Cavendish Update 8/19/20: SB Mtg/Shooting/News/Events
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8/19/22
1. Cavendish Select Board Meeting 8/17/22
2. Cavendish Man Shot by Ludlow Police
3. Cavendish Info
4. Covid update
5. Events
1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 8/17: Minutes of Wednesday’s Select Board (SB) meeting will be posted to the Cavendish Municipal website and a video of the meeting will be posted to Okemo Valley TV’s website.
Over 40 people were in attendance Wednesday night, many of whom who had come to express their views regarding a proposed ordinance from the Reading All Terrain Sportsman Club (RATS).
A letter sent to the SB by Stevan Laskevich, Vice President of RATS, requested that Cavendish adopt “a new town ordinance allowing ATV access to town roads on the north side of Rt. 131 in the town of Cavendish. Allowing riders to access this section of Cavendish town roads will enable riders to connect to the Reading RATS club trail system into Plymouth, Reading and Woodstock areas. The annual riding season would be Mary 15th to October 15th.”
Before the discussion began, the SB asked for a show of hands of those in favor of the proposed ordinance. It was clear that 99% of the audience were opposed to it.
Laskevich began his address to the SB by saying he had been unaware of the problems Cavendish was having with ATVs until that day. He recognized that even members of the club didn’t always adhere to the laws, but for the most part they were trying to police their sport, He amended the written proposal asking that only Twenty Mile Stream and Chapman Rd be open to ATVs.
When asked why people couldn’t trailer their ATVs to the Reading trail head, Laskevich explained that there wasn’t ample parking space.
While the SB ultimately voted against the proposal by a vote of 4 against and 1 abstaining, the comments against the ordinance clustered around common themes: Cavendish has no enforcement power and as a result there are already major problems with ATV riders in various parts of town, including some who have damaged wetlands and private property, as well as those who ignore the state ATV laws. With ATVs already a problem, adopting the ordinance would be like “opening Pandora’s Box,” as one resident put it.
It was recognized that ATVs have become more popular as a result of Covid, and that the noise level was very disruptive to the quiet that Cavendish is known for. There were also concerns about dirt bike riders who ride up and down the roads.
Another topic that brought people to the meeting, was the recommendation for a town ordinance that would limit livestock in the villages, not to exceed the size of a chicken. A number of homes on Main St. in Cavendish Village are being directly impacted by a homeowner that is keeping 3-4 pigs in a very tiny pen. Those living nearby are complaining not only about the smell but also the significant increase in horse flies and rats.
According to Brendan McNamara, town manager, there is no state law or town ordinance about livestock in villages. However, the Department of Agriculture is very concerned about livestock being close to surface water, and it appears they are now looking into the situation in Cavendish. Laskevich, who is the Ludlow animal control officer, commented that the Humane Society would be very interested in this situation and should be contacted.
McNamara explained what is involved in passing a new ordinance, which will take considerable time, and when completed, would most likely grandfather in current animals. It was pointed out that the pigs were being raised for meat and once they were butchered, an ordinance would keep the owner from having other pigs.
Other items discussed/acted on
• Rogers Drive Dog Issue: The dogs had been re homed after attacking two ducks. However, they were captured on video in town over the weekend, where they attacked a turkey. The dogs’ owner, Michael Mills, was shot on Monday night in Ludlow, see article 2 below, so how this will be handled remains to be seen.
• Approved renewal of “Solar Bond Anticipation Note”
• Approved the Town Manager and Phon Chambers making the final decision on the paving contract for Tarbell Hill Rd.
• Approved a one day liquor permit for the Vermont Golden Honey Fest
• Repairs will take place on Quint Fallen Rd and High St before the end of construction season (Oct. 15).
• Once the phase I testing has taken place at the old town garage site, being paid for by Regional Planning, the oil tank will be removed to the current town garage site.
2. CAVENDISH MAN SHOT MONDAY NIGHT BY LUDLOW POLICE: According to the Vermont State Police, VSP’s initial investigation shows that the incident started at about 6:45 p.m. Monday when [Michael] Mills began making a series of what would eventually become more than two dozen 911 calls during which he made various complaints, threats and suicidal statements. Police in the area began seeking Mills, and a brief encounter led to a short pursuit with Ludlow police, whom Mills was able to elude. Later, Mills was reported to be driving erratically in Ludlow, including in the parking lot of the police department.
According to a review of evidence including video from body-worn cameras, two officers in a single cruiser attempted to stop Mills at about 9:30 p.m., but he drove off, and the officers followed. During the ensuing chase, Mills stopped his vehicle multiple times and at one point reversed his car and rammed the police cruiser before driving away. The pursuit ended at about 9:36 p.m. in the area of 451 South Hill Road when Mills drove off the road and into a tree. Officers attempted to speak to and calm Mills. When he failed to step out of the car, one of the officers approached the vehicle and opened the front passenger door, at which point the officer yelled “Gun!” several times. The second officer then fired a single round from his department-issued sidearm, striking Mills in the head.
