Streetscapes Prepares New Sidewalks at Mill

Submitted by Rosa Donohue

The recently approved project for new sidewalks in front of The Mill got underway October 23rd.   Under rain, snow and very cold weather, the work is being completed in a timely manner.  The old asphalt sidewalk was removed and the excavation was completed.  Simultaneously, the conduits for underground wiring for the four new lamp posts coming in the spring (matching those at the bridges) were installed and a second layer of sub-base has been compacted.  Additionally, an arborist planted a new locust tree and prepared the soil around each of the six trees for better root growth.  The surfaces are now ready for the permeable pavers under the trees and the cobblestone pavers for the sidewalks.  All pavers have been delivered and will be installed this week.

Despite days of inclement weather, work has progressed faster than scheduled and is expected to be completed according to the timetable or earlier.   A ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication of this project to Pat and Richard Nye is being planned for Saturday, November 15th at 3:00pm at the site.   The public is cordially invited to this event.  

The winners of the 50/50 Streetscapes raffle will take place during this event.   There will be four winners, receiving the prizes of $1000, $500, $250 and $250 respectively.  Only 200 tickets will be sold.  If you have not yet purchased one, you may do so at Hunter and Leah Gallery, Wine and Cheese Shop, Book Nook, Fleece on Earth and Chrisandra's.

For questions or further information, please contact Liz Crowley at 802-228-7496 or Rosa Donohue at 802-228-7496.

DOMESTIC & SEXUAL VIOLENCE SEMINAR IN LUDLOW

Submitted by Christine Fuller

 

The Okemo Valley Women’s Club is sponsoring a seminar on Domestic & Sexual Violence.  The event is open to everyone in the community.

 

The speaker is Ms. Terri Fisk, the Executive Director of New Beginnings, Inc..  New Beginnings is a Vermont nonprofit corporation with 28 years of service to survivors of domestic and sexual violence.  New Beginnings offers education and support in crisis, assistance through the relief from abuse legal process, safe housing, peer support groups, social service advocacy and referrals. 

Date:  November 10,  2008

Time:  7PM

Location:  Black River Valley Senior Center

Address:   10 High Street Ludlow, VT.

Cost:    Free

If you know anyone who could benefit from this very important presentation please encourage them to attend or even better bring them to the meeting!

News from Black River Good Neighbors

 

Submitted by Christine Fuller 

BRGNS BENEFITS FROM WEIGHT WATCHERS LOSE FOR GOOD CAMPAIGN

The Cavendish Weight Watchers Class lead by Debbie LaCroix of Ludlow recently participated in a program called Lose for Good. 

For every pound lost by the class members a pound of food was to be donated to a  non-profit organization.  The Class lost a total of 65.8 lbs in a  six week period.  On the last week members donated food to match the number of pounds they had lost and the class unanimously voted to give the food to BRGNS.

Black River Good Neighbors servers the communities of  Cavendish, Ludlow, Proctorsville, Mt. Holly and Plymouth.  The Thrift Shop and Food Shelf are located at  105 Main Street in Ludlow.

Debbie LaCroix, above, Weight Watchers Leader, displays some of the food donated to BRGNS by her members.

NEEDED AT BLACK RIVER GOOD NEIGHBORS FOOD SHELF

The following items are needs at the Food Self:

Toilet Paper
Cereal
Coffee
Canned Fruit
Dry Milk
Jelly (kids like grape)
Crackers
Snacks
Cookies

Large paper bags and or reusable shopping bags are also needed, what a great way to recycle instead of tossing the bags out!

Please remember that donations of any kind should be dropped off during store hours.  Store hours are Tuesday thru Saturday 10am to 4pm.  The Food Shelf and Thrift Shop are located at 105 Main Street in Ludlow.  Please call Audrey Bridge with any questions at 802-228-3663.

Black River Good Neighbor Services Holiday Program Getting Underway

The staff of the Black River Good Neighbor Services wants everyone to know that they are accepting applications for the 2008 Christmas Basket program.

Laura Billings, Charlene Waugh and Director Audrey Bridge are eager to see that no person or family goes without food and no child goes without a gift to unwrap over the holidays. 

