Cavendish Update 9/29/23:Aliens/ARPA funds/News/Events
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Food Drive tomorrow at Singletons. Bottle Drive to benefit Greven Field on Sunday. See Events Section for details
9/29/23
1. Flood Information
2. Emergency Preparedness Month: Alien Invasion
3. Final Round of Cavendish ARPA Applications Due
4. Cavendish Related News
5. Events
1. FLOOD INFORMATION: Please use the Cavendish Guide for Flood Recovery for up to date resources and information.
Heating Assistance: Governor Scott in his press conference on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, announced plans for the state to contact Vermonters with heating systems damaged due to flooding and still needing repairs or replacement. Those who reported this damage to FEMA or 211 should get a survey from a Vermont.gov email address. The Governor is requesting response to the surveys so people can be connected to technicians to complete this work. (Those receiving the survey should double check it is from Vermont.gov). Those needing assistance completing the survey can call 802-828-3333.
2. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MONTH: Alien Invasion: Out of all the disasters that could happen, this is the least likely, but potentially most frightening to many. At this time of year, it’s worth remembering Orson Welles 1938 radio broadcast “The War of the Worlds.” While part of the Mercury Theatre on the Air, broadcast as a Halloween special, it incited a panic as people believed a Martian invasion was taking place. While an announcement had been made at the beginning of the program, that it was an adaption of the book of the same name, people either didn’t hear that message, got caught up in the panic and/or thought it was an invasion by the Germans.
As it turned out, the media hype was way worse than what actually occurred, as many hadn’t tuned into the program. Further, the most common response was to call their local police or newspaper to confirm the story.
Today most people would go on-line to check out information, which depending on what site you check, could confirm your worse fears. So be sure to sign up for the VT Alert System, and check their Facebook Page for accurate information.
In the event of an alien invasion, flood or other disaster, if you follow the 3 “Ps” Plan, Prepare and Practice, you’ll be all set and hopefully wont go screaming from your house without your “go bag” if the little green men do arrive. Use the Cavendish Connects Preparedness website to help you prepare.
3. FINAL ROUND OF CAVENDISH ARPA APPLICATIONS DUE 10/31: The Cavendish ARPA committee was asked by the Cavendish selectboard to recommend uses for the funds given to Cavendish under the American Rescue Plan Act. The committee solicited input from the community via a questionnaire and then sought project proposals for specific uses. The committee has received and is now considering applications from that preliminary round, which closes on September 30th.
The committee has announced that a final round of project proposal applications is due on or before October 31st. The ARPA Funds Application can be found on the home page of the Cavendish town web site under Quick Links. Completed forms can be emailed or mailed in accordance with instructions on the form.
Since the U.S. Treasury Department oversees how the funds are spent and since that agency has placed time limits on spending the money, the committee expects to make recommendations to the selectboard before the end of this year.
For more information about the ARPA Committee or the proposal process, please call the Cavendish Town Office at 802-226-7291.
4. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
• Despite long agenda, GM board meets for 7 minutes; legal fees go unaddressed: The Sept 21 Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) board meeting ended shortly after it began. Again the issue of the Chieftain logo was front and center. At a time when many critical educational issues are on the table, the chair of the GMUSD board, Deb Brown of Chester, continues to focus on something that has little bearing on educational outcomes of students. Yet, the ruling by this board, has resulted in more than $10,000 being spent on legal fees to defend the decision without the knowledge or approval of every board member. Chester Telegraph
• GM Board votes to stop attorney’s defense of Chieftain for now: In response to the Sept. 21 seven minute board meeting, a special meeting was held on Sept. 24. Voting 6 to 3, the board voted to stop paying an attorney and have him halt work representing the board to defend the Chieftain mascot in an appeal before the state Agency of Education (AOE). Instead, the board will meet in executive session with the attorney to discuss the representation. Last night’s meeting was dominated by members who had voted for discontinuing the use of the name Chieftain and who believed they were kept in the dark over the decision on its defense before the AOE. The issue was put before the AOE when three members of the public appealed the board’s May 18 decision to keep the name “Chieftains,” saying it did not violate school policy. Board chair Deb Brown did not attend the meeting, which was chaired by vice chair Adrienne Williams. Cavendish representatives-Kate Lamphere, Steve Parini and Lisa Sanders were joined by Chester reps Jeff Hance, and Rick Alexander and Scott Kendall of Andover in voting to cease paying the attorney. The Zoom meeting was interrupted by a Zoom bomber who flashed a porn video on the screen and blasted vile racial slurs. Chester Telegraph
• Municipal Public Meetings Become Target of “Zoom Bombing.” Rude interruptions at what should be pretty commonplace meetings are starting to emerge in our region again. It’s called zoom-bombing. Just this week, hackers disrupted a city council meeting in Montpelier and the GMUSD board meeting. WCAX
• Food Drive Sept. 30: The Okemo Valley Women’s Club (OVWC) will hold a food drive as part of the GFWC National Day of Service. The drive will held on Saturday, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Club members will be at Singleton’s Store in Proctorsville, and also in front of the Okemo Mountain School (at the site of the Ludlow Farmer’s Market) on Main Street in Ludlow to collect food items for the drive.
• Volunteers Needed for the Final Playground Build at CTES: October 21 & 22 (Saturday & Sunday) from 8-4, or for whatever time you can volunteer. We are so close to the finish line. Soon the pieces and parts will arrive for the final main structure. We need 20 volunteers for each day to help build this final piece. Sign Up Here: https://tinyurl.com/yc52efbe Bring wheelbarrows, shovels, steel garden rake, gloves. If you have any questions, call Jenn Harper: 802-548-7419
• Bob Evens Free Sale: Bob has finished his “yard” sale, but still has a lot of stuff. He wants to let everyone know that everything that did not sell is free starting now and continuing through Sunday. He will be there from 9 to 5 every day. His address is 662 Moriglioni Road. As he noted, “I’d rather give it away rather than pay someone to take it away.”
• Free Covid Test Kits: While the Cavendish Fire Department provides free Covid tests Monday-Friday from 9-4, you can now order four of them from the federal government by going to covid.gov/tests or calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489). Note that free masks and hand sanitizer are available at the Cavendish Cares closet next to the Museum steps or from the Cavendish Fire Dept.
• Then Again: The first humans in what’s now Vermont found a very different place: The first occupation of Cavendish was most likely about 11,000 years ago when they came seasonally to fish and hunt along the Black River (Mikazatekw in Abenaki). VT Digger
• Human Could have arrived in the Western Hemisphere Earlier than we thought. Canadian Geographic: Be sure to check out the map in this article.
5. EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 30 (SATURDAY): Food Drive sponsored by the Okemo Valley Women’s Club (OVWC). Will be at Singleton’s and Okemo Mountain School to collect food from 10-2.
OCTOBER 1 (SUNDAY): Bottle Drive to benefit Greven Field Account at Brewfest. 11-2.
OCTOBER 9 (MONDAY): Indigenous People’s Day. Town office closed
OCTOBER 12 (THURSDAY): Town Office closed for Elections Training
• Last day to file a FEMA application
OCTOBER 21 & 22 (SATURDAY-SUNDAY): Cavendish Town Elementary School needs 20 volunteers to complete their playground build. Sign Up Here: https://tinyurl.com/yc52efbe Bring wheelbarrows, shovels, steel garden rake, gloves. If you have any questions, call Jenn Harper: 802-548-7419
OCTOBER 31 (TUESDAY): HAPPY HALLOWEEN