Cavendish Update 2/18/11 Census Data/SB Meeting/News/Events

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 2/18/11 Cavendish Update Contains:
1. Cavendish, Ludlow and Windsor County Census Drops
2. Select Board Meeting 2/14/11
3. Cavendish Related News
4. CCCA Hosts MARDI GRAS 2011
5. Art wanted for display in the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library
6. Bette Davis Classic Caps Cavendish Film Series
7. Cavendish Semiquincentennial: 100 Year Old Postcard from C.F.Q.
8. Cavendish Events 2/18-2/28

1. Cavendish, Ludlow and Windsor County Census Drops
Initial data from the 2010 Census shows that Windsor County’s population dropped by 748 people (1.3%) from 57,418 in 2000 to 56,670 in 2010. Contributing to this decline is Cavendish, which went from 1,470 people in 2000 to 1,367 in 2010 (-103 people, 7.0 %). Ludlow’s decline was more significant, 486 (19.8%), going from 2,449 people in 2000 to 1,963 in 2010. Chester had a gain of 3.6% (110 people) increasing from 3,044 in 2000 to 3,154 in 2010.

The Feb. 16 edition of “The Valley News” contains an editorial “Down for This Count: VT Census Points to Stagnation,” which discusses community implications of the census for towns on the Vermont side of the Upper Valley.

2. Select Board Meeting 2/14/11
Select Board meetings are videotaped by LPC-TV and will be shown on Comcast Channels 8 and 10. They are also available at the LPC website.

At Monday night’s Select Board meeting, the following items were discussed:
A. Chapman Street and Swift Road: The state, as part of its Annual Certificate of Highway Mileage, has rejected the Town’s submission of Chapman Street (also known as Stone Church Way) as a Class IV road. This is because the Select Board (SB), of March 13, 1972, requested the declassification of the street, as it was no longer maintained by the town and was considered a private road. There has been considerable discussion about this street, with three Select board members voting in favor of a Class IV designation and two opposed. The Board was informed by the Town manager, Rich Svec, that the state will probably require a re designation process to get the road classified and he wondered if it would be worth it. This will have to be an issue taken up with the new board, which will be voted in on March 1.

The Board agreed that Swift Rd, which is in the Proctor Piper Forrest, should be classified as a “un identified corridor,” a new term allowed by the state. Svec will submit the information to the State, including a letter explaining the SB stance on Chapman St.

B. Carlton Road Development Project: Svec distributed copies of materials recently submitted by Holden Engineering, on behalf of USA Properties, regarding the proposed Carlton Rd development. Carlton Rd is opposite William’s Store in Cavendish. Located on 75 acres, it will be in the area where Donnie Davis’s Saw Mill was located, just below the old Atherton Mill. While there will be a formal presentation to the SB at the March meeting, the materials distributed indicate that the project, targeting vacationers, will include the following:
• 50 individual homes-4 bedrooms per home
• 7 multi dwelling structures, which will be 4 stories in height and contain 30 units per building for a total of 210 units. Each unit will have three bedrooms. These buildings would be as high as the Jackson Gore condominiums.
• Recreation area
• Building will take place over the next two decades

Those in attendance were a bit perplexed about who would purchase the properties, since there is so much for sale in the area. In addition, it was noted that the bridge is in the flood plane and there were also wetlands.

C. Snow and Sidewalk Ordinance: With the school eliminating some of its bus service next year, more children will be walking to and from school in Proctorsville. After it snows, and the town cleans the sidewalks, many people are digging out their driveways, leaving mounds on the sidewalk and forcing walkers into the streets. It was suggested that maybe the town could clean several times after a snowfall. According to Svec, there have been considerable malfunctions with the equipment, which is breaking down after each cleaning. He indicated that this is a problem for other towns as well.

The problem with ordinances is the enforcement aspect-who is going to do it? For now, the SB recognizes the issues, it will need to be taken up with the incoming board. In the interim, village residents should be mindful of walkers and make sure sidewalks are clear.

D. Depot Street Bridge: The engineer’s report has been completed and the findings indicate that the bridge posting of a 10 ton limit (20,000 pounds) is correct. The bridge replacement, which is a top priority for the region, will be built to accommodate a load up to 85,000 pounds.

E. Town Meeting and Report: Town Meeting this year will be Feb. 28, with voting taking place on March 1. Town Reports should be in the mail by the weekend.

3. Cavendish Related News
Donate Life Vermont: VT has the lowest rate of donor registration in the nation. With only 955 registered donors, the state is in critical need of organ and tissue donors. One reason for the low count is because many Vermonters have the misconception that if they sign the back of their driver’s license, they're an organ donor. This is not entirely true. Many times when an individual is in the hospital, the driver’s license is rarely with them. Vermont’s DMV is also not yet linked to the registry. By enrolling in the state’s online registry, it becomes legally binding and Vermonters can be assured that their wishes will be honored whenever possible. To help raise awareness of the critical need, Donate Life Vermont is organizing a state-wide mass registration event called the Register Rally on February 23, 2011. Donate Life Vermont has created an online social toolbox filled with emails templates, banners, flyers, widgets, and posters to make sharing the message easy online.

The American Heart Association Releases Heart Disease Prevention Guidelines for Women: The new guidelines are designed to help women and their medical providers understand risks and take practical steps to prevent heart disease and stroke. Guidelines, and other information are available at the AHA website.

