Cavendish VT Blog: July 2014

Friday, July 25, 2014

Cavendish Update 7/25/14 News/Tag Sale/Events

The Cavendish Connects website now includes much of what was included on this blog as well as a calendar of Cavendish events. The new blog, “The Dish,” includes the Cavendish Update as well as on-going information.

Welcome Riders! This weekend is the HOG (Harley OwnersGroup) rally. Please watch out for bikers who will be in and around our town today and tomorrow.

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

The 7/25/14 Cavendish Update Contains:

1. Cavendish Related News

2. Town Wide Tag Sale is Tomorrow

3. Proctorsville Green Concert Series

4. Cavendish WWII Talks Now On-line

5. Save the Date:15th Annual RiverSweep and Junk Jam

6. Events

7. Support Cavendish Connects

1. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Whitesville Bridge Dedication: On Thursday, July 24, the Whiteville Bridge on Route 131 was officially opened. Rich Svec, on behalf of the town of Cavendish dedicated the opening of the bridge, which was damaged during Irene, to the Vermont National Guard and in memory of Sgt. Shawn Stocker, of the Air National Guard, who died while on duty during recovery efforts. This bridge replacement is the last major repair project from Irene. While seldom talked about, this is a good time to note and thank Rich Svec and the various town staff for their countless hours working with FEMA, doing road repair etc. After the 1973 flood, the town had to float a 30-year bond to help with recovery. The damage from the 2011 flood was considerably more-estimates are over $4 million. Thanks to Svec and his team, who were willing to spend countless hours on paperwork, a majority of the repairs were paid for by FEMA and the State. While Cavendish had to borrow money, it has been repaid and we have no debt. With only a few projects remaining, it is anticipated these will be completed by Sept. 2015 when FEMA funding ends. Read more about the dedication at the Cavendish VT Blog.

Market Basket in Claremont Caught up in Family Feud: The turmoil hitting the Market Basket chain has reached Claremont, as the Washington Street grocery store location reports it is running low on stock. According to one shopper on Thursday, “All of the essentials are gone, just about.” The store is low on dairy, out of seafood, nearly out of meat, and offered little else besides bananas and the odd melon in the produce section. What started as a Demoulas family feud turned into a full-blown employee revolt when Arthur T. Demoulas was fired last month as president of the grocery store chain by a board of directors led by his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas.

Vermont one of the Best States to Raise Children: The 25^th edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book, lists Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa as the highest ranked states, while Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico were among the lowest. VT ranks number 2 in the country for best places to raise children based on 4 indicators: economic well-being, education, health and family and community.

2. TOWN WIDE TAG SALE IS TOMORROW

The 4^th Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale gets underway tomorrow, July 26, at 9 am. For those setting up on one of the greens, be sure to bring your own table, chairs and canopy. Please remove trash and anything that doesn’t sell at the end of the day.

In addition to the on-line list of vendors, maps will be available at three locations-Cavendish Baptist Church, Cavendish Historical Society and the Proctorsville Volunteer Fire Dept. (PVFD) booth on the Proctorsville Green. This year, there will be a benefit car wash-$5- for the Help Jenny Heal Fund-at the Cavendish Fire Department and the Cavendish Library will have a book and movie sale. There are also a group of students who will be on the Cavendish Green raising money for the renovation of the playground on that Green. A number of non-profit groups serving our area will be on the Proctorsville Green and food is available at the Cavendish Baptist Church while the PVFD will be hosting a BBQ on the Proctorsville Green.

Where provided, the on-line information lists various items the vendors are selling. The web site will be continually updated until about 7 am on the 26^th.

It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day tomorrow, so get out there and sell and/or shop!

3. PROCTORSVILLE GREEN CONCERT SERIES

Sometimes the weather just does not cooperate. On Wednesday, July 23^rd, faced with high winds, lightning and downpours, the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA) called off the outdoor concert featuring Sensible Shoes. Rescheduling will extend the concert season as Sensible Shoes will perform on Wednesday, August 20^th . The concert will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will be sponsored by the Golden Stage Inn and by Old Cavendish Products.

On August 6^th at 6:00 p.m. Yankee Chank will appear at the Green in Proctorsville. Black River Produce will sponsor this concert. Yankee Chank is a Vermont group that performs traditional Cajun music from the heart of southwest Louisiana.

Why does a Vermont band play Cajun music? Primarily because the French-speaking people of eastern Canada, our immediate neighbor to the north, was the inspiration for the southern Cajuns. Yankee Chank has been performing both Cajun and Zydeco music around Vermont and beyond, using fiddle, accordion, guitar and bass since 1996. The band’s performances offer a distinctive immersion into this unique regional music.

