Cavendish Update 11/17/23: SB Mtg/News/Events
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11/17/23
1. Cavendish Select Board Meeting 11/13/23
2. Cavendish Related News
4. Events
1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 11/12/23: Minutes from Monday’s Select Board (SB) meeting are available at the Cavendish Municipal website. A video of the meeting is available at Okemo Valley TV.
Items Approved/Acted on:
• Appointed Dave Norton to finish out Stephen Plunkard’s term on the SB.
• Signed Perpetual Care Fund Deed
• Approved Reappraisal Agreement with NEMRC (New England Municipal Resource Center's, Ltd.). Appraisals will be from 2025-2027
• Approved Cavendish Green Mountain Snow Fleas Crossings for the 23/24 winter season
• Set date for hearing on draft Town Plan Energy Chapter for Dec. 11 (Monday) at 6 pm at the Cavendish Town Office.
• Agreed to do a survey of the Academy Building site, with costs shared with prospective buyer Chris Chadwick.
Ryan Palmer Sheriff: Provided an update on activities in town to the SB, since February: responded to 281 calls; $15,000 in traffic fines; 19 stolen guns recovered; outreach to the youth group home on Twenty Mile Stream; a finger printing service; body cams are operational; increased training and tasers have been purchased. They currently work eight hours a week but would like to increase to at least half time, which would be $65,000.
2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
• GM restructuring reboot gets under way: Last week’s Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD Restructuring meeting was about how to make the best use of the buildings that are part of the District and not about school choice or the Ludlow-Mount Holly District or the transportation issues. The big issue is cost. Using a figure derived by dividing the total annual cost of teachers and other personal plus building operations of a school by the number of its students, CTES had the highest per pupil cost of $23, 500 Note: This number is for comparison and is not the “equalized pupil” amount used by the state for budget and taxation calculations. It also should be noted that CTES has 71 students not the 77 that the article states. CTES was built for 140 students. Chester Andover Elementary, with 235 students, had the lowest cost, of $15,200 housed in a building designed for 260 students. GMUHS has 299 students for a per pupil cost of $19,400 in a building designed for 600 students. That next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at Cavendish Town Elementary, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville. Chester Telegraph
• Analysis: Act 46 impacts ‘mental exercise’ of shuffling schools between districts: In October, Andover rep, Scott Kendall requested an analysis for Cavendish to “redistrict to the Ludlow-Mount Holly District and what the advantages/disadvantages would be. The Chester Telegraph article, provides an overview of such a change, including what the mechanisms are for removing a jurisdiction from a district. While complicated, there is a process, which begins with a petition by a town’s voters and formation of a study committee to look at the advantages and disadvantages. Chester Telegraph
• Stephen Plunkard: The family will be holding a Celebration of Life ceremony on Dec. 2, from 3-6 p.m., at Calcutta’s restaurant at the Fox Run Golf course in Ludlow, Vt. All are welcome, but RSVPs would be greatly appreciated and can be sent to celebrate.s.plunkard@gmail.com.
• Mennonites Thanksgiving Praise Event: The Mennonites have made an incredible contribution to Cavendish and other towns in the Black River Valley following the July floods. Their MCBR signs, with a phone number, dotted our landscape as they moved from property to property providing much needed help with mold remediation, new construction, repair and more. On Friday, Nov. 17 they are once again returning to our area. This time it's for a Thanksgiving Praise Event that will take place at the Ludlow Community Center from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.
• Pie Bake and Exchange – Love to eat pies but don’t love to bake them? Love to bake pies but don’t love to eat them? Love it all? This is the event for you! All are welcome, kid games & movies happening while we bake. Sunday, Nov. 19, 4pm until we’re done at the Cavendish Shelter and Community Space, (Cavendish Baptist Church) 2258 Main Street. Please sign up at https://forms.gle/hunXLLB1sqiKHnLx8
• CHS Fall Newsletter: The Cavendish Historical Society’s fall newsletter is now on-line. This issue includes another excerpt from Sandra Stearns’ book, “Cavendish Hillside Farm 1939 to 1957.” For Halloween, we posted the chapter Ghosts and Goblins so we thought readers would enjoy reading “Mud or Snow, Still we Go.” The fall issue also contains a history of Cavendish’s Polish community.
• Pie Sale Benefit for Stepping Stones: Stepping Stones pre school will be selling pies in front of Singleton’s starting at 8 am until sold out on Wed., Nov. 22.
