Cavendish Update 2/25/22: GMUSD/News/Principal/Events

VIEW THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THE LATEST NEWS                    

2/18/22

1.    Cavendish Info

2.    Covid update

3.    Events

FREE VACCINE/BOOSTER CLINIC Saturday, Feb. 26 from 10:30-1:30 at the Cavendish Fire Dept. Free KN95s for Kids and Adults available at the clinic.

1. CAVENDISH INFO

• Seymour Leven 1923 -2022: It is with sadness that we report the passing of Dr. Seymour Leven on Feb. 15. A WWII vet, he was a valued member of Cavendish. In 2013, he, Carmine Guica and Jim Hasson spoke to the 6th grade at Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) about their war experiences. At that time there were six WWII vets living in Cavendish, and eight from Cavendish who lived elsewhere. Seymour was the last of the 2013 group. A video of his presentation to the CTES students is available by clicking here.

• Changes to GMUSD district may include procedures, schedule, and class size: At the Feb. 17 meeting of the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD), a possible student vaping incident was discussed, along with a weekly early release day for all schools in the district, not just CTES, and a two to three-year plan for right-sizing classrooms at the elementary level with an ideal number of students, roughly 13–18 kids per class. Superintendent Fierman noted  that class sizes of five, six, or seven kids was not a benefit to students nor fiscally feasible for the district. The plan would include multiple-grade classrooms as well as other options. She said they could make an option to move between schools as well. She made the point that, in a broader sense, GMUSD has two elementary schools and that the administration will be “making decisions about how to best use those two schools for all of the members who live in Cavendish, Chester, Baltimore, and Andover. VT Journal

• Meet the Finalists for the CTES Principal: On March 1 (Tuesday), from 6:00-7:30 pm, The Principal Search Committee will be hosting a Meet the Finalists forum in person at CTES and on Zoom at the same time. Ask questions, listen, and get to know each of the candidates. When interviews are completed on Friday, all information about the finalists will be posted on the TRSU website.

• Cavendish Collegiate Honors: Congratulations to the following Cavendish college students who’s GPA qualified for honors: Emery Benoit, Dean’s List Castleton University; Sarah Devereux, Emerson College; Keegan Ewald, President’s List VT Tech; and Annalise Watkins, President’s List Coastal Carolina University.

• Spotlight on Peter LaBelle's Stained Glass: Watch a fascinating video of Cavendish resident and stained glass artist Peter LaBelle, who is interviewed by Ralph Pace. Peter shares his hobby of creating stained glass windows.

• Fletcher Farm School announces classes, quilt winner, and tuition changes

• Poll shows more people dissatisfied with broadband service, even though more have it

• Want to support the people in Ukraine? Here's how you can help

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

WEEKLY DATA:

Cavendish & Surrounding Towns  For the week ending February 16, Cavendish continues to see a decrease in Covid cases. Cavendish had 1 new cases, 177 total; Ludlow 5 (329 total); Chester 11 (634 total); Springfield 38 (1,910); and Weathersfield 7 (260).

Schools: This week is winter break with no new data from the TRSU website. As of Feb, 17, cases have been recorded since January as follows: CTES 7 cases; Ludlow Elementary 9 cases; GMUHS 67 cases; Chester Elem 46 and Mt. Holly Elementary 12.

State: According to Tuesday’s Feb. 22  modeling report cases continue to drop and cases are the lowest since early November. Test positivity has also decreased to 4.9% yesterday versus 5.9% from Feb. 17.

At Tuesday’s press conference, health commissioner, Dr. Levine noted that the  focus needs to be on hospitalizations,  ICU admissions and deaths, as the number of positive cases are skewed as many people are learning their status via a home rapid test and not necessarily reporting results. Hospitalizations hit a new low yesterday with 37 hospitalizations and only 6 ICU admissions.  A total of 57 additional deaths have been reported in February, though some of them are delays in reporting from January. The current total of deaths is 593.

Dr. Levine noted that the pandemic is moving in the right direction and as case counts, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and death continue to drop, there will be a roll back in Covid 19 guidelines. While future variants could require the state to reinstitute stricter public health guidance, Levine said Vermonters should prepare for “deliberate and phased transitions” to a new COVID norm. “As we move forward in our planning, we will gradually shift toward fewer broad-based public health recommendations to a more individualized approach based on one’s own circumstances and health needs.” While eliminating masking in schools with 80% vaccination rates signals the beginning of that change, another change will come in the form of the state’s PCR testing. This will likely be reduced in favor of more distribution of home rapid antigen tests. “And when virus transmission decreases, Vermonters will not need to get tested as often, such as before and after social gatherings, as overall risk will be much lower.”

