Friday, February 14, 2014

Cavendish Update 2/14/14 News/SB Mtg/Events

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY


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

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


The 2/14/14 Cavendish Update Contains the Following:
1. Select Board Meeting 2/10/14
2. Cavendish Related News
3. CCCA to Hold Town Meeting Information Forum in Cavendish
4. Let the Good Times Roll-Mardi Gras-March 1
5. Gay Brothers Mill: Drawing-In Girls/CHS Annual Meeting
6. Come See Our Hearts
7. CCCA Presents: Health of The Vermont Deer Herd
8. Events

1. SELECT BOARD MEETING 2/10/14
It was a very short Select Board meeting this past Monday, since the board has been meeting weekly to work on the Annual Town Report and budget. The Report should be mailed to voters no later than Feb.20, as the state law requires that it be available to voters at least 10 days before Town Meeting.

As in year’s past, there will be a pre town meeting on Feb. 25 (Tuesday), 6 pm at the Cavendish Town Office. Please note the change of venue for this meeting. This will be an opportunity to meet candidates and to discuss the warnings included in the town report. For more information about Town Meeting, candidates and warnings, go to http://cavendishvt.blogspot.com/2014/01/cavendish-town-meeting-2014-candidates.html

Note that the GMUHS Annual Meeting takes place on Feb. 25 at 7 pm at the GMUHS Conference Room. A copy of the GMUHS Annual Report 2012-2013 is available on-lineArticles to be voted on at the meeting are included in the Annual Report.

The Board reviewed and approved the 2014 Town Highway Annual Certificate of Mileage as well as the special weight restrictions submission to VTrans for 2014. The two bridges with weight restriction are the Depot Street Bridge in Proctorsville (5 ton maximum) and Brook Road Bridge (3 ton maximum). These weight restrictions will remain in place until the bridges are repaired. Brook Rd is scheduled for the 2014 construction period.

Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by LPC-TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television. 

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Got Broadband? State Says You Do Even It’s From a Cell Signal: There are a number of residents and businesses that question the state’s comment that just one percent of the state is not covered by broadband. The state says in most cases those individuals do have access, but it is not from a wire or cable running to their homes. The Department Of Public Service has information on broadband available to each Vermont address. While it is not public because of confidentiality agreements with the broadband companies, any Vermonter can call the department at 1-800-622-4496 and find out which broadband service is available at a specific address. VPR 

PSB Rules Against North Springfield Wood Chip Plant: The Public Service Board has ruled against the proposed 37-megawatt wood-fired power plant in North Springfield. In a 156-page decision released Tuesday, the Board upheld an earlier decision by one of its hearing officers, who had said the project would “interfere” with the orderly development in the region because of heavy truck traffic delivering the woodchips to the North Springfield industrial park. Rutland Herald 

Lawmakers Hear Personal Plea for Ban on Hand-Held Devices: Teenager Spencer Huntley loved music. His iPhone filled with songs was never out of his hand, and it was with him when he died. Spencer’s father, Rep. Mark Huntley, D-Cavendish, told his colleagues on the House floor Thursday that he is certain that Spencer was changing songs on his phone when his car crashed into a tractor trailer, killing him instantly. Huntley urged fellow lawmakers to support a law that would ban drivers from using hand-held electronic devices “His use of a hand-held device is the only reason he’s not here,” Huntley said. “Do this for my son.” Huntley’s House colleagues agreed, approving the bill on a 

3. CCCA TO HOLD TOWN MEETING INFORMATION FORUM
The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association will hold an informational meeting for Cavendish voters on the Tuesday before this year’s town meeting.  The forum will be held on Tuesday, February 25th, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Cavendish Town Offices on High Street in Cavendish.

The meeting will address each of the issues on this year’s town meeting ballot, including both the town and the school proposed budgets.  Other articles requiring a vote will be discussed too.  One asks the voters to approve a tax exemption for Fletcher Farm Foundation; another asks for a tax exemption for the Black River Health Center.  A third article asks for a special appropriation for the expansion of the Twenty Mile Stream Cemetery and a fourth asks approval to establish a Cavendish Recreation Department with its own budget.  Finally, voters are asked to approve the use of a surplus from 2013 for several items.  Town and school officials will be present to discuss each issue.

Although there are no contested races on the ballot this year, all candidates are invited to attend and any candidates who are present will be asked to make short statements and to answer attendees’ questions.  The meeting is open to all Cavendish citizens and residents.  For more information, please call Robin Timko at (802) 226-7736.

4. LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL-MARDI GRAS MARCH 1
The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association continues its annual Mardi Gras tradition of Dinner and Dance with home cooked Cajun food and the music of Yankee Chank on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at Crows’ Bakery and CafĂ© on Depot Street in Proctorsville.  Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and dancing starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for the dinner and dance are $40 per person but are limited to 30 people.  For those who would like to just enjoy the music and dancing, tickets are $10 at the door starting at 7:30 p.m..

Dinner includes pulled pork or vegetarian poor boys, corn bread, coleslaw, Seymour’s Famous shrimp etouffe, King Cake and more.  There will also be a cash wine bar open for the event.

As in past years there will be a contest with prizes for the first and second best homemade Mardi Gras mask, so, give it a try – make your mask!

Dance away your winter blues and enjoy a Proctorsville Mardi Gras tradition.
To reserve your dinner and dance tickets or for information about the event please call Robin at 802-226-7736, or stop by Crows’ Bakery.  Tickets sell out quickly, so please buy early.