• Former CTES Principal in “Love Letters:” On Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m., Friends of Ludlow Auditorium (FOLA) will present the play “Love Letters,” at the Heald Auditorium in Ludlow Town Hall. It will star Linda and George Thomson, who previously performed the production to a standing-room-only audience in Rutland. George was the former CTES principal for 30 years and entertained students, parents and the community on many occasions. It will be fun to see him perform again. The play is free and open to everyone. Donations are appreciated, and will be forwarded to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease in honor of Janet Pace, longtime secretary and founding member of FOLA, who recently passed away from Parkinson’s. For information, call 802-855-8883 or visit www.fola.us.
• Okemo Valley 2023 Indulgence Tour: On Saturday & Sunday December 2 & 3, 2023 from 12 pm noon to 5pm on both days. Blue Gentian Lodge in Londonderry, Echo Lake Inn in Tyson Village in Plymouth, Franklyn Farm Inn in Chester,Fullerton Inn in Chester, Golden Stage Inn in Proctorsville Village in Cavendish, The Governor’s Inn in Ludlow, Grafton Inn in Grafton, Rowell’s Inn in Andover, Seesaw’s Lodge in Peru, & many more welcome visitors for this special tour to enjoy tasty treats and holiday decorations. Proceeds benefit local charities. To learn more, contact the Golden Stage Inn or any one of the participating locations.
• River conservation forum highlights resident questions about flood preparedness: At last week’s forum in Ludlow, locals came out to express their concerns. Was there an emergency plan in case local dams failed? Would sediment from flooding make local waterways unsafe for recreation? What should residents do if they saw machine operators removing wood debris from the river? What happens when the river’s path moves and is now running through a hillside neighborhood? VT Digger
• Permits available to get holiday tree in the Green Mountain National Forest: Permits are now for sale to cut down your own Christmas tree in the Green Mountain National Forest. That is thanks to the U.S. Forest Service in Vermont. Permits are $5 in person at the Green Mountain National Forest offices or $7.50 online. Two permits are allowed per household every year. Visit the U.S. Forest Service website for a map of the harvest area or to buy a permit.
• In 2024, general use fluorescent lightbulbs will no longer be sold in Vermont: A state law going into effect in the new year prohibits the sale of 4-foot linear fluorescent lightbulbs that contain mercury, citing health and environmental concerns. Sales of other types of general-use fluorescent bulbs have been restricted since February.
3. EVENTS
NOVEMBER 17 (FRIDAY): Mennonites Thanksgiving Praise Event that will take place at the Ludlow Community Center from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.
- CTES Bingo 6-8 pm Fundraiser $1 per card, 10 rounds. Prizes include turkeys and lots of pies, cakes, brownies, bread etc.
NOVEMBER 17-19 (FRIDAY-SUNDAY): Okemo Mountain School Ski & Swap, Round House at Jackson Gore. Friday 4-7; Saturday 8-5 and Sunday 9-1. To sell used equipment, it must be dropped off at the Round House at Jackson Gore 10-3 on Sat. Nov. 11, Sun Nov. 12, Wed. Nov. 15. All sales Benefit OMS. FMI: https://www.okemomountainschool.org/events-calendar/ski-and-snowboard-swap2023
NOVEMBER 19 (SUNDAY): Pie Bake and Exchange –All are welcome 4pm until done at the Cavendish Shelter and Community Space, (Cavendish Baptist Church) 2258 Main Street. Please sign up at https://forms.gle/hunXLLB1sqiKHnLx8
NOVEMBER 23 (THURSDAY): HAPPY THANKSGIVING Town office closed
NOVEMBER 24 (FRIDAY): Town Office closed
DECEMBER 2-3 (SATURDAY-SUNDAY): Indulgence Tour. From 12 pm noon to 5pm, various local Inn welcome visitors for this special tour to enjoy tasty treats and holiday decorations. Proceeds benefit local charities. To learn more, contact the Golden Stage Inn
DECEMBER 9 (SATURDAY): Stuff a Fire Truck- Food drive from 9-5 at Singleton’s in Proctorsville. Non perishable food items and monetary donations will be excepted. All donations benefit the Black River Good Neighbors Food Shelf.
DECEMBER 16 (SATURDAY): 1 PM. Sheryl Faye, who presents historical woman, will provide a one woman show about the life and achievements of Queen Elizabeth II. This is a free and open to the public event at the Cavendish Library. Refreshments will be provided.
DECEMBER 17 (SUNDAY): 3 PM on, the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) is hosting a Dickens’ Christmas Carol complete with workshops, mince pies, pot luck and ghost stories at the former Crow’s Bakery site on Depot St.