BA-2: One area of concern was the omicron sub-variant BA-2. There have been 10 confirmed cases in VT through Jan. 29. “We are still learning a lot about this variant, and any possible impact on transmissibility and severity, and there is not yet any definitive word,” Levine said.

 Cases of BA-2 are roughly doubling each week in the US. While this is a small and slower increase, some experts warn that relaxing mitigation measures could help the subvariant to take hold. Data from Denmark suggests that BA.2 can reinfect people who have recovered from Omicron.

FREE VACCINE/BOOSTER CLINIC: The Cavendish Fire Department will once again host a vaccine clinic on Feb. 26 (Saturday) from 10:30-1:30. Free KN95s for adults and kids will be available at the clinic. They are also available Monday-Saturday from 9-4 at the Cavendish Fire Dept.

OTHER NEWS

• Vermonters with long Covid still face barriers to care

• More contagious version of omicron spreads in U.S., fueling worries

3.EVENTS

FEBRUARY 26 (SATURDAY): Free vaccine/booster clinic at the Cavendish Fire Dept., 10:30-1:30

FEBRUARY 27 (SUNDAY): A visit with David Rosenfelt, 1 pm Cavendish Library. FMI: 802-226-7503

MARCH 1 (TUESDAY) Mardi Gras.

-       Voting Day on school budgets for GMUSD (includes CTES & GMUHS) 10-7 pm at the Proctorsville Fire Dept.

-       Meet the Finalists for the CTES Principal. 6-7:30 pm via zoom or in person at CTES.

MARCH 13 (SUNDAY): Spring forward. Daylight savings returns. Move clocks ahead one hour.

MARCH 28 (MONDAY): Hybrid Town Informational Meeting; 7 pm. In person at CTES multi purpose room or via zoom.

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING, BOOSTING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

    IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 2/18/22: SB Mtg/Town & School Voting/News

VIEW THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THE LATEST NEWS

2/18/22

1.    Cavendish Select Board Meeting 2/14/22

2.    Cavendish Info

3.    Informational Meetings & Voting for Town & School

4.    Covid update

5.    Events

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 2/14/22: The Cavendish Select Board (SB) meeting of Feb. 14, 2022 is on-line at the Okemo Valley TV website. Unapproved minutes are available at the Town’s website and the VT Journal has posted an article on the meeting.

Action Taken/Items Discussed
• Reviewed Town Speeding Enforcement Ordinance: The sheriff deputy recently told town manager, Brendan McNamara, some violations are being thrown out in towns where the ordinances do not list the roads by name.  The SB agreed that McNamara should work with the sheriff’s office to upgrade the list to include all roads, whether they are posted or not. To change the ordinance, there will need to be a public hearing and an adoption by the SB. The goal is to complete this change by the summer.

• ‘Mask Mandate Resolution’: With the Resolution having expired at the time of the meeting,  two members- George Timko and Bob Glidden-thought it should stay that way, while Sandra Russo and Mike Ripley were in favor of keeping the resolution until the next SB meeting. With the absence of board member Stephen Plunkard, it was a tie vote and consequently, the mask mandate is expired. Note: Free KN95s are available for adults and children at the Cavendish Fire Department, Monday-Saturday 9-4.

• Plans for reclaiming the site of the former Highway Garage: McNamara outlined the summer activities slated for this site: removing the pole barns; removing fuel tank, not sure where it will be relocated; landscaping; and re connecting water for the proposed park and for the Cavendish Historical Society Museum. McNamara will be working with Regional Planning, Cavendish Streetscapes, and Tim Calabresse, landscape architect. The soil will be checked to make sure it’s contaminant free and safe for a public park. Significant improvements to the site should be seen by fall. Work begins this spring with the end of “mud season.”
• Town Manager’s Report: Cameras and alarm systems are installed at the town garage.

-       The Supreme court reversed their interpretation of Act 250 for towns without zoning, which is that any parcel over 1 acre will require an Act 250 review. See the first item under 2. Cavendish Info for more information.

-       Switching Proctorsville street lighting to LEDs. Costs to operate will be significantly reduced and the lighting will be much better.

