Cavendish Update 6/1/12 News/Events

Information can also be posted on the Cavendish VT Facebook Page

This issue of the Cavendish Update is made possible by the Cavendish Historical Society.

The 6/1/12 Cavendish Update Contains the following:
1. Cavendish Related News
2. How Affordable is Cavendish?
3. Cavendish Civil War History-Daniel Wheeler Medal of Honor
4. Cavendish Historical Society Museum Opens on Sunday
5. Last Call for Cavendish Photography Contest
6. Statewide Volunteer Effort Helps Those Impacted by Irene
7. Calendar of Cavendish Events 6/1/12-

1. Cavendish Related News
VT State Parks Now Has An App: Just in time for the start of the summer season, the Vermont State Parks has rolled out a free iPhone app that gives visitors the ability to access and organize all sorts of information. VPR

Plymouth State Park Sustained Significant Damage: While most state parks received minimal damage from Irene, that is not the case for Plymouth State Park in Ludlow. The park will remain closed for another couple of weeks as contractors are cleaning it up and re establishing lawn areas.

Vermont might just dodge the hot national summer forecast: Federal forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their summer weather forecast. In Vermont, though, the news is more temperate. The center said the northern United States, north of a line from Oregon to New Jersey and including Vermont, has equal chances of having a warm, cool or normal summer. There’s a good chance Vermont’s spring weather, as recorded at the National Weather Service in South Burlington, will be the warmest on record. Burlington Free Press

Rutland Regional Hospital Cuts Rehab Program: Facing a $7 million budget shortfall, the Rutland Regional Medical Center board of directors narrowly voted on Wednesday to close the hospital's inpatient rehabilitation unit. The rehab unit will gradually stop taking new patients this summer and shut down completely by October 1. The cut was required by declining Medicare reimbursements and a smaller, state-imposed revenue cap on hospitals. VPR

Springfield Select Board Votes to Commit Water to Proposed Biomass Project: The town select board in Springfield, Vt., has voted for an agreement to commit 30,000 of gallons of municipal water a day to a proposed biomass project. Developers are hopeful they also will capture rainfall and acquire water from other sources so as not to dip into the town supply as much. Boston Globe

Asthma Above Average in VT: According to a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey, the prevalence of asthma in VT is higher than the national average in all but one age group for adults -- those 55 to 64. And one age group for children -- those 10 to 14. WCAX

2. How Affordable is Cavendish?
Recently, Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Council completed a study, which looked at how affordable it is to live in the region. In addition to looking at housing costs, the study also included estimated for transportation costs for the region’s residents. According to the report Nearly a third of towns are considered affordable when looking at annual housing costs for a household which is earning 80% of the County median household income or less ($40,714 for Windsor County) (costs are no more than 30% of income). When estimated transportation costs are also included however, all towns are considered unaffordable for a household which earns 80% of the County median household income or less (housing and transportation costs are more than 45% of income). Cavendish, Ludlow, Springfield and Weston were considered “unaffordable,” while of the other towns in the area –Reading, Mt. Holly, Chester, Baltimore etc., were considered very unaffordable. The study report is available on-line.

3. Cavendish Civil War History-Daniel Wheeler Medal of Honor
In the March 30 Cavendish Update, information was provided for two of Cavendish’s Civil War veterans who were awarded the Medal of Honor, William Sperry and Tom Seaver. There was a third, Daniel Davis Wheeler.

A native of Cavendish, Wheeler enlisted at 19 when President Lincoln called for volunteers. He served in many of the major battles of the Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for “distinguished bravery” at the Battle of Salem Heights. Career military, he retired in 1903.

Recently, the Cavendish Historical Society received a clipping from “The Free Lance-Star” of Fredericksburg, VA. “Daniel Davis Wheeler is hardly a household name. Yet he can be considered a Civil War hero-a fact that had, until recently, largely escaped public notice.

Now, if you visit Wheeler’s resting place in Fredericksbur’s City Cemetery, near a venerable magnolia and the brick wall along Washington Avenue, you’ll spot something shiny and new.

Affixed to Wheeler’s gravestone are two brass plaques. One reads “Medal of Honor.” The others bears his name, unit-the 4th Vermont Infantry Regiment-and birth and death dates. Both feature the distinctive design of the medal awarded as the nation’s highest military honor.

Here in Fredericksburg, Wheeler is something of an odd man out: a Union brigadier general interred in a cemetery known for its Southerns.

Nonetheless, Wheeler is of Fredericksburg. He lived his last 15 years here, having married into one of the area’s most prominent families.

And when his time came, Brig. Gen. Wheeler was laid to rest by his adopted community. At his funeral on July 29,1916, pallbearers included Fredericksburg Mayor J.P . Rowe and Charles Hurkamp, a longtime City Council member.

So how did a son of Cavendish end up marrying a confederate daughter?

During the War, the Phillips family home served as headquarters for Union army commander Ambrose Burnside during the Battle of Fredericksburg. It is possible that Wheeler met his future wife then. More than 30 years later, Wheeler married Nannie, (nee Phillips) who was recently widowed in Fredericksburg. They then moved to Nebraska where he was stationed.

Retiring in 1903, the Wheelers returned to Fredericksburg. Wheeler is buried in the Phillips family plot. At his funeral, a tribute declared that the city had “lost one of her most distinguished citizens… a natural leader of men. …[B]ehind the apparent sternness of his character, due to his military training, was the possessor of a most kind heart. To those of us who knew him well, his memory will long remain fragrant because of the innumerable acts of courtesy and kindness which he was ever doing.”

