Cavendish Update 3/11/16 News/Events/Act 46

As we spring forward on Sunday-Day Lights Savings goes into effect-please be sure to not only set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed Saturday night, but change batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Also the PVFD wishes to remind everyone that as the seasons change and people begin to do spring clean ups, it’s illegal to burn outside without a burn permit. To obtain a burn permit in Cavendish and Proctorsville you must contact the fire Warden or one of his keymen. Permits will only be issued when the fire danger is low and it is safe to burn.
Fire Warden Roger Sheehan 226-7692 / 802-954-8481
Keymen Robert Glidden 226-7302 / 802-558-4321
Keymen Raymond Fitzgibbons 226-7288
Keymen Shane Turco 802-342-3935
 
3/11/16 Cavendish Update
1. Cavendish Related News
2. Cavendish Stone Buildings
3. Spring Sing
4. Act 46 “Creating Pre K 12 Education Systems”
5. Women’s Club Meeting
6. Events
 
1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Abracadabra Coffee Co. in Cavendish: Clint Hunt and Antoinette Willey have been roasting coffee in Cavendish under the name Abracadabra Coffee Co. for eight months. They sell whole bean coffee in biodegradable and recyclable packaging to local restaurants and specialty food stores. Rutland Herald
 
Congratulations to the Gross Kids for their Wins at the Lego Contest: At the recent 2016 Lego Contest at the Newsbank Conference Center, with entries from 19 towns, the Gross family of Cavendish came out strong winners. Ephram took 2nd place in the Pre K division for his “helicopter” entry. Judah took 2nd place in the K division for “Scotchie’s Bath,” while Stella took 1st place among the 4th graders for her “Community Church.”
 
Vendor Applications Due for Ludlow Farmer’s Market: Have something you make and want to sell this summer? Consider the Ludlow Farmer’s Market. Vendor applications are due by March 15.
 
After Years and Millions, VTel Wireless Promises Unfulfilled: The Springfield, Vt., telecommunications company in 2012 and 2013 won separate funding grants from both the federal government and the state to launch wireless mobile phone service to areas of Vermont that do not receive cellular phone service. The federal money was to make mobile phone service available along 941 miles of state roads where drivers cannot get a cellphone signal. The state money was to add mobile voice capabilities across VTel’s statewide wireless broadband network. Neither project appears yet to have been deployed, based on a Valley News investigation. Meanwhile, the company has argued with state regulators over whether the cellphone service it offers needs to comply with rules governing the geographical location of callers that is automatically supplied to dispatchers when customers make emergency calls. Valley News
 
Employers Needed for Fifth Annual Employment Fair: The River Valley Workforce Investment Board announced that it will be hosting the 5th Annual River Valley Employment Fair from 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, at Riverside Middle School in Springfield. Employers or resource organizations interested in participating in the fair should contact the Employment Fair Coordinator, Suzanne Groenewold at (802) 885-8310 or at sgroenewold@rvt.org. There is no fee for job seekers to participate. Eagle Times
 
VT Becomes 5th State to Require Paid Sick Leave: Signed into law by Gov. Shumlin, the bill takes effect in 2017, and will require companies to provide three days of paid sick leave in the first year of the law, and five days annually thereafter. While temporary workers, and employees who work less than 18 hours a week, aren’t covered by the mandate analysts expect the law will mean paid sick for about 60,000 workers in Vermont that don’t currently have the benefit. VPR
 
Interested in Your Vermont Ancestors?: The New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston is offering free online access to four Vermont databases, and many other Vermont resources, for all of March in honor of Vermont's 225th birthday. Access the resources at www.americanancestors.org/vermont.
 