-       Looking at costs to repair sidewalks in Proctorsville.

-       The town is eligible for a Class II paving grant. Tarbell Hill is in desperate need. Quint Phelan is another possibility, though the town crew can do some of the work. High Street and Ranney Hill need to be repaved if not this year, than next.

-       Want to replace culverts on Brook Rd and Meadow Brook Farm. These costs can be covered by ARPA funds.

-       The electric car charger on Depot Street next to the Proctorsville Green will no longer be free. A credit card reader is being installed.

2. CAVENDISH INFO

• Supreme Court reverses course on interpretation of Act 250 in towns with no zoning: Recently, in a Supreme Court case that was deciding the fate of a stone quarry in Cavendish, Justice William Cohen included an interpretation of Act 250 that would have changed the way the law has been administered since its inception. All parties, including the attorney for Snowstone, the Cavendish quarry, agreed the historic interpretation of the law should remain in place. The new interpretation was irrelevant to the case, the attorney for Snowstone argued, because both the project footprint and the parcel size of the quarry are less than 1 acre.  The neighbors had argued that the landowner and the quarrier had tried to evade Act 250, and structured their transaction to that end.  The court’s revised decision, which restores the historic interpretation of the law, comes after multiple parties reargued the case. The court decided Friday, Feb. 11,  that the quarry does not fall under Act 250 jurisdiction because of the size of both the project and the parcel of land where it’s located. VT Digger

• Superintendent Looking to Align Schedules of All Five TRSU Schools: TRSU Superintendent Lauren Fierman discussed at the recent Ludlow Mount Holly Unified Union School District meeting on Feb. 9 that she is recommending having all five schools in the Union operate on the same schedule. The question is whether all schools have the early release day that CTES currently has on Tuesday or whether CTES would have that eliminated. VT Journal

• Author David Rosenfelt to Speak at the Cavendish Library: The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library, in partnership with the Lucy MacKenzie Humane Society and The Book Nook, is delighted to present a visit with an author: David Rosenfelt on Sunday, March 27 at 1:00 at the Cavendish Library. Rosenfelt is the Edgar-nominated and Shamus Award-winning author of more than twenty Andy Carpenter novels, including One Dog Night, Collared, and Deck the Hounds; its spinoff series, The K-Team; the Doug Brock thriller series, which starts with Fade to Black; and stand-alone thrillers including Heart of a Killer and On Borrowed Time. Tickets for this event are $5 in advance or $10 at the door. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Lucy MacKenzie Humane Society. The Book Nook will be pre-selling copies of his books, and two featured titles, Animal Instinct and Dog Eat Dog, will be on sale during the event. FMI: Kata at 226-7503

• State study confirms long wait times for medical appointments

3. SCHOOL & TOWN INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS & VOTING

• School Informational Meeting: The hybrid informational meeting for the Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) budget will be Feb. 24 (Thursday) at 6 pm via Zoom or in person at Green Mountain Union High School.

-       Join zoom meeting Meeting ID: 819 7783 9300 One tap mobile +16468769923,,81977839300# US (New York)

-       The school budgets are available at the TRSU website CTES, the Cavendish Town Office, GMUHS, and the TRSU. This year’s budget includes the following for CTES: a full time dedicated principal; Nursing coverage for the entire day; a full time guidance counselor and funding support for the Cavendish Fletcher Library.

• School Voting will be for just the budgets of the GMUSD (includes CTES and GMUHS) and River Valley Technical, on March 1st (Tuesday) at the Proctorsville Fire Dept from 10-7.

• Town Informational Meeting: Hybrid meeting at CTES  and via Zoom on March 28 (Monday) at 7 pm . 

• Town Voting: By Australian Ballot (including warned articles, elected positions, and town budget) will be held at the Proctorsville Fire Dept. on Tuesday, March 29, from 10-7.

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

WEEKLY DATA:

Cavendish & Surrounding Towns  For the week ending February 9, Cavendish and the surrounding towns, with the exception of Weathersfield, continue to see a decrease in Covid cases. Cavendish had 3 new cases, 176 total; Ludlow 5 (324 total); Chester 8 (623 total); Springfield 32 (1,872); and Weathersfield 8 (253).

