Ludlow Grand List Up 3.84%

Following a special Friday Select Board meeting to accept three corrections to the Grand List of Ludlow from the Listers, the corrected value of the Ludlow's Grand List now stands at $1,517,308,545, an increase of over $56.1 million over the final Grand List value for 2006-07.  This represents a 3.84% increase.

According to Town Treasurer Ulla Cook's report, the Grand List for 2007-08 reflects a total education tax base of $1,516,275,542 of which $1,353,118,381, or 89.3% of the total taxable value, is from non-residential sources.  These include second home owners and commercial properties.

At the Friday meeting, the Select Board approved the Listers recommended changes to the Grand List.  These included three items:

• an appraisal decrease for a Winterplace property to keep it in line with other similar units,

• a change in value from $1,408,700 to $3,460,500 for the Jackson Gore new recreation center, and

• the addition of the Ice House at Jackson Gore which added $1,104,000 to the Grand List

Area News Headlines Through July 28, 2007

Plymouth School Board Candidates

The Black River Reporter interviewed the two candidates for the vacant Plymouth School Board seat to determine their respective positions on the future of Plymouth Elementary School.  The school has been a major source of division within the town for some time.  The special election is set for Tuesday, July 31. The polls will be open from 10 am to 7 pm.  The two candidates, Russell Tonkin and Julie Dupont, appear to share several similar opinions with respect to the question that has divided the town's electorate: the continued operation of the school as opposed to tuitioning out students to other area elementary schools.

Harry Potter Fete at Fletcher Memorial Library

According to Jill Tofferi, Fletcher Memorial Library Head Librarian, last Saturday's party in anticipation of the "official" arrival of the latest - and allegedly final - Harry Potter book was a great success.  She estimated that between 175 and 200 kids and adults took part in the event that culminated with the opening of the new book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. While rain caused the transfer of Platform ¾ from the outside tent into the library, it did not apparently dampen the spirit of the Potter fans.   Platform ¾ events included Diagon Alley Opens & Chalk Contest, Hand in Hand Puppet Theater, Magic by Peter Haddad, the  Movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and music by Gypsy Reel from 9 until the bewitching hour of 12:01 am when the drawing was held for 11 copies of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Host Families Needed for Exchange Students

PAX, the Program of Academic Exchange, is looking for host families for high-school students from around the world who will be attending Green Mountain High School during the next school year. This experience offers families a great opportunity to learn first-hand about another culture and to share their life with a student who is eager to discover life in America. 
PAX offers the option of being a “welcoming family” for the first few weeks when the students arrive in mid-August, as well as that of hosting for the full school year. The main requirement for host families is to be warm, welcoming and willing to share their daily life with the student. Students do not need their own room, just a bed in a room with a host sibling and a place to study.  The students also have spending money for personal expenses, as well as medical insurance.

BRAT Sets Black River Sweep for August 25

Join the fun on Saturday August 25, 2007!  The Eighth Annual RiverSweep takes place on the Black River in Windsor County, VT between 8am and noon.  The Black River Action Team will provide gloves, trash bags and refreshments (thanks to the generosity of many local businesses) as volunteers haul out trash from the river bed and banks, or gather litter from the shore.  Everyone receives a free tee shirt as a Thank You from the BRAT!  Cleaning will take place anywhere along the river from the headwaters to the mouth.   Volunteers should be sure to stop by one of the HeadQuarters Stations to sign in, pick up supplies and grab a freebie or two!  RiverSweep HeadQuarters will be in both Springfield (at the Shopping Plaza) and Ludlow (on the town green).  This is an annual event done in conjuction with the Connecticut River Watershed Council's Source-to-Sea cleanup, Take Pride America, and the National River Association.  Please contact Kelly Stettner for more details and to sign up: 802-885-1533, www.blackriveractionteam.org, [email protected].

Jackson Gore Site of Indian Archaeological Dig

Archaeologist Anitra Supula is pictured as she carefully removes small quantities of soil prior to presenting them to sifters who will extract artifacts contained in the soil.

 

Act 250 apparently does more than protect the environment.  It was a result of an Act 250 investigation by the Consulting Archaeology Program (CAP) of the University of Vermont, underwritten by Okemo, that a major archaeological find was "unearthed" in Jackson Gore's front yard in 1999 - a find that has caused the CAP team to return to Jackson Gore to conduct a search for more artifacts and traces of a native American population that goes back 11,000 years or more in time.

 

Under John Crock, on-site excavation director and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at UVM, a team of professional archaeologists is in the process of searching for tools and other artifacts that belonged to paleoindians who once roamed the area.

 

Jess Robinson, the research supervisor for the team, noted that the Jackson Gore site was unique for several reasons.  He cited the fact that most native artifacts of that period were usually found in areas surrounding lakes and major rivers. 

 

Also the natives were excellent tool makers, citing the type of spearhead they made that contained a cutout section down the spearhead's center to presumably house the shaft of the spear.  He also noted that the rock they used to cutout the spearhead was not native to Vermont but actually came from a quarry in Pennsylvania or Maine.  "They selected these exotic rocks," Robinson said, "because they were of superior quality to those found locally."

 

Robinson suggested that the rocks may have been acquired by the paleoindians who camped in the Jackson Gore area by trade or by their nomadic journeys.  He indicated that the natives of 11,000 years ago appeared to have been a far more "homogenous" group than the Indian natives we are familiar with through history. 

 

He cited the fact that many of the spearheads found in Vermont were also found as far away as Texas, suggesting communications between the peoples in these wide spread areas.  Robinson said that, subsequent to this period of the paleoindians, native Indians tended to regionalize.

 

The current dig, sponsored by Okemo, will continue until next week.

Jeff Robinson, right, is pictured examining a potential artifact removed by the sifting process by Jeremy Ripin, on the left.  Below, four members of the team are pictured executing the arduous sifting process to extract artifacts.

Area News Headlines Through July 21, 2007

Ludlow Select Board Reviews Ordinances

In a very brief and business-like meeting, the Ludlow Select Board (SB) decided it was time to review the existing town-wide ordinances that are operative. The SB requested Town Manager Frank Heald to assemble these documents so that it may review them for currency and applicability in Ludlow today. Heald presented 16 ordinances to the board, with enactment dates in the range of 1970 to 2006.

Field of Rock 2007 Scheduled for August 18

Field of Rock 2007 will be an all day rock show, featuring nine bands from all over Vermont. The rock show is scheduled for August 18 at Bixby Field. This event is sponsored by Christopher’s Bar & Grill. All proceeds from this show will go to the newly created Ludlow Recreation Camp Fund. This fund was started to help local kids who cannot afford to go to summer camp, sports camps and other forms of recreation camps, have the opportunity to do so. All nine bands playing in this event are playing for free, to help get this fund started. This event will be an All Ages, No Alcohol, No Coolers, Rain or Shine event. The gates will open at 10:00am and the first band will go on at 11:00am.

Black River Academy Kicks Off Major Campaign

“Now is the time for things to be done” was the motto for the 1890 Black River Academy graduating class which included Calvin Coolidge (the 30^th President of the United States). It is also the motto taken by the Board of Trustees of the Black River Academy Museum for its Capital Campaign to raise money for a much-need elevator, fire stairs and ADA restroom. July 28^th f from 2:30-5:30 pm is the Kick Off Party for this Campaign. There will be special guests, along with wine, cheese and hors d’oervres for all. An architectural model will be on hand so everyone can see just what the tower which will hold the elevator and fire stairs will look like and exactly where it will be attached to the building.

Triada Music Festival Ends 2nd Year

When we think of the Black River area, we normally think of rural beauty, covered bridges, swift-running streams, skiing, and great country to live and play in. We don’t normally associated it with master classes in the violin, cello, or viola. Perhaps we would think of Marlboro for such classical virtuosity - but not Ludlow. Yet, that is what is taking places in Ludlow now in the form of the Triada Music Festival. The month-long event will end July 22. Following the daring guidance of several young, classically-trained (and employed) musicians, the second year of the Triada Festival is underway in the Black River area. Under the leadership of Marko Dreher, Triada’s Musical Director, the festival has brought a number of young students of stringed instruments, the violin, cello, and viola, to Ludlow to benefit from the guidance and experience of renown world musicians associated with internationally-recognized symphonic organizations such as the Cleveland Orchestra, Julliard, Chicago Symphony, and Alabama Symphony.

Hanover Rated #2 Best in USA; VT Misses Top 100

According to a study by Money Magazine, Hanover, NH is the second best place in the USA to live, just behind Middleton, WI. Salem, NH ranked 85^th. Massachusetts had 5 cities listed in the top 100 while Connecticut had four and Rhode Island 1. Both Maine and Vermont were absent from the top 100. California had the most cities rated within the top 100 with 9 followed by New Jersey with 8. Sixteen states missed having any cities listed in the top 100.

Plymouth School Board Election Set For July 31

According to the Plymouth Town Clerk, the vacant seat on the three person Plymouth School Board will be filled via a special election set for Tuesday, July 31. Two candidates have filed nomination papers for the open seat.  They are Russell Tonkin and Julie Dupont. The polls will be open from 10 am to 7 pm.

Cavendish Constructs Environmental Classroom

submitted by Margo Caulfield

With its rural surroundings and natural beauty, Cavendish is an ideal place to construct an environmental community classroom, where everyone can learn about plants and their habitats, as well as be a sanctuary for native animals and plants. Such was Robin Long Bebo’s vision when she wrote and received three grants- Okemo Challenge, Wellborn Community Fund, and the State of Vermont-to construct an outdoor classroom and trail.

Using the large tract of land behind the Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) in Proctorsville, local citizens and other community leaders, are actively involved in making tiered seating, creating a butterfly garden and blazing a trail. The space has been designed as an in-kind donation by Tim Calabrese of Calabrese Architects in Proctorsville, with excavation being donated by Jeff Stearns. Moonlite Meadows, a sheep farm in Cavendish, is providing the fertilizer for the gardens. Many other community groups, such as the Cavendish Historical Society, and individuals are helping by donating plants and labor.

While this new space will be an ideal learning center for the three schools in Cavendish –CTES, Stepping Stones, and Opportunities in Learning-it will also be available for local groups to use for such activities as star gazing, poetry readings, small theater productions, local history, and bird watching.

In order to have the new classroom available for the start of school, and fall community programs, a volunteer workday is being held on August 11, Saturday, from 9 to 3 at CTES. Lunch will be provided. Please wear appropriate work clothes and bring tools-picks, shovels, chain saws etc.

For more information about the Cavendish Community Outdoor Environmental Classroom, please contact Robin Bebo-Long, [email protected]

Harry Potter Comes to Ludlow Friday, July 20

A Harry Potter Community Wide Party is taking place on Friday, July 20th from

6:30pm - 12:01 am.  We're sending off this amazing series with a party to end all parties!  Stop by Diagon Alley located behind the library.  Platform 9 ¾ opens at 6:30 where you can get sorted into a Hogwart's house, create a wand of your own to snack on at Olavander's Wand Shop, try your hand at a Snitch Toss on Hogwart's Quidditch Pitch, and MORE!!! 

At 7:00pm come see the Hand in Hand Puppet Theater perform their musical show  Mythical Madness.  At 8:00pm there's an all ages show being performed by Conneticut  Magician Pete Haddad.  At 9:00pm we're showing the latest DVD Harry Potter Flick, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire downstairs on the big screen.  Gypsy Reel is playing us into Midnight when we can all finally open our new copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! 

We are sponsoring a Chalk Drawing contest with the winner receiving a copy of the new book, and a Costume Contest with a prize of Harry’s most precious  wand! Don't forget we are also holding a drawing for 3 additional copies of the book @ midnight.  You must be present at the drawing to win.  So as you pass through Platform 9 ¾, don’t forget to enter your pass for the drawing so you can tear into it at the party's climax!

Platform 9 ¾ Time Table

6:30PM          Diagon Alley Opens & Chalk Contest

7PM-8PM      Hand in Hand Puppet Theater                                       

8PM-9PM      Magic by Peter Haddad

9PM                Movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

9:30-11:30     Music by Gypsy Reel

12.00AM        Drawing for copies of HP and the Deathly  Hallows

Area News Headlines Through July 14, 2007

Ludlow Sets Tax Rate; School Tax Up $ .05

In separate meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Ludlow and the Select Board of the Town of Ludlow set the tax rates for the 2007-2008 tax year.  Both the village and town rates were level funded while the school tax for residents was up a nickel per hundred of assessed value.  The per hundred rates for the 2007-8 tax year are:

		2007-8	Prior Year
	Town	$0.2075	$0.2000
	Village	0.1714	0.1725
	School - Resident	1.4026	1.3575
	School - Non-Resident	1.3543	1.3279
	Total -  Resident (Town & Village)	1.7815	1.7300
	Total - Non-Resident (Town & Village)	1.7432	1.7004

Of the Town rate, $0.0031 was included for local agreement properties.  These are properties that the town voters exempted from property taxation that must be made up by the rest of the town's grand list.  These included the Fletcher Farm and Ludlow Masonic Building Association.

Education Tax Going Up in Cavendish

By LEO GRAHAM

CAVENDISH, July 9, 2007 – At Monday evening’s meeting of the Cavendish Selectboard they had intended to set the Town’s tax rate for the year. But, what with turnover in the Lister’s office, the municipal side of the rate isn’t quite ready. The educational portion is simple: the State sends the Town the rate and they just punch it in. For Fiscal Year 2007 – 08 (which began on July 1^st) the Educational Property tax rate will be – for the Homestead (an individual residence), $1.2964 for every $100 of assessed valuation’ the non-residential tax rate will be $1.2690 per $100 of assessed valuation. That represents an increase of about 16 cents in each category. For a property valued at $100,000 educational taxes will increase by about $160.  Ever since the state-wide property tax has been in place, the rate (the rate is always measured in units of $100 of assessed valuation) has fallen. It started at $1.10 and, this year is $0.87 (for the homestead). This year’s non-residential rate is $1.36. However, because the value of property in Vermont has escalated dramatically in the last several years, a lower rate does not translate into lower taxes; in Cavendish, at least, quite the opposite. The impact of the Educational Property Tax on homeowners in Cavendish is dramatic: last year over three-quarters of all property taxes paid by Cavendish residents went to education.

Jackson Gore VSO Concert Success

The first appearance of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra (VSO) at Jackson-Gore turned out to be a huge success according to Okemo representatives and other event sponsors.  Bonnie MacPherson of Okemo indicated that over 800 people attended the concert that was followed by a fireworks display. The weather that had threatened the outdoors aspect of the concert proved to be accommodating for both the VSO's performance and that of the fireworks.

Springfield Wins 'Simpsons' Premiere Contest

 

By Susan Smallheer Rutland Herald Staff

SPRINGFIELD — Who would have thought!  Springfield and Vermont on Tuesday won the right to host the premiere of "The Simpsons Movie," beating out 13 other Springfields across the country. A video featuring a large pink doughnut, a Homer Simpson look-a-like, and hundreds of enthusiastic Springfield residents chasing Homer chasing the doughnut convinced thousands of people to vote for the Vermont video, in a contest sponsored by USA Today.
 

Continue

Plymouth School Board Election Set For July 31

According to the Plymouth Town Clerk, the vacant seat on the three person Plymouth School Board will be filled via a special election set for Tuesday, July 31. Two candidates have filed nomination papers for the open seat.  They are Russell Tonkin and Julie Dupont. The polls will be open from 10 am to 7 pm.

