Black River Alumni Weekend June 13-14

Submitted by Jean Morrill

The Black River High School Alumni Association announced plans for its annual alumni reunion, planned for June 13 and 14.

The reunion will feature class gatherings on Friday night, June 13.  Following other events planned for Saturday, June 14, an alumni dance will be held from 8-12 midnight under an event tent behind American Legion Post 36 in Ludlow.

As plans are finalized, additional information will be published.  For information contact Jean Morrill at 802-228-5206 or jsmorrillvt@yahoo.com.

Mt Holly Book & Plant Sale May 24

Submitted by Mt Holly Comm Assn & Library

Book lovers and plant lovers unite for a fantastic sale!  The Mount Holly Gardener’s Association will host a huge sale on May 24th from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm on the “Green” in Belmont, Vermont. 

The garden folks are surpassing last year’s quantities with
many plants that include houseplants, perennials and annuals.  It’s always fun to find varieties you don’t yet have in your garden!  The club’s favorite bluebird houses will also be for sale.  There will be a raffle for baskets filled with just the things gardeners can’t resist.

The Mount Holly Town Library located across from the “Green” in Belmont will hold their book sale from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm.  Generous donations have filled the basement of the library with over a thousand books that will interest book lovers.  All genres are represented including old and recent publications.

You won’t be able to beat the bargains you’ll find on this sale.  Take route 103 to the flashing light in Mount Holly and follow the signs to Belmont.  We hope to see you rain or shine.  For further information call 259-3707.

Ludlow Allows Hazardous Waste Collection May 31

Submitted by Ludlow Town Office

Mark your calendars for a FREE Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day from 9:00 am until 11:00 am on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at the Ludlow Transfer Station and the Springfield Recycling Center.  This project is sponsored by the Southern Windsor/Windham Solid Waste Management District in cooperation with the Towns of Ludlow and Springfield.   

Hazardous Waste Hours For Saturday, May 31, 2008
Ludlow Transfer Station – 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Springfield Recycling Center – 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Here’s how it works:

Residents and businesses of the following communities may participate: Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish, Chester, Grafton, Ludlow, Plymouth, Reading, Rockingham, Springfield, Weathersfield, Westminster, West Windsor and Windsor.

Businesses must pre-register by calling (802) 674-9235, and will be charged for disposal costs.  There is no pre-registration for residents. 

What to bring:  Any product with labels that say “Caustic, Caution, Corrosive, Poison, Flammable, Warning, Danger or Toxic.”

What NOT to bring: Latex Paint, Batteries**, Used Motor Oil, Radioactive Material, Empty Containers, Fireworks, Tires, Medical Waste, Creosote, or Ammunition. 

**Please note:  The Ludlow Transfer Station will accept lead-acid batteries ($5.00 each for disposal) and fluorescent tubes/bulbs (at $0.25 a foot).

Please be sure to keep all products in their original containers and do not mix any products.  When you arrive on site, please do not leave your vehicle.  You will be assisted by trained staff.  The District has the right to refuse any material based upon its nature.

For more information on the FREE Hazardous Waste Collection Day, please contact the Vermont Solid Waste District at (802)674-9235, or call the Ludlow Transfer Station at (802) 228-2846.

Red Cross Blood Drive May 19

The Red Cross will conduct a blood drive on Monday, May 19, from 12:30 to 5:30 PM, at the Baptist Church in Ludlow.  Please make every effort to donate as the blood supply needs your help.  The church is located adjacent to Veteran's Memorial Park at the Main Street and High Street intersection.

Speaker Damns Douglas Entergy Veto

submitted by Alexandra MacLean, Assistant to the Speaker

Statement from Speaker Symington and President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin on Governor Douglas’ Veto of the Decommissioning Bill By vetoing the decommissioning bill, S. 373, today, Governor Douglas chose to stand in the way of protecting Vermonters from the potential financial risk if the Entergy Corporation sells Vermont Yankee to a highly leveraged company.  With this veto Governor Douglas showed clearly that his allegiance is to a multi-billion dollar out of state corporation instead of to Vermonters.   

When Entergy bought Vermont Yankee in 2002, they agreed to accept the responsibility for the  decommissioning fund.  They are now restructuring and transferring the plant to a below-investment grade corporate shell - a move that will distance them from that responsibility.   

“Entergy is a well-run, well-capitalized corporation,” said President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin.  “If Entergy were not transferring the plant to a new, debt-ridden company, we would not need this bill.”

S.373 would have held Entergy to the promise it made upon acquisition of the plant by requiring the corporation to provide enough assets and financial guarantees to pay for restoration of the site upon the closing of Vermont Yankee.  If the decommissioning fund is inadequate at the time of sale, additional funds, a letter of credit or other guarantee from Entergy will be required.  If the fund is adequate, nothing further will be required. 

Regardless of whether the corporation that owns the plant is financially viable, S. 373 ensures that Vermonters will not be left with the clean up costs after Vermont Yankee shuts down.

“The Governor had a choice between protecting a multi-billion dollar Louisiana corporation or protecting Vermonters,” said Speaker Symington.  “By vetoing this bill, Governor Douglas chose the corporation over Vermonters.”

Skiing/Snowboarding Scholarships Announced

submitted by Margo Caulfield

The McCostis Scholarship Fund (MSF), a part of the Ludlow Teen Center (LTC), was established in 2004,  to provide Okemo Valley youth an opportunity to pursue excellence through skiing and snowboard training. Started by Sue McCostis, an LTC Board member and an Okemo Mountain ski instructor, the fund was continued by her husband Dick McCostis, Safety Ambassador and ski instructor at Okemo Mountain, and head of the Windsor County Court Diversion Program. With his passing in July 2007, the MSF has continued through the support of friends and the Okemo community.  The Fund has added two additional scholarships this past year.

The Kevin Stillwell Snowboarding Scholarship will be given for the first time this winter in memory of Kevin Stillwell, a member of the first Black River High School snowboard team. Kevin died last summer at 25 from diabetes complications.  As his mother Sue said,  “We would have liked to have sent Kevin to OMS but we couldn’t afford it. Maybe now other kids can have that advantage through this scholarship.”

The Peter Noyes Skiing Scholarship will also be awarded for this first time this coming winter.  In memory of Pete Noyes, an avid Okemo skier, his wife, Joan Noyes, was an instructor at Snow Stars at Jackson Gore.
This past winter, seven local athletes were able to take advantage of training thanks to this fund. Applications for scholarships for athletes who wish to attend snow academies, such as Okemo Mountain School,  are now being accepted until June 30.

Applications for weekend programs and target terms will be accepted from September 1-Oct. 31.

Because several of the MSF trustees are involved with mountain first aid, there is recognition that serious competitive athletes need to be trained in basic first aid, concussion management and CPR. MSF athletes, who attend snow academies,  will receive training this year. In addition, to assist families in understanding the demands placed on adolescents in snow sports, there will be at least one program for parents this coming winter.

Applicants for the Academy Snow Scholarships must:

• Be a full time resident of Ludlow, Cavendish, Proctorsville, Chester, Perkinsville, Springfield, Mt. Holly or Plymouth VT.

• Be enrolled in grades 5th-12th and in good academic standing

• Have a demonstrated interest in and commitment to skiing or snowboarding

• Parents or guardians are in need of financial support and are supportive of their child’s pursuit of training

• Plan to attend a snow academy full time for at least five months during the 08-09 winter season

The size of scholarships will be based on need and available funds. Academy scholarship recipients, and their families, are required to assist with fundraising. Recipients can increase the amount of their scholarship through participation in fundraising activities.

Those interested in applying must submit a completed application by June 30, 2008. Award notifications will be made by July 15, 2008. Applications can be obtained by e-mailing margoc@tds.net, writing to MSF-LTC, 106 Main St., Ludlow, VT 05149 or by calling          802-226-7807       . Please note: An application is not considered complete until the tax information and letter from the coach/teacher has been received.

Letter Criticizes Douglas Veto

(The following is a Letter to the Editor)

Governor’s Veto of Nuclear Decommissioning Fund Naïve

Governor Douglas has vetoed S.373 the bill that mandated that Entergy put another $400,000,000 into the Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Fund.  Douglas stated that “It is naïve to think this cost will not be passed on to the consumer sometime in the future.” He is absolutely right and that is exactly why he should have signed the bill.

That might sound like a contradiction, but here is why it is not. Vermont residents and businesses are only around 50% of Entergy’s Vermont Yankee customers. If the cost of this decommissioning fund increase is passed on to the customers, Vermonters will get help from these out of state rate payers to foot the bill. If, on the other hand, the ownership of Vermont Yankee is allowed to pass to a limited liability company and to avoid bringing up the fund to the level shown to be necessary at other similar, recent decommissioning of nuclear power plants before its license expires, Vermonters will be footing the entire bill.

It is naïve to think that if Entergy is unwilling to cover the costs of decommissioning now while it is earning a profit from its operations it would suddenly be willing to come up with the funds when the plant is closed and now longer providing an income. The governor and any Vermont business owner should have been able to see that paying something more now would be better than paying much more in the near future.

It was the legislators of the Vermont Senate and House who got it right. Now they should come forward to make it right again. Come together to override this veto!

Betsy Eldredge, Secretary
SIERRA CLUB of the Upper Valley
(802) 885-4826
email: DRR@Dartmouth.edu

April Ludlow Property Transfers Available

The April 2008 year-to-date property transfer data for Ludlow is available by clicking here.  This site also contains the 2007 complete property transfer data for Ludlow as well as a graphic comparison of 2007 and 2008.

Nitka Muses on Closing Legislative Session

By Senator Alice Nitka, May 1,  2008

I’m writing these notes on the night of May 1 and am anticipating adjournment for the year, (except for a possible veto session in the summer), within the next 48 hours.  Saturday, the 3rd around midnight is my guess as to when we will end. At the time of adjournment, the Senate members join the House members in the House chamber to hear a closing speech from the Governor, no matter the hour.  There will be a lot of caffeine consumed that night and most legislators, those that live near and far will drive home that night rather than spend their sixth night of the week in Montpelier. The legislature doesn’t plan to meet on Sundays except for a carry over from Saturday into the early morning hours in an attempt to close the session.

The Conference Committee, three persons from the House and three from the Senate, assigned to work out the differences between the two bodies versions of H-891, the Budget Bill are resolving differences and should soon “sign off” on the conference report. There was a need to reduce the House passed budget by 24.5 million dollars due to the low revenue forecast which did not come as a surprise. The Joint Fiscal Office staff, the number crunchers who have been working until midnight every night this week, will then review the numbers.  They have already started this process and I can see them across the parking lot working at their computers in the “Pink Lady”, the name of the old Victorian house, next to the Statehouse in which they have their offices. Next, the proofreaders will strain their eyes looking at the Budget as they do their tedious work in the bottom of the building underneath the back spiral staircase. There are only two proofreaders and they are rarely seen as they must review single every bill and all the changes that are made to them. This week changes are happening constantly and bills are being attached in different forms to other bills and there is a great deal of pressure for speed. Occasionally they emerge to walk through the building or to get some food. Most legislators don’t know who these invaluable hard workers are or how to find them. They keep to themselves
and need their quiet, undisturbed space.

The Budget will next need to be printed and just a few years ago it took a several days for the set up and printing even though the printers worked through the night at the state’s Middlesex shop. With e-mail and computers, the process can now be done in less than 24 hours with all these people doing their work from the time it is agreed upon. In the hallway near the Lt. Governor’s office is an easel with the list of Conference Committees, the legislators assigned as
conferees, the dates, times and rooms where the meetings will occur. The board is designed to help the public, the press, legislators and anyone else who is trying to follow a bill to sit in on the conference and hear what is happening to the bill. Added to the board when the conferees agree is the word, “signed” and I noticed tonight, “dead” next to one conference as apparently they were hopelessly deadlocked.  A new committee can be appointed or the bill could just die. There are close to 60 conferences going on and some need to meet several times a day over a number of days. It’s hard to find spaces for all of this to
occur so some meetings are out on the steps or in the cafeteria which works fine provided it’s not lunch time.

Many members are on several conference committees thus the scheduling is a night mare as one also needs to be on the floor to hear bills and vote on them. One woman’s electronic scheduling device was “acting up” as she was scheduled to be in three places at one time. She didn’t do the scheduling as that job is assigned to the chair of the conference. In one instance, three freshmen were assigned to negotiate, which is unusual, thus their colleagues were giving them
constant advice and at this point no agreement has been reached. Perhaps they got too much advice. Another member who was accused of holding a bill hostage in his committee, by some supporters of the bill said he received about 40 phone messages delivered to him by the pages to say nothing of the e-mails he received. The bill eventually left the committee and did pass with some changes. The building these days is bulging with people; there’s a lot getting done and there are a lot of frayed nerves.

It’s hard to follow the bills on the web site these last two weeks as the rules are regularly suspended, thus some bills do not appear on the daily calendar. You can view the action that has taken place on a bill at www.leg.state.vt.us.

Feel free to contact me at home, 228-8432; or at the State House, 1-800-322-5616, or by e-mail at anitka@leg.state.vt.us    Send mail to PO Box 136, Ludlow, VT 05149.

CCCA BARN PRESERVATION COMMITTEE HOLDS WORKSHOP

submitted by CCCA 

The Barn Preservation Committee of the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association will sponsor an educational session on Sunday, May 18, 2008 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.   Local builder and barn owner, Bruce McEnaney will demonstrate how to determine the age of a barn using old barn building materials to illustrate his methods.

The workshop will be held at the Cavendish Inn on Route 131 between Cavendish and Proctorsville villages.  There is no charge to attend, although donations are welcome.

Barn owners, contractors, builders and any other persons with an interest in reconstruction or restoration of old agricultural structures are invited to attend.  This is the first in a series of practical, hands-on workshops that are planned by the Barn Preservation Committee.  The goal is to provide information and a link to resources for barn owners and contractors to help save as many old barns in Cavendish as possible.    Inviting local contractors and builders as well as barn owners will bring together particular expertise and need.

Call Peter LaBelle at (802) 226-7250or Barbara Dickey at (802) 226-7187for more information.