Schools: While the state is no longer tracking COVID cases in schools, the TRSU is keeping a list beginning January 2022, which is available at their website. As of Feb, 17, cases have been recorded since January as follows: CTES 7 cases; Ludlow Elementary 9 cases; GMUHS 67 cases; Chester Elem 46 and Mt. Holly Elementary 12. From the start of the 2021 fall term through Dec. 31, the VT Dept. of Health reported cumulative cases as follows for local schools: CTES 3 total; Chester Andover 15; Ludlow Elementary 8; and GMUHS 20.

State: According to Tuesday’s Feb. 15 modeling reports cases continue to drop with the 7-day average having decreased 23% over the last 7 days and decreasing 55% over the last 14 days. Since Omicron began, cases are down 84%. This past week has had the fewest weekly cases since November 1, 2021. Test positivity has also decreased to 5.9% yesterday versus 7.8% from Feb. 10. Trends in Vermont, the Northeast and the U.S. are expected to continue to decline. As of Feb. 17, 10 new deaths have occurred in VT in the last week. A total of 43 deaths have been reported in February; 579 deaths since the pandemic started . Hospitalizations hit a new low on Wednesday of 52 cases but increased to 57 on Thursday. ICU admissions have held steady at 15 for the last two days.  

SCHOOL MASK RECOMMENDATION TO EXPIRE: At Tuesday’s press conference, Gov. Scott announced that the mask recommendation for schools, set to expire Feb. 28, would not be extended. The new recommendation is that schools with a vaccination rate of 80% or higher after Feb. 28, could remove the mask mandate. Scott indicated that at some point the recommendation would be lifted all together but were opting for a phased approach at this time. Education Secretary Dan French noted that masking has been a recommendation and at some point, schools may opt to continue or discontinue the practice. CTES currently has a vaccination rate of 68%.

FREE VACCINE/BOOSTER CLINIC: The Cavendish Fire Department will once again host a vaccine clinic on Feb. 26 (Saturday) from 10:30-1:30. Free KN95s for adults and kids will be available at the clinic. They are also available Monday-Saturday from 9-4 at the Cavendish Fire Dept.

5. EVENTS

FEBRUARY 21 (MONDAY): President’s Day. Town Office Closed

FEBRUARY 21 (MONDAY)-25 (FRIDAY): School winter break.

FEBRUARY 24 (THURSDAY): GMUSD Informational Budget Meeting, 6 pm via Zoom or in person at the Green Mountain Union High School

FEBRUARY 26 (SATURDAY): Free vaccine/booster clinic at the Cavendish Fire Dept., 10:30-1:30

FEBRUARY 27 (SUNDAY): A visit with David Rosenfelt, 1 pm Cavendish Library. FMI: 802-226-7503

MARCH 1 (TUESDAY) Mardi Gras. Voting Day on school budgets for GMUSD (includes CTES & GMUHS) 10-7 pm at the Proctorsville Fire Dept.

MARCH 13 (SUNDAY): Spring forward. Daylight savings returns. Move clocks ahead one hour.

MARCH 28 (MONDAY): Hybrid Town Informational Meeting; 7 pm. In person at CTES multi purpose room or via zoom.  

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING, BOOSTING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

    IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 2/10/22: Cell Coverage/News/Events

VIEW THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THE LATEST NEWS                           

2/11/22

1.    Cavendish Info

2.    Telecommunication-Cell Coverage

3.    Covid update

4.    Events

1. CAVENDISH INFO

• Minutes from 2/2/22 Cavendish Select Board (SB) Mtg: Continuing with the budget, both the Cavendish Library and Ludlow Ambulance (LA) have requested increases. The Library requested $86,300 but was approved by the SB for $56,000. The Ambulance Service is being moved into an expense category rather than an appropriation. LA is requesting $73,150 this year and anticipates asking for $98,000 next year. Minutes are available at the municipal website.

• Sample ballot & Warning for GMUSD & River Valley Tech Center online: The Green Mountain Unified School District warnings and sample ballots are now available online. Also available at the Town’s website is the River Valley Tech Center Warning and sample ballot.  Voting will be on March 1, Tuesday, from 10-7 at the Proctorsville Fire Dept.

• Okemo Valley Women’s Club Holds Bake Sale for Scholarship Fund: The Tree of Remembrance is brightly lit in Veteran’s Park and The Green in Proctorsville. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Okemo Valley, is still fundraising for a scholarship that will go to a local high school senior, and that fundraising opportunity will be coming to an end Feb. 11, at 3 p.m. with a Bake and Appetizer Sale in front of the Shaw’s in Ludlow. To see who is being remembered, click here.

