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9/23/22
1. Regional (includes Cavendish) Plan Data/Public Hearing
2. Talk on the Columbian Exchange
3. Cavendish Info
4. Covid update
5. Events
1. REGIONAL (includes Cavendish) PLAN DATA/PUBLIC HEARING : The Mount Ascutney Regional Commission (MARC), of which Cavendish and surrounding towns are members, has prepared updates to their Regional Plan, including Volumes 1 and 2 (Regional Transportation Plan). They are not proposing changes to Volume 3 (Enhanced Energy Plan) at this time.
The Regional Profile provides an important overview of trends in Cavendish as well as the region. Among the findings
- The Region’s population is aging, with 24.1% (5,677) of residents falling within the 65+ age bracket according to 2020 Census data, while the Region’s proportion of school age children (ages 18 and under) continues to decline in the same way it has since 1970, declining from 19.3% to 17.2% of the Region from 2010 to 2020. Note: CTES is very much in line with this trend, with only 75 students this year.
- Cavendish’s Median Income (2010) of $57,792 increased to $70,938 by 2020
- Cavendish’s annual income of $41,304 is below the state’s average of $54,075
- Cavendish’s Housing Unit Growth decreased by 44.5% from 852 in 2000 to 473 in 2020. The only town with a greater decline was Ludlow, who went from 3,001 in 2000 to 839 in 2020, a 72% decrease.
- Cavendish’s Seasonal Housing Unit Growth went from 195 in 2000 to 417 in 2020, a 113.8% increase.
- In 2020, seasonal housing units made up roughly 38% of the Region’s housing stock, with 3,961 total units. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many second home owners stayed in their vacation homes more permanently and many out-of-staters bought properties in the Region. It is not clear at this point, the proportion of these individuals that will become year-round residents or move back to their primary homes elsewhere.
The Housing Chapter was revised substantially to address the dire housing situation. The Land Use Chapter was comprehensively rewritten based on feedback from an ad hoc committee. The proposed Regional Plan documents are available for review online. Please submit comments to Jason Rasmussen A public hearing is scheduled on Oct. 14 at 12:00 pm
2. TALK ON THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE: In 1491, the world was in many of its aspects and characteristics a minimum of two worlds—the New World, of the Americas, and the Old World, consisting of Eurasia and Africa. Columbus brought them together, and almost immediately and continually ever since, we have had an exchange of native plants, animals and diseases moving back and forth across the oceans between the two worlds. A great deal of the economic, social, political history of the world is involved in the exchange of living organisms between the two worlds. Alfred W. Crosby, author of The Columbian Exchange.
It is estimated that 60% of the current world food supply originated in the Americas. Thanks to the excellent farming skills of Americas first people, crops like corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes offset famine in China, Europe and Africa. Just one aspect of the Columbian Exchange, the Cavendish Historical Society will be discussing at a talk on the Exchange Oct. 8 (Sunday), 2 pm at the CHS Museum.
This is the last day the Museum will be open for the season. The event is free and open to the public. FMI: 802-226-7807 or margocaulfield@icloud.com
3. CAVENDISH INFO
SCAM ALERT GMP: Green Mountain Power (BMP) is alerting customers about a scam. The scammers claim to be from GMP, demand immediate payment and threaten to cut off power if not paid right away. GMP would never do that, and you should hang up - it is a scam.
Customers are urged that if you get a call like this you should hang up, and:
- Do not provide payment or personal information
- Do not engage with the caller
- Do not call back that number
- Call GMP Customer Service at 888-835-4672 to report the call, and any details about it, like the number it came from, the caller’s name, and what the caller said
Customers are also encouraged to report this scam to the Vermont Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program at 800-649-2424 (in state) or 802-656-3183 or online..
• Pasta Supper to Help Bob Williams: CTES is holding a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for bus driver Bob Williams on Thursday, Sept. 29 from 5-7 PM at the George Thomson Multi Purpose Room at CTES. Tickets are $5 per person/$20 for family of 5 or more. Children 4 and under free. Gluten free pasta is available. The menu includes: pasta with butter, meat or tomato sauce, garlic bread, dessert, ice tea or lemonade. The dinner/fundraiser is being sponsored by the CTES Faculty/Staff and Parent Teacher Group. Donations can also be made to the Williams Go Fund Me page.
• Household Hazardous Waste Collection: The household hazardous waste (HHW) depot, was opened in June. The new facility in is Springfield. Make an appointment, come in with your HHW, pay $10, have your vehicle unloaded, and be on your way. No more waiting in long lines at the 4-hour collections. The Depot is open two mornings a week through September; and will be open on Sept. 25. After that the HHW depot will be closed until May 2023. Call Mary O’Brien at 802-674-9235 to schedule an appointment. Click here for a list of what we accept.
