CCCA Newsletter Summer 2009

Our Vision: CCCA is committed to a vibrant Cavendish/Proctorsville community that supports its human and natural
resources, building a legacy of health, integrity and vitality for future generations.
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Summer ‘09 Newsletter Volume No. 6, Issue No. 2

A Message from Robin
Summer is here, gardens are pushing up and we are glad for the sunshine! This spring’s annual Photo contest was a
wonderful success with so many fine photos entered for the 2010 Calendar Contest it was difficult to choose among
them. Winners of the judged contest will hang all year at the Cavendish Town Office and of course, the Cavendish
Community Calendar will be available as soon as it is printed! For more on the winners, please see the article below.
For our annual directors’ meeting and retreat this year, CCCA board members visited the Cobb Hill Farm at the
Sustainability Institute in Hartland, Vermont. Members of their staff gave us a short presentation regarding the
philosophy of Donella Meadows, their founder, and an overview of the Institute's work. They bring community
organizers from all over the world together to share their stories, visions and processes working for a healthy and
sustainable way of life. They focus on understanding the root causes of unsustainable behavior in complex
systems to help restructure systems and shift mindsets that will help move human society toward sustainability.
After the presentation we toured their remarkable Cobb Hill Cohousing community and attached farming
operations. It was impressive to see the efforts individuals are making to bring into balance a way of life with an
awareness of our place in the environment. We also enjoyed a communal meal in their dining hall that
was mostly prepared from food grown on their land. For more on the Institute, please visit their website at
www.sustainer.org.

The CCCA is currently expanding its conservation and sustainability efforts with new board member, Karen Wilson
who co-chairs the committee. Karen is bringing enthusiasm and a wealth of ideas to help move Cavendish in a "Green" direction. One of her goals is to get grant money to pay for the training of our local carpenters, electricians, and
plumbers to become solar installers and energy raters. Another goal is to put solar to use at the Cavendish Town
Elementary School and other town buildings. She has also started a committee that will gather names of
Cavendish residents who are interested in using solar at their homes with the objective of getting together to buy in bulk to save money. For more on what we are doing see the article below on Going Solar.
Robin Timko, Chair of CCCA

Welcome to Cavendish All New Homeowners
On a fun-filled, cold winter evening several new residents of Cavendish enjoyed the warm hospitality of the
Cavendish Inn at the invitation of CCCA and the Cavendish Historical Society. So many people come into the
community, often as second home- owners and never get to know what is going on in town, and never get to know
who their neighbors are. To help remedy that inhospitable situation, the two groups joined in holding a pot luck
dinner at which the new residents got to mingle with each other and with long- time and newer neighbors. CCCA hopes
to continue these pot luck dinners as a tradition.

CCCA and CHS Partner to Bring Earth Week to Cavendish
Earth Day 2009 lasted for an entire week in Cavendish. While most communities celebrated the day with events and
information presented on Wednesday, the CCCA and The Cavendish Historical Society presented seven days of events,
lectures, presentations, a movie, and a house tour. There was no shortage of talent to educate and inform Cavendish
citizens and residents on a variety of “green” issues and projects. Monday’s program gave us “Sustainable
Household Tips from the 1930’s (Green Clean for Cheap)”. Margo Caulfield and Dan Churchill spoke about the old days in Cavendish, Vermont and the country before we had modern conveniences and products that use too much energy and
add too much pollution to our environment. Anyone wanting more information can e-mail a request to Margo at Margoc@TDS.net. Professor Patrick Parenteau of the Vermont Law School’s Environmental
Law Center spoke on Tuesday evening about what is happening in Montpelier and in Washington that concerns our
environment here in Cavendish. His talk concerned the impact of climate change on Vermont and focused on the direction
of legislative proposals. Wednesday was dubbed “Windy Wednesday” and saw a kite flying demonstration at Fletcher Fields along with a hands-on opportunity to examine the workings of a real wind generator. The generator was brought down to earth and set up by Dallas Cox of the Solar Store. He explained the way such systems could benefit individuals and the Town.
There were a variety of discussions at CTES on Wednesday evening as Dallas Cox chaired a panel of experts who talked about solar hot water, solar electric generation, and solar tube lighting, as well as the creation of geothermal and wind energy. The
discussion included conservation as well, talking about weatherization and energy reduction techniques. For more
information, contact Dallas Cox at the Cavendish Solar Store on Route 131 in Cavendish.