• Vail Resorts Sold a Record Number of Passes. Now, Their Ski Areas Are Facing a Logistical Nightmare: Employees fear the corporate behemoth bit off more than it could chew, while pass holders cry foul about overcrowding and reduced hours.

• Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce Awarded Marketing Grant

• School Mascots: Senate Bill 139, which would bar schools from having a “name, symbol, or image” that refers to a Native American tribe, person, custom or tradition, has had a hearing before the VT Senate Committee on Education. VT Digger

2. TELECOMMUNICATIONS: CELL COVERAGE: At Tuesday’s press conference, Gov. Scott said he didn’t have much to add on Covid and called on Commissioner June Tierney, who spoke at length about how $51 million of the state’s federal Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund will be used to improve cell coverage in Vermont. This will include 100 new cell towers strategically placed to reach the most underserved areas in the state.

In a 2019 report, the Public Service Department found that 40% of Vermonters do not have reliable cell service and that 62% of the state’s highways have subpar reception, with 10% having no coverage.

To determine where the towers should go, the state is in the process of updating it’s 2018 drive test of Mobile Wireless in Vermont. According to this report, Verizon has the largest number of blocks with the highest speeds, 31% for Verizon vs. 13% for AT&T and 15% for T-Mobile.

Tierney noted, With federal funding now available, this is our chance to invest wisely in expanding cell service so our citizens can have the basic tools they need to be safe, be in touch, and to collectively advance Vermont’s economic future. But seizing our chance means we can’t keep standing on old, familiar objections. We must make smart choices if we are going to move forward, to a better place where cell service is reliable and readily accessible in our everyday lives. The need to expand cell service in Vermont is monumental. The cost of not expanding service is unacceptable.

The components of the Critical Communications Infrastructure Program (CCIP)  include: A drive test which will include all federal aid highways with regional planning councils and towns also testing additional areas; identify priority areas; identify tower sites; secure carrier interest at all towers; and deploy towers (lowest bid wins each site).

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

WEEKLY DATA:

Cavendish & Surrounding Towns  For the week ending February 2, Cavendish and surrounding towns have all seen a decrease in reported Covid cases. Cavendish had 7 new cases, 173 total; Ludlow 7 (319 total); Chester 19 (615 total); Springfield 40 (1,840); and Weathersfield 6 (245).

State: According to Tuesday’s Feb. 8 modeling reports cases continue to drop with the 7-day average having decreased 41% over the last 7 days and decreased 65% over the last 14 days. Test positivity has also decreased 14% over the last 7 days. Vermont COVID-19 cases are expected to continue to decline in the coming weeks, consistent with improving case trends in Vermont, the Northeast and the U.S. Declines in Covid-19 fatalities are expected over the next 4 weeks. As of Feb. 10, 29 new deaths have been occurred in VT for a total of 565 deaths. Yesterday, had the lowest daily hospitalizations (76) since January 3, which had 74 cases.

SCHOOLS-Masks: Currently the Agency of Education has a masking recommendation that most schools in the state are following. At the end of February, this recommendation is up for reconsideration. The state may roll this back provided a school’s vaccination rate among eligible students is 80% or higher.  

School Staff Testing: Education Secretary Dan French discussed a new testing program for school staff that will be launched shortly. The program will provide two rapid antigen tests per staff on a weekly basis. Details of the program are forthcoming.

OTHER NEWS

• Mask mandate to end in Ludlow on Feb. 21

• Rutland Regional Medical Center will allow each patient to have two visitors starting Feb. 14. RRMC plans. To close its COVID vaccination clinic Saturday, Feb. 12.

4. EVENTS

FEBRARY 13 (SUNDAY): Dinner and a Movie at the Cavendish Library. Queen Bee, 1 pm 802-226-7503

FEBRUARY 14 (MONDAY): Happy Valentine’s Day

-       Select Board Meeting

FEBRUARY 15 (TUESDAY): 3RD Quarter Property Taxes Due

FEBRUARY 16 (WEDNESDAY): Cavendish Library Book Club meets at 7 pm. This month’s book is DogTripping. FMI: 802-226-7503

FEBRUARY 21 (MONDAY): President’s Day. Town Office Closed

FEBRUARY 21 (MONDAY)-25 (FRIDAY): School winter break.

