Cavendish Update 1/23/09

This issue of the Cavendish Update is made possible by the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA), a non-profit membership organization that is dedicated to the conservation of land and natural resources and to the preservation of historic sites within the context of sustainable economic growth. FMI: PO Box 605, Cavendish VT 05142 or 802-226-7736

The 1/23/09 Cavendish Update Contains
1. Cavendish in the News
2. Is there a Cavendish Champ, Memphre or Bigfoot?
3. Cavendish Library Book Club
4. CTES School Budget for 2009-2010
5. GMUHS Annual Meeting
6. Cavendish Earth Week April 20-26
7. Upcoming Events
8. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: Why Use Them/What happens if they break
9. Events for February Cavendish Calendar

1. Cavendish in the News
• Cavendish First Responders Join Ludlow Ambulance Squad http://www.vermontjournal.com/Articles-c-2009-01-13-50395.113122_Cavendish_first_responders_join_Ludlow_Ambulance_Squad.html

• Cavendish Fire Department Receives Grant http://www.vermontjournal.com/Articles-c-2009-01-13-50394.113122_Cavendish_Volunteer_Fire_Dept_receives_grant.html

• Robber Hits Ludlow Rite Aid http://www.RutlandHerald.com/article/20090122/NEWS/901220277

• Cavendish Solar Store: Alternative Energy Leader
http://www.MessageForTheWeek.com/MSG/story/090121-jem-SOLAR

2. Is there a Cavendish Champ, Memphre or Bigfoot?
The following request has been sent by Joe Citro, Native Vermonter, novelist, and public radio commentator, http://www.josephacitro.com“I'm hoping you can help me with some research I'm doing for a new book to be published by the University Press of New England. I'm trying to collect tales about Vermont Monsters. I'm looking for critters more obscure than Champ, Memphre, or Bigfoot. These might be the sorts of tales you heard when you were a kid sitting around the campfire. For example, I have the story of a 300-pound leech supposedly living in a pond in Sharon. And a "swamp monster" said to hang out in St. George. And of course there's Old Slipperyskin up in the Northeast Kingdom, who may have bear a bear. . . but maybe not!

I'm not asking you to take the time write the story, just alert me to what might be hiding in your local woods, sky, and lakes. Or possibly suggest folklorist or yarn spinner I might talk to. Questions? Comments? Information? Please drop me an email or give me a call. Thank you in advance for helping me to keep Vermont's legendary monsters alive. With all best wishes --Joe Citro”

If you have a story, you can contact Citro as follows:Joseph A. Citro, 217 St. Paul St.Burlington VT 05401, 802-863-8751

3. Cavendish Library Book Club
The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library Book Club is currently reading "Tirra Lirra by the River" by Jessica Anderson. The club will meet on Wednesday, February 18 at 3:30 to discuss the book. Copies are available at the circulation desk. FMI 226-7503

4. CTES School Budget for 2009-2010
The January 21-27 edition of “The Message” contains a warning of a public information meeting for the Cavendish Town Elementary School District on March 2 at 7 pm, immediately following adjournment of the Annual Meeting. Voting on the school budget will take place on March 3 by Australian Ballot. Polling times are 10 am- 7 pm at the Cavendish Elementary School. This year, four positions for the School Board will be voted on.

The CTES Principal George Thomson has provided the following information about the budget. “The administration is pleased to propose a lower budget than last year. The proposed budget for 2009-10 is $1,754,014 down $48,288 from the current year's budget of $1,802,302. As a reminder, the Cavendish Town School District budget is made up of the Cavendish Town Elementary School, EEE (Early Essential Education) and the Collaborative Preschool. The proposed Elementary School budget is lower than last year by 1.53%. The EEE budget is up slightly but it is reimbursed in its entirety as noted on the revenue page. The Cooperative Preschool budget is down by 30%. Through careful administration and oversight of the budget, the fund balance for the FY '08 is $73,658 less than the previous year. As a result of all of the above, the estimated amount of money to be raised by taxes is down by 4.92% or an estimated reduction of 13.8 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The estimated education spending per equalized pupil is projected to be $13,951 down $1,344 from the current year.”

5. GMUHS Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Green Mountain Union High School District meeting will be held on Feb. 24 at 7:00 pm at the High School in Chester.

6. Cavendish Earth Week April 20-26
In keeping with National Earth Day, April 22, a group of businesses and organizations are planning the first ever Cavendish Earth Week. The activities of the week will include a series of workshops, culminated by a daylong workshop on Saturday April 25 and a Cavendish sustainable house tour on April 26. Five key areas will be discussed during this week: Sustainable Eating/Sustainable Gardening; Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Building, Sustainable Living and Sustainable Life: Global Warming and Cavendish. Organizations already involved are the Cavendish Solar Store; Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA); Cavendish Historical Society and Calabrese Architects. If you are interested in volunteering to help plan and implement this week of activities, and/or are interested in being a sponsor, please e-mail margoc@tds.net or call 802/226-7807. The planning committee meets on Mondays, 1 pm at the Solar Store in Cavendish.

