Friday, March 14, 2014

Cavendish Update 3/14/14 SB Mtg/News/Tag Sale/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

Information can also be posted on the Cavendish VT Facebook Page 

The 3/14/14 Cavendish Update Contains the Following
1. Select Board Meeting 3/10/14
2. Cavendish Related News
3. Fourth Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale
4. Penguin Hill Ski Tow-Proctorsville
5. Getting What You Need in Cavendish: Checklist Updated
6. Annual Sugar on Snow Supper
7. Events


1. SELECT BOARD MEETING 3/10/14
Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by LPC-TV and are available at their website and on Comcast Television. 

A. Organizational Plan: Following March Town Meeting, the new SB first conducted their annual organizational meeting. With the exception of the following changes, the results are similar to what appears on page 9 of the 2013 Annual Report: Clerk of the SB- Mike Ripley; Inspectors of Lumber-Wayne Gilcris; Alternative to Regional Planning Council Dan Willey; Solid Waste Rep-Brendan McNamara; SB Rep to the Planning Commission-Wendy Reiger; Rep Regional Trans. Advisory Comm- John Saydeck. The Organizational Plan, as adopted by the SB appears on-line.

B. Cavendish Gulf Road Stabilization: As a result of Irene, a retaining wall along the Gulf Rd-near the overpass-has become destabilized. Engineers from VHB Engineering and Vtrans talked to the SB about the proposed repairs, which should take place this summer. Because the railroad is active, Green Mountain Railroad wants the project completed in 72 hours. This will require 24-hour construction and materials on site. Because of the staging of materials, the Cavendish Gulf Rd., will be closed for approximately two weeks. Signs will be posted at the Whitesville/Gulf Road intersection and the intersection of Densmore Rd and the Gulf Rd. The Whitesville/Densmore Road will be open.

The current stonewall will be replaced by a concrete one, made up of concrete blocks measuring 3x3x6. Graffiti was raised as a concern and it was acknowledged that this most likely will happen as it’s hard to get around.

Staging and bringing items to the work site will be discussed with the contractor. Property owners who will be impacted will receive written notification prior to the staging and construction. Currently, the project should go out to bid in May and funds are from FEMA (90%) and the state (10%).

C. Cavendish Capital Budget: Jason Rasmussen of the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission spoke to the board about the Cavendish Capital Budget Plan that he and Rich Svec, town manager, have been working on. This is basically a six-year plan for town utilities and facilities improvements, upgrades, replacements (e.g.water and sewer, solid waste, buildings etc.) and can serve as an important companion piece for this section of the Cavendish Town Plan.  The Board was asked to review the document. The Planning Commission will also review it and a copy will be made available to the public prior to a hearing projected for May. With the completion of the hearing, the SB will need to adopt the plan.

D. Proposed Regional Transportation Projects Priority: Rasmussen forgot to bring the priority list with him, but will e-mail it to the SB and has requested that board members provide their priorities as soon as possible as the Regional Planning Council will be voting on this Tuesday March 18. A top priority is the replacement of the Depot Street Bridge in Proctorsville.

E. Review of Town Meeting: Three areas of concern were addressed:
• Cavendish Recreation Department: Svec has received a number of comments about the Rec Department. Many voters did not understand the article and many thought it would be voted on by Australian ballot. Some voters have requested that it be separated from the rest of the budget and be voted on by Australian ballot next year. In order for this to happen, someone will need to make this request. This can be done from the floor of Town Meeting.

The SB discussed how to implement the program, as well as performance standards by which its effectiveness can be measured. It was agreed that the director, or athletic director position reports to the town manager and it needs to be advertised like any town job opening. Other discussion has been postponed until the April SB meeting. The program becomes operational July 1 with the new town budget.

• Surplus Funds: The SB approved immediate release of funds ($8,000) for the new duel fuel furnace system for the town garage. Funds ($30,000) for the Town Highway Capital Equipment Fund will be needed in May, while the surplus of $32,407, to reduce the amount needed to be raised by taxes for FY 2014-2015, will take effect in July.

• Tax Exemption for a Portion of Fletcher Farm: New Selectmen Wendy Reiger raised the question as to whether the Fletcher Farm Foundation’s renting one of its buildings for seasonal workers at Okemo was in accordance with their non profit status and if not, the town shouldn’t exempt that portion of the Foundation’s taxes. Svec will begin to make inquiries into this.

F. Town wide Tag Sale: The SB approved the use of the village greens for the 4th annual town wide tag sale to take place on Saturday, July 26. See article 3 for more information.