• Meals on Wheels (MOW), other Providers told to cut back in Windsor County: Home-delivered meal providers in Windsor and Windham counties are being asked to reduce the number of recipients by 25% due to a budget shortfall at Senior Solutions, the agency that distributes the funding. Food providers are scrambling to adjust their budgets and get more funding before the start of the October 1 fiscal year to avoid cutting vulnerable seniors out of their programs. There are 20 food providers in two counties that receive funding from Senior Solutions. Some are cutting down on the number of days they deliver meals, eliminating takeout meals, cutting back on mass meals or enforcing waiting lists, which providers have long feared it will. will be necessary. But Mark Bothwell, executive director of Senior Solutions, noted a significant difference in the one-quarter cut. “We are working with food sites to reduce their participant roster by approximately 25%, which is not the same as reducing their budget by 25%,” Boutwell wrote in an email. “There is a defined process of food recipient eligibility assessment and need prioritization in the state which we are using in association with food sites to identify individuals who are now at home following the self-isolation protocol of the COVID-19 pandemic. Food may not be required.”
In Cavendish, the Black River Senior Center will stop delivering MOW on Oct. 1.
On Oct. 6 (Thursday), a free Community Lunch will be held at Noon at the Ludlow Community Center Cafeteria, 37 Main St. Ludlow. A homestyle Harvest Meal menu will include baked ham, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, brown bread, Mac & Cheese, candied Yams, coleslaw, apple crips and ice cream. The chief will be Cavendish resident Vicki Mastroianni. This meal is provided by Black River Good Neighbor Services. Valley News
• Expanded Chester Dental Center hosts Open House on Sept. 30: North Star Health will host an open house on Friday, Sept. 30 at the recently expanded Chester Dental Center, 55 VT Route 11. Guided tours of the state-of-the-art facilities, including four new dental treatment rooms where routine to complex oral health care takes place, will be offered from 5 to 7 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and short program, followed by light refreshments, will begin at 5:30 p.m.
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: Available Monday-Friday at the Cavendish Fire Dept from 9-4. For weekends and off hours, call 802-226-7807.
Schools: From 9/18-9/22 Covid cases were reported as follows:
CTES: No new case, 10 since the start of school
GMUHS: No new cases, 4 cases since the start of school
Ludlow Elementary: 2 new case for a total of 3 cases since the start of school
State: The current VT Dept of Health Weekly Report Sept.11-Sept 17, continues to report statewide community levels as low, with two counties reporting “medium” levels-Rutland and Bennington.
• New hospital admissions with Covid: 39 new admissions (increase by 2 from last week’s 37)
• Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by patients with Covid: 3.17% (increase from last week’s 3.05%%)
• Outbreaks: As of Saturday, there were 14 active outbreaks- 11 at schools, 2 in Long term care and 1 in a non-LTC Healthcare. There are 2 active outbreaks listed for Windsor County.
• Deaths: 4 deaths have now been reported for September, with 719 Vermonters having died since the start of the pandemic.
Vaccine Bivalent Boosters: Rite Aid in Ludlow is offering the Pfizer’s Bivalent vaccine It’s also available at the state’s walk-in clinics. Unfortunately there is a shortage of the Moderna Bivalent Booster as one factory used in producing the vaccine remains offline following a safety inspection.
5. EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 25-27 (SUNDAY-TUESDAY): Rosh Hashanah
SEPTEMBER 29 (THURSDAY): Benefit pasta supper for Bob Williams
OCTOBER 4-5 (TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY): Yom Kippur
OCTOBER 6 (THURSDAY): Free Community Lunch Noon at the Ludlow Community Center Cafeteria, 37 Main St. Ludlow. A homestyle Harvest Meal menu will include baked ham, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, brown bread, Mac & Cheese, candied Yams, coleslaw, apple crips and ice cream. The chief will be Cavendish resident Vicki Mastroianni. This meal is provided by Black River Good Neighbor Services.
OCTOBER 9 (SUNDAY): Talk on the “Columbian Exchange,” which refers to the transfer of plants, animals, precious metals, commodities, culture, human populations, technology, disease and ideas between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia, 2 pm at the Cavendish Historical Society Museum. This is the last Sunday the Museum is open. This event is free and open to the public. FMI: 802-226-7807 or margocaulfield@icloud.com
OCTOBER 10 (MONDAY): Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Town Office Closed
OCTOBER 31 (MONDAY): Happy Halloween
NOVEMBER 9 (TUESDAY): Election Day! Proctorsville Fire Dept. 10-7. Town Office Closed
NOVEMBER 11 (FRIDAY): Veteran’s Day Town Office Closed
NOVEMBER 24 (THURSDAY): HAPPY THANKSGIVING
NOVEMBER 25 (FRIDAY): Town Office Closed
DECEMBER 3-4 (SATURDAY-SUNDAY): Okemo Valley INNdulgence Tour. Enjoy holiday decorations, warm drinks and tasty treats at nearly a dozen inns in the Okemo Valley. From noon-5 pm, tickets are $15 per person.
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