In the event of rain on Aug. 6, there will be a Cajun dance party, complete with instructions, at 6 pm at the Cavendish Town Elementary School. With any luck, there might even be some gumbo.

All concerts are free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome. FMI: Robin at 226-7736 or Vermont Summer Concert Series.

4. CAVENDISH WWII TALKS NOW ON LINE

In June, three of Cavendish’s WWII veterans-Carmine Guica, Jim Hasson, and Seymour Leven spoke to the sixth graders about their experiences during WWII. All three served in the Pacific theater in different branches of the military -Leven was a tail gunner on a B-29; Guica was an Army cook, spending almost a year sleeping in a foxhole in places like Okinawa, and Hasson was a Seabee, entering military service at 17. ’You can watch Leven and Hasson on UTube.

5. SAVE THE DATE: 15^TH ANNUAL RIVERSWEEP & JUNK JAM

The Black River Action Team (BRAT) invites volunteers of all ages to lend their time and elbow-grease to the 15th Annual RiverSweep! Held on the Saturday after Labor Day Weekend (this year on September 6th), RiverSweep is a trash-gathering extravaganza aimed at the bed and banks of the Black River in Windsor County, Vermont.

Stop in at one of two headquarters after 8AM on September 6th: in Springfield at the Citizens Bank drive-up by the footbridge in the Shopping Plaza on the Chester Road, or in Ludlow at the gazebo on the town green in Veterans Park by the Fletcher Memorial Library. Sign in, pick up a little light refreshment, work-gloves and garbage bags. Pick a place to look for trash, and set off. Bring back your "haul" by 11AM so BRAT can take inventory and photos; clean up and enjoy some lunch donated by area business-folks.

In recognition of this being the 15th RiverSweep, pick a piece of trash to "play" in the first-ever "Junk Jam" -- a spontaneous music-making event in the spirit of The Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay. Cleaning up is important, but it can also be creative and fun to repurpose our junk!

RiverSweep and Junk Jam will wrap up by noon. Please contact BRAT Director Kelly Stettner for more details or with any questions: blackrivercleanup@yahoo.com or (802) 885-1533.

Donations are gratefully accepted sent either directly to BRAT (101 Perley Gordon Rd, Springfield VT 05156) or to BRAT's fiscal agent, Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District (made out to ONRCD with a note of "BRAT" on the check, mailed to ONRCD, 28 Farmvu Dr, WRJ VT 05001).

6. EVENTS

The following Cavendish related events are taking place in the coming week:

JULY 25 (FRIDAY: Ludlow Farmer’s Market featuring a number of Cavendish vendors, 4-7 pm on the front lawn of Okemo Mountain School, 53 Main Street in Ludlow.

JULY 26 (SATURDAY): CAVENDISH TOWN WIDE TAG SALE 9-3

JULY 27 (SUNDAY): The Cavendish Historical Society Museum is open from 2-4 pm.

JULY 28 (MONDAY): Yoga with Lydia Ouvaroff: 5 pm at Gethsemane Episcopal Parish Hall off Depot Street in Proctorsville. Cost is a donation. FMI: 802-299-9515 (cell) or 228-3261.

• Summer Story Hour at Fletcher Memorial Library: 12:30 -1:15

JULY 29 (TUESDAY): Bone Builders Bone Builders meeting at the Cavendish Baptist Church each Tuesday and Thursday from 10 am to 11:30 am. Weighs are used to help build muscle and stave off osteoporosis for both men and women. Exercises also focus on balance. Call Charlotte Snyder at 226-7343 or Dot Ramsdell at 226-7870 or RSVP office at 885-2083. RSVP is the sponsor of this activity.

JULY 30 (WEDNESDAY): Proctorsville Concert, Chris Kleeman 6 pm. FMI: Robin at 226-7736 or Vermont Summer Concert Series

• Free Community BBQ at the Cavendish Library: 6 pm, 50/50 Raffle. Magic Show by Tom Joyce.

JULY 31 (THURSDAY): Bone Builders Bone Builders meeting at the Cavendish Baptist Church each Tuesday and Thursday from 10 am to 11:30 am. Weighs are used to help build muscle and stave off osteoporosis for both men and women. Exercises also focus on balance. Call Charlotte Snyder at 226-7343 or Dot Ramsdell at 226-7870 or RSVP office at 885-2083. RSVP is the sponsor of this activity.

• Annual Tie Dye Day at the Cavendish Library: Bring a T-shirt, pillowcase or even socks and make them bright and beautiful.

