Cavendish Update 5/6/22: Thank you/Composting/Green Up/News
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GREEN UP DAY IS TOMORROW
Meet at Greven Field 9-10 for gloves, bags & routes
Cook Out @ Greven 11-1
GM Booster Club Bottle Drive @ Greven from 9-1
5/6/22
1. Thank you
2. Cavendish Info
3. Composting at the Cavendish Transfer Station
4. Covid update
5. Events
1. THANK YOU! We’re now well into year 3 of Covid, which has required a lot of extra time and effort from Cavendish Connects. Yet, the donations we receive makes it easier. This generosity helps keep our community informed, as well as masked and even tested. It also keeps us busy. If somewhere along the way we haven’t reached out to personally thank you, we want you to know we truly appreciate it and couldn’t be doing this without your support. Please note, we received a shipment of new KN95s yesterday. We will be getting them to distribution points over the weekend. If you have an immediate need, e-mail cavendishconnects@gmail.com or call 802-226-7807 to arrange for a drop off.
2 . CAVENDISH INFO
• Graveside Service for Harry Westcott: A graveside service will be held on May 14 (Saturday) at 2 pm at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Proctorsville. Harry died December 16, 2021.
• Vermont DMV to keep scheduling system
3. COMPOSTING AT THE CAVENDISH TRANSFER STATION: 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. That saves both the carbon cost and dollar cost of haulage, making composting more economical and environmentally sustainable. 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 an 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 ask that people be more careful in what they throw into the compost pile. Plastic bags are not compostable. Dump compostables into the pile and throw the plastic into the trash. Some plastic food containers and utensils may be recyclable, but they are 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. If they are clean, put them in recycling.
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 Composting Workshop 2015 or to VT Waste Management website. FMI: Caall the Cavendish town office at 802-226-7291.
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.
TRSU SCHOOL NUMBERS: New cases of COVID-19 in the TRSU 4/29-5/4/22 GMUHS 3; Ludlow Elementary 1.
LONG TERM CARE: There has been a multi resident Covid outbreak at the Gill home this week.
STATE: According to Tuesday’s, May 3 Modeling report The 7-day average has increased from 285 to 326 (+5%) cases per day over the last week. Vermont reported 2,317 new COVID-19 cases this week, 318 more cases compared to the prior week.
As of May 5, 2022, hospitalizations (56) and ICU admissions (16) are where they were in mid-February of this year. There were 345 new cases yesterday and 504 on Wednesday. Since May 1, there have been 5 new death reports, bringing the state total of Vermonter deaths to 642.
At Tuesday’s press, health commissioner Dr. Mark Levine noted that Omicron BA.2 was going to be with us for a while so now was a good time to assess individual risk factors and act accordingly. He noted that the majority of Covid-19 hospitalizations were those over 65, who had received vaccinations, but not booster shots. Ultimately, Levine recommended that if you are 65+ and/or have an underlying condition, be vaccinated and boosted (2 x), wear a protective mask, such as a KN95, when in public (that includes public transportation) and practice social distancing.
VT Receives 2,000 Paxlovid Doses: Levine noted on Tuesday that the federal health agencies increased the Covid antiviral Paxlovid to 2,000 doses this week for a one time allocation. The state has been receiving 200 doses, which has been insufficient to meet demand. The state’s weekly supply will be 220, with 45 doses for those who have kidney issues. Note: Rite Aid Ludlow has received doses of the antiviral.
If you test positive, contact your primary care health provider for a free prescription for an antiviral. You will need to take the medication within five days of having a positive Covid test. This is particularly important for those 65+ and/or having an underlying condition.
CDC restates recommendation for masks on planes, trains: Americans age 2 and older should wear a well-fitting masks while on public transportation, including in airports and train stations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended, citing the current spread of coronavirus and projections of future COVID-19 trends.
And the Variants Keep on Coming: In the U.S. a new version of omicron called BA.2.12.1 was identified in central New York state last month, causing a sharp rise in cases. This new variant is spreading rapidly across the country, about 50% faster each week than the omicron BA.2, which has been dominant variant in VT.
In South Africa, two variants, BA.4 and BA.5, are causing a fifth wave of cases. In the past two weeks, cases jumped from 1,200 each day to 4,600 each day. And the positivity rate jumped from about 8% to 18%. So far this is a rare variant in the US and it’s a matter of waiting and seeing.
Unfortunately, even if you’ve had omicron, you can be reinfected with this new variant. The re infection rate may be higher for unvaccinated.
5. EVENTS
MAY 7 (SATURDAY): Green Up Day & GM Booster Bottle Drive, Greven Field
MAY 15 (SUNDAY): Town Taxes due
MAY 16 (MONDAY): Cavendish Select Board Meeting 6:30 Town Office
MAY 17 (TUESDAY): Fire District 2 (Cavendish Village) annual meeting, 7 pm at the Cavendish Fire Department.
MAY 20-21 (FRIDAY-SATURDAY): BRGN Rummage Sale at Fletcher Farm on Route 103. 10-4.
MAY 27 (FRIDAY): 5-7 pm, Early Bird Cavendish Historical Society plant sale in front of the Museum
MAY 28 (SATURDAY): 9-noon: CHS Plant sale continues in front of the Museum.
MAY 30 (MONDAY): Memorial Day. Legal holiday. Town Office Closed
JUNE 1 (WEDNESDAY): CCCA’s Cavendish Calendar Photography Contest photographs are due today. FMI: cavendishcommunityconservation@gmail.com.
JUNE 21 (TUESDAY): Last day of school
- 1st Day of Summer
JULY 30 (SATURDAY): Cavendish’s Annual Town Wide Tag Sale, 9-2.
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