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The Cabot Chronicle

June 2017 · Issue Record

← From the Cabot Chronicle

The community record for this issue of the Cabot Chronicle, extracted from the original pages. Reprinted with permission from the Cabot Chronicle.

Original issue: Download the June 2017 pages (PDF)

Automated extraction, spot-checked. Advertisements, the business directory, and puzzles are omitted; obituaries appear as individual entries.

In This Issue

Cabot Recycling

Recycling markets remain strong for most commodities. Metal in particular is coming back up. At the Cabot Recycling center, metal is collected separately from steel and aluminum cans. The price of cardboard was down slightly at the start of summer, but remains strong. Plastic markets have stabilized, but at this time we continue to be able to collect plastics labeled #1, #2, #3, #4 only. No household hazardous waste (HHW) collections are scheduled this summer for Cabot. However, residents of any NEKWMD member town can drop off HHW at other scheduled HHW District events. A HHW schedule is posted on line at http://www.nekwmd.org/ calendar.html. In addition, the NEKWMD facility in Lyndonville accepts HHW from May 1 to October 1, by appointment only. Due to regulatory handling requirements, hazardous wastes cannot be accepted without an appointment. Scheduling ahead makes sure a qualified individual will be

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By Roland (Slim) Payne

It sure seems good to see the lawns and fields green. The tree leaves are coming along, but it is still quite cold, so they are slow, but will get there. We have had an awful lot of cloudy weather and rain, so things don’t grow very fast. I have flagged all the honeysuckle on my property to cut and stump treat in August and September. The Emerald Ash Borer is all around Vermont – in New Hampshire, New York and Quebec – and seem to be spreading, so Vermont will probably end up with them, too. Some experts think they are already here, but have not been found yet. (Hope not.) I have not heard anything about the Asian Long Horn Beetle for quite some time, now. (That is good.) Ticks are here, so be careful. Always check for them when you come in from fields and woods, and remove if you have any, and watch for a bull’s eye if you miss one. The new tick I didn’t know much about it, but it can infect you in 15 minutes, and the disease has no cure at this time.

DEADLINE: 15th of the month prior

Coordinator: Jeannie Johnson

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Advertising Manager: Ellen Cairns

Event Calendar: Mary Beth Churchill Proofreading: Stephany Searles & Ellen Cairns Distribution: Lynn Maxfield, Betty Boisvert, Karen Mueller-Harder present to accept your hazardous wastes.

make an appointment, and be certain your household hazardous wastes are disposed of properly. Please note that the Cabot Recycling Center collects aerosol cans. Although they are made of steel, they should not be placed in the steel, or “tin” can container. Nor should they be disposed of in trash. Rather, they are collected separately, later to be drained and recycled with special handling. The Cabot Recycling Center is open every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until noon. Trash is collected for a fee. Please do not drop off items when the Center is closed. Keep up the great work of cleaning and sorting your recyclable materials. Containers do not have to be washed. However, to reduce hazards to the NEKWMD crew working the baler in Lyndonville, please rinse all food residue from metal, plastic, and glass containers.

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Humor from the HELPER

Zeke was trying out a brand-new, experimental bass plug. He was pulling in and releasing fish like crazy. However, his fishing partner, Luke, couldn’t help but notice that, before Zeke put each fish back in the water, he poured a small amount of beer into the fish’s mouth. “What are you doing that for?” Luke asked Zeke. “Well,” replied Zeke, “each fish I’m releasing will go back and talk to the other fish, and it will describe this new lure to them. If the secret gets out, the fish won’t hit my lure any more. However, when the other fish get up close to the fish I’m releasing and smell the beer on its breath, they won’t believe anything it’s saying.”

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The Cabot Chronicle is distributed

~ Mission The mission of The Cabot for the residents of the Cabot that will help readers become

Printed in Vermont ~ Copyright

No part of this paper may be reproduced for typographical errors. Acceptance of advertising indemnify publisher from loss or expense for errors in any advertising beyond the

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OUNTRY

Bodhi, our eight month old lab, has successfully finished his second class, now he goes on to PAWS ON THE PAVEMENT class. Using all his new skills out in the open with other people around and everything. OY! We have been hiking the Rail Trail in Groton State Forest, which is really nice before the season opens. A friend of mine brought her mini Aussies and the pups had a blast. I just love Bodhi having fun, he is such a goof. We have spinach growing in the garden and tomatoes in the window, along with some peppers. We will do our usual potato garden and who knows what else. It just feels so good to be spring again. I feel like a fern frond unfurling myself. Good year for fiddle heads for those of you who munch them. The dark days we have been having are difficult, but other than that life is grand! Got some new Keen's that are more like a shoe and they are made for working folks out on the pavement, they feel so good on my feet. They are worth every penny! Sometimes you pay for what ya get! I am getting back to writing short stories and the like. I do it all, poetry and

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The Cabot Chronicle Submission

The Chronicle welcomes letters written with recommended to be no longer than 400 words. returned to the author with suggestions for re-submittal. lished in The Cabot Chronicle represent the opinions opinions of staff. The Cabot Chronicle reserves the right to reject rial for our readers. Letters will not be considered nied by a phone number. We will gladly consider The Cabot Chronicle is not responsible for Cabot Chronicle assume responsibility for claims vices advertised on these pages. If you have editorial questions or would like 3338, visit our website, www.CabotVermont.org Letters and other inquiries can also be sent to: 05647.

the first day of the month and is

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Statement ~

Chronicle is to regularly publish local news Area. Our purpose is to share information better involved in their Community.

05647 2016 by The Cabot Chronicle 1942-0943 without express written permission from Cabot is contingent upon publisher’s approval on claims based upon contents of advertising. Publisher cost of space occupied by individual item in which per year ~ Half year subscriptions

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OMMENTARY

novels, just haven't gotten a lot published or finished for that matter. Got to get off my arse as it were and do some real work. Vermont is finally in her prime, spring has sprung and all the lovely flowers are blooming. I love the flowers if not the pollen. It is worth the sneezes. I wouldn't trade my life for anyones'. I enjoy so much what I have. The chickens have gone into overtime on the egg laying. We thought, with the older girls not laying, we wouldn't have so many, but that is not the case. We have plenty of eggs. YUM! Nothing better than a bacon and egg breakfast with gluten free English muffins. Good way to start the day off right. Some would disagree and that is as it should be, we don't all want to be the same, that would be so boring. I am ready for some sort of adventure. I am not sure what it will be yet, but It will be fun, I am sure of that, and if any of you have some magical ideas on what kind of adventure I should have just give me a holler, I always look forward to new experiences. Laura Lee Smith fizgigdragon@aol.com

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Guidelines

an economy of words. The maximum length is Letters may be edited for clarity and length or All letters and commentary pubof the authors and not necessarily the

letters that may contain unsuitable matefor publication unless signed and accompaarticles and photographs for publication. errors in submitted material. Nor does The arising in connection with products or ser-

advertising information, call our office at 563-

provided locally free of charge.

Chronicle. Publisher is not responsible and agreement by advertiser to does not assume liability the error appeared. $12.50

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Fairweather Consulting

-The CCA Economic Development Workgroup tee for this project, and is tremendously pleased to share his skill and expertise with Cabot. weather Consulting, of New Paltz, NY, and talization Strategy. Mr. Fairweather has follow meetings, process and outcome: www.cabotplan.com. be completed in May 2018. The Town of Cabot received a $20,000 mont Department of Housing and Community of the Cabot Village Revitalization Strategy. vided by the CCA. The funds will be applied to two main portunities for Cabot’s Designated Village development strategy designed to revitalize economic and civic hub of the community. Steering Committee members of the workgroup Daniels, Zoning Administrator Karen Deasy, Gary Gulka, Erica Burke, Rich Aronson, Niels Lori Augustyniak.

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Willey Building Auditorium.

3. Keep the planning process as transparent as possible. We find that more people are willing to contribute to a strategy if they are able to track the planning process and review the results as they come together. We have created a website for local residents and others to keep track of the planning process, read draft documents and share their comments and ideas. It can be accessed at www.cabotplan.com. 4. Be persistent and be patient. Creating a revitalization strategy for the village is only the first step in a larger process. At that point, it is critically important that the community embrace the strategy and be willing to use it as a longterm guide for action. One common mistake some communities make is to assume that, once the strategy is done, things will automatically improve in the next two months or so. It is important to remember that local economies are complicated things. Even when everything is ideal for a business to grow, it can still take time for the right opportunities to come along. The key is for the community to stay prepared and be ready to spring into action when a local business needs the kind of assistance called for in the revitalization strategy or a when local government needs to adopt a land use policy or some other local action to help move things forward. There is no substitute for the combination of persistence and patience. 5. Enjoy what your community has to offer. While the village of Cabot has some important economic issues that it needs to address, it is an extraordinarily beautiful place with a high quality of life. The Village Revitalization Strategy will seek to create economic opportunities that will build upon and help preserve and strengthen Cabot’s quality of life. Therefore, while we go through this process it is important for everyone to continually remind each other of what is special about Cabot, and how the revitalization strategy can contribute to a village economy in ways that take advantage of and highlight those strengths.

will serve as the steering committhat Peter Fairweather has agreed Peter Fairweather is the owner of Fairwill lead development of a Village Revicreated a website/blog page for people to Look for the strategy to

Municipal Planning Grant from the VerDevelopment, to be used in support A required match of $6,000 will be pro-

goals: To evaluate the constraints and opCenter, and to create a detailed economic the village and solidify its place as the

are: Select Board member Jack Jan Westervelt, Johanna Thibault, Larsen, and CCA Executive Director

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Messages from your

2017 Highway Fund Budgets: The Cabot Selectboard has not disappeared, it just had to reorganize after Town meeting. As of the last report, the Selectboard informed you that there was an error in our budget calculating spread sheet and that error went to Town meeting to be voted on within the Highway fund article. Thank you for your support in voting affirmative for both the General and Highway Fund budgets. We informed the tax payers that the Selectboard would have to revote the Highway fund due to the found error, but the Selectboard, along with the road commissioner, determined it was not worth spending an additional $2 to $4 thousand dollars to hold another town wide vote to ask for $40,000. The Selectboard was able to increase our income through grants and miscellaneous income lines and reduce other expense line items to balance the budget amount approved at Town meeting.

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Town Ordinances and Policies:

Upon review of the budget, the Selectboard determined that the Town had several outdated or nonexistent ordinances and policies. Certain individuals on the board have been working hard to create documents that the Selectboard can vote on. The ordinances and policies currently under review are: the Town Employee Personnel Policy, Vendor Policy, Recreation Committee Field Use Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, Public

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of your

Brigitte Codling has been a Cabot resident Mark Codling who has owned and operated They have five (5) children who have all, School. Their oldest daughter graduated daughter and their three (3) youngest years. Their second oldest daughter attended, gram”, and then graduated from Danville be a freshman at Danville School next children remaining at Cabot School, schools in the Unified District as well parents. As a Vermont Foster Parent Brigitte other foster parents, foster children, and school system. Brigitte has closely followed which has provided her a thorough understanding fied School Board has to the residents and has seventeen (17) years of experience in the areas of estimation, engineering, budgets, contract administration, construction, ment. She currently serves as the Material Construction Management System (CMS) portation. Serving on a number of national negotiated for the needs of our small state. and experience to the school board table culture that Cabot resident’s value in ensuring that every single child has access works best for them to grow, learn, thrive,

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Animal Control issues:

As much as the Selectboard loves to hear and chat about your animals, Cabot has had its share of animal control issues this spring. The Selectboard is working on its fourth dog complaint and one horse complaint. Cabot also had its challenges getting residents to register their dogs this spring, and the town Clerk sent out notices May 18` for those that did not make the time limit. Please be courteous of your neighbors and keep your pets quiet and in their own yard. Thank you.

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Eagle Scout Project:

Daniel Durgin approached the Selectboard to install a flagpole, flag and lighting on the recreation field as part of his Eagle Scout project. The Selectboard enthusiastically approved the installation of the flag pole and assembly. We still all have a chance to observe this project as it has been postponed until June due to unforeseen circumstances. The Selectboard has other topics that will make the July news but we just could not fit the entire quarter into this news clip. As always, thank you for your support. The Cabot Selectboard

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new board

for fifteen (15) years, she is married to a local business in Cabot since 2007. at one time or another attended Cabot from Cabot School, their second oldest children were home-schooled for three via the “regional school choice proSchool. Their third oldest daughter will year via that same program. With two (2) Brigitte has working knowledge of the as understands the needs of homeschool uniquely understands the plight of children with special needs in the public Act 46 and the 706-committee process, of the responsibility the Unistudents in the unified district. Brigitte working on multi-million dollar contracts specification development, procurement, materials, and program manageAcceptance Program Manager and Coordinator for the Agency of Transcommittees Brigitte has successfully She would like to bring her knowledge and work to preserve the small school a way that all residents can afford; while to the educational experience that and succeed.

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Clifton J. Burroughs

Clifton J. "Clif" Burroughs, 81, of U.S. Route 2, passed away on Friday, March 17, 2017, at Florida Hospital in Deland, FL. Born November 8, 1935, in Walden, he was the son of Howard and Ella (Stearns) Burroughs. Clif attended King Elementary School and Marshfield Elementary School. Later, he served in the Vermont Army National Guard. On July 29, 1959, Clif married Audra L. Thomas in Cabot. After their marriage, they made their home in Marshfield. Clif was employed at Goddard College in maintenance and as a painter for 25 years, after which he worked for himself for 16 years, retiring in 1997. He was a member of the Macedonia Baptist Church. In his spare time, he enjoyed classic cars, traveling and spending the winter months in Astor, FL.

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Wayne A. Lumsden

Wayne Allan Lumsden, 73, of Whittier Hill Road, Cabot, died unexpectedly on May 13, 2017. He was born on June 22, 1943, in Hardwick, VT, the son of Allan and Evelyn Lumsden. He attended schools in Maine and graduated from high school there. Upon graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy. Wayne worked at Cabot Creamery for many years as a supervisor in the packaging division. He later was a school bus driver for the Cabot school system and then for First Student in Berlin. On October 15, 1987, he married Ramona Davis in Cabot. Wayne was a Mason in Cabot and a former member of the Cabot Ambulance Service. He enjoyed riding the backroads in his car and listening to country music or his audio books.

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Phillis A. Mercurio

Phyllis Alida Mercurio, 96, died Jan. 21, 2017, at Mountain View Community Center in Ossipee, NH. She was born June 18, 1920, in Cabot, Vermont, the daughter of Edwin and Edith (Lawson) Webster. She attended Cabot High School. She married Peter P. Mercurio in Connecticut. He died in 1985. Mrs. Mercurio was employed for many years by the state of Connecticut comptroller's office as a telephone operator. She enjoyed crocheting and knitting.

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EMORIALS

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Cumberland County Animal Shelter, 2 North Main St., Suite 303, Crossville, TN 38555; or Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Audra, of Marshfield; his daughter, Cathy Burroughs Gosselin, of Woodbury, and his son, Neal H. Burroughs, of Hertford, NC; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his daughter, Cindy L. Townsend, and his son-in-law, Dale A. Townsend. Services to honor and celebrate his life were held Saturday, May 20, 2017, in the Church of God of Prophecy in Marshfield. Interment was in the Plain-Mont Cemetery in East Montpelier. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Vermont Foodbank, 33 Parker Rd., Barre, VT 05641. The Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy St., Barre, is in charge of the arrangements. For a memorial guestbook, comb.com. visit www.hookerwhit

He is survived by his wife, Ramona, of Berlin; daughter, Jennifer Devenger, of Hardwick; three sons, John Lumsden and his wife, Robin, of Highgate Center, Matt Lumsden, of Essex Junction, and Allan and his wife, Laura Lumsden, of Rochester Hills, MI; two stepdaughters, Rosemary and her husband, Carter Nunn, of Cabot, and Dawn and her husband, John Robert, of TN; two stepsons, Jeffrey Sweeney, of Northfield, and Tim and his wife, Amy Sweeney, of Northfield; several grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. A memorial reception was held on Sunday, May 21, at the Cabot United Church. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimers Association, 300 Cornerstone Drive, Suite #130, Williston, VT 05495 or at www.alz.org/vermont/; or to Cabot Ambulance Service, 36 Garney Road, Cabot, VT 05647. Online condolences may be sent to www.guareand sons.com.

Survivors include her son, Wayne Parsons, of Billerica, MA, eight grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins. She was predeceased by her siblings, Edwin Jr., George, Daniel and Dorothy Webster. The memorial service was held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, May 19, at Northern Vermont Funeral Home in Hardwick, with internment in Cabot Village Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association, Eastern New England Office, 330 Congress St., 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02210.

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Lyle M. Nunn

Lyle M. Nunn, 90, passed away at home on April 24, 2017. Born April 9, 1927, to William and Gladys (Farnham) Peacham, Nunn VT, of Lyle moved to Cabot in 1950 to raise his family. His livelihood included farming, logging, cheese making and auto mechanics. Nunn’s Garage, in operation over 40 years, evolved from his employment at Cabot Garage. Lyle’s interests included fishing, hunting, traveling country roads, welding sculptures, daytime soaps, “old-school” country music, poetry and offbeat humor. His greatest pleasure was sharing time with his family of 99 descendents; 16 children, 33 grandchildren, 44 greatgrandchildren, grandchildren. and great-great-

He will be greatly missed by his children: Dolores Sawyer (Manchester, N.H.), Brenda Robichaud (Rochester, N.H.), Lila Tillotson (W. Topsham, Vt.), Sharon Swisher (Manchester, N.H.); Carlyle Nunn (Cabot, Vt.), Rosco Nunn (Rutland, Vt.), Mayo Nunn (Cabot, Vt.), Pamela Nunn (Manchester, N.H.), Abren Nunn (Underhill, Vt.), Carter Nunn (Cabot, Vt.), April Nunn (Cabot, Vt.), Ramon Nunn (Cabot, Vt.), Robin Nunn (Vershire, Vt.), Judy Silveria (Cabot, Vt.) Aldo Nunn (Cabot, Vt.) and his siblings: Arlene Miller, Burnice Adams, Blanche Ross and Arnold Nunn and their families. Lyle is predeceased by his wife Shelby -Jean (Davis), daughter Penelope, granddaughter Sandra, and greatgranddaughter Alexandra; also by four brothers: Hylan, Oliver, Kenneth and Eugene; and five sisters: Charlotte Hutchinson, Cerese (Buddy) Sicely, Irene Brown, Ila Shatney and Marion Meiggs. Gravesite services were held at Cabot Plains Cemetery on Saturday, May 20. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to your favorite charity. Arrangements in the care of des Groseilliers Funeral Home Church St. Hardwick.

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I'm Fine – How Are You?

(Anonymous)

There is nothing the matter with me I'm as healthy as can be. I have arthritis in both my knees And when I talk, I talk with a wheeze, My pulse is weak and my blood is thin, But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in. All my teeth have had to come out, And my diet I hate to think about. I’m overweight and I can’t get thin, But I’m awfully well for the shape I’m in. And arch supports I have for my feet, Or I wouldn't be able to go on the street. Sleep is denied me night after night, But every morning I find I'm all right, My memory is failing, my head's in a spin But I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in. Old age is golden, I've heard it said, But sometimes I wonder as I go to bed, With my ears in the drawer, my teeth in the cup, And my glasses on a shelf, until I get up. And when sleep dims my eyes, I say to myself, Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf? The reason I know my youth has been spent, Is my get-up-and-go has got-up-andwent! But really I don’t mind, when I think with a grin, Of all the places my get-up has been. I get up each morning and dust off my wits, Pick up the paper and read the obits. If my name is missing, I’m therefore not dead, So I eat a good breakfast and jump back into bed. The moral of this as the tale unfolds, Is that for you and me, who are growing old, It is better to say, "I'm fine" with a grin, Than to let people know the shape we're in.

Codling are proud to announce the birth of Rylie Jane Loveless, to parents of St Johnsbury, Vermont. Rylie was

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Perfection in the Bee Yard: Looking

at the World with Soft Eyes Just yesterday, I woke for the second time in as many days, having dreamed about honey bees swarms and honey comb. Last Thursday morning’s dream was a doozey that involved a lengthy visual cascades of honey comb imagery and laborious representations of my participation in removing many hives from the walls of several houses and buildings. This dream seemed to go on for quite some time, as if I was engaged in this labor of activity for several days. I woke feeling quite exhausted. Inadvertently that morning, I found myself in the office of my part time employer, explaining to him why I was so tired. The subject of the dream came up and I shared with him the basic outline. Then, for some flippant reason, I related how, in the past when I dream about, “The Ladies” as I call them, something relating to my own hives or feral swarms comes up. True to form, two days later on the evening of a big wedding here at the resort, I received a call from a woman asking if I am available to deal with a swarm of honey bees that had landed 45 feet up in her pine tree. The video link of me capturing this swarm is provided here. I have been beekeeping for six years now. I have performed dozens of hive removals and an equal, if not greater, number of swarm captures. For those that don’t know, an average swarm is a group of about 1,500 to 15,000 honey bees, sometimes more. A swarm is a free moving mass of bees that is leaving an old or damaged hive to establish a new hive in another location. Swarming is most often done so that a hive can reproduce a new hive. It is natural, essential and usually harmless. A hive is the wax structure that the bees create inside a cavity of some sort, where the bees live, reproduce and store honey. The bees are the swarm. The hive is the home. Honey bees have this tendency to like the cavities in houses and old buildings, where the conditions are more stable than in a wild environment. Removing a hive is a messy and complicated endeavor. And on a hot day with a full bee suit and 40,000 plus irritated bees, it is quite exhausting. However I live for it. Beekeeping and the preservation and protection of these beings is my passion. As some of you know, so is the Art of Shamanism. I may not be the most skilled shaman or the best trained, but I am quite open intuitionally, and my passion for honey bees and my intuition have proven themselves over the years to be quite intertwined. On Tuesday morning I once again dreamed about bees. Knowing full well at this point to keep my eyes open, I decided that I needed to go check my bee yard, “Apiary”. I got there and nothing was going on. The bees I captured the day before where safely ensconced in the dark cool barn out of the heat from the sun. I wanted them to acclimate and accept the

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Apiary

frames of honey comb I had provided them as their new home. This can take anywhere from 24 to 76 hours of imprisonment with no way of getting out, otherwise, in their angered state, they would take off and all fly away. They took under 48. It was working into a rather sunny day in Cabot. I decided after 48 hours I could pull the swarm in the modified trash can out into the bee yard and test them to see how they reacted to full sunlight and an open door policy. I removed the imprisoning wire mesh and duct tape. Once warmed up, they began to pour out of the hastily cut hole in the trash can lid, but, after an hour, they hadn’t shown signs of swarming. I left them for an hour or so to go get lunch and some cool water. All suited up when I came back, I saw from the distance a dark mass on the willow bushes near the electric bear fence. There was a sizable swarm on the trunk of the bush. Flustered, I rushed to check it out, not relishing the idea of trying to catch this swam again. It turns out, on closer inspection, the trash can swarm was still at home in the can, busy as ever. Once again my instinct had panned out, this new swarm was from one of my previous hives. Had I not listened to inner guidance, I would likely never have caught this swarm by not showing up that day. You can see swarm number 2 in the previous video link. It took me some time to coax the bees into the nuc box I provided for them. Eventually, I found the queen and trapped her inside with several hundred worker bees. Being pressed a bit for time, I decided that, since I had the queen, I could shake the branch and disrupt the swarm cluster. The swarm kept wanting to re-cluster on the tree, I had to do this several times before they finally homed in on the queen bee’s pheromones that emanated from the nuc box. Since I was a child, I have been fascinated with insects, ants and butterflies, in particular. I sat back and delightedly watched the behavior of these amazing beings. Spiraling around, they circled the yard, searching for the chemical scents of the queen in the air. I let my eyes relax and allowed my vision to become fuzzy. Tom Brown Jr, the great wilderness survival teacher, calls this, “Looking at the world with soft eyes”. I had discovered this technique as a child watching carpenter ants on a pile of mulch. With soft eyes, I could see the collective movement of each ant and how it relates and is synchronized with the mind of the whole colony. It fosterers an extremely relaxed state of mind that is almost hypnotic. I moved into soft eye as I watched the swarm swirled around the yard. I was mesmerized. The perfection and intelligence of these creatures was so moving and magnificently touching. My heart opened and I could do nothing but weep. It was truly a sublime and beautiful moment of teaching. The bees know their nature. They don’t fight it. They are perfectly in harmony with the earth. Maybe someday we humans can return to being as in tune with our true nature, “not this artificial manipulation,” as they are with theirs.

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Manual

Two Cabot individuals were recognized for accomplishing the enormous task of creating from scratch a Regional Process Manual. The Construction Section of VTrans provides oversight of a $200 million annual capital improvement program of transportation projects, and is responsible for providing oversight and administration of construction contracts. Enormous responsibility comes with managing public funds, and the need for clear, consistent and transparent procedures is critical. The program is managed at the regional level, and with four regions, maintaining consistency statewide is a constant challenge. In addition, the contracting community needs some predictability, as a contractor will work in all four regions. Cyndi and Brigitte began the long process of documenting the work and collaborated with the other three regions to review, edit and improve the processes. They reached consensus when possible, but demonstrated leadership when decisions needed to be made. The work flows were captured both graphically and with supporting narrative describing the steps, the position responsible for the task, the deliverables and helpful hints. The result of their efforts is a manual that contains the 27 principle processes that the regional offices use to administer a construction contract, and 11 additional workflows to help manage the contractor’s submittals as required by the contract. This manual is truly a major accomplishment, and Brigitte and Cyndi created this manual while maintaining their job responsibilities. The benefits are enormous in terms of consistency across the regions, accuracy of the work products, training new employees and a critical starting point for future process improvement or automation.

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Cabot Lister Notes

The Town office needs accurate contact information for property owners, and in these days of disconnected house phones in favor of personal cell phones, that is often not the case. Please don’t assume we have your data. Property tax bills will be mailed within the next month. If your mailing address on file is incorrect, it could result in you not receiving your tax bill, which, if we can’t find you, could result in late payment fines. In addition, the town will be undergoing a townwide reappraisal, ordered by the State of Vermont, in 2019/2020. We will need to reach you to give you advance notice when the appraisers will be working in your area. We can’t do that without up-to-date telephone numbers and addresses. If you have business in the Willey Building or the village, please stop by and leave us your cell phone number, email and postal mailing address. We won’t use it for anything but official business, and we certainly don’t sell it.

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Betty Ritter, Town Clerk

The Blood Drive will be held at the Willey Building on Monday, June 5, from 12:00-5:00 p.m. Our last drive was very successful (over 25 donors). The Red Cross informed me that they will have more people to help with this, which means you will not have as long as wait.

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Soccer Camp with Taylor Abbott

and Jeremy Maxfield: Enhance your soccer skills with this week long camp, practicing drills, footwork and fun games with our talented high school senior Taylor and recent Cabot graduate Jeremy. Breakfast and lunch provided at the school cafeteria. June 26 - 30, from 8:00 to 12:00. Ages 6 and up. Minimum 8 students. Presented by the Cabot Recreation Committee, Price $60. Contact llehoe@cabotschool.org.

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Lynn Talamini and Cecilia Gulka: A

camp for nurturing a sense of wonder through exploration, questioning, investigating and discovering the natural world. June 26 - 30, from 8:30 to 3:00. Ages 4 to 7. Price $200. For separate registration and for more informat i o n c o n t a c t l t a l a mini@cabotschool.org cgulka@fairpoint.net. or

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June Garden Camp with Sarah Zet-

telmeyer: Learn the skills needed to start a garden and learn the benefits of growing your own food. We will be discovering the many communities that make up a great garden, from what’s in the rich soil, who are the visiting insects, what plants grow well together, and how we can help the garden grow full and bountiful! Lunch provided in the school cafeteria at 12:00. June 26 - 30, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Ages 8 and up. Minimum 5 students, maximum 15. Presented by the Greater Cabot Working

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Fairy House Building Workshop

with Sarah Zettelmeyer: Spend time exploring in the woods, hoping to encounter some magic. We will read a fairy storybook, collect items for making fairy houses, build one together in the woods and another to take home. A magically creative day of fun and wonder. Lunch provided in the school cafeteria. July 6, from 8:00 to 12:00, Ages 3 - 13. Minimum 5 students, maximum 15. Presented by the Greater Cabot Working

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Living Willow Structure Workshop

with Angela Ogle : Learn how to plant and weave a living willow structure. We will also explore simple trellis building for garden or play structures. Lunch provided in the school cafeteria. July 6, from 12:00 - 4:00, Ages 7 and up. Presented by the Greater Cabot Working

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Herb Camp with Sarah Zettelmeyer:

Come and learn the magic of herbs and the healing pharmacy in our backyard! We will identify our local healing plants, keep an herbal informational journal, make and taste teas, and herbal snacks. We will learn the proper way to harvest and dry plants as well as make herbal crafts as well as make oils and salves, plus much more! Breakfast and lunch provided in the school cafeteria. July 10 - 14, from 9:00 - 12:00, Ages 6 - 10.

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North and Louie Quinten: Set per-

sonal goals and improve your game with excellent instruction for all skill levels. Learn passing, shooting, rebounding and basketball fundamentals, while conditioning for scrimmage. Breakfast and lunch provided in the school cafeteria.. July 17 - 21 from 8:00 - 12:00. Ages 6 and up. Minimum 8 students. Presented by the Cabot Recreation Committee.

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Dance Camp with Breanna North:

Have fun and grow as a dancer with exercises and games to improving dance and movement skills. You will produce a dance video and showcase new skills with a performance for family and friends at the end of the week. Bring your own special costumes to camp. Lunch provided in the school cafeteria. July 17 - 21 from 12:00 - 4:00. Ages 8 and up. Minimum 8 students. Presented by the Cabot Recreation Committee.

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Cameron Mueller Harder and Karen

Mueller Harder: Have a week of fun with theatre games and instruction that will teach memorization, vocal technique, choreography, character development, stage craft, and improvisation, through theatre games and instruction. For all skill levels. Production of the work will be shown at the end of the week. Breakfast and lunch provided in the school cafeteria. July 24 - 28 from 8:00 - 12:00, Ages 8 and up. Minimum 8 students. Presented by the Cabot

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Art and Set Design Camp with

Megan Walker: Learn how to set the stage with perspective, mood and location by designing and creating backdrops, flats and props for the theatre. Wear paint clothes and be prepared for creative fun. Lunch provided in the school cafeteria.. July 24 - 28 from 12:00 - 4:00, Ages 8 and up . Minimum 8 students. Presented by the Cabot

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Camp with Marc Tamiso: Learn to

use basic hand tools for peeling and shaping cedar. Begin the week with cedar fence posts and complete the week with a project of your choice. Breakfast and lunch provided in the school cafeteria. July 31 - August 4, from 8:00 12:00 Age 7 and up Minimum 5 students, maximum 10. Presented by the

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By Scott St. John

School is almost done and summer hungry This summer, your own Cabot and lunch for anyone under 18 and continuing through July 29, 9.30 a.m. and lunch will be from11:00 Looking forward to seeing all nutritional meal. Don’t go hungry, tion, contact Scott St. John, Cabot ext 232.

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Drawing in Nature Camp with

Megan Walker: A nature drawing class for any level of artist that looks to both the technical and conceptual aspects of drawing as a tool for visual expression. The classes also explore learning to see and think visually. Lunch provided in the school cafeteria. July 31 - August 4, from 12:00 to 3:00. Age 10 and up.

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August Garden Camp with Sarah

Zettelmeyer: Working in the garden started in June, we will focus on planting fall crops, harvest and prepare produce from the garden, talk about seed saving, and make some garden art and signs for the incoming students. Bring a snack and sack lunch. August 7 - 11, from 8:00 - 12:00. Age 8 and up. Minimum 5 students, maximum 15. Presented by the Greater Cabot Working Landscape Network. Price $60. Contact aogle@cabotschool.org.

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Creating Art in Nature Camp with

Robin Merriam: Students will spend time in the woods creating works of art using natural materials such as stone, branches, leaves and soil. Topics will include mindfulness and observation of space and location. Bring a snack and sack lunch. August 7 - 11, from 12:00 3:00. Age 8 and up. Minimum 5 students, maximum 10. Presented by the

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Pole Carving with Headwaters Gar-

den & Learning Center: Come build a labyrinth, learn meditation and pole carving. We will be collecting small stones and arranging stones and sand on paths to build the labyrinth. Moderate levels of work are involved so students should come prepared to pitch in with the construction phase. Bring a snack and a sack lunch. August 14 - 18 from 12:00 to 3:00. Age 5 through 18. Minimum 5 students, maximum 10. Presented by the Greater Cabot Working

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New World Festival favorite Vishten

7:30 p.m. Randolph. Brought back from a fine performance 2016. Driving rhythms and east coast French-Acadian swing of traditional music from Prince Edward Island and Magdalen Islands. Chandler Center for the Arts presents the program supported by the Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture in Montpelier. Call Chandler box office 802-7286464 weekdays noon-5:00 p.m. for tickets.

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Saturday, 6/3

Walk for Animals 9:00 a.m.-Noon. Montpelier. Annual fund raising event, dog contests, fun activities, prizes and refreshments. Gentle two-mile walk through Montpelier. Contact Central Vermont Humane Society for more information. 50 Years Ago 7:00 p.m. Stowe. Experience the music of the Beatles with the Contois School of Music Band. Tickets $20-$35. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, 122 Hourglass Drive. 802-7604634.

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Starting July 20, Danville Hill Road will be closed

to through traffic at the intersection of Route 2 and Danville Hill Road while we replace a culvert at this location. There will be no through traffic during this time. The road is scheduled to reopen no later than August 1. Thank you for your patience while we complete this work.

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Willey Building

Learn about the basics of weather forecasting; how Vermont’s climate is changing; measuring Vermont’s rain and snow through citizen weather monitoring programs; how you can get involved; and Lyndon’s Atmospheric Sciences Program and careers in the field. Get your questions about weather answered! Sponsored by the Cabot Conservation Committee and the Cabot Public Library

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By Leonard Spencer

I have been asked to write some of the history of Cabot High School in a previous dark period when the forces of ignorance about the real value of small schools and economics were arrayed against it, and its future hung in doubt. When Cabot first determined to create a secondary school, it was part of a general movement in the later nineteenth century shared with many rural towns across the whole region. It had been the practice for the minister or some educated local person to tutor one or more “scholars” to enable them to become matriculated (enrolled) in a college or university, and there were county secondary schools, such as Peacham Academy, where students could get academic preparation. But, travel was slow and hard and money scarce, and only the children of the elites could attend. In 1900, only nine percent of students graduated from high school. The popular answer was a local high school, typically a gathering of a dozen or so youth in a designated room in the community with a single teacher for all academic subjects for one or more “terms” in the course of the year. Often, this teacher was a college student intent on raising money to pay his education costs by taking time off to teach. There was always some debate whether to have a Cabot High School, from its original beginning in the Lower Cabot schoolhouse in 1883 and onward. Not long ago and for several years, Cabot School had a “Report Card Night” series to show the community, just before town meeting, what they were getting for their money. The newly started high school in 1883 did the same, and put on quite an impressive display. It survived, and eventually, the school, with capable leaders like Will Walker, grew and became a formal four-year high school housed in the former hall on the top floor of the 1869 “old” school building on the northeast corner of the Common. At that time, the room was subdivided into three classrooms. This repurposing of the hall eventually resulted in the present Town Hall being built in 1923. The 1869 building was replaced in 1938 by the present high school building, and this new facility, also with a certain amount of resistance, included the creation of the “old gym” from the Methodist Church building on the southeast corner of the Common. It included, underneath a vocational agriculture room at one end of the cellar, shower rooms, and a classroom in the former kitchen area off the back corner nearest Danville Hill. In the 1950’s and 60’s, the state was very actively encouraging the closing of the numerous small high schools that had grown up in many small towns like Cabot since the late 19 th century. At one time, not only Marshfield and Plainfield had their own 1-12 schools, but also Peacham, Woodbury, Barnet, Groton, Greensboro, Wells River, Newbury and many others. Most of the small high schools in that 1950’s-60’s period, like now, were suffering declining enrollment. Cabot’s town population had dropped to about 560. Graduating classes numbered 4 or 5 students, and this was typical. Thus, when

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of Cabot School

the state leaned heavily on these small schools, many with enrollments of around 30 students, most, more or less quietly, gave up. Some, like Groton, resisted, but most felt no hope or will to carry on in face of the steady decline of enrollment. In this period of wholesale school closures, Cabot’s school board decided that it, too, saw no future here, and presented a plan to close the high school. But the community strongly resisted. A petition was circulated, quickly drawing around 435 signatures, rejecting their decision, and the school board resigned and were replaced. This strong local school patriotism became the hallmark of Cabot for years to come, and Cabot tried to pay teachers a little better than surrounding towns to get and keep a superior faculty. When I came to Cabot in 1968, I felt that the faculty, especially that of the high school, were distinctly superior veterans. Cabot had hired me to establish an Art program and improve the English program by having a sort of tracking for several years. Twinfield School was being established and planned, but Cabot was not willing to join. A vote was taken at one point whether or not to plan with them, and Cabot voters declined to participate, 116 to 12. Harvey Scribner was Education Commissioner at that time, and tried vigorously to strong-arm Cabot into the union, but Cabot staunchly resisted. At one point, he came to a public meeting at the “old gym” and was soundly booed by the large audience. He departed and did not return. In that period, Vermont State Government was much less arrogantly inclined to impose its will on the towns with regard to how they dealt with all the local ramifications of the widely declining school enrollments. Cabot had been allowed to tighten its belt and adapt as best it could. The situation undoubtedly seemed to them desperate, although in the days before the teachers’ union and state and federal standards, the costs of running a school system were a small fraction of what they are now. Schools operated as they saw fit without much imposed constraint. Many schools did give up and close. Cabot did not. In hindsight, they were right. soon, Enrollment did increase again, and within a few years, Cabot’s make-shift adaptations were totally inadequate to serve the much larger enrollment, and Cabot adapted again and went on in a few years to a period of quality and really national fame that those who kept the faith could never have dreamed of in the 1950’s and 60’s. Edmund Vachon in the 1930’s, and Marge Sable more recently provided the superior leadership that accomplished much. We received wide coverage, including a full-page write-up in the New York Times. Marge Sable, said Superintendent Glen Yankee, had the “capacity to make turkeys fly like eagles.” By the late 1960’s, Cabot’s population had been growing again and the school had, surprisingly, greatly increased in enrollment, and was suffering for the make-do subdividing of rooms that had occurred to create some very tight classrooms not really adequate even for a few students. The closing of the one-room outlying schools had been accomplished by adding an addition, originally two large rooms on the Danville Hill end, and using the adapted former Methodist Church. The facilities were, by current standards, remarkably primitive and crowded. And the old gym was eventually condemned by the state for use by more than 38 people. This limit was, of course, regularly greatly exceeded, since there was no good alternative location. Graduation was, at that time, held on the town common, with a portable stage and folding chairs. There was a large attendance, especially when people like Senator George Aiken came to speak in support of Cabot. One graduation evening the weather looked very ominous, and the decision was made, a few moments before seven, to move indoors. The piano, portable stage, speakers, and all were immediately manhandled into the old gym, the crowd packed in and graduation proceeded without collapse. A forest of cedar posts had previously been added underneath. After a period of debate and negotiation, it was clear that Cabot needed to upgrade and greatly increase the size of the physical plant and provide facilities for shop, home economics, school nursing, guidance, art, music, bigger classrooms and a whole new gym. This was not going to be cheap. But a plan was made, prices figured, and a bond vote scheduled. When it came down to it, was Cabot willing to spend the money? The bond vote passed, 224 to 123. The usual demand for a revote was received, and

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June 2017 ~ page 8

most of a summer was spent in debate, and the revote taken. Each side added two more votes to its total! Cabot had held firm, despite the fact that with the greatly increased facilities and program, Cabot taxes would double. The state Commissioner was not happy with the result, and made clear his position that the costly improvements were not necessary here, and the state would not pay its state aid for construction share. This position was thought to be illegal, but he persisted. Cabot leadership through all this period was solid, and a diplomatic solution was crafted by Bob Davis, CEO of the Creamery. Cabot would build the expanded spaces in a crescent around a central courtyard. They would be “satellite classroom buildings” that could, in theory, be converted readily into saleable housing in the event the high school did close, and the state would recoup its state aid expenditure, and have a useful pilot plan which could theoretically be recreated in the future elsewhere. The state had gotten a large amount of bad press from the years-long battle, and was willing to accept this plan and get itself off the hook. Harvey Scribner subsequently moved on to become school Chancellor in New York City. Building proceeded and our creative campus arrangement came to be. It has not been easy. There are still elders in the community who feel the smart from what the newspapers chose to call a “small town civil war.” But the school remains intact, and with adjustment, the plan is still serviceable, and enrollment may well rise again.

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Act 46 Commentary

Having observed months of the work of the C.D.T. Unified Union School District Act 46 Study Committee, I write in support of their Final Report May 8, 2017. Please consider reading the entire report as available on each school’s web site. To highlight just a small fraction of their work: “In summary, this committee sees tremendous potential for improving learning opportunities and the performance outcomes of our students. There is no reason we should accept differences in achievement for students who live within miles of each other. “Together, we believe that we can construct a unified PreK-12 educational system which maximizes the potential of all our students through, ‘ Enriched learning environments that provide more opportunities for students to learn within and from a larger, more diverse community of peers and teach-

“Each model (as well as the original 14) was evaluated in terms of its capacity to: A. Provide sustainable and more affordable educational programs and avoid, potentially, the necessity of facing the difficult prospect of closing any school, should enrollments continue to decline or program costs become simply unaffordable in the eyes of taxpayers. B. Better utilize existing teachers and resources throughout the district to: i. Strengthen instruction for every student. ii. Enhance program opportunity for all our students at a more affordable cost for taxpayers.” All four of our communities have this opportunity to bend upward the curve of learning opportunities for all of our students, while at the same time, bending downward the cost curve for tax payers. Projected cost savings reach to 4.7 million dollars by 2023. In Cabot alone, these surpass 1.1 million. When is the last time we had that discussion? The new combined board will be charged with allocating savings. I believe that there will be a combination of reductions in tax rates and thoughtful enhancements in program offerings: “Central to the committee’s deliberations concerning any potential plan to unify our current school districts into a single district governed by a single school board representing the sending towns of Cabot, Danville, Marshfield, and Plainfield was one central overriding question: How would unification benefit our children? Specifically, how would a new, unified

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OMMENTARY

district governance structure provide better, more equitable instructional opportunities and better support students to achieve or exceed the State’s Educational Quality Standards?” I have heard some express the opinion that Cabot has “the most to lose.” My view is that we have the most to gain: in learning opportunities, in working within a more diverse community of learners and teachers, in affording our tax payers a more sustainable future. The high school population in Vermont is expected to decline 20% from 2009 to 2022. Our percentage drop may be higher. With this merger, there will be 275 high-school students from all four towns. It would also be irresponsible for us to forget that it was just two years ago that a Cabot building committee was working towards a 5-6+ million dollar reconstruction of the Cabot School facilities. Those realities have suddenly gone away? Having just gone through three votes on the FY ’18 budget and still remaining under the State penalty as a high-spending school, can you imagine what our reality would have been with the first payments due on a new bond? The merger proposal will allow us to maximize the use of the current high-school building for preK-8, avoid costly repairs to substandard satellite buildings, provide for repairs to the gym with costs spread out over the C.D.T. Unified Union School District, and preclude any need to build a new elementary building. If you hear suggestions of “fact” that voting for this merger proposal will somehow destroy Cabot’s tax base, I challenge you to look at a map of Vermont through a filter that shows towns with union districts, choice districts and single-school districts. Ask for evidence that clear data supports a conclusion that the tuition towns, the choice towns, the union district towns are demonstrably unattractive for home buyers. You may, in fact, find the opposite. I would argue that this is our best chance to have a planned and cooperative voice in our future through a joint board. Every indication suggests that the state's hand will be forced to act in changing the current circumstances. Should this merger be rejected, we may likely find ourselves in a reality where our local choices are made for us without incentives and with the loss of the Small Schools Grant. In the last two Committee meetings, at least one Cabot Board member has indicated that we “have other options if we vote this down.” I have asked members of the Committee, administrators and the Facilitator of the Committee exactly what that statement means. No answer has been offered to

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June

date. There is simply no evidence or logic that would suggest that the State will continue to support the status quo in Cabot. Finally, we often fall back upon the notion that the majority of Cabot tax payers get “help” for paying their property tax, based upon State income sensitivity regimes. The argument seems to be that we are a high-spending town, that, yes, our cost per pupil is very high, but someone else will pay a portion of the tax. At the same time that we vilify the State for rules, regulations and “Acts,” we are more than happy to allow the State to spread our local high-cost decisions over all towns, all Vermont tax payers. It is time for us to be frank, to be

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Rural Community

Yes, Cabot has been my home for 44 years but with four years in the military and six years in college had me living in other communities so I cannot say I have lived here my entire life. My earliest recollection of school choice or something similar was 1972 when a classmate disappeared from our second grade year. Your 7 or 8 years old and don’t think much about it. The next thing I remember two children from this home and one from another and three from a third are no longer wandering the halls or on the playground, but you see them on weekends or nights. Their parents had decided it was necessary to educate their children elsewhere. What a great idea for those that could afford it; giving their children every benefit possible to get ahead in life. Yes this is every parent’s aspiration. Yes, in 1980 I asked my parents if I could change schools, and they agreed, but either due to peer pressure from my classmates or just not having the gumption to go, I stayed. Did it make me a different person? I will never know because life is full of choices and forks in the road and one must choose. We call it the path of life. Yes, in 1995, my family made a choice to return to Cabot, as it was a community with great moral fortitude, or at

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Cabot High School

2017 Graduation ~ page 1

open to change and to work positively to guide new opportunity. “As the Committee sees it, the opportunity to secure our future is now – not to wait for the creation of a “state-wide plan” that may or may not reflect our best interests by potentially requiring our districts to merge without incentives with neighboring districts outside the frame of this study…” This Committee and its Facilitator have my gratitude for hundreds of hours of work, for vision and for guidance. Thank you. Dale Newton Teacher in VT Public Schools – 32 years Cabot Home Owner, Business Owner, Tax Payer Since 1976 least it was when I left, as there was a feeling of respect even if folks were not on the same side of a political issue. Unfortunately, the Cabot School system did not appear to be as stable as I once knew it, but the community seemed as one. Yes, the community that worked to put on the annual Independence Day parade and barbeque was intact cooking and selling PTO tickets. Yes the community that works annually on the Maple Fest, Apple Pie Fest and Holiday dinner on December 25 th is alive and well. Yes to those selfless volunteers that dedicated their time to restore the Town Clock that is located in the church steeple. Yes to those individuals that spent hundreds of hours attaining funds for a new Town Garage. Yes to those volunteering to restore flooded roads and village store fronts, coaching youth sports, especially Little League. This is how a community survives. Please put away your differences and do what you think is best for the Cabot community as a whole. Yes, it is time to discard any personal agendas and listen, as hard as that may be. I am going to VOTE on June 20, and as part of the Cabot Community, I hope all of you will VOTE, as well. And lastly, I do want to express my gratitude for all the community members that selflessly step up to the plate and make the Town of Cabot such an inspiring place to live. Ted Domey, Cabot Plains Road.

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Chris Chadderton

Wyatt Ameden will attend Champlain College to study Interactive Media Design and Film Making. He hopes to eventually spend a college semesRachel Collins will be attending Community College of Vermont in the fall, focusing in virtual arts. She hopes to pursue a career as a voice actor. ter in Poland to study game direction and design.

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Andrew Little

Having spent the past year exploring the world of cosmetology at the Central Vermont Career Center, Emily Hill will continue this study in preparation for a career in this field. Jeremy Maxfield will study at the Community College of Vermont in the fall and plans to pursue a degree in civil engineering.

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(cid:1) James Lehoe

Isabella McCallum will be attending George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs this fall. She plans to major in international relations and minor in Chinese.

