Cavendish Update 1/7/22: News/Free Test Kits/Events

VIEW THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE DAILY FOR THE LATEST NEWS

1/7/22

1.    Cavendish Info

2.    Covid update

3.    Events

Rescheduled St. James Christmas Concert, tonight, 6:30 pm at the church in Proctorsville. Free and open to the public.

1. CAVENDISH INFO

• Cavendish Community Fund: The Community Fund was created in 2007 to enhance the quality of life in Cavendish and has distributed grants each year since then for a variety of programs, projects, and events. Grants are awarded to individuals and organizations that create or sponsor educational, cultural, or artistic ventures in Cavendish, or for projects that otherwise enrich the value of small-town living. On December 29th the Cavendish Community Fund held their second annual fundraising raffle at Crow’s Corner Bakery.

This year’s  prizes included a Northern Flicker, hand-carved in chestnut by Wendy Lichtensteiger of Proctorsville, which was won by Scott and Terry Ranney of Cavendish. A stained-glass window created by Field Hill Studios in Cavendish was won by Lisa DePaolo of Stamford, Connecticut. An oil on board painting by Cavendish artist Patricia Darling Dean was won by Robin Manthei of Maple Grove, Minnesota. A hand-knitted Alpaca hat and cowl by Nancy Kelley of Cavendish was won by Lauren Flaherty and William Hallowel of Newport, Rhode Island. And a hand-crafted box with handmade pasted paper covering made by Pang Ting of Cavendish was won by Tammy Armstrong of Cavendish.

In 2021, the fund was able to assist several projects – holding summer concerts on the Svec Memorial Green, decorating the new Depot Street bridge, publicizing the hiking trails in Cavendish, helping Windsor County Mentors, continuing the Historical Society’s programs, and extending literacy events at the Community Library. For more information about the Fund or about grants and grant applications, please email Doug McBride at cavendishcommunityfund@gmail.com.

• GMUSD trims facilities renovations and pushes voter approval to summer: During their Dec. 21 special meeting, the Green Mountain Unified School District board pared approximately $5 million worth of projects from Energy Efficient Investments’ proposed $21 million budget for their district school renovation proposal and agreed to postpone bringing the final project, which will likely require financing through a bond, to voters until the summer, rather than during the town meeting in March. VT Journal

• Rasmussen takes over leadership of Ascutney Regional Commission

• Local civilian fingerprinting: Ludlow Police Department (802-885-4411), Windsor Police Department (802-674-9042), and the Windham County Sheriff's Office (802-365-4942) are available by appointment. Until further notice, Springfield Police Department is unavailable for this service.

• New Year, New Minimum Wage in VT: The scheduled change is an $0.80 increase for hourly employees, from $11.75 an hour, to $12.55. For tipped workers it goes from $5.88 to $6.28.

• 3G Devices being phased out: While most 3G devices have already been phased out, there are still people relying on old phones or devices to get help or as a safety net. According to the FCC, AT&T is expected to retire the network in February, T-Mobile and Sprint will retire it between March and July, and Verizon at the end of the year. WCAX

2. 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.

WEEKLY DATA: Cavendish & Surrounding Towns: For the week ending Dec. 22, Cavendish had 6 new cases; Ludlow 7; Chester 12; Springfield 78 and Weathersfield 13. For the week ending Dec. 29, Cavendish had 2 new cases (95 total); Ludlow 14 (186); Chester 16 (388); Springfield 51 (1,317) and Weathersfield 5 (189).

 Schools: No report as schools were closed last week

 Area Nursing Homes: Springfield Rivers Nursing & Rehab is reported to have 9 cumulative cases, an increase in 3 cases from the prior week.

State: With no press conference this week, Tuesday’s modeling was published with the following summary CDC now estimates Omicron is the dominate variant in New England, which is helping fuel an 82% increase in cases over the last 7 days. Vermont is seeing the impacts of Omicron and a post-holiday surge  with cases increasing 128% over the last 7 days, with rates rising in every Vermont county; 11 counties broke case rate records.

Vermont experienced a rise in breakthrough infections this week consistent with Omicron’s vaccine-evasion qualities); however, the not fully vaccinated remain at significantly increased risk of the most severe outcomes at 22x more likely to be hospitalized and 23x more likely to die.