Borders Closest to Cavendish Remain Open: According to the Border’s website, which lists pending closure or reorganization as a result of the bookstore filing for Chapter II, none of the Borders in Vermont are slated to close and only the Nashua store in New Hampshire will be closed by the end of April. For a complete list of closures, go to http://media.bordersstores.com/pdf/Borders_Reorganization_Closure_List.pdf

4. CCCA Hosts MARDI GRAS 2011
Once again the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association will hold their Mardi Gras celebration to chase away the late winter blues. This year the festivities will commence at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 5th and will be held at Crow’s Bakery and Opera House Café on Depot Street in Proctorsville.

There will be a Cajun style buffet and a wine bar, and dancing to the great tunes of Yankee Chank with Cavendish’s very own Bob Naess. Of course it wouldn’t be Mardi Gras without masks, so there will be prizes for the best and most creative masks.

A raffle will feature three prizes: a Getaway Vacation with spending gift certificate as grand prize, a Crow’s Bakery Pie-of-the-Month (that’s a pie every month for twelve months) as second prize, and a Wine and Vermont Cheese Basket as third prize. Raffle tickets are on sale now at the bakery and from any CCCA board member. The drawing will be held at the celebration.

Dinner tickets cost $40 each and are limited, so please get yours early. Call (802) 226-7736 to reserve your tickets.

5. Art wanted for display in the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library
The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library is seeking artists who wish to display their work in the library's Redfield Proctor Room this spring. Work of any media is welcome. Please contact Kata at 226-7503 for more information.

6. Bette Davis Classic Caps Cavendish Film Series
In 1950 Hollywood great Bette Davis gave what many consider her finest performance as Margo Channing in the film All About Eve. Writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's sharp script anchors this story about New York City theater life, with Bette Davis playing an aging Broadway diva who employs a star struck fan (Anne Baxter) as her assistant, only to learn the woman is a conniving upstart. The black and white classic won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (George Sanders). This literate film is about ambition, betrayal, the price of success and what some people are willing to do to achieve it, no matter who they hurt in the process. Davis’s famous line in the film, “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night” is legendary,” yet all the dialogue sparkles with wit.

All About Eve will be shown Friday February 25 at 7:00 at Cavendish Elementary School on Route 131 in Proctorsville. Donations are welcome and homemade cookies are available.

7. Cavendish Semiquincentennial: 100 Year Old Postcard from C.F.Q.
In this year’s town report, you will see a copy of a postcard depicting what Proctorsville would look like in 100 years, postmarked February 2, 1911. The postcard was sent to Miss Izella Pratt of Windsor Vermont in care of A. K. Hall. The text is as follows: “Hello Sis. How are you? We have all got colds but are all kicking around. We have our wood sawed and have been getting in ice this week. Hollis thinks we can just about live on ice cream this summer. Did you know John Bartlett was dead? Also Cornelia Densmore. Its most mail time so will stop. Good by this time. C.F.Q.”

8. Cavendish Events 2/18-2/28
February 18 (Friday): Black and White Film Series, You Can’t Take it With You, 7 pm at the Cavendish Elementary School in Proctorsville. There are refreshments on hand and the evening is free, though donations are always welcome. FMI: 226-7497 or 226-7187.

February 19 (Saturday): Cavendish Green Mountain Snow Fleas Group Ride 10-4 . FMI: http://cavendishsnowfleas.com/

February 21 (Monday): School Closed for Winter Recess

February 22 (Tuesday): School Closed for Winter Recess
• Bone Builders Class at the Cavendish Baptist-- Class from 10:15-11:45. FMI: Linda at Green Mountain RSVP & Volunteer Center of Windsor County at (802) 885-2083, or Anne Oakes or Andrew Ohotnicky at (802)228-5236, or Dot Ramsdell at (802)226-7870
• Town Meeting Information Forum, sponsored by CCCA, at the Cavendish School in Proctorsville, 7 pm. The forum will address all issues on the 2011 ballot, including both the town and the school proposed budgets, and town and school officials will be present to discuss each issue. FMI: Robin Timko 226-7736

February 23 (Wednesday): School Closed for Winter Recess

February 24 (Thursday): School Closed for Winter Recess
• Bone Builders Class at the Cavendish Baptist-- Class from 10:15-11:45. FMI: Linda at Green Mountain RSVP & Volunteer Center of Windsor County at (802) 885-2083, or Anne Oakes or Andrew Ohotnicky at (802)228-5236, or Dot Ramsdell at (802)226-7870
• Sit & Knit" at the Six Loose Ladies yarn shop, Pollard Building, Proctorsville Green, 2:00 -9:00 PM. Open to knitters, spinners, crocheters, hookers. Free. FMI: 226-7373
• Fletcher Memorial Library Book Discussion, in Ludlow at 7pm. The book is “Loving Frank” by Nancy Horan. Please use the back entrance of the Library.

February 25 (Friday): School Closed for Winter Recess
• Black and White Film Series, All About Eve, 7 pm at the Cavendish Elementary School in Proctorsville. There are refreshments on hand and the evening is free, though donations are always welcome. FMI: 226-7497 or 226-7187.

February 26 (Saturday): Cavendish Green Mountain Snow Fleas Group Ride 10-4 . FMI: http://cavendishsnowfleas.com/

February 28 (Monday): Town Meeting, 7, pm at the Cavendish Town Elementary School in Proctorsville.