FEBRUARY 24 (THURSDAY): GMUSD Informational Budget Meeting, 6 pm via Zoom.

FEBRUARY 27 (SUNDAY): A visit with David Rosenfelt, 1 pm Cavendish Library. FMI: 802-226-7503

MARCH 1 (TUESDAY) Mardi Gras

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING, BOOSTING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

    IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 2/4/22: Elections/News/Events

VIEW THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THE LATEST NEWS

  2/4/22

1.    Cavendish Info

2.    Ludlow Rotary Hears from Cavendish Town Manager

3.    Covid update

4.    Events

1. CAVENDISH INFO

• Cavendish Open Elected Positions - Deadline Extended: Due to Town Meeting being moved to March 28th, 2022, filing a “consent of candidate” form, if you are interested in running for a Town elected position, has been extended to 5 pm Monday, February 21, 2022. It is not necessary to submit a petition signed by the voters in order to run this year. The list of open elected positions for the Town of Cavendish is available by clicking here. Please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 802-226-7292 if you are interested in any of these positions.

• GMUSD approves budget and support staff agreement: During their Jan. 20 meeting, the Green Mountain Unified School District approved their FY23 budget, district support staff agreement, postponed their annual meeting date, and got the latest update on how the district is faring under the statewide change in school Covid testing. The board approved the total of $14,705,015, which represents a 3.26 percent increase and an anticipated tax rate of $1.45. The cost per equalized pupil is $18,770, which is approximately $1200 under the state threshold of $19,997. Districts that go over the state threshold face penalties. VT Journal 

• Informational Meeting for GMUSD Budget: The Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUHS) informational meeting will be on Feb. 24, 6 pm via Zoom. Joe Fromberger, board chair, will be at the GMUHS library along with Okemo Valley TV to coordinate the broadcast. The GMUHS budget is available at the TRSU website. The Twin Rivers Supervisory Union Budget is also available online. Voting for the school budget will be by Australian Ballot on March 1 (Tuesday) at the Proctorsville Fire Dept from 10-7.

• CHS Briefs for Feb: If you didn’t get a chance to read the latest ghost story from the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS), you can read it along with other news from CHS.

• Ludlow proposes study evaluating micro transit for area: The Town of Ludlow has proposed a draft micro transit study for the Ludlow/Okemo area. The Town of Ludlow partnered with the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission to secure a grant allowing them to conduct a study evaluating the feasibility of micro transit to address some of the region’s mobility needs that are flexible in scale and in terms of schedule. They are seeking input from the community on this draft micro transit study. Submit your comments before the deadline of Monday, Feb. 7, 2022 to Otis Munroe at MARC via email: omunroe@marcvt.org.

• Improved E Books Access Statewide: The Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB) is pleased to announce agreements with two eBook and eAudiobook content providers, LYRASIS, Inc. and Baker & Taylor. Both vendors provide a huge range of eContent from a wide variety of publishers. VTLIB contracted with LYRASIS, Inc. to provide free access to their Palace app to all Vermonters through their local public libraries. The Palace app aggregates eBook and eAudiobook content from multiple vendors into a single interface, increasing access, ease of use, and appeal.   Palace will launch with a large collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks already in place. The Palace app will access content from Baker & Taylor as well as from Listen Up Vermont! (LUV), the statewide eBook and eAudiobook platform administered by the Green Mountain Library Consortium (GMLC).

• VT Spray Neuter Incentive Program VSNIP helps financially challenged Vermont residents spay/neuter cats and dogs for $27.00.

2. LUDLOW ROTARY HEARS FROM CAVENDISH TOWN MANAGER : The February 1 meeting of the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC) featured Brendan McNamara, Cavendish Town Manager. He reported there are concerns about the aging infrastructure in the water and sewer systems as well as the need for larger stormwater capacity. He wants the Town to be ahead of any concerns rather than reacting to a crisis. The Town is looking at the use of Covid recovery funds in ARPA to address some of the issues. As Town Manager for the past several years, McNamara spent his first five years continuing projects that were underway or in the planning stages from the prior Town Manager Richard Svec. Since then, he has enjoyed addressing new issues and projects. 

Asked about the repaving of VT 131, McNamara stated he is glad it is completed and while it wasn’t pleasant to experience, the finished project is much nicer than the potholes. Regarding broadband, he said service to the community is spotty and inconsistent.  It is an issue the Town is trying to address. When asked about increase in residents due to the pandemic, he noted that judging by the increase volume at the transfer station, there are several new residents.