In a week that broke one record after another, yesterday saw the highest case count with 2,188 new cases and a seropositivity (percent of positive tests) of 12.4%. Hospitalizations are rapidly rising, with 91 in hospital (one away from the record high of 92 on Dec. 2) and 17 in the ICU. is Deaths continue to occur with two new deaths in January (482 total).

Vt’s daily average of new cases is now 1,000 compared to 400 cases on Christmas and 750 on New Year’s Eve. Omicron, which is estimated to be 95% of Covid cases in the United States, is associated with more hospitalizations (due to large number of people being infected) but fewer in need of ICU care.

500,000 RAPID TESTS TO BE DELIVERED TO VERMONTERS: Gov. Scott announced yesterday that beginning next week Vermont will use a program developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to deliver 500,000 recently acquired rapid COVID-19 tests directly to households across the state. While our primary objective is to get tests into the field as efficiently as possible, we are also assessing how well the system works so we can continue to improve testing options and work with President Biden’s team to make future testing programs successful. As with every new program, there are going to be unanticipated challenges, the number of kits each household can order will be limited, it could take up to a week for them to be delivered, and we expect that they will go very, very quickly.

The Say Yes! COVID Test initiative is a partnership with the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, test manufacturer Quidel, and healthcare technology company CareEvolution. 

Participating Vermonters will need to provide their name and address for test kit delivery, which will not be shared. No additional personal information will be required to get a free rapid test kit. 

We will be able to announce additional details, including how to order, next week.  Press Release

FACEMASKS 101: Covid is transmitted through mucous membranes in the mouth, nose and eyes, which is why proper fitting masks can reduce transmission. The omicron variant is highly transmissible and if the virus is on your mask, it’s easy to get it on your hands when you remove it. Research shows we touch our face about 23 times per hour, of which 44% come in contact with mucous membranes. We do it without thinking. Rub our eyes, scratch an itchy nose, adjust glasses and the list goes on.

Follow the steps below to achieve maximum effectiveness:

• Wash your hands before and after touching the mask

• Touch only the bands or ties when putting on and taking off your mask

• Make sure the mask covers you mouth and nose. If you make adjustments, wash your hands before and after.

• Recommended masks:

-       The best protection is a properly fitting N95s, KN95s, KF94s.

-       Surgical masks can be worn and give the best protection if fitted properly and using a mask brace.

-       Note that face brackets (worn under the mask) have been found to lessen the effectiveness of the mask.

-       Double masking-a surgical mask covered by a cloth mask-works.

-       Wearing bandanas, gaiters, masks exhalation valves, or clear shield like face masks are not recommended.

• Don’t touch your or your child’s mask while it is being worn.

• Don’t wear the mask under your chin with your nose and mouth exposed

• Don’t remove the mask while around others in public

• Don’t share your mask with others

Learn more about face masks and Covid-19

The VT legislature is now in session and the House has introduced a statewide mask mandate bill. Free masks are available 24/7 at the CHS Cares Closet by the steps of the CHS Museum.

LONG COVID: Estimates are that approximately 7,000 or more Vermonters, who have had Covid, are experiencing “long Covid,” defined as having at least one persistent symptom up to six months after the initial infection has cleared. Symptoms include neurologic, cognitive, cardiopulmonary, constitutional, musculoskeletal, psychiatric and mobility impairments.

A new study this week has found that Covid infection is associated with executive dysfunction among young and middle aged adults, regardless of symptom severity. Unfortunately, Covid is not a “one and done” type of illness.

 There are resources to help Vermonters dealing with long Covid. Both Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the University of Vermont offer programs. Other resources include:

• COVID-19 Recovery Support Booklet (PDF)

• COVD Support VT

OTHER NEWS

• The FDA has authorized a Pfizer booster for children ages 12 to 15 : VT has begun vaccinating this age group.

• 4 more Covid-19 outbreaks in Killington area following holiday week resort outbreak

3. EVENTS

JANUARY 7 (FRIDAY): St. James Christmas Concert has been rescheduled for Friday, Jan. 7 at 6:30 at the church in Proctorsville. New Year, New Concert. Free and open to the public. Donations welcome!