AUGUST 1 (FRIDAY): LudlowFarmer’s Market featuring a number of Cavendish vendors, 4-7 pm on the front lawn of Okemo Mountain School, 53 Main Street in Ludlow.

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

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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Whitesville Bridge Dedication 7/24/14

Mark Huntley and Rich Svec

With a background of Harley motorcycles, Rich Svec, Cavendish town manager, spoke about the reason for the Route 131 bridge (Whitesville bridge) dedication.

Tropical storm Irene inflicted significant damage to Vermont, particularly to Cavendish, which not only destroyed the town's infrastructure, but damaged nearly all of the roads and bridges. The much photographed chasm that formed on Route 131 required extensive manpower to repair. The VT National Guard, as well as Guard from other states, worked from sun up to sun down for two months to reopen the road. With its completion, a reopening ceremony was planned but was cancelled when one of the town's local youth, Spencer Huntley, was killed in a car accident.

The dedication of the Whitesville Bridge serves several purposes. It not only marks another milestone in the town's recovery from Irene, but it provided an opportunity to thank the many who have helped over the last three years to restore the town. Svec not only expressed his appreciation to VTrans, but also to Cold River LLC who was responsible for completing the project a week ahead of the projected completion date.

Two representatives from VTRans, Christine Higgins and Tammy Ellis, were on hand and described the terrible condition of the bridge after Irene. They also thanked the people of Cavendish for allowing the closing, which not only allowed the project to be fast tracked and completed in less than 30 days, but also helped to save money, which could be used for other towns.

State Representative Mark Huntley, and father of Spencer, also spoke thanking the people of Cavendish for their patience and his appreciation to all the workers who helped to restore the town after Irene.

Sgt. Shawn Stocker

On behalf of the town, Svec said that he dedicated the bridge to the Guardsmen, both from Vermont and other states and in memory of Sgt. Shawn Stocker, Air National Guard, who died while in service in Cavendish.

Holding the ends of the ribbon being cut were Marji Graff of the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce and the bridge project foreman from Cold River LLC.

While seldom talked about, this is a good time to note and thank Rich Svec and the various town staff for their countless hours working with FEMA, doing road repair etc. After the 1973 flood, the town had to float a 30 year bond to help with recovery. The damage from the 2011 flood was considerably more-estimates are over $4 million. Thanks to Svec and his team, who were willing to spend countless hours on paperwork, a majority of the repairs were paid for by FEMA and the State. While Cavendish had to borrow money, it has been repaid and we have no debt. With only a few projects remaining, it is anticipated these will be completed by Sept. 2015 when FEMA funding ends.

Rich Svec cutting the ribbon.

With the cutting of the ribbon, Svec turned to the Harley riders behind him and said, "start your engines," thus welcoming the HOG (Harley Owners Group) to the Okemo Valley and the start of their three day rally, which is based at Jackson Gore in Ludlow.

It looks like it will be a beautiful weekend, and great riding weather for the HOGs. Please be mindful of them and "share the road."

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Ribbon Cutting for Whitesville Bridge 7/24/14

There will be a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony Thursday, July 24 at the Whitesville Bridge on Rt. 131 at 9 am. Cavendish is dedicating the reopening of the Bridge, which was damaged during Irene, to the Vermont National Guard and in memory of Sgt. Shawn Stocker, of the Air National Guard, who died while on duty during recovery efforts following Irene. The public is invited to attend the opening.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Sensible Shoes Concert Rescheduled

Due to hazardous weather, the Sensible Shoes concert, scheduled for July 23 on the Proctorsville Green, has been cancelled. The band will play the last concert of the season on Wed., Aug. 20^th.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Cavendish Update 7/18/14 New from CC/News/Events

• Instagram

• Pinterest: A number of new boards have been added to the Pinterest site. If you are not familiar with Pinterest, the best way to describe it is bookmarks with pictures. There are separate boards that you can follow including: Business Directory, Life in Cavendish, What to Do; Activities for kids; Schools; Community Organizations; Summer Concert Series; Events; Things to do nearby; Places to Stay; Historical Cavendish; Researching your Cavendish Family; Food & Drink; Energy and Conservation and the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library.

If your organization is interested in having a board on the Connects site, please e-mail cavendishconnects@gmail.com We’ll be happy to show you how to set up a board and “pin.”

The Connects website is almost ready for prime time and our goal is to be live by August 1. Please support Cavendish Connects (item 6 below) so we can continue to provide the informational services you count on.