2. CAVENDISH STONE BUILDINGS: Throughout Cavendish are a number of buildings made of “sneckered Ashlar” construction- Cavendish Universalist “Stone” Church, Glimmerstone, and Black River Health Center to name just a few. This technique refers to walls constructed with exterior andinterior surfaces composed of mortared stone slabs arranged vertically onedge, tied together with smaller horizontal slabs called "snecks." The spacebetween the wall surface was filled with rubble stone. Oral tradition indicates that Scottish stonemasons working in Canada were responsible for introducing the technique into Vermont.
 
While there are several local sources for the mica schist stone, it is believed that the former quarry/vein at the end of Tierney Rd in Cavendish was the source for the stone for at least the Cavendish Stone Church and Glimmerstone.
 
Learn more about these buildings, and see pictures, at the Cavendish Historical Society blog. A special note of thanks to Kem Phillips who hiked the ice to take the pictures of the quarry at the end of Tierney Rd.
 
3. SPRING SING: Do you like to sing?  Gethsemane Church in Proctorsville is looking for some singers to join our choir for our Easter celebration on Sunday, March 27 at 11am.  The music will be easy to learn and joyful and it is not necessary to know how to read music.  There will be rehearsals the next two Sundays (March 13 and 20) at 12:30 pm at the church (on Depot Street).  Please contact the Rev. Todd McKee if you are interested:  GethsemaneChurchVT@gmail.com or 603-667-5458.
 
4. ACT 46 CREATING PRE K -12 EDUCATION SYSTEMS: Act 46 was passed by the legislature in 2015. Simply stated it reads, “On or before July 1, 2019 educational opportunities in Vermont shall be provided through “sustainable governance structures” that provide PreK 12 educational opportunities at a reasonable cost.” The Act has many components, but the essence is that mergers need to occur if a “structure” has less than 900 students. This means that the structure (which may be comprised of several schools) has one administrative office, one school board, one curriculum, one budget and one tax rate.
 
In 2013 WSWSU and RWSU voluntarily chose to consolidate supervisory unions and became the TRSU. We have in excess of the required numbers as mandated by Act 46, but we still have individual school boards for all of our districts and individual school budgets and all of our districts have different tax rates. Act 46 mandates one school board and one budget. There are various incentives included in the Act for merging (homestead tax reduction for the first four years of operation) and disincentives (no tax relief and loss of small school grants) for not fully merging.
 
A “Merger Planning Committee” with representation from all the school districts in the
TRSU, has been established to look at all of the ramifications of merging and see how we can meet the letter of the Act. Sub Committees have been looking at implications for Educational Benefits, Finance, Property, First Year Plan, Governance and Outreach.
 
The Committee is holding focus forums in all of the towns to explain the Act and to answer questions that anyone in the community might have. Our Focus Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15 at 6:30 at CTES. Please come ask questions and learn how this may affect our school and community.
 
5. WOMEN’S CLUB MEETING: The March meeting of the Okemo Valley GFWC Women's Club will be held Monday, March 14, 2016 at the Black River Valley Senior Center in Ludlow, VT. This month's speaker will be Vickie Ball from Habitat for Humanity. The meeting will begin at 7pm and will also include a business meeting and refreshments in addition to the speaker. Anyone interested in attending is welcome and may contact President Marylou Shaw, 802-228-5673, Membership chairwoman Roxie Davis, 802-226-7417 or any member. The General Federation of Women's Clubs www.gfwc.org  is an international women's organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.
 
6. EVENTS
March 12 (Saturday): Sugar on Snow Supper at the Cavendish Baptist Church 5:30-7 pm
March 13 (Sunday): Spring forward for DAYLIGHT SAVINGS. Move clocks ahead one hour. Spring Sing rehearsal, 12:30 at Gethsemane Church, off Depot St. See article 3.
March 14 (Monday): Select Board Meeting, 6:30 pm at the town office. This is the annual organizational meeting; Okemo Valley Women’s Club Meeting at the Senior Center in Ludlow, 7 pm.
March 15 (Tuesday): Act 46 Focus Forum, CTES, 6:30 pm, see article 4 above
March 17 (Thursday): HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
 
For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects March Calendar.