JANUARY 10 (MONDAY): Monthly Select Board Meeting 6:30 pm at the Town office

JANUARY 15 (SATURDAY): Monthly Utility bills due

JANUARY 17 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King’s Day Town Officer Closed

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING, BOOSTING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

    IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 12/31/21: Accident on 131/News/Events

VIEW THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE DAILY FOR THE LATEST NEWS

12/31/21

1.    Cavendish Info

2.    Covid update

3.    Events

Transfer Station Closed Saturday, Jan 1

1. CAVENDISH INFO

• 131 Tractor Trailer Accident: On December 28, 2021 at approximately 2:55 am, the Vermont State Police responded to Route 131 in the Town of Cavendish [2 miles east of Tarbell Hill], due to the report of a tractor trailer that went off the road into the Black River. Upon arrival the operator of the vehicle, Donald Darrah, 77, was standing on top of the tractor trailer. He was able to communicate with first responders, but due to the water depth and temperatures a cold water rescue was required. Members of the Proctorsville and West Weathersfield FD Cold Water Rescue teams successfully retrieved the operator. The operator advised he lost control of the vehicle as he was going around the snow covered corner. The tractor trailer unit was on its passenger side in the middle of the Black River. Multiple agencies/companies assisted the Vermont State Police including Cavendish FD, Proctorsville FD, West Weathersfield FD, Reed Truck Services, Department of Agency of Transportation, Department of Natural Resources, Vermont HAZMAT and other local companies. Route 131, between the 103/131 intersection and Downers (131/106 intersection) was closed from about 4 am until 11 pm.

• How a Small Quarry Could Have a Big Effect on Vermont’s Land Use Law

• Whisper Room Dedication to Spencer Huntley at RVTC: Spencer lived in Cavendish, graduating from CTES and GMUHS. A former RVTC student, Spencer, at age 18, died in a tragic car accident October 2011. His parents, Mark and Sharon, are Cavendish residents. VT Journal

• VTrans Winter Weather Central: Learn more about road conditions, routes of plows, highway cams, alerts etc.

2. COVID UPDATE: For local information on testing, vaccinations, boosters, notifying contacts as well as other resources, including those for people with  Long Covid, please see the Cavendish COVID-19 Resource Guide.

WEEKLY DATA:

Cavendish & Surrounding Towns: For the week ending Dec. 22, Cavendish had 6 new cases; Ludlow 7; Chester 12; Springfield 78 and Weathersfield 13. For the week ending Dec. 29, Cavendish had 2 new cases (95 total); Ludlow 14 (186); Chester 16 (388); Springfield 51 (1,317) and Weathersfield 5 (189).

Schools: The VT Dept of Health’s school report for Dec. 27, reports no new case for CTES (3 total); Chester Andover (15 total); or Ludlow Elementary (8 total). GMUHS had 2 new cases (20 total). There were 201 new cases last week in Vermont schools and 3,208 cases since the start of the school year. 

Area Nursing Homes: Springfield Rivers Nursing & Rehab is reported to have 6 cumulative cases.

State: Tuesday’s modeling  has been overshadowed by the significant increase in daily case counts. Wednesday set a new one day record of 940, which was broken on Thursday with 1,352 new cases. No data will be provided again until Monday, but it is anticipated that the numbers will be high thanks to the combination of omicron’s high transmission rate and the holidays.

Of Wednesday and Thursday’s new cases, approximately 85% were among the unvaccinated. Data continues to reflect that those who are unvaccinated or even partially vaccinated are most at risk for hospitalizations, ICU care and death.

 Currently 56 people are in the hospital, including 19 in the ICU. Deaths increased by 53 in December, 471 total, with one person in their 30s dying from Covid.

Seropositivity (percentage of tests that are positive) is now up to 7.3%. Note that the data for test results is going to be skewed and less useful as the emphasis becomes more on home testing and self-reporting.

TESTING & REPORTING: With the rapid home test give away for the holidays, the VT Dept. of Health (VDH) ushered in their new approach to testing. VDH has stated that going forward more of the testing will be done using rapid antigen test as well as the LAMP, which has the accuracy of the PCR, but can provide results in under an hour without a lab. LAMP tests were distributed over the holiday for home use.

Self-testing requires self-reporting, which may or may not happen. As Dr. Levine, VT’s Health Commissioner noted, “The days of case counts being the primary endpoint to look at are over for sure. The challenge now is to be “laser-focused on … preserving the capacity of our health care system, making sure that we know day-to-day, hour-to-hour, where we are in terms of hospital beds, ICU beds, etc.”