Marty Quinlan, President of the Board for BRGNS said “over 120 area families received baskets last year and we believe the number will be even greater this year”. 

Anyone living in Ludlow, Proctorsville, Cavendish, Mount Holly or Plymouth who feels they would qualify need only to stop by the shop at 105 Main Street, Ludlow,  to pick up an application.  Anyone unable to get to the shop please call Audrey Bridge at 228-3663 for assistance.

Completed applications must be submitted by December 1st,   2008.

PRE-SEASON INDICATORS POINT TO A GOOD WINTER FOR OKEMO

Submitted by Okemo Mtn Resort

Despite the highs and lows of the stock market and a fluctuating global economy, pre-season indicators are pointing to a good winter ahead for Okemo Mountain Resort.

October 13 marked the cutoff date for early-bird savings on season pass sales at Okemo. In comparing sales of season passes to the same early-bird deadline last year, Okemo recorded an increase of 12 percent in units sold and a 16 percent increase in revenue. 

“Pass sales are up in all categories,” says Okemo Vice President of Marketing Scott Clarkson. “We’re seeing the greatest growth in College Passes, Peak Passes, Midweek Passes and Super Senior Midweek Passes. Maybe people have decided to invest in themselves instead of the stock market right now.”

Okemo reported its best season on record last winter. Skier visits for the 2007/2008 ski season were ahead of the previous winter by nearly 25 percent. Clarkson attributed last season’s success to early snowfall and a 30 percent increase in season pass sales.

Although incoming call volume to Okemo’s Reservations Call Center has had its ups and downs in recent weeks, winter bookings at Okemo’s Jackson Gore Inn and mountainside condos are strong.

“Although year-to-date lodging reservations are slightly off compared to last year, and considering the fluctuations in call volume, the number of reservations we have are better than we expected,” said Okemo Lodging Director Michael Normyle. “As usual, the larger units are being gobbled up for holiday periods and the Canadian holiday periods are especially strong. We’re now just starting to see an up tick in non-holiday lodging reservations as well.”

Another department witnessing positive trends is Okemo’s Group Sales. Year-to-date group lodging bookings are 40 percent ahead of last year.

For more information about Okemo Mountain Resort, please call (802) 228-1600 or visit okemo.com.

Okemo - First Snow of Season

Submitted by Okemo Mtn Resort

It’s a picture-perfect day here at Okemo Mountain Resort and the excitement for the start of the new season is building. Opening day is slated for November 15.

Streetscapes Adds New Patio in Ludlow

 

Submitted by Liz Crowley

You’ve probably seen the new Patio on the corner of Elm and Main. This patio, with its lovely brick path from the crosswalk, was made possible by the generous contribution of New England Deck and Patio, who pulled off the remarkable feat of completing it in under three days! BJ & Scott, of New England Deck and Patio, used Belgard pavers to create this lovely patio, which now holds the bench and planters Streetscapes installed earlier this summer – and which have provided a nice place to stop and watch the world go by. Please drive or walk by, and take a look at the beautiful job these guys did on behalf of our Village!  This project could not have happened without the support of community businesses, local residents and other anonymous donors whose support and enthusiasm made it possible. Streetscapes thanks Mel Fink for the use of his parking lot, Jerry Tucker and Craig Goodman for the use of the electricity from their building, and to George Tucker for donating the sand for this project. We also thank our Town Manager, Frank Heald. This has been a wonderful demonstration of community spirit and support! 

Ludlow Streetscapes Continues to Beautify Ludlow

Submitted by Liz Crowley

Ludlow Streetscapes continues its efforts to beautify the Village and make Ludlow a more attractive place to live, work and play!

A new project is coming on Main and Depot Streets in front of The Mill. Streetscapes has just obtained permission from the Village Trustees for another project – this time, involving the trees, sidewalk and lighting. We thank the Board of Trustees for holding a special meeting to consider this project, and for their unanimous approval. Our special thanks to Bob Gilmore, Jim Fuller and Frank Heald.

The location of this project was chosen as it is the longest stretch of uninterrupted sidewalk– and its visibility at the traffic light, close to Town Hall and the Bicentennial Memorial Park, also known as the Mini-Park. This project involves replacing the existing asphalt sidewalk with red cobblestone pavers, installing underground wiring and replacing the iron grates under the locust trees with matching permeable pavers. We will break ground this week, and expect to be finished by November 15. The second phase of this project, which will be completed in the spring of 2009, involves installing four light posts located between the trees that are the same as the bridge light posts.

As we proceed, we apologize in advance for the inevitable inconveniences our activities will cause residents and businesses adjacent to The Mill. We will do our best to minimize parking and traffic flow interruptions, taking advantage of the lull in traffic we experience between Peak foliage season and Thanksgiving.
We are dedicating this project to Pat and Richard Nye for their enormous support of Ludlow Streetscapes and their philanthropic efforts on behalf of the Ludlow community. They were pioneers in the organization of a community group with the planting of the six locust trees in front of the Mill which they donated. Their efforts and dedication to the beautification of the Village of Ludlow led to the organization of Ludlow Streetscapes.

With this project, Streetscapes is continuing the theme of improving the lighting scheme along Main Street with free-standing light posts with hanging flower baskets – the same ones we installed on the bridges. The cobblestone pavers will echo the brick walls of The Mill and Town Hall, and tie in with the crosswalks.

Stay tuned for the date of the dedication and unveiling ceremony!

For any questions and further information, please contact Liz Crowley at 228-2126 or Rosa Donohue at 228-7496.

Cavendish Candidates Night Tuesday, October 28

Submitted by Sara Stowell

Continuing a tradition begun in 2006, the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association will sponsor a candidates’ night at the Cavendish Town Elementary School on Tuesday, October 28th at 7:00 p.m..  Each of the candidates for the Vermont House and Senate seats representing Cavendish is invited to give his or her positions on a variety of issues and will answer questions from the floor.  Running for State Senate are Mark Blanchard (I), Kent Butterfield (R), John Campbell (D), Ethan Foster (R), Dick McCormack (D), Alice Nitka (D), and Kirk Sparkman (R).  Running for the State House of Representatives is Ernie Shand (D) and Ed Williams (R).  All citizens are invited to meet the candidates.  For those who cannot attend the session, it will be televised on LPCTV.

Pace Seeks Windsor High Bailiff Post

"Ralph understands the important role of a high bailiff in Vermont government.  He has a background that neatly fits the demands of the position."  With these words Congressman Peter Welch helped kick-off Ralph Pace's write-in campaign for High Bailiff of Windsor County.

Pace, a Ludlow Democrat, announced that he will seek the post of High Bailiff in Windsor County via a write-in campaign.

He indicated that "it would be a tough job to run as a write-in candidate,  especially when an Independent will be on the ballot for the office."  He added that he had been urged to seek the post by a number of friends who believe he would be a good candidate for this position.

The High Bailiff's principal function is to exercise those activities which the county sheriff is "incompetent" to do, namely, to arrest the sheriff if circumstances require that action.  The High Bailiff then fulfils the function of the sheriff until a replacement is named.  High Bailiff is a positon unique to Vermont in the American political structure.  It is based on medieval legal systems and currently exists elsewhere only on the Isle of Man.

Pace noted that he felt his understanding of medieval history made him a natural candidate for the post.

He wryly added, "I think the current political contests need a little levity added.  Somehow, our politicians have lost their sense of humor."

Pace writes a blog, Black River Today, and is co-anchor of a weekly televised news programs on LPC-TV, 'That Was The Week That Was'.

Localvores Practiced In Ludlow

Two Ludlow residents are heavily involved in localvores, the use of locally grown foods.  As may be gathered from the photo above, those localvores practioneers can also do it with a smile on their faces.  Shown above, from left to right, are Ralph Pace, Dianne Krupp, and Janet Pace as they prepare fresh pork sausage.  Krupp purchased the foods, herbs and seasonings for the sausage locally.  Pace did note that the "process of converting nine pounds of fresh chopped pork into sausage is a little more demanding" than they initially realized.  Ed Krupp, however, added, "I think it was really worth THEIR effort to enjoy the end result, a great sausage".