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

The 7/18/14 Cavendish Update Contains:

1. Select Board Meeting 7/14/14

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Town Wide Tag Sale One Week A Way

4. Chris Kleeman Plays July 30^th Proctorsville Concert

5. Events

6. Support for Cavendish Connects

1. SELECT BOARD MEETING 7/14/14

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

A. Cavendish Gulf Road Stabilization Project: At the March 10^th and May 12^th SB meetings, there was considerable discussion with VTrans, Cavendish Planning Commission and VHB Engineering regarding a retaining wall that needs to be stabilized on the Cavendish Gulf Road near the overpass. This land is owned by the state, which leases it to Green Mountain Railroad. The current stonewall, which is about 150 years old, is slated to be replaced by a concrete one, made up of blocks measuring 3x3x6. At the May meeting, the Planning Commission stated that this proposal does not fit with the historic nature and aesthetics of the town. SB members discussed similar concerns as raised and agreed to forward the Planning Commission’s letter to VTrans.

Representatives from VTrans attended Monday night’s meeting to discuss the SB’s concerns. VTrans was very clear there were no state funds for this project and it was being paid for by FEMA. If the project is altered in anyway, it would go back to square one. At this juncture, it is not possible to restart the project and meet the FEMA time frame for completion of repairs resulting from Irene.

The town has the option of refusing the project. However, if an accident would occur, the town would be liable. It’s not clear if tinting the concrete to be more in keeping with the original structure would be considered a significant project alteration. The VTrans representative agreed to check this out and report back to Rich Svec, town manager.

B. Solar Power: At the July 7 SB meeting, the Energy Committee introduced the idea that there could be significant cost savings, as well as actual income, if the town developed its own solar system. The Committee started exploring this option when the preliminary contract with Soveren Solar, the vendor selected in the fall to provide the town with a solar array, did not worked out. This week, various members of the Energy Committee addressed aspects of the project, which would include a 150 kW solar photovoltaic system, located south of the waste water treatment plant. The system would be net metered with Green Mountain Power (GMP) and would start saving the town money in its first year. The SB voted, 4 to 1, to move forward with the project, which requires a bond vote in order for the town to secure the $450,000 needed for the project. A bond vote has been scheduled for Aug. 26, the date of the Vermont primary. A detailed report on this project is available at the Cavendish VT blog.

C. Bridge Projects

• Whitesville Bridge: The bridge is now open, considerably ahead of the July 25 anticipated opening date. An on-line video shows the sliding of the bridge into place.

• Davis Road: Plans continue to replace the bridge this construction season.

D. 601 Main Street: The day after the voters agreed to the purchase of 601 Main Street, the vacant lot adjacent to the school in Proctorsville, a town resident came in and wrote a check for the amount of the purchase price, thereby eliminating it from becoming a tax issue. The town was to take ownership of the property on Tuesday, July 15.

E. Water Conservation Notice Still in Effect: While some minor problems have been found and dealt with, there is still an unknown exceptionally high demand for municipal water. This is still under investigation. The second well has been turned on. Until the problem is solved, those on Cavendish municipal water are asked to continue to conserve water.

F. Other Town Projects

• The town received a $4,000 Vermont Better Back Roads grant award for a culvert inventory.

• Youth Services Crew is now in town doing various jobs including cleaning up the property at 601 Main Street. They will be here for two weeks.

• The town was awarded a specialized energy grant, $8,900, to assist with assessing energy efficiency of the town’s waste water system. This begins on Friday, July 18.

• Drainage Project: There is money available to deal with the driveway drainage issue for the Town Office.

• Rec Department: Two qualified candidates applied for the job as rec director, one of which has since withdrawn their application.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Cavendish Alert! On Tuesday, July 14 a resident of Atkinson Rd reported the following, “Please be aware my daughter was riding our four wheeler behind our house and saw [a male] run from our pond to our garage wearing a red shirt. We live on Atkinson road and he was on our property.” Note that several weeks ago there was a report of a suspicious car on Atkinson Rd. If you see anything unusual, please report it to the Vermont State Police 802-875-2112.

Proctorsville Post Office Reduction in Hours: As part of the US Postal Service’s downsizing, Vermont has at least 145 post offices that will be closed or have their hours reduced. Cavendish village post office has been operating for over a year with reduced hours. In October, Proctorsville post office will be reduced from 8 to 6 hours.