 We will lose a lot of information with the advent of at-home antigen and PCR testing. And the reality is concepts like percent positivity, which really have been very helpful in managing the pandemic, will not become calculable, because we won’t have a denominator anymore… If a person is actually going to report their test results to the health department, they’re probably more likely to report a positive result than a negative result.

So focusing on cases makes it look like some wildfire’s wildly out of control. But the reality is, if more people than not are getting colds and mild flu-like symptoms and are better in a few days, that’s adding to the immunity of the population at large. Putting that together with vaccine-mediated immunity, getting people to a level of immunity where this will become, for our future, a more endemic virus — part of the background, just like a common cold, and hopefully nothing more serious will come. 

Most scientists believe that Covid-19 will become endemic-it will be in the community and will surface periodically. Historically, most pandemics last between 2 1/2-3 years. As the virus mutates, and more people in a community become immune, through prior infections or vaccinations, it circulates at a much lower more manageable level.

A good example is the 1918 flu pandemic, which has never disappeared but rather continued to mutate so it became a less serious health issue. The hope is that omicron, with its high transmissibility, may be what takes Covid-19 from pandemic to endemic.

RAPID COVID TESTS FOR K-12 STUDENTS: Families with children in kindergarten through grade 12 can pick up one kit per child at one of the Agency of Transportation sites today from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Locations closest to Cavendish include:

• Chester 165 Elm St.

• Londonderry 158 Derry Woods Rd

• Ludlow 91 Route 100 North

• Springfield 12 Missing Link Rd.

• Windsor 1640 US Route 5 North

• White River Junction 226 Beswick Dr.

Name and school of the student(s) will be required to pick up the tests Families should complete the online registration.

Tests should be administered at least 24 hours apart, starting two days before school begins. Example: Jan 1 (Sat) Take the first test; Jan 2 (Sun) Take the 2nd test. If both tests are negative they can return to school on Monday, Jan. 3. Children experiencing any Covid-19 symptom should remain at home.

ISOLATION & QUARANTINE PERIODS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced new guidelines this week.

If you test positive for Covid: People with COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.

If you are exposed to Covid and are vaccinated/boosted: Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure. Best practice includes a Covid test 5 days after exposure.

If you are exposed but not vaccinated or fully vaccinated: For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days. Alternatively, if a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure. Best practice includes a Covid test 5 days after exposure.

OTHER NEWS

• 86 Killington Resort employees test positive for Covid-19

• Studies indicate J&J Covid-19 vaccine booster protects people against severe illness from Omicron variant

• Thousands who ‘followed the rules’ are about to get covid. They shouldn’t be ashamed.

3. EVENTS

DECEMBER 31 (FRIDAY) New Year’s Eve Town Office Closed

JANUARY 1 (SATURDAY): HAPPY NEW YEAR! Transfer Station Closed

JANUARY 5 (WEDNESDAY): Select Board Budget Meeting 6-8 pm at the Town Office

JANUARY 10 (MONDAY): Monthly Select Board Meeting 6:30 pm at the Town office

JANUARY 15 (SATURDAY): Monthly Utility bills due

JANUARY 17 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King’s Day Town Officer Closed

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

    IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 12/24/21: Elections/News/Christmas

VIEW THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE DAILY FOR THE LATEST NEWS

12/24/21

1.    Cavendish Info

2.    Cavendish Open Election Positions

3.    Covid update

4.    Events 

Transfer Station Closed Saturday, Dec 25 and Saturday, Jan 1

Church services appear in Events Section

NORAD Santa Tracker is live.

Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 10 pm tonight to 8 am Sunday

Merry Christmas

1. CAVENDISH INFO

• Cavendish Christmas Ghost Story 2021: Enjoy this year’s Christmas tale of what the Cavendish ghosts have been up to at the CHS Blog.

• Ludlow Rotary Tornado Relief Effort:: The Ludlow Rotary is collecting donations to assist those in Kentucky who were impacted by the recent tornados. From now until January 12, the following items can be dropped off at Cota & Cota or Benson’s in Ludlow: Coats, socks, non-perishable foods, diapers, can openers, towels, feminine products, cleaning supplies, shoes, water, baby formula and bottles, batteries, blankets, personal care items, pet care items, and under garments. For children, toys, books, art supplies, stuffed animals, Legos. Items should be new or very gently used. FMI: Kate Lampert 802-228-4000

• New Executive Director for Mount Ascutney Regional Commission (Regional Planning): Tom Kennedy is stepping down as Executive Director of MARC and will be the Director of Community Development effective January 1st.   Jason Rasmussen, currently MARC’s Director of Planning, will replace Kennedy as MARC’s executive director.

• Free Efficiency VT Kit: Efficiency Vermont is offering Vermonters a free kit of general purpose LEDs and water-saving devices. Get your FREE kit today and start saving money on energy bills. This offer is only available for a limited time. This kit contains one (1) 60w Tuneable Wifi LED A19, five (5) 60w LED A19, three (3) 40w LED A19, two (2) 75w LED A19, one (1) 1.5 GPM fixed showerhead, one (1) kitchen aerator, and one (1) bathroom aerator. A $34 value, it’s free. Order by going to the Efficiency VT website. Note this does not apply to second home owners.

• VT Everyone Eats Program Extended: Vermont Everyone Eats, a program that addresses food insecurity by providing a weekly meal to residents through the state, has been extended through April 1, providing an additional three months of meals from its originally scheduled conclusion at the end of this year.

2. CAVENDISH OPEN ELECTION POSITIONS: The list of open elected positions for the Town of Cavendish is available below. Please call the Town Clerk’s Office at 802-226-7292 if you are interested in filling out a petition to run for any of these positions.

• One year position: Town Moderator; Town Agent; Auditor, Select Board (2 vacancies); Town Grand Juror; Trustee of Public Funds; GMUSD Director

• Two Year Position: Auditor

• Three Year Position: Auditor; Select Board; Trustee of Public Funds; GMUSD Director

• Five Year Position: Library Trustee

3. COVID-19 UPDATE: For local information on testing, vaccinations, boosters, notifying contacts as well as other resources, including those for people with  Long Covid, please see the Cavendish COVID-19 Resource Guide.

WEEKLY DATA:

Cavendish & Surrounding Towns: Cavendish had 7 new cases (87 total) this past week, Ludlow 5 (165 total); Chester 39 (360 total); Springfield had 104 new cases (1,188 total) and Weathersfield 25 (1761 total).

Schools: The VT Dept of Health’s school report for Dec. 20, reports 1 new case for CTES (3 total) and 1 at Green Mountain Union High School (18 total). There were no new cases at Chester (15 total) or Ludlow Elementary (8 total) schools. There were 278 cases last week in Vermont schools and 3,003 cases since the start of the school year.  Note-there will be no school data until after the new year.

State: Tuesday’s modeling showed a  decrease in cases, 16% over the last 14 days. It is anticipated that the combination of the holidays and omicron will send cases soaring, potentially reaching 1,000 or more new cases a day. Nationally, omicron is now the dominant strain in the USA, having reached that status in just a few weeks. Though VT reported its first case of omicron on Dec. 18, it’s been spreading since early December. 

Those 18-64 and not fully vaccinated were 46X more likely to be hospitalized over the last 6 weeks than those fully vaccinated & boosted. Those not fully vaccinated were 34X more likely to die from Covid-19 over the last 6 weeks compared to those fully vaccinated and boosted. Hospitalizations by vaccination status for this age group are as follows: For not fully vaccinated 112, hospitalizations per 100K; fully vaccinated but not boosted 12 hospitalizations per 100K; fully vaccinated & boosted 2.4 hospitalizations per 100K

Seropositivity (percentage of tests that are positive) has dropped from 4.8% to 4.3% in the last week. Vt has had 60,265 cases, 460 deaths with 53 people in hospital, 17 in the ICU.  

THE GOOD NEWS: Two large new studies-from the UK and South Africa-were published on Wednesday. They found that people who get COVID-19 infections caused by the Omicron variant are less likely to need hospital care, compared with those infected by the Delta variant. The first analysis found that overall, people infected by Omicron had about a 20% reduced risk of needing any hospital care for their infections and a 40% lower risk of an overnight hospital stay, compared to those infected with Delta. The second study, compared to people infected with the Delta variant, those with presumed Omicron infections were about 70% less likely to have severe disease.

This week the FDA granted emergency use authorization of two new antiviral pills, Merck’s molnupiravir and Pfizer's ritonavir plus nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid)   to treat people with symptomatic COVID-19 and who are at high risk of death or hospitalization. It is available by prescription only and should be taken as soon as possible after diagnosis and within 5 days of the start of symptoms.