Thursday saw a change of pace as talk shifted to gardening, composting, recycling and local foods. Sandra Russo
discussed the Cavendish Community Garden (for more information, contact sandra.russo@yahoo.com) Sarah Stowell discussed the CTES Farm to School Program, which uses volunteers to help maintain a summer garden at the school, harvest the produce, and help the school cafeteria prepare food for the children. (Contact Sarah Stowell at
sarastowell@tds.net for more information). Other topics discussed included the new Cavendish Transfer Station textile station for recycling ripped and stained clothes, sheets, shoes etc. SVECA collects the textiles, sells them to a distributor and uses the money to run a number of programs in Cavendish and nearby communities. “The 11th Hour”, a film about the dire condition of our planet was shown on Friday at the CTES and is available for
viewing at the Cavendish Library. Saturday saw a number of workshops focused on sustainable building, landscaping, net metering and tax incentives. Finally, and to complete the week’s events, the Cavendish Solar Store provided a Sustainable Living house tour on Sunday. This proved to be the most popular program of the week and many residents got to see sustainable energy projects in action.

The CCCA Sustainability Committee will start planning next year’s events soon and is looking for individuals who
are interested in helping. We are looking for interesting and informative topics and ideas. If you want to take part, please contact Karen Wilson at karenw381@cs.com.

Are You Interested in Going Solar?
The CCCA Sustainability Committee wants to know how interested you are in our latest solar energy project. Specifically, the committee is investigating “Grid Tie” or “On-Grid” solar systems. Grid Tie solar is one way to reduce your cost of electricity. We’ve all seen the solar panels that sit on roofs to convert the sun’s energy into electricity. By running that power through the meter that is connected or “tied” to the power grid, a homeowner can essentially make his meter run “backwards” and thereby
reduce the cost of power purchased from the electric company. These systems are also sometimes referred to as “net
metering.” The power that is generated and fed back to the power company will lower future electric bills. It is possible,
with enough solar panels installed, to reduce power costs to zero. This system has several advantages over a system that just feeds power into the house wiring. 1) There are no batteries, which are the parts that need maintenance and replacement most
often. 2) The system qualifies for state and federal tax credits, so the homeowner ends up paying much less for purchase and installation. 3) The owner can always add on to the system later. 3) The system will last for as long as 25 years. 4) The environment improves – less need to burn coal or oil to generate power. And 5) the most important advantage of all to most of us – The installation of solar power will increase the value of any home. It is estimated that for every $1,000 saved in energy costs, the home’s value increases by $20,000.

Even with tax incentives, purchasing and installing solar power panels can be expensive. But one way to reduce costs
is to buy in bulk. If enough Cavendish homeowners join together, we can make buying grid tie solar systems as
affordable as possible. There are a variety of other projects that can also reduce equipment and installation costs and the CCCA is exploring a number of options. The first step that we are pursuing is to learn how many homeowners are interested in joining this project. We are not asking for a commitment right now, just a statement of interest. If you are interested in being
part of this new initiative, please contact Karen Wilson at Karenw381@cs.com or
802- 226-7494.

CCCA 2nd Annual Calendar
Contest Winners Are Selected.
Winner of the Best in Show Prize: The Ham by Sal Campofranco

In a highly competitive selection process, the residents of Cavendish selected the twelve monthly illustrations for the CCCA’s 2010 Cavendish calendar, and our panel of professional judges selected prize winners in several age categories. This year's Cavendish Photo contest was spectacular! There were over 30 entries and all showed great talent. The winners of the judged contest are as follows:
-- Ages 5 to 12: Alyssa Ripley's BOOK LEAVES; with Mathew Palmer's GOOD VIEW as the runner-up.
-- Ages 13-18: Chris Palmer's HISTORICAL SOCIETY; with Sonja Skalecki's DARKNESS FALLS as the runner up.
-- Adults: Sandra Russo's THE STANDOFF.

Congratulations to all the winners! Please come to Crows Bakery on Depot St. to collect your prizes. Thank you to
the judges for their keen eyes and expertise!

In the community voting the following photos were chosen as 2010 Calendar selections, although many voters
commented on the difficulty of the task, given the wonderful selection of photographs to choose from.
January - ICE CAVE, Quarry Rd. Proctorsville, by Wendy Regier
February -MOUNTAIN MAMA AND HER FOAL, Stevens Rd. looking towards Little Ascutney, by Ginger Wilk
March - FROM THE FARMHOUSE, Riford farm off 20 Mile Stream Rd., by Jackie Hubbard
April - BLACK RIVER, Gulf Rd., by Jon Owens
May - MEMORIAL DAY, Depot St. Proctorsville, by Martha Mott
June - GREEN GODDESS, Goldfish pond on 20 Mile Stream Rd., by Ellen Parrish
July - THE STANDOFF, Ting's farm in Cavendish, by Sandra Russo
August - GOOD VIEW, Chubb Hill Rd. in Cavendish, by Mathew Palmer
September - TRACKS OF TRANQUILITY, Densmore Rd., by Gail Verheyen
October - TWENTY MILE STREAM IN AUTUMN, Twenty Mile Stream at Davis Rd., by Richard Svec
November - BIRCHES ON TIERNEY RD., Tierney Rd, Cavendish, by Svetlana Phillips
December - OH WHAT FUN, South Reading Rd. Cavendish, by Hans Schrag

The cover photo this year was taken by Winston Churchill, and entitled OWL IN OWENS YARD.
Last but not least, THE HAM, a photo taken at the Johnson Farm on Hoey Road, by Salvatore Campofranco was
voted BEST IN SHOW.

