinances, rules or parts of ordinances, rules, resolutions, regulations, or other documents inconsistent with the provisions of this Rule are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.

Section 6. Severability. If any section or provision of the Rule is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid such findings shall not invalidate any other part of this Rule.

Section 7. Effective Period. This Rule shall take effect immediately upon the approval by the Select Board and shall remain in effect for a period not to exceed 45 days following its initial adoption. The Select Board shall meet during the 45-day period in which this initial Rule is in effect and vote either to rescind this Rule or to extend it for an additional 30 days. Thereafter, the Select Board shall meet at a minimum once every 30 days to reconsider this Rule, at which meeting the Select Board shall vote either to rescind this Rule or to extend it for an additional 3—day period. The filing of a petition under 24 V.S.A. 1972 and 1973, shall not govern the taking effect of this Rule.

Adopted by the Selectboard of the Town of Cavendish at its meeting on this 13th day of Dec., 2021.

Signatures of Select Board, Town of Cavendish Georg Timko, Sandra Russo, Mike Ripley and Robert Glidden

Cavendish Transfer Station: Composting

The following is from the Energy Committee regarding what is, and what is not, compostable at the Town Transfer Station.  Please no plastic or containers in the Transfer Station compost pile!

When the Vermont legislature banned food scraps from the trash and mandated that all Vermonters compost food scraps, the Town of Cavendish engaged the services of a company to haul away those scraps each week. That quickly became hugely expensive, so the town decided to try a different route.

For several months now the Cavendish transfer station has been composting on site. Any Cavendish resident with access to the transfer station can use the new composting section for no extra charge.

What must stay out of the trash and instead be composted includes those parts of food items that are typically discarded rather than eaten such as peels, rinds, cores, eggshells, seeds, pits, bones, coffee grounds and paper filters, loose-leaf tea & paper tea bags, and fats/oils/grease. It also includes food plate scraps or leftovers and any food that went bad. And not just food must be composted - if it was once part of something alive, like a plant or animal, it does not belong in the landfill. So, grass clippings and any other yard debris must stay out of the trash and can be put into the compost.

Eventually the newly created compost will be available to Cavendish residents free of charge, although it will take time for the scraps and waste to become useable compost. Meanwhile the town employees have asked that people be more careful in what they throw into the compost pile. Plastic bags are not compostable. Note-plastic bags can recycled at Shaw’s and other grocery stores. Dump the contents into the pile and either throw the plastic into the trash or take it home and clean it for recycling. Most plastic food containers and utensils are likewise not compostable, even if the manufacturer says they are. Food scraps will compost in a few months, the containers and utensils will take many years if at all to compost.

For those people who have a yard where they can set up a compost pile or bin, there’s no reason to bring that food and yard waste to the transfer station. Instead, create your own compost. It’s usable to enrich the soil of lawns, gardens, and potted plants.

For information on how to make your own compost, or about any aspect of food waste disposal, go to https://dec.vermont.gov/waste-management/solid/materials-mgmt/organic-materials