Omicron in South Africa appears to be subsiding just as quickly as it grew. It’s expected that other countries will follow a similar pattern.

TESTING FOR THE HOLIDAYS: The state is preparing for holiday testing with 16 pop-up clinics. If you want a free PCR or LAMP test at a Health Dept. site, you will need to register on-line. More testing options will be added based on demand, so check the state site frequently.

Free Rapid Antigen Take Home Tests are available on the following dates and in various location. Below are the sites closest to Cavendish. There is no registration for these tests as they are distributed on a first come, first serve basis. Plan in advance for high demand and wait times. Yesterday’s test allocations were distributed within the first hour or two of opening. Each kit contains 2 tests. For Agency of Transportation sites, there is a limit of two kits per household. For other public test sites, it’s one kit per person present.

• Rutland: 275 Stratton Road 11 am -5 pm Dec. 30th

-       Rutland Regional Medical Center 160 Allen St.  9-10 and 4-6, Dec. 30

• Springfield 51 Pearl St., Level 2 10-4 Dec. 30th.

• White River Junction, Agency of Transportation, 223 Beswick Drive. 8-Noon Dec. 24, 28 and 29th

• Windsor-Mt Ascutney Hosp. 289 County Rd 9-12:30 and 1-4:00 Dec. 30th

• Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 417 Canal ST. 2-6 pm Dec. 30th

• Manchester Northshire Rescue (6041 Main St.) Dec. 24, 27 and 28 from 8-Noon. 

For other locations, check the state website.

If you test positive on a home test-Isolate and call your primary care provider. Do not go to the emergency rooms for PCR testing. ERs are being filled with asymptomatic Covid + people looking for a PCR test and it’s having a negative impact on patient care.

GATHER SAFELY: To help slow the spread, below are ways to protect yourself and others:

• Vaccinate and/or get your booster shot

• Have the vaccination/booster conversation with those you plan to gather with

• Stay outdoors when you can

• Keep groups small and with  people who you know

• Wear a mask in-doors in public setting or around people who may be at higher risk. Avoid crowed spaces

• Test before and after an event

UPGRADE YOUR MASK: Check With omicron, you need a mask that means business, to learn more the masks that will help protect you from this new variant. Time to ditch the cloth mask for an N95.

4. EVENTS

DECEMBER 24 (FRIDAY): Christmas Eve Town Office Closed

-       Cavendish Baptist Church Christmas Eve service will be at 6 pm. In-person and virtual via Facebook Live.   If you attend in-person, please wear a mask and practice physical distancing. FMI: www.CavendishBaptist.com or 802-226-7131

-       St. James Methodist Church (Proctorsville)-7 pm service

-       Annunciation Catholic Church (Ludlow): Services at 5 pm and 9 pm.

-      For other area Christmas services

DECEMBER 25 (SATURDAY): MERRY CHRISTMAS Cavendish Transfer Station Closed.

-       Annunciation Catholic Church (Ludlow): 10 am

DECEMBER 26 (SUNDAY)-DECEMBER 31 (SATURDAY): HAPPY KWANZAA

DECEMBER 31 (FRIDAY) New Year’s Eve Town Office Closed

JANUARY 1 (SATURDAY): HAPPY NEW YEAR! Transfer Station Closed

JANUARY 17 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King’s Day Town Officer Closed

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

   IF YOU READ THIS PLEASE HELP SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS

Cavendish Update 12/17/21: SB Mtg/Composting/Masks Required/News

VIEW THE CAVENDISH VT FACEBOOK PAGE DAILY FOR THE LATEST NEWS You don’t have to be a Facebook subscriber to see this page.

12/17/21

1.    Cavendish Select Board Mtg 12/13/21

2. Cavendish Info

3.    Cavendish Transfer Station: Composting

4.    Covid update

5.    Events

Masks required in all indoor public spaces in Cavendish

Winter Weather Advisory Saturday 6-8 inches possible

Holiday concert Saturday at St. James Methodist 5 pm

Calcutta’s Gift Giveaway Sat. 12-2 Cavendish Fire Dept and 2-4 at the Proctorsvile Fire Dept.

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 12/13/21: A video of the Select board (SB) meeting is available at the Okemo Valley TV website. Minutes of the Select Board will be available at the Cavendish Municipal website. Both the Chester Telegraph and the Vermont Journal  have filed reports on this meeting.

The following actions/discussions took place at the meeting:

• Mask Rule Requirement: The board adopted the VT League of Cities and Towns Rule for masking. It is effective immediately and will be reviewed at the monthly SB meetings. Note that because it is a Rule, it cannot be changed by a petition.  Ludlow has passed a similar mandate, while Weathersfield has a modified requirement pertaining to town office buildings. Holiday surgical masks are available for free at the Cavendish Post Office. The CHS Cares Closet (next to the Museum) also has masks available 24/7.

• ARPA eligible projects: Brendan McNamara, town manager, is working with regional planning regarding the use of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding. The town has received half of its allotment (slightly more than $200,000) and McNamara has been developing a list of potential projects, which include: water, wastewater, storm water (includes culvert replacement); updating the pump station; digitizing land records; upgrading software for hybrid systems for meetings; and replacing water meters.

•  ‘Mineral Rights Request’ regarding ‘Narbut’ Property on Rt 131. The Town owns the mineral rights on the 65 acres owned by Vincent Narbut, who is looking to sell his property. Narbut would like the Town to give up their “rights.” The board agreed that the town should retain them, but offer a compromise of delaying extraction based on various factors. McNamara will draft a letter to this effect. 

• Select Board budget process. First meeting is Wed. Jan 5 from 6-8.

• Recent ruling by the Supreme Court and Act 250: Cavendish has no zoning. A recent decision issued by the Vermont Supreme Court would change the way Act 250 functions in towns without zoning and subdivision regulations. With implications for Cavendish, the SB will discuss this issue at the January monthly meeting, inviting the Planning Commission to attend. VT Digger posted an article in November, In towns with no zoning, reopened Supreme Court decision has big implications for Act 250.

2. CAVENDISH INFO

• Calcutta’s Gift Giveaway: The Calcutta crew will be at the Cavendish Fire Station from 12-2 p.m., and Proctorsville Fire Station from 2-4 p.m. with free gifts and cheer for local children. They will then return to Calcutta’s to meet with Ludlow’s Fire Department and local children from 4-6 p.m. Free buffet from 4-8 p.m. Everyone is invited. Free gift for all kids 16 and younger.

• Benson’s Toys for Tots: Benson’s Chevrolet in Ludlow  is supporting the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Help fill their truck with assorted toys (e.g. books, crayons, puzzles, trucks, cars, games etc.) for those who are in need. Unwrapped toys can be dropped off until Dec. 23rd. FMI: 802-228-4000 or www.bensonchevy.com

• Cavendish Historical Society leads a Christmas Ghost Walk

3. TRANSFER STATION: COMPOSTING: The town’s Energy Committee has recently released a statement regarding what is, and what is not, compostable at the Town Transfer Station.

The town’s transfer station has onsite composting. What must stay out of the trash and 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 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.

Plastic bags are not compostable-they can be recycled at Shaw’s and other grocery stores. Dump the contents into the pile and either throw the plastic into the trash or take it home and clean it for recycling. Most plastic food containers and utensils are likewise 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. Please no plastic or containers in the Transfer Station compost pile!

Read the full statement from the Energy Committee

4. COVID UPDATE: For local information on testing, vaccinations, boosters, notifying contacts as well as other resources, including those for people with  Long Covid, please see the Cavendish COVID-19 Resource Guide.

WEEKLY DATA; Cavendish & Surrounding Towns: While Cavendish had 3 new cases (80 total) this past, Springfield had 110 new cases, surpassing 1,000 cases (1,084 total). Ludlow had 8 cases (160 total), Chester 22  (321 total) and Weathersfield 28 (151 total). Windsor County is now experiencing a sharp rise in cases, and along with Rutland, and Bennington counties, are the highest in the state

Schools: The VT Dept of Health’s school report for Dec. 13, reports no new cases at CTES or Ludlow Elementary. Green Mountain had 3 new cases (17 total), while Chester Elementary had one new case (15 total). There were 258 cases last week in Vermont schools and 2,749 cases since the start of the school year. 