7. Upcoming Events
January 26 (Monday): Water Board Meeting, 5 pm at the Cavendish Town Office
• Select Board Meeting-Continuation of budget planning
January 30 (Friday): ONE MORE TIME---TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE! The Black & White Nights film series is back in Cavendish with a line-up of six great classic films, beginning Friday January 30. First in the series will be the American western, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, with Humphrey Bogart. Film series founders have tried in vain for two winters to showcase this film but were forced by snow and ice storms to cancel each time it was scheduled. Tempting Mother Nature one more time, this gem is scheduled to be the first film in this winter's program. Made in 1948 and directed by John Huston, Treasure of the Sierra Madre won three Academy Awards. In this tale of greed and corruption three friends head for the hills in search of gold, only to find madness and destruction. A vintage poster for the film advertises, "The nearer they get to their treasure the farther they get from the law! Films are shown at Cavendish Town Elementary School on Rte. 131 in Proctorsville and begin at 7:00. FMI: 226-7187 or 226-7503.

January 30-Feb 1 (Friday-Sunday): Winter Carnival in Ludlow FMI: 802-228-8811 and ask for Joe "The Viking King" Karl or http://www.okemovalleyvt.org/event-planning/event-details.aspx?id=48
• Summit Soapworks' at 106 Main Street 10% of all sales will benefit the Ludlow Teen Center’s Big Buddy’s Program. FMI: 228-4900

January 31 (Saturday): Create a small, seamless felted wool purse, cell phone case or treasure pouch without knitting or sewing! Learn basic wet-felting techniques, which can also be used for making hats, slippers and larger purses. suitable for ages 12 and up. No prior experience necessary. Costs: $15 materials fee, $40 member /$45 nonmember tuition. Class will run from 11-3 at Six Loose Ladies in Proctorsville FMI: 226-7373

8. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: Why Use Them/What happens if they break
There is a very interesting article in the New York Times Green Blog on using CFLs. http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/light-bulbs-which-do-you-use/ Yes, CFLs save money but some people don’t like how they look and are overly concerned about mercury.

CFLs use approximately 66-75% less energy than an incandescent bulb and they last up to 6-10 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb. As far as mercury, it is less than 5 mg, or roughly 1/5 the amount in a watch battery. No mercury is released when CFLs are in use. The risk of exposure to mercury from the occasional broken CFL bulb is also very small.. Using CFLs reduces the amount of mercury in the environment by reducing the amount of electricity that power companies need to produce.

In the event a CFL light bulb should break, the following information for clean up is proved by Efficiency Vermont www

How to best use Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs):
• For maximum savings, CFLs should be installed in high use areas. For
maximum life, CFLs work best in locations where the light is left on for
least 15 minutes at a time.
• In dimmable fixtures, you must use CFLs labeled for use with dimmers.
• In the cold or outdoors, use CFLs that are rated for low temperatures.

What precautions should I take when using CFLs in my home?
Always screw and unscrew the CFL by its base (not the glass) and never forcefully
twist the CFL into a light socket. CFLs are made of glass and can break if dropped or roughly handled.

What to do if your bulb breaks:
By following the directions below, you can safely clean up a broken CFL. It is not necessary to hire a professional for the cleanup.

For breakage on a hard surface:
1. Ventilate the room by closing all interior doors and vents, opening windows and any exterior doors in the room and leaving the room (restrict access) for at least 15 minutes.

2. Remove all materials you can and don’t use a vacuum cleaner.
a. wear disposable gloves, if available.
b. carefully scoop up the glass fragments and powder with a stiff paper or cardboard (such as playing cards or index cards).
c. pick up any remaining small pieces of glass and powder using sticky tape (such as masking or duct tape).
d. wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel or disposable wet wipe.

3. Place all cleanup materials (cardboard, gloves, tape, etc.) into a glass or rigid container with a lid. If a glass or rigid container is not available, place all cleanup materials in a plastic bag (and double bag) and seal it. Store the container or bag outside of the house in an area inaccessible to children.

4. Wash your hands.

5. Contact your local solid waste district, alliance, or municipality for proper disposal; or call 1-800-974-9559 (dial one) or (802) 241-3888 (for a list of districts see mercvt.org "proper disposal").

6. Leave windows in the affected room open as long as practical (weather permitting).

For breakage on carpet:
1. Complete steps 1 through 6 above.
2. If rug is removable, take it outside, shake, and air out as long as practical.
3. (After cleanup and the room has been ventilated) The first time you vacuum the area where the CFL was broken, shut the door to the room or close off the area from as much of the rest of the house as possible and ventilate the room when vacuuming. Remove the vacuum bag once done cleaning the area, wipe vacuum with wet wipe and put the bag and/or vacuum debris, including cleaning materials, into a plastic bag and double bag and store the bag outside the house in an area inaccessible to children. Contact your local solid waste district, alliance or municipality as instructed in #5 above.
4. After vacuuming, keep window open, door closed and children/pets out of room.
5. Consider removal of carpeting section where the breakage has occurred as a precaution when there are infants, small children and pregnant women present. For questions, call the Vermont Department of Health at 1-800- 439-8550 (toll-free in VT) or (802) 863-7220 (dial zero). During non-work hours, call the Northern New England Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.

9. February Cavendish Calendar
If you have an item you would like included in the February Cavendish Calendar, please send it by January 29 to margoc@tds.net or call 802/226-7807