McNamara is a lifelong Cavendish resident who is pleased to be able to serve his home town in this capacity. He is a Green Mountain High School and Keene State College alum.  

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

WEEKLY DATA:

Cavendish & Surrounding Towns  For the week ending January 26, Cavendish and all surrounding towns, with the exception of Chester, have seen a decline in cases.

State: It appears that Vermont is on the backside of the omicron variant. Tuesday’s modeling reports Cases in Vermont this week plummeted by more than 3,000—a decrease of 40%. In the last two weeks, cases have fallen 56%. Forecasts predict these trends will continue…Vermont hospitals remain short-staffed with high inpatient counts. January 2022 was tied for the second-deadliest month of the pandemic in Vermont with 62 fatalities. However, as Omicron became dominant and cases soared, the proportion of infections resulting in a fatality dropped to 0.15%—the lowest figure since Fall 2020 when no deaths were reported for three straight months…While the rate of death for those under 70 is less than 1% (and close to zero for younger age groups), the case fatality rate for the oldest Vermonters is over 7%...Across the US, the average weekly chance of a boosted person dying of Covid was about one in a million… but older and unvaccinated Vermonters face increased risk from the virus. For the latter group, state data continues to show the risk of death is ten-fold that of boosted Vermonters.

At Tuesday’s press conference, health commissioner Mark Levine spoke about the hope that we’re moving into a new phase of Covid, where it becomes “endemic,” a manageable disease similar to flu. Since 2020, a lot has been learned about prevention and treatment. The message from the state is it’s time to “get back to normal.” What that “new normal” will look like will depend on a number of issues, including what the next variant will be like.

Seropositivity, the percentage of PCR tests that are positive, continues to drop and yesterday was down to 9%. Deaths continue to rise and currently stands at 548. Jan. 31 (Monday) was the first day hospitalizations dropped below 100 since Jan. 13.

FREE VACCINE/BOOSTER CLINIC: There will be a free clinic at the Cavendish Volunteer Fire Department Monday, February 7 from 4-6 pm. No appointment needed. For other vaccine/booster pop up clinics, click here.

 FREE MASKS: Adult and children size KN95s will be distributed at the Feb. 7 vaccine clinic. They can also be picked up-one per person-Monday through Saturday from 9-4 at the Cavendish Fire Dept.

OTHER NEWS

• In Super-Vaxxed Vermont, Covid Strikes — But Packs Far Less Punch: Vermont serves as a window into what’s possible as the U.S. learns to live with covid. Although nearly universal vaccination could not keep the highly mutated omicron variant from sweeping through the state, Vermont’s collective measures do appear to be protecting residents from the worst of the contagion’s damage. Vermont’s hospitalization rates, while higher than last winter’s peak, still rank last in the nation. And overall death rates also rank comparatively low.

• The New Clues About Who Will Develop Long Covid

• Over-the-counter COVID tests will soon be free for Medicare recipients

4. EVENTS

FEBRUARY 5 (SATURDAY): Once Upon a Time, a fairy tale event at the Cavendish Library from 2-3 pm at the Cavendish Town Elementary School. FMI: 802-226-7503

FEBRUARY 7 (MONDAY): Free Vaccination/booster clinic at the Cavendish Volunteer Fire Dept. 4-6 PM

FEBRARY 13 (SUNDAY): Dinner and a Movie at the Cavendish Library. Queen Bee, 1 pm FMI: 802-226-7503

FEBRUARY 14 (MONDAY): Happy Valentine’s Day

-       Select Board Meeting

FEBRUARY 15 (TUESDAY): 3RD Quarter Property Taxes Due

FEBRUARY 16 (WEDNESDAY): Cavendish Library Book Club meets at 7 pm. This month’s book is DogTripping. FMI: 802-226-7503

FEBRUARY 21 (MONDAY): President’s Day. Town Office Closed

FEBRUARY 21 (MONDAY)-25 (FRIDAY): School winter break.

FEBRUARY 24 (THURSDAY): GMUSD Informational Budget Meeting, 6 pm via Zoom.

FEBRUARY 27 (SUNDAY): A visit with David Rosenfelt, 1 pm Cavendish Library. FMI: 802-226-7503

MARCH 1 (TUESDAY) Mardi Gras

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING, BOOSTING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

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