State: At Tuesday’s press conference, Gov. Scott and his team stressed that the current surge squarely rests on the 5% of VT adults who are un vaccinated. They account for about 75% of hospitalizations. Last week, there were days the unvaccinated made up 90% of the Covid patients in the ICU…The vast majority of Vermonters have stepped up, done the right thing, and gotten vaccinated. And as a result, they’re not the problem. I simply can’t justify going back into a state of emergency, putting restrictions on the 95% of Vermont adults who have done the right thing and gotten vaccinated, when the problem is being driven by less than 5% of that population - unvaccinated adults - who by now have had every opportunity to get vaccinated and have decided not to. Secretary Mike Smith took it a step further by describing the high costs of treating the unvaccinated as well as the negative impact it’s having on the health care system.

Tuesday’s Modeling showed that VT cases have decreased 15% over the last 7 days and increased 31% over the last 14 days. Those not fully vaccinated were 34X more likely to die from Covid-19 over the last 6 weeks compared to those fully vaccinated and boosted. VT reported 350 fewer cases this week compared to last week, though Dec.

Seropositivity (percentage of tests that are positive) has dropped from 4.8% to 4.6% in the last week. Vt has had 57,333 cases, 448 deaths (30 so far in December) with 60 people in hospital, 19 in the ICU.  

TESTING: In an effort to try and lessen the anticipated increase in cases from the holidays, Mike Smith said Tuesday that the state is purchasing more LAMP tests and rapid at home tests. In response to an inquiry yesterday about which health department testing sites would be offering LAMP (results similar to a PCR are available in less than an hour), VT Department of Health responded by saying, Currently, the health department is not providing at-home test kits directly to Vermont residents. The provision of LAMP testing for COVID-19 through select health department sites is being considered. Specific details and logistics have not been finalized. At-home rapid tests may available at some major pharmacies and retail outlets. The health department is not currently recommending one brand over another. Note that many test sites are closed on Dec. 24.

OMICRON: While Vermont has yet to have a case of the new variant, all of the surrounding states, and Canada have cases. Omicron is spreading like wild fire. In a week, it went from 0.4% cases in the US to 2.9%. In New York and New Jersey, approximately 13% of Covid cases are omicron. Yesterday, NYC health officials reported that the positivity rate had doubled in three days.

Dr. Fauci said on Thursday, omicron “ has an extraordinary ability to transmit efficiently and spread. It has what we call a doubling time of about three days and if you do the math on that, if you have just a couple of percentage of the isolates being omicron, very soon it's going to be the dominant variant.”

Preliminary data on the first 43 people in the US who have been infected with the variant, show that half were 19 to 39 years old, and 34 had been fully vaccinated. Nine people had received a booster shot at least 2 weeks prior to becoming infected.  Most people experienced only mild symptoms, which is what would be expected from a group of fully vaccinated individuals. Medscape

There is a very high rate of transmission associated with omicron variant as well as a much higher rate of breakthrough cases, though those who have had booster shots seem to have better protection. Research, released on Wednesday gives a clue why this might be happening. Compared to the earlier Delta variant, omicron multiplies itself 70 times more quickly in tissues that line airway passages, which may facilitate person-to-person spread. But in lung tissues, Omicron replicates 10 times more slowly than the original version of the coronavirus, which might contribute to less-severe illness.

What We Can Learn from the 1918 Flu Pandemic as the Omicron Variant Spreads

5 .EVENTS

DECEMBER 18 (SATURDAY): St. James Methodist Church (Proctorsville), Christmas Concert, 5 pm. Free Admission. Donations welcome

-       The Calcutta crew will be at the Cavendish Fire Station from 12-2 p.m., and Proctorsville Fire Station from 2-4 p.m. with free gifts and cheer for local children. They will then return to Calcutta’s to meet with Ludlow’s Fire Department and local children from 4-6 p.m. Free buffet from 4-8 p.m. Everyone is invited. Free gift for all kids 16 and younger.

DECEMBER 23 (THURSDAY)-JANUARY 2 (SUNDAY): Schools’ holiday break

DECEMBER 24 (FRIDAY): Christmas Eve Town Office Closed

DECEMBER 25 (SATURDAY): MERRY CHRISTMAS

DECEMBER 26 (SUNDAY)-DECEMBER 31 (SATURDAY): HAPPY KWANZA

DECEMBER 31 (FRIDAY) New Year’s Eve Town Office Closed

JANUARY 17 (MONDAY): Martin Luther King’s Day Town Officer Closed

CA❤︎ENDSH VAXXING & MASKING TO PROTECT SELF & OTHERS

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