Cavendish Update 1/31/14: Town Mtg Info/News/Events/Valentine's

Information can also be posted on the Cavendish VT Facebook Page. 

Note: Cavendish’s Madi Huntley, senior at GMUHS, is on track to receive her 1000 point during Saturday's basketball game against Leland and Gray. The game is at GMUHS, 2:30pm. Anyone who can make it please attend to cheer her on. She will be the 7th player in the school history (2nd woman) to achieve this mark. GO MADI GO!

The 1/31/14 Cavendish Update Contains the Following:
1. Cavendish Town Meeting-Candidates and Warnings
2. Cavendish Related News
3. My Cavendish Album
4. Cavendish Historical Society Annual Meeting

5. Rusty Belle Raises the Roof in Proctorsville 

6. Feeling the Love in Cavendish-Valentine’s Day

7. Events 

1. CAVENDISH TOWN MEETING-CANDIDATES AND WARNINGS 
The Town Report will be first on the agenda for the March 3 Town Meeting. The grand total for the town budget for FY 2014 is $1,284,190. This is a 1.817% increase over last year’s budget. Town Meeting will be at 7 pm in the multi purpose room of the Cavendish Town Elementary School, with voting for elected officials taking place on March 4 at the school from 10-7. 

Budgets for CTES and GMUHS are voted on by Australian ballot on March 4. The budget for CTES is $1,739,866 and $6,095,908 for GMUHS. For the latter school, voters will also be asked to authorize the funding of the Capital Improvement Reserve Fund by $40,000 to be appropriated from the 2013 Fiscal Year General Fund Surplus. An informational meeting regarding CTES will follow the town meeting on March 3. The Annual Meeting for GMUHS will be February 25, 7 pm , in the school’s conference room. 

Warning notices for Cavendish, CTES and GMUHS appear in the January 29 Vermont Journal. The Cavendish Town and School District Annual Report is generally mailed several weeks before town meeting and will also be available in PDF format at the Cavendish Municipal website  in the Documents section. Copies of the report will be available at Town Meeting as well as from the Town Office. 

Warnings: There will be 10 Warnings on this year’s Town Meeting. Warnings include the five regular items-town officers elected by Australian ballot; accept the 2013 Town Report; accept the budget for Fiscal year 2014; and to transact other business. The additional five Warnings are as follows:
• Exempt the Fletcher Farm Foundation from taxes for the next five years.

• Exempt the Black River Health Center from taxes for the next five years.

• Approve a special appropriation in the sum of $10,000 for the purpose of clearing, stumping, regrading and seeding a portion of land donated to the Town and now part of the Twenty Mile Stream Cemetery  so that it may be suitable for use as burial ground.

• Approve the establishment of a Cavendish Recreation Department and approve an appropriation of $25,5000 to support the first year activities of the department and to add said amount to the budget proposed by the selectmen for the FY 2014.

• Approve that a surplus of $70,407 be used as follows: $30,000 toward the Town Highway Capital Equipment Fund; $8,000 toward a new dual fuel furnace system for the town garage; and $32,407 to reduce the amount needed to be raised by taxes for FY 2014.

Candidates: On Jan. 27, petitions for elected town positions needed to be filed with the Town Office. Nominations were received from the following candidates:
• Town and School Moderator: Will Hunter
• Town Clerk/Treasurer: Diane McNamara
• Select Board 3 year term: Bob Glidden
• Select Board two 1 year terms: No petitions received
• Lister 3 year: Ginny Garrow
• Auditor 1 year: Peter LaBelle
• Librarian Trustee 1 Year: Julia Gignoux
• Librarian Trustee 5 year: Janelle Wilfong
• CTES School board Two 1 year terms: Barbara Dickey and Brenda Gregory
• CTES School board 3 year term: No petitions received
• GMUHS Board 1 year term: Stewart Lindberg
• Town Grand Juror: Mabel Ward
• Town Constable: Seth Perry
• Cemetery Commission 3 year term: Brian Pelky
• Cemetery Commission 4 year term: Barry Stearns
• Cemetery Commission 5 year term: Gail Woods

All candidates are running unopposed. Anyone interested in serving for one year terms on the Select board or the 3 year term for CTES, should contact Rich Svec or Diane McNamara at 226-7292. 

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS 
Trailer Found: Last week a trailer was stolen from a residence on Tarbell Hill. On Jan. 24, the owners received a call from the State Police. The trailer was found in a storage unit at Downer’s. Thanks to all who shared this information through their various social networks. 

New Fire Chief for Cavendish Fire Department: Due to time constraints, Chief Jeff Davis of the Cavendish Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD) has switched positions with Shane Turco, who is now the chief of the CVFD. Jeff is now C-2. 

True Stories-Live Storytelling: Part of the Raise the Roof series, LPC-TV videotaped the Jan. 12 True-Live Storytelling program and has posted it to their website.  The program features local Okemo Valley story tellers. 

VT Attorney General Warns Vermonters About Facebook Scam: Officials say the scammer gains access to an a person's Facebook account and then sends a message to the "friends" saying their names are on the U.S. Treasury Department's unclaimed funds list. The message has an email address and phone number to call. When contacted, the scammer asks the consumer to wire money to pay for taxes and fees to get the cash. The attorney general says the scammer has accessed at least one Vermont legislator's Facebook account and contacted the "friends." The office says any Facebook message about unclaimed funds is a scam. It says the Vermont Treasurer's Office has an unclaimed property program but does not send Facebook messages, emails or letters to consumers. WCAX 

VT Agency of Education Releases Recommendation on Class Size: The Agency of Education, in its new report, “Report on Act 60 of 2013 Minimum Ratios for Student-to-Staff and Student-to-course,” recommends minimum course sizes across grade levels for four main learning categories: English, math, science and social studies. Vermont has the lowest ratio in the nation, with an average student-to-teacher ratio of 9.4 to 1. The national average is 16 to 1. Vermont also has the second highest average spending per pupil rate, $18,571, in the country. (New York State is No. 1.) Press Release 