5. GAY BROTHERS MILL: DRAWING IN GIRLS/ CHS ANNUAL MEETING

Prior to her death in 2011, Sophie Snarski (former Cavendish village post master) talked about her job working at Gay Brothers Mill. She explained that she was a “drawing-in girl,” and was given a chance to work in the same position at the large mill in Lowell, Mass. So what was a drawing-in girl? In the biography for mill worker and organizer Harriet Hanson Robinson, the following description of a Drawing-In girl was provided Drawing-in girls drew in the threads of the warp through the harness and the reed, making the beams ready for the weaver's loom. (The warp is the thread that runs lengthwise in a fabric. The harness raises and lowers warp threads on the loom. The reed is a movable frame that separates the warp threads.) Though it required skill and a nimble and steady hand, this job was not very demanding. Since the drawing-in girls were paid by the piece, not by the hour, they could work at their own pace. If they chose to read, they could.

Learn more about Vermont and local history at the upcoming Cavendish Historical Society Annual Meeting, Feb. 23 (Sunday), 5 pm at Cavendish Elementary School in Proctorsville. A pot luck supper will be at 5 pm. The film Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie- A Very New IdeaPart One will be shown at approximately 6 pm. The film 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. http://thevermontmovie.com In the event of snow, the meeting will be rescheduled. FMI: 802-226-7807 or margoc@tds.net

6. COME SEE OUR HEARTS
There’s something new in the Black River Good Neighbor Services thrift store: a dozen colorful, stuffed hearts hanging from a small bare tree.  You have to look high to see them because they are perched on top of the brand new walk-in freezer.

Five years ago and several weeks before Valentine’s Day, mysterious hearts first appeared in Ludlow on the trees of the United Church.  Local newspapers called the church to get the story, but no one could unmask it.  The mysterious hearts even made national television news.  The next year, hearts were back at the Church but also at the pastor’s home and homes of Church members.  The third year, hearts showed up on the bandstand in Veterans’ Park and at many more church members’ homes.  That’s when the United Church adopted the hearts and created Heart Workshops.  Women of the church, friends of the church, even a few men attended these gatherings to cut, sew, stuff, and string hearts together.  Distribution expanded to community individuals that the heart makers wanted to recognize for their civic service.  In the last two years, the circle of those recognized has grown, and this year includes us at BRGNS.

We are thrilled to be recognized by the United Church for the community services we provide. However, such recognition is not new.  Historically, BRGNS was first housed in the United Church about 50 years ago.  Several pastors were intimately involved in creating our organization, and church members have been strong supporters.  Also, this year the United Church is contributing its local benevolence budget to us.  We are proud to have been “hearted” and thankful for the continuing relationship with and contributions from the United Church of Ludlow.

7. CCCA PRESENTS: HEALTH OF THE VERMONT DEER HEARD

The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association has announced the latest production in its Walk and Talk Series.  On Thursday, February 27th at 6:30 p.m. Adam Murkowsky of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department will talk about the current, comprehensive review of deer management, and about results of the current public survey on the health of deer herds in Vermont.

The Walk and Talk Series consists of lectures and demonstrations aimed at presenting various aspects of our natural world in a learning environment.  Past events focused on raptors, amphibians, large game, bees, songbirds and many other topics of general interest.  When the weather is good the instructor may meet in an appropriate outdoor setting as well.

The presentation of “Big Game – Health of the Deer Herd” will occur at the Gethsemane Church meeting hall on Depot Street in Proctorsville.  This is a free event although donations to defray costs are always welcome.  For more information about this event, or about other upcoming Walk and Talk events, please call Robin Timko at 226-7736.

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

• Valentine’s Day (Friday, Feb. 14): CTES PTO Gigantic Bake Sale 3-7 pm.

Romantic Valentine’s Day Special at the Glimmerstone Mansion Valentines Day Special, Friday February 14th: $175 per couple, Live Music, Roses, Bottle of Champagne or Wine, 5-Course Pre-Fixed Meal 15% of Room Reservations if Dinner Special is booked Tax, Gratuity and Additional Alcoholic Beverages Not Included Reservations Required. FMI: http://www.yourplaceinvermont.com/event/romantic-valentines-day-special-glimmerstone-mansion/

• CTES and GMUHS Winter Break (Feb 14-24) Schools closed for winter break

• Rusty Belle (Saturday, Feb. 15): Part of the Raise the Roof Concert Series. The group is known for its genre-busting mix of pop-rock-country-blues music. Rusty Belle will perform at 7:00 p.m. at Gethsemane Church in Proctorsville and raise the roof with their musical artistry and sparkling wit.  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.   FMI:  226-7497.

• President’s Day (Monday, Feb. 17): Town Office, post office, banks and other businesses closed.

• Fair Isle Knitting at Six Loose Ladies Feb. 17 (Monday): Women on a tiny island known as Fair Isle, in the Shetland Islands, halfway between Scotland and Norway created their own designs for stranded color knitting. In this class you will knit a headband using a classic Fair Isle design. The headband will be knit in the round and you will learn the different ways of holding both strands of yarn. You must be comfortable casting on and knitting stockinet stitch. Materials Needed: Two Skeins of worsted weight in contrasting colors, 16″ US 7 or 8 circular needle, stitch markers. Class is 1-4 pm at Six Loose Ladies in Proctorsville. Cost is $35. FMI: 226-7373


To learn more about upcoming events in Cavendish and surrounding towns go to:








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