G. Sewer Issues: There have been very high sewer flows in the past few weeks, which have been tracked to a pipe in the Pratt Hill (Proctorsville) area. A 30-foot asbestos pipe, embedded in concrete was laid in 1977. Since then, there has been corrosion in the top and two holes were allowing sewage to drain out. Work has been done to stop the leakage, which has significantly decreased sewage flow. It’s important to note that sewage has not been leaking into the Black River. A permanent fix is being worked on and may involve replacement of a section of pipe this coming summer.

H. Newton Rd Area Disturbance: The Town office has received a number of complaints about a resident in the Newtown Rd/Twenty Mile Stream  area of Proctorsville who is target shooting with what is believed to be an automatic weapon. Because of the nature of the gun, neighbors are reluctant to confront the person. Svec will send a letter to the property owner addressing this issue. 

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Thank you to the many volunteers who came to help Pieter van Schaik last Saturday, March 8-Doug and Noah McBride, Justin and Thomas, Bill Barrows, Kem and Svetlana Phellps, Jon and Bev Owens, Bruce McEnaney, the O’Brien family, and Margo Caulfield. A special thank you to Julie of the Golden Stage Inn and Amanda Gross for the delicious baked goods.

Congratulations to Madi Huntley: Earlier this season, Cavendish resident and GMUHS senior, Madi Huntley reached the 1,000 points mark in basketball. The Vermont Basketball Coaches Association has named her to the annual senior all-star high school basketball game, which begins at 11 am this Saturday at Windsor High School. Go Madi Go!

Max Svec
Support for Max Svec’s Run: CTES and GMUHS alumni Max Svec is running the Boston Marathon to raise money for Camp Hole in the Wall, where he works as a Hospital Outreach Specialist. Max began working for Camp in 2011 as a videographer during the summer, and what started as a “typical video job” for him turned into something much more. Started by Paul Newman in 1988, Camp Hole in the Wall provides a place for children coping with serious illnesses. Max’s goal is raise money to make opportunities for more kids to attend the camp. Read more about Max’s amazing run.   

3. FOURTH ANNUAL CAVENDISH TOWN WIDE TAG SALE
With spring-cleaning getting underway, keep in mind that the 4th Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale will take place on July 26 (Saturday) from 9-3pm. Both village greens are available for residents, property owners and Cavendish related organizations. All items must be removed at the completion of the sale along with any trash.

There will be both a print and on-line map of tag sale vendors. If you wish to be on the map, or would like to reserve a space at either the Cavendish or Proctorsville Greens, please e-mail margoc@tds.net or call 802-226-7807. To increase traffic to your site, it’s helpful if you can provide what you will have for sale.

4. PENGUIN HILL SKI TOW-PROCTORSVILLE
Did you know that Cavendish once had a ski area called the Penguin Hill Ski Tow? You can see a video of it on Vimeo.

Promoting Cavendish as a winter destination, an ad for Proctor-Piper Hotel and the Penguin Hill Ski Town (Stearns Gay, Manager) appears in the 1941 Vermont Year Book. Proctor Piper was the new name for the Cottage Hotel on the corner of Depot Street and Pratt Hill, which was renamed the Riverside Inn Hotel in 1944. 

The Penguin Hill Ski Tow sign hung on the corner of what was the Grange Hall (Route 131 and Twenty Mile Stream) directing skiers to the next property (Bidgoods) after the Grange Hall heading north on Twenty Mile Stream.

Thank you Pat Moore for posting to the Cavendish, VT Facebook page.

5. GETTING WHAT YOU NEED IN CAVENDISH: CHECKLIST UPDATED
The snow days were a good opportunity to update the Cavendish edition of “Getting What You Need Checklist for Those: Living with chronic condition; caregivers and/or seniors.  This edition includes a new section-“Aging in Place” and is available on-line at the Cavendish VT Blog. 

6. ANNUAL SUGAR ON SNOW SUPPER
The Annual Cavendish Baptist Church Sugar-on-Snow Supper, sponsored by the Helping Hand Class, will take place on Saturday, March 29th, from 5:30 to 7 pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12. There is no charge for children under 6. The menu will include: baked beans (sweetened with maple syrup); ham; mashed potato; squash; peas; pickles; white and brown breads; and homemade doughnuts. Take out is also available. FMI: 226-7724

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

• Dinner and a Movie at the Cavendish Library (3/15, Saturday): The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library will host “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” at 2 pm. A generous sampling of Moroccan food will be served.  The event is free and open to the public of all ages, though donations are welcome.  FMI: 226-7503

• Happy St. Patrick’s Day! (3/17, Monday)
-       GMUHS baseball begins

• CTES Board Meeting (3/18 Tuesday): 5:30 to 6:30 at the school

• Variety Show Registration due (3/20 Thursday): 3-4 pm at CTES. FMI: 226-7758
- Half Day at GMUHS

• No School for CTES and GMUHS (3/21, Friday): Staff inservice.

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












Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Cavendish Select Board's 2014 Organizational Plan

At the Select Board’s March 10, 2014 meeting, the results of the organizational meeting were as follows:

• Schedule of Select Board Meetings: 2nd Monday of every month, 6:30 pm at the Cavendish Town Office.
• Chairman of the Select Board: Robert W. Glidden
• Vice Chair of Select Board: George Timko
• Clerk of Select Board: Michael Ripley
• Selectmen: Bob Glidden, Brendon McNamara, Michael Ripley, Wendy Reiger, George Timko

• Paper of Record: Vermont Journal

• Animal Pound: Springfield Humane Society

TOWN POSITIONS APPOINTED
• Animal Control Officers: Normal Randall and Seth Perry
• Budget Committee: William Buswell and Daniel Churchill
• Board of Water Commissioners: Leon Woods, Gerry Martel, Howard Pixley, Richard Svec, Robert W. Glidden
• Collector of Delinquent Taxes: Richard Svec
• Emergency Mgmt Coordinator: Michael Ripley
• Energy Coordinator: Richard Svec
• Fence Viewers: Alan Reiger and Hollis Quinn, Jr
• Fire Warden: Roger Sheehan
• Fire Warden Keymen: Jeff Davis, Raymond Fitzgibbons, and Robert W. Glidden
• Green-Up Committee: Tim Calabrese and Diane McNamara
• Health Officer: Richard Svec
• Inspector of Lumber, Shingles and Wood: Wayne Gilcris
• Regional Planning Commissioner: Etienne Ting
• Regional Planning Commissioner Alternate: Dan Willey
• Rep Regional Trans. Advisory Comm: John Saydeck
• Select Board Rep to Planning Commission: Wendy Reiger
• Solid Waste District Representative: Brendan McNamara
• Solid Waste District Representative Alternate: Richard Svec
• Town Manager: Rich Svec
• Town Planning Commissioners: Steve Birge, Daniel Churchill, April Hensel, Etienne Ting, Carol Walasewicz, Dan Willley, Robert Williams, Sr and Joseph Marini
• Town Rep-Black River Valley Senior Ctr: Daniel Churchill
• Town Rep-Council on Aging Board: Daniel Churchill
• Town Service Officer: Richard Svec
• Tree Warden: Daryl Stowell

VACANT POSITIONS
• Weigher of Coal
• Auditor (2 and 3 year terms)
• Town Agent










Saturday, March 8, 2014

SB Mtg Agenda 3/10/14

The Cavendish Select Board will meet on Monday, March 10, 2014 at  the Cavendish Town Office at 6:30 pm. The Agenda will be as follows:

1. Call the Meeting to Order

2. Welcome and Introduction of new selectmen

3. Conduct Annual Board of Selectmen Organizational Meeting including discussion of recent election results and Town posts which remain vacant.

4. Act upon minutes of the meetings of February 10th, 2014 and March 3rd, 2014.

5. Sign Orders

6. Review Correspondence

7. Adjust agenda

8. Hear Citizens

9. Engineers from VHB Engineering and Representatives from Vtrans will be present to present project plans for a railroad embankment stabilization project (retaining wall) alongside Cavendish Gulf Road. The project will necessitate a short term closure (estimated 2 weeks)
of the section of Cavendish Gulf Road from the Graham driveway to the Rowe Driveway. The project is scheduled for construction in 2014.

10. Jason Rassussen of SWCRPC present to review and discuss the Cavendish Capital Budget Program and Plan that he and Town Manager Rich Svec have written.

11. Review the Proposed Regional Transportation Projects Priority list and the Pre-Candidates Projects List for Town Bridges.

12. Review of town meeting discussions and voting results and identification of any follow-up activities that may be appropriate.

13. Discuss seminar opportunities forthcoming in the next few months that may be helpful to board members.

14. Town Manager to review current town activities and several activities to be anticipated in the next few months.

15. Other business


16. Adjourn

Friday, March 7, 2014

Cavendish Update 3/7/14 Town Mtg Results/News/Events/Movie

Spring Forward. Day light savings goes into effect on Sunday, March 9. When you change your clock this weekend please remember to also change your batteries in your smoke and CO detectors. It could save your life!

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



The 3/7/14 Cavendish Update Contains the Following:
1. Cavendish Town Meeting
2. Cavendish Related News
3. Volunteers Needed
4. Cavendish in the Movies
5. Dinner and a Movie at the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library
6. School Board Vacancies
7. Salt River Revue Raises the Roof
8. Spring 2014 Composter Sale
9. Events

1. CAVENDISH TOWN MEETING
At Monday night’s meeting, all articles were passed, which included:
• Tax exemption for Fletcher Farm Foundation and Black River Health Center for the next five years. Because of the school property tax, the town will have to pay for these exemptions.
• Appropriation of $10,000 for the purpose of preparing new land for the Twenty Mile Stream Cemetery. When completed, the cemetery will have an additional 90 standard and 116 cremation burial plots. 
• Establishment of a Cavendish Recreation Department, which appropriated $25,500 to support the first year activities, the bulk of which will be used to pay for a part time director.  

These three items will add approximately $50,000 dollars to the Town’s Budget of $1,261,424.  The exact figure is not clear because of the tax calculations for the exemptions of Fletcher Farms and Black River Health Center.  Because of the heavy discussion Article 5 (Black River Health Center tax exemption) and Article 7 ($25,500 for a Cavendish Rec Dept) were voted on by ballot. Of 1,025 registered voters (2013 Town Report data), 90 (9%) cast a vote for Article 5 and 85 (8%) voted on Article 7.

Town Manager Rich Svec discussed whether people would prefer to have the option of receiving their town report electronically. It costs the town roughly $2,300 to print and mail. If you prefer to receive your Town Report electronically next year, send an e-mail to townreport@cavendishvt.org

On Tuesday, election day, 242 (24%) voters cast ballots  All positions were unopposed. As far as write ins, Brendan McNamara received 79 votes and Wendy Regier received 32 for the one-year Select Board positions. Cheryl Liener received sufficient votes for Trustee of Public Funds for one year and there were insufficient writes ins (12 are required) for the three year CTES board position. The CTES budget was approved (158 for, 72 no and one blank). Voters approved the GMUHS budget and Capital Improvement and the Regional Valley Technical Center budget.

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
Glimmerstone Mansion Closing Permanently: Glimmerstone is officially closed to the public after the last dinner service on Saturday, March 8, 2014.  It will now become the private residence of Mary Jane Abbate. Her letter to the community explaining her decision is available on-line. 

 Three Year Old Joins the Proctorsville Fire Dept: Honorary Junior Firefighter Nolan Alberty, has been fighting acute myeloid leukemia since he was 18 months old and is scheduled to go to Boston Childrens Hospital on March 10 to undergo bone marrow replacement.  Vermont Journal 

From left to right: Seth Matlofsky and
Bob Glidden.
Congratulations to Seth Matlofsky on Becoming a PVFD Firefighter: The Firefighters of the Proctorsville Volunteer Fire Department are proud to announce Jr FF Lieutenant Seth Matlofsky as Proctorsville Volunteer Fire Department Firefighter. Seth Matlofsky. Seth has been a Jr firefighter for almost 4 years. He was named the Jr FF Lt at the start of 2013. Seth is now 18 years old and an active Volunteer firefighter here in Proctorsville. 

Three Ways to Get VT Income Tax Forms: The Vermont Department of Taxes provides three easy ways to obtain the Individual Income Tax Return Booklet and forms for tax year 2013:1. Online—Print forms from the Vermont Department of Taxes website at www.bit.ly/formsindincome
 2. Telephone—Order forms by calling the department’s direct line, toll-free (855) 297-5600
3. Email—Order forms by emailing taxforms@state.vt.us. Press Release 

VT Loves Renewable Energy, Except When it Arrives: Getting energy from the sun, wind and forests fits with Vermont's sense of itself as clean, green and independent. But when it comes time to build and live with the projects that make it possible, things can get complicated. ABC News 

3. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Due to fire, Pieter van Schaik lost his office building on Main Street in Cavendish about a month ago. In preparation for demolition, on Saturday, March 8, Pieter is in need of volunteers to form a "bucket brigade" to help salvage items from the front portion of the building. Start time is 9 am.  If you can't help with manpower, contributions of coffee or juice for volunteers are needed. Thank you to those already signed up to help and providing food donations.  Please call or e-mail 226-7807 or margoc@tds.net if you can help or need more information.

4. CAVENDISH IN THE MOVIES
The Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) has purchased the six part film series “The Vermont Movie: Freedom & Unity-One State Many Visions.”  This is the first-ever documentary series about Vermont and is a collaboration of three-dozen critically acclaimed Vermont filmmakers, as well as historians, editors, archivists, animators, composers, and writers.

Cavendish is featured in two sections. Part Six, People Power focuses on Irene flood recovery. There are lots of familiar faces and comments from people at the Shelter, as well as sections of the Cavendish VT Facebook page, the hardest hit areas of our town and most important it shows the incredible resiliency of the people of Cavendish. The dedication of this segment is to a teen from Brattleboro who disappeared during the flood and has not been found. A number of Cavendish’s youth were part of the search and rescue team.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is also featured and includes parts of his farewell speech, the Cavendish Library and even scenes of Proctorsville.

CHS will be showing segments of the film throughout the next year. We would also like to make it available for “home movie night.” You invite your friends, select the segments you want to watch and a representative from CHS will come with the film and provide relevant Cavendish historical information.  

To arrange a “Home Movie Night,” please e-mail margoc@tds.net or call 802-226-7807.  For more information.

5. DINNER AND A MOVIE AT THE CAVENDISH LIBRARY

The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library will host its next Dinner and a Movie event on Saturday, March 15 at 2PM.  The movie shown will be “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, the classic adventure starring Harrison Ford.  A generous sampling of Moroccan food will be served.  The event is free and open to the public of all ages, though donations are welcome.  FMI:  226-7503 

6. SCHOOL BOARD VACANCIES
Cavendish Town School District, Proctorsville, VT has School Board vacancies to fill out terms until next Town Meeting, March 3, 2015. Interested persons should write a letter of interest to:
Dr. Gene Bont, Chairman,
Cavendish Town Elementary School Board
c/o Bruce Williams, Superintendent of School
609 Route 103 South,
Ludlow, VT. 05149

Deadline for the receipt of the letter is Monday, March 17, 2014 Please be prepared to attend the next regular scheduled School Board meeting on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at CTES.

7. SALT RIVER REVUE RAISES THE ROOF
Five marvelous musicians will take the stage on Saturday March 22 for the Raise the Roof concert series in Proctorsville.  Between them the talented members of Salt River Revue play guitar, mandolin, bass, recorder, fiddle, slide guitar, percussion and piano and have been members of seven--count ‘em--seven bands in various combinations.  They have been mixing and matching members for over fifteen years and playing music from a dizzying variety of traditions:  Celtic, Latin American,  Scottish and American folk and blues.  Their vocals and spirited synergy will fill little Gethsemane Church on Depot St. in Proctorsville at 7:00 p.m.  $10.00 at the door will get you a seat on a church pew and give you that good feeling that comes  with supporting great music in a local venue.  For more information call 226-7497 and “like” us on Facebook at Raise the Roof Concert Series.

8. SPRING 2014 COMPOSTER SALE
Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Management (SWWCSWMD) is currently accepting orders for "Soil Saver" brand composters. This is an easy way to convert yard and food scraps into a soil amendment, a process that also saves valuable landfill space. The Soil Saver has natural insulating properties due to is structural foam construction, a feature that makes it resistant to weather and UV rays. Its large capacity can serve a household of up to five people. In addition, the locking lid helps to keep pesky animals out of the decomposing material.
•    10-year guarantee
•    28" wide x 28" deep x 32" high
•    2 slide-up doors for easy removal of compost
•    self-watering lid feature
The District gets a bulk discount and passes the savings on to residents. This year the price per composter is $50.00.

Also being sold are Sure-Close containers to help you store and move your kitchen scraps out to your composter. At $5 each, they're a bargain at twice the price. The Sure-Close pail is a beige and white plastic container with a 1.9-gallon capacity. It can sit on the kitchen counter or be mounted on a wall or under the sink. It is about 9.25" x 9.25" x 11.5" and has a wide opening.

Order form with check is due by Friday, March 28, 2014. To download a form, go to http://www.vtsolidwastedistrict.org/portal/index.php/about-us-mainmenu-26/remository/Publications/Compost-Bin-Order-Form/

8. EVENTS
This week, the following activities will be taking place:
• Day Light’s Savings Time Goes into Effect (March 9, Sunday): Turn your clock forward an hour.

• Select Board Meeting (March 10, Monday): 6:30 pm at the Cavendish Town office. The agenda will be posted to www.cavendishvt.blogspot.com when it’s received.

• GMUHS  High School Sports Banquet (March 11, Tuesday): 6 pm at the school

• March Okemo Valley Regional Chamber Mixer (March 12, Wednesday): Monthly Chamber of Commerce Mixer at the Center for Research and Public Policy in Ludlow. FMI: http://www.yourplaceinvermont.com/event/march-2014-okemo-valley-regional-chamber-mixer/

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