New Study-VT School Spending Increases are Unsustainable: The Vermont Realtors released a study on Tuesday that shows overall spending for education has increased dramatically over the last 15 years, and during that same period school enrollments statewide have dropped by 1,000 students a year. Woolf and Heaps say that Vermont’s overall school spending was 20 percent above the national average 15 years ago; now it is 50 percent above the average. WCAX 

3. MY CAVENDISH ALBUM 
Facebook has been a great way for people to reconnect and there are many discussions taking place on the Cavendish VT Facebook page. Some people have been posting photographs from their family albums as well as pictures they took when they were growing up. Unfortunately, not everyone is on-line and many would love to see and share their own photographs and stories. 

This summer, the Cavendish Historical Society is planning to host a special exhibit at the Museum –My Cavendish Album. If you have photographs, or even albums, that you would like to share for this exhibit, please send them by May 1 to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142. You can also e-mail Jpegs to margoc@tds.net. Please include as much information as you can about the photograph(s)-date it was taken, by whom, names of people, location and stories that may be particularly relevant. 

4. CAVENDISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING 

The Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) Annual Meeting will take place on Feb. 23 (Sunday), 5 pm at the Cavendish Town Elementary School in Proctorsville. There will be a pot luck supper starting at 5 pm, followed by a short business meeting. At approximately 6 pm we will be showing the film Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie- Part 1 A Very New Idea Part One explores the roots from which the future state of Vermont grew. Samuel de Champlain steps into a canoe, paving the way for Yankee immersion into native culture. We look at early settlement, native peoples’ resistance, and the little-known history of African American settlers. Pioneer rebel Ethan Allen leads the struggle for independence, resulting in Vermont’s radical constitution- the first to outlaw slavery. Finally, Vermont’s heroic role in the Civil War reminds us that, despite occasional missteps, Freedom & Unity— Vermont’s state motto—continues to chart the state’s course into the present. In the event of snow, the meeting will be rescheduled. For more information 802-226-7807 or margoc@tds.net

Scribbler II, CHS’s newsletter, winter 2014 edition is now available on-line. 

5. RUSTY BELLE RAISES THE ROOF IN PROCTORSVILLE

The homegrown, eclectic and gloriously edgy Rusty Belle band will usher in a big change in the Raise the Roof Concert Series when its live music moves from Sunday afternoons to Saturday nights.   The group is known for its genre-busting mix of folk-pop-rock-country-blues music that fills the seats in venues large and small across the country.  On Saturday February 15 at 7:00 p.m. Rusty Belle will pack tiny Gethsemane Church in Proctorsville and raise the roof with their musical artistry and sparkling wit.  Brother and sister Matt and Kate Lorenz return to their hometown for this special concert,  joined by Zak Trojano.  Guitar, percussion and instruments crafted from found materials provide the energy that moves lead singer Kate Lorenz's dusky voice through music filled with humor, soul, whimsy and originality that keeps on surprising.  The price of $10.00 will buy you a seat and the great feeling that comes with supporting high quality live music in an intimate venue.  Learn more about Rusty Belle at www.rustybelle.com and "like" the concert series on Facebook at Raise the Roof Concert Series.  Put it on your calendar--this is a concert not to be missed!  FMI:  226-7497.

6. FEELING THE LOVE IN CAVENDISH-VALENTINE’S DAY 

With two weeks until Valentine’s Day, consider shopping locally for that special Valentine. Crows’ Bakery will have a variety of special sweet treats, while Glimmerstone  is hosting a special Valentine’s dinner for two-5 course meal with champagne or wine, roses and live music. Gift certificates to a Six Loose Ladies Class or Fletcher Farm  are ideal for the crafty Valentine. Don’t forget flowers from Marion’s.  Check out the on-line Cavendish Business directory for more gift certificate ideas. 

“Feel the love” and hug somebody in Cavendish. 

7. EVENTS 
This week, the following activities will be taking place:

• Chinese New Year 2014 (Friday, January 31): 恭禧發財Gong Hey Fat Choy (Happy New Year) It is the Year of the Horse. Those born in horse years are thought to be cheerful, skillful with money, perceptive, witty, talented and good with their hands. 

• GMUHS’s Senior and Cavendish resident Madi Huntley Goes for her 1,000 Point (Saturday, Feb. 1): Madi Huntley will be going for her 1,000 point when GMUHS girl’s basketball goes up against Leland and Gray. 2: 30 pm at GMUHS. 

• Blood Drive (Monday, Feb. 3): American Red Cross Blood Drive, Ludlow Community Center, 37 Main St, 12:30-5:30 pm. Buy one get one free adult ski or ride ticket for all presenting donors. FMI: 1-800-733-2767

• Positive Parenting Class (Tuesday, Feb. 4): 6-8 pm at CTES. 

• Cavendish Planning Commission Meeting (Wednesday, Feb. 5): 6:30 pm Cavendish Town Office. 

• Ignat Solzhenitsyn Lecture (Wednesday, Feb. 5): Cavendish resident Ignat Solzhenitsyn will be giving a lecturer as part of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesday Series, Rustyat the Brattleboro Library, 7 pm. He will be talking about his father’s writing and growing up in Cavendish in the 1980’s. If interested in car pooling to Brattleboro, please e-mail margoc@tds.net or call 802-226-7807.

To learn more about upcoming events in Cavendish and surrounding towns go to:
• Events listed by month 
• Events listed by day 

To register an event: go to http://www.yourplaceinvermont.com/central-vermont-event-calendar/community/add/