Area Headlines Through July 4, 2007

Cavendish Celebrates Home Day

By LEO GRAHAM

CAVENDISH – The Cavendish Historical Society began its revival of the tradition of Old Home Days last Saturday at its headquarters in the Old Village Hall and on the Cavendish Village Green next to the Town Offices. Like all groups trying to stage events in small towns, they needed some volunteer help. Perhaps the greatest volunteer contribution came from Mother Nature herself – the day was perfect, the kind of day that may come but 10 times in a year. It was the kind of day that not only brings people outside but improves their mood as well. Nearly from the first, Vermont has counted people as among its principal exports. Making a living has never been easy here, young people often feel like there are better opportunities out of State, and so people migrate away. As news accounts make plain, emigration, especially of young people is a worry in Vermont today and it has always been so.  Many Vermont communities began an “Old Home Days” celebration to encourage those who had moved away to return and visit with neighbors and family who remained in the ancestral location. Bellows Falls has retained the Old Home Days tradition right along, but it has faded in most places.  According to a press release from the Cavendish Historical Society, some 2,500 persons attended an Old Home Days in Cavendish in 1901. Last Sunday’s turnout was no where near that and at one point about 2:30 in the afternoon there were perhaps more people displaying things than there were people to view them but earlier in the day that was not the case. Everyone I talked to who was associated with the event was more than pleased with the turnout.  There were booths staffed by groups from the library, the American Legion, the Cavendish Community and Conversation Association  (the Old Concerned Citizens of Cavendish folks), of course the Historical Society, three different churches, the Black River Academy Museum in Ludlow, at least two of the Six Loose Ladies, and even a couple of vendors. For a first effort it was clearly a triumph. The Historical Society plans to make it an annual event.

Ludlow Rotary Awards Student Scholarships

The Ludlow Rotary Club is pleased to announce their annual scholarships to the following students at Green Mountain High School and Black River High School.  Selection of recipients was based on the following criteria – scholastic achievement, financial need, realistic goals, extracurricular activities and community service.  Each category being equally weighted.  The Daniel E. Kesman Memorial Scholarship in amount of $2000.00 was presented to Kimberly Pivorunas from Green Mtn. High School.  The $1000.00 Ludlow Rotary Scholarship was awarded to Colleen McNamara from Green Mtn. High School.   The Ralph Hogancamp Vocational Scholarship awarded in the amount of $1000.00 was presented to Jacob Lombard from Black River High School.  The $1000.00 Ludlow Rotary Scholarship was awarded to Melissa Goraj from Black River High School.  The $1000.00 Ludlow Rotary Scholarship was awarded to Sean Temple from Black River High School.

BRAT Plans 1st Annual Black River Festival

Saturday, July 7 will feature the First Annual Black River Festival in historic downtown Springfield, VT!  Free activities and entertainment for the whole family!  A $20 donation will be thanked with a commemorative limited-edition coin.   ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE BLACK RIVER FUND for projects in and on the Black River in Springfield, VT.  Coin-bearers get into the special VIP room at the Festival!  Food and beverages will be on sale throughout the event.  Wet your whistle with beer from Harpoon Brewery, chow down of food from a Cota & Cota grill, courtesy of Simply Everything, the Oddfellow and Rebekah Lodges, and the Belmont Country Store.

• 2pm - 6pm:  River activities, family fun & games, local entertainment, face painting, chalk drawing contest, "wet t-shirt contest."
• 3:15pm: guided tour of the Welcome Park with organizer Harold Grout.
• 4:15pm: guided tour of the Comtu Mini-Park with Harold Grout.
• Music includes Travis Parker and Harold Hickey, plus the Westminster Scottish Dancers at 4:30.
• 6pm:  Special ceremony on the Comtu Falls bridge, featuring the Cascade Flyers.
• 6:30pm till 2am: Music by The Illusion, White Raag, Burlington Taiko Drummers and Bad Suit

For more information, contact BRAT Director Kelly Stettner at 885-1533 or Jessica Larivee at 885-6777.

Jackson-Gore Hosts VSO Performance July 6

The 2007 TD Banknorth Summer Festival Tour of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra will be making a stop at Okemo Mountain Resort’s Jackson Gore Inn on Friday, July 6. Sponsored by Okemo Mountain Resort and Vermont Properties and Development, Inc., this is the VSO’s first visit to Jackson Gore. The grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. concert. Advance tickets are available online at okemo.com or at Coleman Brook Tavern. Adult tickets are $30 and $6 for children under 18. Tickets will also be available at the gate for $32 and $8 respectively. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. “Passion Trend” describes this summer’s musical program for the Summer Festival Tour. Tragic lovers, visionaries, free spirits and scoundrels will populate the stage in this tribute to living life on a grand scale. Guest conductor Andrew Massey, of Montgomery, Vt., leads the VSO in a program of quests, conquests, and, above all, passion. The performance will feature the works of Dvorak, Wagner, Rachmaninoff and other great composers. Keeping with tradition, the program’s finale will be a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.