Thanks to all who contributed to the contest. For those photographers whose pictures will not be displayed in the Town Offices, you may pick up your photo at Crows Bakery anytime during July.

There was some confusion expressed this year about whether the photos were supposed to be just landscape or whether
they could include people and animals. We have expressed our desire to see photos that show our surrounding landscape in it's great variety, but the photo may include in that landscape animals, historic buildings and persons. The less landscape a photo shows, the less likely it will be for it to represent any given month in the calendar. The calendar is made possible by our local business sponsors and by the CCCA. Sponsors include Castle Hill Resort and Spa; Commercial Radio; Timothy Mott, Builder; Beacon Pest Control and Chimney Care; RDB Marketing; The Village Clipper; Cavendish Game Birds; Cavendish Canine Camp; Six Loose Ladies; The Cavendish Solar Store; Chittenden Bank; Raymond James Financial; Singleton's Store; Mack Molding; Mary Ormrod's Feldenkrais; and Crows Bakery and Café.

Calendars will be available for purchase in the fall. For more information call Robin Timko at 226-7736

Cavendish and Proctorsville Water Finally Set to Improve
For those who live in the villages, and who depend on the Cavendish water system, drinking water has for many years come from a bottle. Well, the wait is nearly over. The new water filtration plant has finally come on line. After enduring brown or yellow water due to dissolved impurities that ruined pipes, heating and hot water systems and untold loads of laundry, residents now see fairly clear water that is expected to improve over the coming months. A recent taste test, however proved that the system is working, at least somewhat. Iron and manganese are the culprits and the iron content has dropped drastically in a very short period of time. It was expected that the manganese levels would decrease much more slowly. The levels are down, but it will take several weeks more to reduce to a reasonable level. Pipes in both villages need to be
flushed and this has yet to be scheduled. Once town wide flushing is complete, residents should flush home pipes. The
filtration system is still new to communities in Vermont and therefore the state took an extended time to approve its use.

Cavendish Community Fund News
The Cavendish Community Fund awarded three grants for education, music and dance in Cavendish this summer. The first grant, to Fiber Arts in Vermont, Inc. will sponsor a class at the Six Loose Ladies fiber arts store on Depot Street in Proctorsville. The class will be taught by Alice Vogel of Alstead, NH and will challenge participants to redesign, repurpose and generally to
wake up their imagination to create something new from something old. Students bring in gently used clothing and embellishments, contribute the articles to a pool of items, and in turn each student is allowed to select items from the pool to create a completely new and uniquely original garment. The class will be offered this summer free of charge at a time to be announced by Six Loose Ladies. The second grant, to the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library, will help fund the annual summer concert series on the Proctorsville Green. This is the fourth year of the concerts, but the first year in which they are sponsored by the Library. The concerts will be held on consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning July 15th. Exact times and
performing artists will be publicized in the local press. The third grant will enable Ashley Hensel-Browning and Rebecca Salem to explore choreography and yoga in a summer session with Cavendish Children at no cost to their families. Classes will focus on encouraging children to educate themselves exploring dance and choreography as art forms and participating in active art making. A Friday family day will allow students to incorporate their families into their learning. Hensel-Browning and Salem have both worked as teachers in their fields for several years, with studios in Springfield and Chester respectively. Hensel-Browning recently completed teaching a series of workshops on dance and choreography at the Cavendish Town Elementary School.

For more information about CCF or the application process, please call Peter LaBelle at 226-7250, or Barbara Dickey at 226-7187.

Reserve the Date
The Cavendish Inn On Saturday, August 1st the Cavendish Community Fund will hold its annual fund raising dinner for 2009 at the Cavendish Inn on Route 131 between the villages of Cavendish and Proctorsville. Innkeepers Tim and Peter Jefferson
promise that the dinner will meet your every expectation. And of course there will be wonderful entertainment and fine weather. Well, maybe we are promising too much with that last one, but previous events have been hugely enjoyable,
come rain or come shine! The purpose of the dinner is to raise funds that will go right back to the community in the form of artistic, cultural or educational projects, programs or events. The CCF has distributed almost $10,000 to fund some dozen Cavendish events since early 2007. We can’t do it without your help. But with your help we can continue the tradition that we have begun. The cost is $65 per person or $125 per couple. For tickets and information contact Robin Timko at Crow’s Bakery or at 802-226- 7736. Please join us for another memorable event.

