Cavendish Update 3/24/17: SB Mtg/Pollards Thanks/News/Events
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3/24/17 Cavendish Update
1. Select Board Meeting 3/13/17
2. Cavendish Related News
3. Thank you from the Pollards
4. 2017 Backyard Composter Sale
5. Local Girl Scout Cookie Sale This Weekend
6. Maple Supper April 1
7. Host an Exchange Student Next Year
8. Events
1. SB MEETING 3/13/3: Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by LPC-TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television. Written minutes are available at the town’s website. The unapproved minutes for the March 13 are available in PDF Format. The following action was taken at the March 13 night’s meeting:
• As part of the SB’s Organizational meeting the following actions were agreed upon: Meetings will be at 6:30 PM the 2nd Monday of each month; “The VT Journal will be the paper of record; Robert Glidden will be chair, George Timko Vice Chair, Mike Ripley Clerk; Brendan McNamara town manager for a term of one year. With many of the positions remaining as listed in the current town report, the exceptions include Doris Eddy as health officer for 3 years and Mark Huntley as SB’s representative to the Planning Commission for one year. The number of Town Planning Commissioners was reduced from nine to seven members. Other information on officers is available the Cavendish Municpal website.
• Approved the “Fire Fighter Olympics” fundraiser proposed by Denise Gebroe of BG BodyWorks for the Proctorsville Green, provided that the Town’s guidelines for use of a Town Green are adhered to. The event is planned for June 11 from 10-2
• Approved liquor licenses renewals for Inn at Glimmerstone Mansion; Brook Farm Vineyards, Table 19, Cavendish Pointe Hotel and Castle Hotel
• Town Manager and Asst Town Manager provided an update on the Town Garage: There is a fair amount of damaged asbestos wallboard that needs to be removed, which could be both slow and costly. There may also be vermiculite insulation, another hazardous material, in the concrete blocks of one section. Bruce McEnnaney, Asst Town Manager, stated that rebuilding the garage to it’s pre fire state is not advisable, since it wasn't meeting the current needs of the town crew. The two damaged trucks are still at S.G. Reeds being inspected and repaired. It is recommended that the new garage include an alarm system, which directly links to the fire department as well as a sprinkler system. Note: Next week clean up of oil and other debris resulting from the fire should begin.
• Discussed updating the Town Website
2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Security Breach at VT Dept. of Labor’s Joblink Website: A third party vendor, America’s Joblink Alliance, which operates a nationwide web-based database, notified the state this week that the job seeker service had been compromised by malicious software. This cyber security breach could impact close to 200,000 people as it is a “must use” site for those applying for a state job or unemployment benefits. If you used Vermont Job Link since 2003, your data could be at at risk. The system has been fixed and is now secure. America’s Joblink Alliance is evaluating the scope of the breach. At this time, analysts do not known which accounts were compromised. Private information such as names and social security numbers could have been extracted. If you think you may be affected go to http://labor.vermont.gov/ WCAX
State Education Board OK’s TRSu RED Plan: On March 21, the VT State Board of Education gave its approval for a four-town vote on May 2. A yes vote by Andover, Cavendish and Chester would create the Green Mountain Unified District (GMUD), which would be comprised of Green Mountain High School, Chester-Andover Elementary and Cavendish Elementary and would be run by a single school board that would also be elected on May, 2. A no vote in any one of those towns would kill the proposal. A yes vote in Baltimore would add that town to the GMUD but is not necessary to form the district. A no vote by Baltimore means they will need to look for a merger partner.
Originally, the plan was to have the Twin Rivers Supervisory Union participating towns (Cavendish, Chester, Andover, Ludlow, & Mt. Holly) be part of the new district. This changed with the per pupil spending of Ludlow and Mount Holly schools being substantially higher than those of the other towns, and at that time, Ludlow’s unwillingness to close Black River. School taxes would have dramatically increased for Andover, Cavendish and Chester. The per pupil spending of a school is one of the largest determining factors for education tax rates.
Mount Holly and Ludlow voters will need to decide whether they want to dissolve U#39, closing Black River and sending 7th-12th graders to Mill River. If both towns vote for the proposed plan - Black River will close, Mount Holly Elementary and Ludlow Elementary will stay open and 7th-12th grade students will attend Mill River. If either town votes against the proposed plan, a new plan will be needed.
The issue of Act 46 was discussed at length at Town Meeting. See the Dish for more information. Information for this article came from several sources including the Chester Telegraph.
Clean Sweep for Gross Kids at Lego Competition: The 2017 LEGO Contest took place on Saturday March 18 at the NewsBank Conference Center, in Chester. This event was open to LEGOmaniacs Pre-K through Grade 8 and their families. Once again the Gross family of Cavendish entered in a number of categories and came out winners-Ephraim first place in the Pre-K division for Owls; Cyrus first place for third grade, with ATV with Treads; Stella first place for fifth grade with Still Life; and Isabelle second place in the Seventh-Eight Grade division for Isabelle’s Pet Center. A number of the 2017 exhibits will be on display at Chester’s Whiting Library until late April. Proceeds from the go to the children’s section at Chester’s Whiting Library. For pictures from the 2017 LEGO exhibits, visit www.stlukesepiscopalvt.org.
Congratulations to GM Iron Chefs: For the third year in a row, Green Mountain Union High School brought home awards from the Jr. Iron Chef Competition. Both middle school and high school teams brought home Local Lively awards, which is given to teams that best highlight Vermont Foods. Chester Telegraph
Sign Up for Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic for Cats and Rabbits: Springfield Humane Society is currently registering pets for their Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic on April 11. The costs are: Spay $50; $40 Neuter; Rabbits $5; Rabies vaccine (required unless proof of previous vaccine) $5; and Distemper $5 (highly recommended). Prepay for your spot by stopping in during open hours with cash or call and pay by debit or credit over the phone 802-885-3997! http://spfldhumane.org
3. THANK YOU FROM THE POLLARDS: Please note that the fundraiser for the Pollards and the Cavendish Library will be held March 24, regardless of weather. Looks like a wet evening, perfect for coming out for pasta and a very interesting quarter auction. Dinner is at 6 pm, with the auction to follow. For more information go to the CC calendar.
To the volunteer firemen and women of Proctorsville, Cavendish, Ludlow, Springfield, Chester, Reading, Weston, Mount Holly, Ascutney, Walpole, and Weathersfield who rallied to our house in the early hours of February 15th to fight our house fire we are eternally grateful. Through your efforts you were able to control an inferno and save our house. While there was much damage to our ell and barn, the interior of the house is basically intact. You were also able to rescue our cat from the burning barn where he had been sleeping while the structure was burning. We are amazed by the care with which you took the time to move paintings from walls, move furniture and other family items to avoid water damage. We would also like to thank the Red Cross, Black River Good Neighbors, the Cavendish Baptist Church, Gethsemane Church, and all the people from our community who have generously offered support to us, be it meals, donations to help us rebuild our house, clothes, furniture, kitchen appliances, or a helping hand. We are blessed to live in a community with such caring people.
Sincerely,
Bruce, PJ and Meade Pollard
Proctorsville, Vermont
4. 2017 BACKYARD COMPOSTER SALE: The Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Management District (SWWCSWMD) is currently accepting orders for "SoilSaver" brand composters. Its large capacity can serve a household of up to five people. The District gets a bulk discount and passes the savings on to residents. This year the price per composter is $40.00. Order form with check is due by Friday, April 7, 2017.
Also available for sale is the Sure-Close containers to help store and move kitchen scraps out to your composter. At $5 each, they're a bargain at twice the price. The Sure-Close pail is a beige and white plastic container with a 1.9 gallon capacity. It can sit on the kitchen counter or be mounted on a wall or under the sink
Order forms with checks for composter and./or Sure-Close container are available at the SWWCSWMD website.
New this yearL The District is offering backyard composting workshops. If you attend a workshop, you can purchase one composter at the greatly discounted price of $25.00 (additional composters are $40). The workshops will be held at 5:30 p.m. on the following dates:
Rockingham Public Library - Wednesday, May 17
Windsor Public Library - Wednesday, June 7
Springfield Town Library - Thursday, June 8
Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow - Wednesday, June 14
The workshop presentation is about 45 minutes in length with time afterwards for questions and answers. Cat Buxton will teach the workshops. To sign up, call 674-9235 or email mobrien@swcrpc.org.
5. GIRL SCOUT COOKIES FOR SALE THIS WEEKEND: Local Girl Scout Troup 51406 will be selling cookies this weekend at Jill's Place on Saturday and Singleton's on Sunday from 11-3. You can pay by cash, check, and possibly debit/ credit cards.
6. MAPLE SUPPER: The Cavendish Baptist Church’s Helping Hand Class is sponsoring a maple supper on Saturday, April 1 from 5:30-7:00 at the church, 2258 Main Street in Cavendish. The menu will include: baked beans (sweetened with maple syrup); ham (with Raisin Sauce or pineapple); squash; coleslaw; pickles; homemade white and brown bread and doughnuts; decaf coffee tea, punch and maple sundaes. Tickets are $10 for adults; under 12 $5 and under 6 free. Take out meals are available. FMI: (802) 226-7724 after 9:00 a.m.
7. HOST AN EXCHANGE STUDENT NEXT YEAR: Next school year, local high schools will be welcoming students from the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. These students receive prestigious scholarships from the U.S. Department of State so that they can study in the U.S. Students are selected through a very competitive application process in which approximately 1 in every 40 applicants is selected to participate in the program.
The FLEX program was created from former Senator Bill Bradley's conviction that the best way to ensure long-lasting peace and understanding between the United States and the former Soviet countries (in Eastern Europe and Western Asia) is to enable young people from these countries to learn firsthand about the U.S. and Americans. The primary goal of FLEX is improving mutual understanding between our countries by allowing these young citizens to have the opportunity to observe and experience American life.
FLEX students come from many different countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.
Can you open your hearts and home to one of these brave young students? They will attend area high schools for the 17-18 school year, arriving in August. FMI: Kimberly at keckhardt08@gmail.com
8. EVENTS
MARCH 24 (Friday): Spaghetti Dinner/Quarter Auction Benefit for Pollards/Library, 6 pm at the Cavendish Elementary School. For other ways to help the Pollards, check the Helping Pollards post.
MARCH 25 (Saturday): Girl Scout Cookies for sale in front of Jill’s Place in Cavendish 11-3
MARCH 26 (Sunday): Girl Scout Cookies for sale Singleton’s 11-3
For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.