Read more: Daniel Davis Wheeler, RIP

4. Cavendish Historical Society Museum Opens on Sunday
The Cavendish Historical Society Museum opens this coming Sunday, June 2, with two unique exhibits. The first is the town’s 250-year historic timeline. The second features photographs and other items from the floods of 1927 and 2011. Please bring copies of your photographs from Irene so they can be included in the archives for future generations. If you would prefer, you can e-mail them to margoc@tds.net

The Museum is open every Sunday from 2-4 pm until mid October. FMI: margoc@tds.net or 802-226-7807

5. Last Call for Photography Contest
If you would like to submit a photograph for the 2013 Cavendish Calendar, a project of the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA), the submission deadline is June 5th. Entries can be delivered to the Cavendish Town Office or Crows Bakery.

6. Statewide Volunteer Effort Helps Those Impacted by Irene
Recovery is a long process. No one knows that better than the organizations whose work it is year-round to assist Vermonters with their housing needs. That’s why the NeighborWorks® Alliance of Vermont has organized a volunteer workday on June 8 to help complete projects in the hard-hit Cavendish/Ludlow areas.

According to Peg Hale, Manager of Gilman Housing Trust’s HomeOwnership Center in Lyndonville, VT, “The five NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers across the state hold special NeighborWorks Week workdays every year to bring volunteers together to help our individual communities. This year we wanted to join forces to help where it was most needed.”

The Alliance, including Windham and Windsor Housing Trust, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, Central Vermont Community Land Trust, Champlain Housing Trust, and Gilman Housing Trust has been planning this workday for months. They have gathered donations of money and material, worked with local community leaders, and reached out to other organizations so that the most good can be accomplished in a short time.

“From the good people at USDA-RD, to the Vermont State Housing Authority, Realtors, and others, people want to help. The folks we serve at Gilman Housing Trust were spared the worst last August. We are all in this together,” said George Mathias, Chief Operating Officer at Gilman Housing.

Projects to be accomplished on June 8 include work at the Mountainside Youth Center in Ludlow and at various family homes in and around Ludlow and Cavendish. The volunteers are gathering at the Cavendish Baptist Church at 9:00 AM thanks to the hospitality of Reverend Abraham Gross. The District Director of NeighborWorks America, Deborah Boatright is traveling from New York to greet the volunteers. Box lunches will be provided as workers head to their assigned work sites. Following a day of hard work, the volunteers will gather again at the Baptist Church for a barbeque and celebration.

“It’s all about the work,” said Merten Bangemann-Johnson, CEO of Gilman Housing, “But making sure volunteers enjoy the experience helps guarantee participation at future efforts, as well. There’s much to be done.”

Anyone interested in helping should contact Peg Hale toll free at 888 MY VT HOME, or by email at PegH@nekhome.org. Everyone is welcomed.

7. Calendar of Cavendish Events 6/1/12-6/10/12
June 1 (Friday): Ludlow Farmer’s Market, 4-7 pm in front of Okemo Mountain School, 53 Main St.

June 2 (Saturday): Grand Opening of Black River Good Neighbor’s Used Furniture Store in Ludlow, 10 am. FMI: www.brgn.org or call 802-228-3663

June 3 (Sunday): Cavendish Historical Society Museum Opens 2-4 pm. Featuring flood exhibit and 250th Cavendish Historical Timeline. FMI: 226-7807 or margoc@tds.net

June 4 (Monday): Blood Drive at the Ludlow Community Center 12:30-5:30 pm

June 5 (Tuesday): All submissions for Cavendish Calendar are due. Contest guidelines and rules, and entry forms and instructions on how to enter will be available at the CCCA website, at the Town Offices on High Street in Cavendish, or at Crow’s Bakery on Depot St. in Proctorsville.
• Bone Builders Class at the Cavendish Baptist-- Class from 10-11:15. FMI: Linda at Green Mountain RSVP & Volunteer Center of Windsor County at (802) 885-2083, Charlotte Snyder at 226-7343 or Anne Oakes or Andrew Ohotnicky at (802) 228-5236, Dot Ramsdell at (802) 226-7870

June 6 (Wednesday): CTES PTO Meeting, 6-7 pm at the school
• Planning Commission Meeting, 6:30 PM at the Cavendish Town Office

June 7 (Thursday): Arts Night at CTES 6:30-7:30 pm
• Bone Builders Class at the Cavendish Baptist-- Class from 10-11:15. FMI: Linda at Green Mountain RSVP & Volunteer Center of Windsor County at (802) 885-2083, Charlotte Snyder at 226-7343 or Anne Oakes or Andrew Ohotnicky at (802) 228-5236, 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

June 8 (Friday): Ludlow Farmer’s Market, 4-7 pm in front of Okemo Mountain School, 53 Main St.

June 9 (Saturday): Vermont Days. Free admission to VT State Parks and Historic sites throughout VT. FMI: 802-228-5830 or www.yourplaceinvermont.com.

June 10 (Sunday): Vermont Days. Free admission to VT State Parks and Historic sites throughout VT. FMI: 802-228-5830 or www.yourplaceinvermont.com.
• Cavendish Historical Society Museum Open 2-4 pm. Featuring flood exhibit and 250th Cavendish Historical Timeline. FMI: 226-7807 or margoc@tds.net