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7/20/18 Cavendish Update
1. Cavendish Municipal Water Conservation Notice
2. Cavendish Select Board Meetings
3. Cavendish Related News
4. Cavendish Concert on the Green Hosts Rick Redington
5. Events
1. WATER CONSERVATION NOTICE: Cavendish Municipal Water System users are requested to reduce water consumption as much as possible from Monday July 16 (7 am)- Friday, July 27 (5pm). During this period the municipal water system will have a well off-line for cleaning and redevelopment. The system will remain operational during this period using water in the storage tanks and water quality will be normal. Please defer activities that may require large amounts of water until Friday, July 27. FMIL 22607291 or 226-7292
2. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETINGS: Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by Okemo Valley TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television. Written minutes are available at the town’s website. According to the “Unapproved” Minutes from the July 9 meeting, available at the Municipal Website, the following action/discussions took place at this meeting:
• A statement was presented to the board from a group of Tierney Rd residents who are requesting a temporary zoning ordinance on Tierney Rd in order to protect private property values and compliance with the Town Plan, thereby blocking a potential quarry at the end of the road. It was also stated that failure to act could result in legal action against the town. One resident, Evelyn Turco, voiced that she is not in favor of implementing any kind of zoning and she did not appreciated being threatened with lawsuits and higher taxes.
• Approved a delinquent tax note in the amount of $250,000 at 2.75% interest with Berkshire Bank for a period of one year
• Approved a tax anticipation note in the amount of $200,000 at a 2.25% interest with Berkshire Bank for a period of 90 days
• Approved a grant anticipation note in the amount of $ 125,000 at 2.75% interest with Berkshire Bank for a period of one year. This note was taken out in anticipation of incoming FEMA monies to complete various road repairs in the amount of $200,000 in 2016.
• Approved a tax rate for FY 2018-2019 –check two news stories in Item 3 below regarding how Cavendish taxes compares to other VT towns and the need to check property tax bills due to a state error.
• Accepted with regret a letter of resignation from Diane McNamara as Lister
• Approved the purchase of a 2012 Ford F250 truck from M&M Excavating for $22,000.
• East Rd and Greenbush Rd culverts replacement project have begun. Roads are closed and detour signs placed.
• The owner of 53 Depot St., has agreed that the building is beyond repair and intends to have it removed. No time frame for when this would happen was given.
• To the question of when 131 would be repaved, the town manager said the schedule was for 2020. It is unlikely that a “skim coat,” though needed, will be applied this year.
• Regarding the Town Garage, the town manager reports that the steel building is in production but the plans and permits for the new site have taken a lot longer than anticipated. On July 12, the Select Board met and accepted the proposal from Josselyn Brothers Construction in the amount of $419,678 for the site work and construction of the Town Garage building.
Also note that the July 11 meeting of the Cavendish Planning Committee meeting is now available at the Okemo Valley TV website.
3. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Water Testing on the Black River: For the last two weeks, the ecoli levels on the Black River in Cavendish (Greven Field and the Gorge) have tested high (well above the EPA’s upper limit of 235 CFU) and the recommendation is not to recreate in the river. While there can be many reasons for the high counts, it is becoming clear that the cause could be something other than a heavy rain, such as a leech field leaking into the river. Results are not available for this week at present. However, given the rain on Tuesday, with testing being done on Wednesday, it is likely the counts will be high for the third week running. As soon as results are available, they will be posted to the Cavendish VT Facebook page. The Black River Action Team (BRAT) is now testing additional spots on the Black River in order to understand what the problem might. We thank BRAT for their dedication to our river and we encourage community support of the organization through donations and volunteers.
East Road Bridge Closed for Next Three Weeks: Due to construction, the bridge at the intersections of Chubb Hill, Old County and East Roads in Cavendish is closed for the next three weeks.