Police recovered a semiautomatic handgun from Mills’s vehicle. Mills did not appear to have fired a round during the encounter, but a subsequent examination of the gun indicated that it might have malfunctioned.
Mills received first aid on scene and was brought by ambulance to Springfield Hospital before being airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Mills, 35 years old, is still at DHMC. Well known to local authorities, Mills has had a number of arrests and convictions for various criminal activities.
The officer who fired his department-issued handgun is identified as Zachary Paul, 21, who joined the Ludlow Police Department in July following his graduation from the Vermont Police Academy. Paul was on field training and was accompanied by his field training officer, Jeffrey Warfle, 41, who has served with Ludlow police for two and half years. Department photos of the officers are unavailable.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call VSP’s Westminster Barracks at 802-722-4600 or leave an anonymous tip online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
Once the Vermont State Police investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the relevant State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the police use of force.
3. CAVENDISH INFO
• VT Journal Drop Locations: Due to unfortunate circumstances, The Vermont Journal and The Shopper has made a few changes to its coverage area and mailed circulation. The decision to cut certain towns out of our weekly circulation was not made lightly, and we are doing everything possible to continue serving those areas in what ways we can. As such, anyone no longer receiving a mailed edition can still pick up a copy of our newspaper at any one of the following locations: Belmont: Belmont General Store.; Cavendish: Pointe Hotel,; Proctorsville; Singleton’s, Proctorsville; Chester: Chester Hardware; Fullerton Inn; Smitty’s Market; Londonderry: Londonderry Village Market; Ludlow: Brewfest; Mary Davis and Springfield: Retirement Home. Full editions of our paper can also be found online weekly, at www.vermontjournal.com.
• Help Needed: Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) is looking for help this Sunday from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 to get the outside of school ready for a star-studded affair on the first day of school! Many hands make light work!
• Best of Vermont Summer Festival Aug 20 & 21 at Okemo Field in Ludlow. A Classic Car Cruise-In at Benson's Chevrolet has been added for Aug 19 5-8PM as well as Car Show on both days of festival! To register and for more info, go to www.yourplaceinvermont.com follow the festival icon link.
• State police want Vermonters to be prepared for an active shooter incident: VT State Police are holding a series of forums, Survive Vermont to train the public on what they can do to prevent and respond to an active shooter. The hour-and-a-half program included information on how to be more aware of your surroundings, and when to contact authorities when you notice something suspicious. The closest workshop for Cavendish will be held in Putney on Aug. 24th from 6-7:30. Click here to register for the workshop, or to learn more about the program.
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.
Free Test kits are available Monday-Friday at the Cavendish Fire Dept from 9-4. For weekends and off hours, call 802-226-7807.
State: The current VT Dept of Health Weekly Report August 7 to August 13, continues to report statewide community levels as low, with Windham being added to Bennington and Rutland counties as having medium levels of Covid.
• New hospital admissions with Covid: 50 (increase from 38 last week)
• Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by patients with Covid: 2.45% (increase from last week’s 2.16%)
• Wastewater Monitoring: The following are showing an increase Brighton, Johnson, Morrisville, St. Albans, and Winooski. Decreases are reported for Bennington, Brighton, Essex Junction, Troy/Jay. No reports from Newport and St. Johnsbury.
• Outbreaks: As of Tuesday, there were 12 active outbreaks of Covid, the same as last week, including 9 in long-term care facilities (a decrease by 3) and 3 correctional facilities. There are 2 active outbreaks listed for Windsor County, same as last week.
• Deaths: On August 6, Vermont passed the 700 mark, with 704 Covid deaths among Vermonters. Six deaths alone have occurred in August.
5. EVENTS
AUGUST 20-21 (SATURDAY-SUNDAY): The Best of Vermont Summer Festival, from 12-7 on Saturday and 10-4 on Sunday Okemo Field in Ludlow. Vendors from Cavendish will be on site.
AUGUST 31 (WEDNESDAY): First Day of School
SEPTEMBER 5 (MONDAY): Labor Day, Town Office Closed
SEPTEMBER 10 (SATURDAY): Tenth Anniversary of the Vermont Golden Honey Festival 10-4 at the Golden Stage Inn.
SEPTEMBER 11 (SUNDAY): Annual Phineas Gage Walk & Talk. Begins at 2 pm at the Cavendish Historical Society Museum. The walk includes the site of the accident, which is three quarters of a mile from the Museum. FMI: margocaulfield@icloud.com 802-226-7807
SEPTEMBER 23-24 (FRIDAY-SATURDAY): Black River Good Neighbor (BRGN) Rummage Sale at Fletcher Farm.