Cavendish Historical Society
Upcoming Events
The Cavendish Historical Society Museum is located on Main Street in Cavendish Village, and is open Sundays
from 2-4 p.m. until mid-October.

• Lessons from the 1930s for Life in the 21st Century. Includes exhibits and presentations on sustainable living and
household tips from the 1930s. July 12th, Sunday, 2 p.m. at the CHS Museum in Cavendish Village.

• Duttonsville School Reunion at the former Duttonsville schoolhouse in Cavendish. Includes tours of the old schoolhouse. August 23rd , Sunday, 1-4 p.m.

• Bus trip to Old Sturbridge Village on September 19th. Cost is $43 per person and includes OSV admission. Tickets
on sale at the museum, Sundays, 2-4 p.m. Payment is due prior to August 1st. For more information contact Sandra
Russo at 226-7398 or at Sandra.russo@yahoo.com.

• Cemetery Tour – Sunday, October 11th. Contact Margoc@tds.net for details.

• Pot Luck Supper / annual meeting – Sunday, October 18th. Contact Margoc@tds.net for details.

Cavendish Community and Conservation Association Board of Directors
Robin Timko
Deborah Harrison O’Brien
Will Hunter
Tim Jefferson
Barbara Dickey
Peter LaBelle
Jennifer Stowell
Sandra Russo

The CCCA Mission Statement
The CCCA is 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. Its commitment is to promote understanding and learning that engages and benefits all members of the Cavendish/ Proctorsville community, now and in the
future.

CCCA Historic Barn Preservation Committee News
The committee has been busy. Well, committee chair Barbara Dickey has been busy at least. With the assistance
of her brother she succeeded in completing the barn census for all historic agricultural barns in Cavendish and taking up-to-date pictures of every barn. This was the project that the committee had set as a goal in early 2006 when it began to scope out worthy barn projects in Cavendish for submission to the State Division of Historical Preservation for State Barn Grants. The first goal that the committee set was to complete a thorough census of Cavendish barns. Two things happened that slowed
progress of that census. First, there was considerable interest from several barn owners in securing grants from the state. The committee members went to work with those barn owners to prepare and submit applications for preservation grants. As we reported in our last newsletter, one proposal, for the Regier barn on Quarry Road, was funded in 2009 by the state of Vermont. The other occurrence that slowed completion of the census was the announcement by the Division of Historic Preservation in June 2008 that it would coordinate a state- wide census of historic barns with the data to be stored at the University of Vermont. This is exactly what we were trying to accomplish, but now we had to collect and coordinate a different set of data! So the CCCA Barn Committee actually preceded the Vermont state- wide project by about two years, but only now have we finally reached the goal of completing the census. Meanwhile, we have begun another project involving the old barns in town. The CCCA is embarking on a project to create a Cavendish Barn Poster that we will soon make available for purchase, hopefully in time for the holidays. You’ve all seen posters with examples of architecture in certain cities, well why not a poster of unique architecture in Cavendish? After all, we have plenty of pictures to choose from now that the census is complete.
Plans now call for two sizes and prices and we will announce availability as soon as they come off the press.

Calling All Members!
Happy Summer!
The CCCA Board recently enjoyed our annual retreat, a time that we use to reflect upon our journey, and explore objectives for the following year. We spent some time exploring our own personal goals, sharing what brought us into CCCA and how that has changed or not over the past six years. It was very interesting to me as to what brings us all together. For some of us it was a crisis, a response to a concern or an issue that was affecting us within the town. For others it was a skill, a passion, an interest that we would like to see preserved or strengthened in our town. And then for others it was simply an opportunity to be part of our community; to be working together with others to come to a common goal.

I would love to pose this question to our members. What was it that caused you to join CCCA? Was it a passion for barns; an interest in the Community Garden; a concern about the economic development of our community; or an interest in meeting others who live and relax in your same neck of the woods?

An unstated goal that CCCA has accomplished is bringing a wide variety of people: old timer, new timer, full timer, part timer, old, young, and young at heart together to work, to play, and to recreate. Isn’t that what community is all about? Isn’t that what summer is all about?

Interested in joining CCCA?
Contact Deb at 226-8086 for more information. If you have interest in volunteering for any of our committees or activities please call. Dues are a nominal $35 per year for full membership. In order to join CCCA, please fill out the information below and send with a check payable to Cavendish Community and Conservation Association to:
Deborah Harrison O’Brien
c/o: P.O. Box 605
Cavendish, VT 05142
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