Check Your Property Tax Bill: Tax Dept. Missed Deadline for Issuing Some Adjustments: Cavendish is one of the municipalities listed as being potentially affected by this. The Vermont Department of Taxes was not able to process all of the property tax adjustment claims in time to meet a July 1 deadline. As a result, towns that sent out their tax bills on that date may have sent the wrong information to property owners. Most of the problems have been within the homestead declarations, which is where property owners say whether they are full time residents. The department’s new $25 million computer program is flagging many more tax forms that have errors — both small and significant — and the department did not anticipate the number of adjustments that would need attention. Anyone who notices a mistake on their tax bill is encouraged to contact the Department of Taxes: Email: tax.individualincome@vermont.gov or Phone: (802) 828-2865. VPR
Half of VT Towns will See Increased Property Tax Rates: More than half of the towns in Vermont, 135 out of 249, will see higher average homestead property tax rates than last year — even though Gov. Phil Scott was able to harness surplus money to prevent a hike in the average residential property tax. While Scott was able to level the average residential property tax rate, he wasn’t able to fully buy down the average nonresidential property tax rate: a levy paid on property like small businesses, rental homes and summer camps. That rate was set at $1.58 — a 4.5-cent hike over last year. Because of this, the vast majority of towns — 222 out of 249 to be exact — will pay higher nonresidential tax rates than they did in fiscal year 2018. In general, the rates trend slightly higher than the ones set in the budget and tax bill Scott agreed to allow become law last month because of increasing statewide property tax values. Cavendish’s FY18 tax rate was $1.3945 and dropped to $1.2883 for FY19 with a change in Homestead of $0.1062. VT Digger
Cavendish AirBnB Rentals: A lot of people use the Cavendish Connects on-line Visitor's Guide. To help users know more about resources in our town, if you have a property that you list with AirBnB or another website, and would like to include in the guide, please send information to cavendishconnects@gmail.com
TRSU Board Refuses to Approve SU Spending Plans: On July 12, the newly formed Two Rivers Supervisory Union (TRSU) board met for the first time. You can watch this meeting at the Okemo Valley TV website. While they approved a 2.75 percent raise for superintendent Meg Powden, they once again rejected her proposal to spend more than $90,000 of a state grant earmarked for the use of the local boards in making the transition to merged districts under Act 46. The six-member board, composed of representatives from Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUHS) and the Ludlow Mount Holly unified school district, agreed that under the Act 46 statue, those two boards should decide how the money should be spent. Powden’s raise was less than half of the $7,010 Powden had budgeted for herself earlier this year. Chester Telegraph
BRGNS & Okemo Valley TV To Revive Cooking Show: Black River Good Neighbor Services and Okemo Valley TV have announced that the cooking show “Across Our Table” will again be broadcast in the Ludlow area starting on August 1st this year. Krey Kellington and Claire Walker will be the show’s hosts in this new season. In each episode, they demonstrate how to prepare three simple, nutritious and tasty recipes that are building blocks for family meals. You can watch “Across Our Table” on Okemo Valley TV if you subscribe to cable in the Ludlow area, or you can access it on the Internet at www.okemovalley.tv. All the recipes demonstrated on the show will be available on Black River Good Neighbors’ website. FMI: Krey Kellington at 802-228-3663.
Linda Thomson Receives Hartwick College President’s Award: The wife of former CTES principal, Linda Thomson, was recently honored at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York for her work in advancing a holistic and inclusive approach to medicine. In her citation, Dr. Margaret L. Drugovich, president, stated: “As a leader in the groundbreaking field of applying clinical hypnotherapy to nursing, you have improved countless lives as a practitioner, author and educator. Today, Hartwick College recognizes your interdisciplinary approach to advancing medicine, your insatiable curiosity, and your dedication to the health and wellbeing of others with the President’s Award for Liberal Arts in Practice.” Springfield VT Blog
4. CAVENDISH CONCERT : RICK REDINGTON AND THE LUV: The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association invites everyone to the Proctorsville Green for the continuing summer music series on Wednesday, July 25th at 6:00 p.m. to hear the rocking good sounds of Rick Redington and the Luv. This concert is sponsored by The Pointe at Castle Hill.
Whether playing an intimate solo acoustic performance in a coffeehouse setting, or rocking out with his band “The Luv” in a large concert venue, Rick’s performances have something memorable and meaningful for all to share. Rick has recorded with legendary rock and rollers and has had his music used in films and in Ken Burns’ documentaries. No strangers to the Proctorsville Green, Rick and the band have delighted the local Wednesday evening concert goers in past years.
As always, concerts are free and open to the public. In case of inclement weather, check the Cavendish Facebook page for news. For more information please call Robin at 226-7736.
5. EVENTS
JULY 25 (WEDNESDAY): Concert on the Proctorsville Green, 6 pm, featuring Rick Redington and the Luv. This is a free event open to the public.
For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.
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