New Local Websites: There are now new URLs for the following:

• CTES

• GMUHS

• Cavendish Library

• Two Rivers Supervisory Union

Exiled but not Silenced: Shedding light on Solzhenitsyn’s Time in America: The anti Soviet dissident and Nobel Prize winning author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent almost 18 of his 20 years exiled in Cavendish. The Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute has launched an initiative to translate work from this time period into English for the first time – a project that will challenge popular misconceptions about the writer’s output during this time. The majority of what Solzhenitsyn wrote in the U.S has not yet been published in English, including his account of his time in America, “The Little Grain Managed to Land Between Two Millstones.” Russia Beyond the Headlines

North Springfield Considering Solar Over Biomass: Winstanley Enterprises announced Wednesday that it was seeking state approval to build five, 500-kilowatt solar arrays in the North Springfield Industrial Park.  Some of the land that will be used was earlier proposed to be the site of the ill-fated North Springfield Sustainable Energy Project, which was rejected by state regulators earlier this year. Rutland Herald

VT Debuts Web-Based Recycling Map: The state of Vermont has released its Web-based recycling map that connects residents, businesses, and institutions with collection services and food rescue agencies, haulers and composters with food scraps.

3. TOWN WIDE TAG SALE ONE WEEK AWAY

As we get closer to the date, there are more people signing up for space and a number of vendors have provided information about what they have for sale. The Cavendish Library will be doing a book and movie sale as well. Be sure to check out the Tag Sale web page for updated information. This page will be continually updated until about 7 am July 26 (Saturday). If you want space on the Cavendish or Museum Green, or want your location included on the map, please e-mail margoc@tds.net or call 802-226-7807. If you can provide information about items you’ll have for sale this will help boost visitors to your booth. This year’s sale corresponds to the HOG (Harley Owners Group) in Ludlow, so fly your Harley colors if you have them.

4. CHRIS KLEEMAN PLAYS JULY 30^TH PROCTORSVILLE CONCERT

The free Proctorsville Green concert series continues and on Wednesday, July 30th at 6:00 p.m., Tim

Calabrese of the Good Earth Landscape Co. and Liz Calabrese of Calabrese Architects are sponsoring Vermont based master blues singer and legendary song stylist, Chris Kleeman. A performer of great energy and focus, Kleeman provides a unique opportunity to see and hear the real thing; an artist of high energy and gritty musical performance, who's been matched up to perform in shows with musicians such as B.B. King, Taj Mahal, John Hammond, George Thorogood, Johnny Winter, Leon Redbone, ... the list goes on and on. Chris is well known for his sparkling interpretive skills, bringing songs from across a broad spectrum to spice up an already simmering, soulful pot of music. Concerts are free and open to the public and are made possible by the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA). FMI: 226-7736 or Vermont Summer Concert Series.

5. EVENTS

The following Cavendish related events are taking place in the coming week:

JULY 18 (FRIDAY: Ludlow Farmer’s Market featuring a number of Cavendish vendors, 4-7 pm on the front lawn of Okemo Mountain School, 53 Main Street in Ludlow.

JULY 20 (SUNDAY): The Cavendish Historical Society Museum is open from 2-4 pm.

JULY 21 (MONDAY): Yoga with Lydia Ouvaroff: 5 pm at Gethsemane Episcopal Parish Hall off Depot Street in Proctorsville. Cost is a donation. FMI: 802-299-9515 (cell) or 228-3261.

• Summer Story Hour at Fletcher Memorial Library: 12:30-1:15.

JULY 22 (TUESDAY): Bone Builders Bone Builders meeting at the Cavendish Baptist Church each Tuesday and Thursday from 10 am to 11:30 am. Weighs are used to help build muscle and stave off osteoporosis for both men and women. Exercises also focus on balance. Call Charlotte Snyder at 226-7343 or Dot Ramsdell at 226-7870 or RSVP office at 885-2083. RSVP is the sponsor of this activity.

JULY 23 (WEDNESDAY): Proctorsville Concert, Sensible Shoes 6 pm, sponsored by Golden Stage Inn and Old Cavendish Products. FMI: Robin at 226-7736 or Vermont Summer Concert Series

JULY 24 (THURSDAY): Bone Builders Bone Builders meeting at the Cavendish Baptist Church each Tuesday and Thursday from 10 am to 11:30 am. Weighs are used to help build muscle and stave off osteoporosis for both men and women. Exercises also focus on balance. Call Charlotte Snyder at 226-7343 or Dot Ramsdell at 226-7870 or RSVP office at 885-2083. RSVP is the sponsor of this activity.

• Annual Tie Dye Day at the Cavendish Library: Brig a T-shirt, pillowcase or even socks and make them bright and beautiful.

JULY 25 (FRIDAY): LudlowFarmer’s Market featuring a number of Cavendish vendors, 4-7 pm on the front lawn of Okemo Mountain School, 53 Main Street in Ludlow.

JULY 26 (SATURDAY): 4th Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale.