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
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