James Lehoe will continue his job in the field of drywall during his gap year, after which he plans to attend Ohio State University.

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Why Cabot School is Unique they

in the Act 46 Merger Realm

By Brigitte Codling Why are we unique? We are the only District of the three that has been, and is still in an over spending situation We are the only District of the three that has been, and is still being assessed state tax penalties We are the only District of the three that depends on a Small School Grant We are the only District of the three that has large facility repair needs These things make us uniquely in need of this merger! If we merge: Danville and Twinfield stand to gain a guaranteed four-year tax reduction, transition grant, savings due to Supervisory Union reductions, as well as a bolstering of their class sizes, and improved opportunities for all children in the unified district. If we merge: Cabot stands to gain a guaranteed four-year tax reduction, transition grant, savings due to Supervisory Union reductions, savings due to High School staff and operations reductions, the district keeps our small schools grant, eliminate the tax penalties we have been subjected to, eliminate the need for most of our facility repairs, the unified district shares the cost of the remaining facility repairs, and improved opportunities for all children in the unified district. Undeniably, Cabot stands to gain the most monetarily from this merger. If we do not merge, we will be in a desperate situation; one most of us cannot afford. Our already unsustainable budget will become insurmountable with the loss of our $150,000 Small Schools Grant, the cost of facility repairs that we need to address one way or another, and the immense over spending penalty that will be assessed. Calculations predict that without this merger we will see a tax increase of near TWENTY PERCENT (20%), and that assessment is likely low! The Town of Cabot had a difficult time swallowing a 9.2% tax increase this year; it took two revisions to the budget for a majority of the town to feel comfortable enough to pass the revised budget. The board had a difficult time finding ways to reduce the budget, and in the end, the budget still included an over spending tax penalty. Consider this…if the Cabot School Board had a hard time this year finding ways to cut the budget, what will they cut to account for the loss of our $150,000 small schools grant? What will they cut so that we can begin making the needed facilities repairs? What will they cut to pay the huge over spending tax penalty Music? sitions?

of sider occur dren what on lived longer do

who in Elementary and future, parent, afford Cabot.

ers Merge”.

make options

(See

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OMMENTARY

will be imposed upon us? What will cut??? Foreign language? Art and High School sports? Teaching poBusing? What will they cut??? If you are someone who has the luxury not caring about the money, then conthe loss of programming that will if we do not merge; all of our chilwill suffer academically. Consider is going to happen to your neighbors fixed incomes, whose families have here for generations but will no be able to pay their tax bills if we not merge. We are not like Danville or Twinfield, truly have a choice. We are uniquely need of this merger to ensure that our and Middle School stay intact adequately funded for the foreseeable and to ensure that every grandparent, neighbor, and friend can to stay in their homes here in

Currently, the only decision Cabot votmust make is “Merge” or “Don’t

Until the voters of all three districts that decision, there are no other for us to consider. If there is a “No” vote on June 20: And Governor Scott does not sign H.513, there will be no five-month extension and we will lose all incentives on June 20. And Governor Scott signs H.513, and we are provided a five-month extension to figure out an alternate merger plan, it is “highly-unlikely” that any contingency plan would be successful, and to suggest otherwise would be misleading and irresponsible. And if all contingency plans fail; Cabot tax payers will suffer, Cabot School will suffer, Cabot Students will suffer, and, in a few years, the State will step in and merge us as they see fit. Cabot risks the loss of their whole school and all local control. If there is a “Yes” vote on June 20: Guaranteed tax incentives for 4-years. The unified district will get a one-time transition grant. Cabot’s Small Schools grant will be retained by the unified district. Savings due to Supervisory Union reductions. Savings due to Cabot High School staff and operations reductions. Education spending will drop well below the state’s spending limit. Eliminate the risk of tax penalties. Eliminate the need for most of our facility repairs. Share remaining facility repairs with the unified district. Taxes will drop for all residents within the unified district. There will be more money to devote to education of our children. “Cabot School is Unique, page 16)

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A “No” Vote is Not a Vote

for the Status Quo

This month, the Town of Cabot is facing a critical vote, not only for those families with children in school, but also to those that value what Cabot provides as a community. The Act 46 labyrinth is confusing to a point of sheer exasperation. The state enacted the law to consolidate and merge school districts, all in an effort to save money. The State’s role in education spending drastically increased after Brigham v. State , and Act 46 is the latest effort by the State to manage education costs under the auspices of expanding educational opportunities. What Act 46 posits in three different sections is that the closure of small schools is not the intent. However, across the state, school closure is precisely the result of contemplated mergers. Cabot is one of many, not of a few, that are faced with closing all or a part of its school. Only half of the districts in the state have successfully merged, and nearly all of those merged districts were already part of a merged structure. In other words, the approved mergers in these districts changed very little about how the school districts were already operating. Cabot stands to lose significantly in this merger. Although committee members have diligently worked over the last year with Twinfield and Danville, it has become clear to the Cabot representatives on that committee that the end result does not achieve the goals the committee set forth to gain. Moreover, the Cabot School Board has unanimously objected to this merger as it does not find that the option presented for merger will benefit the students or the community. As of May 12, 2017, 27 towns have rejected merger at the ballot box; 59 towns have never formed a committee, disbanded a committee, have a committee making an Alternative Governance Structure (AGS) proposal or are making an AGS proposal as a Supervisory Union. As a result, 86 towns are looking for alternatives to merger in an effort to comply with Act 46. Additionally, 13 towns have yet to vote, including Cabot, and one district with five towns has a stalled committee. What this overview demonstrates is that Cabot is NOT alone in this fight. We are not one of a handful of towns that are resisting change. We are, instead, part of a movement of small towns in Vermont that appreciate the value our schools bring to our community, and, more importantly, to our students. Voting “no” to this merger would open up options to explore other alternatives for the town. This is a watershed moment in the history of our town: under any option taken, now is the time to re-

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hronicle

capitalize and improve our school for the long term. It means investing in facilities, infrastructure, and programs that will keep us distinct, strong, and viable in any district where our voice and control is limited. Cabot's Project Based Learning (PBL) program is the crown jewel of our system and is the best means to enhance educational opportunities and set us apart now and in the future. There are better options than merger, and we can improve the status quo . Voting "NO" on June 20, 2017, will provide Cabot the opportunity to strike a more appropriate balance among value to taxpayers, student achievement, and control over how our students are educated. Several alternatives could be considered to meet the requirements of Act 46. Here are a few alternatives for consideration (for further information visit: www.cabotalternatives.org): Option A: Merge with a Rural PK-12 District - Cabot could explore a merger with another rural PK-12 District -- allowing us to maintain our high school, while sharing resources to achieve meaningful cost savings per pupil. Option B: Close the High School on OUR Terms - Controlling our own destiny may be preferable to struggles that will come under the “Option 1” merger. Cabot could vote to become a PK-8 district, closing the high school and becoming a “choice” town for high school. Option C: Cabot Project Based Learning Academy - A bold option that includes forming an independent, coeducational day and boarding school for students in grades 9 to 12. With community commitment, we could be rewarded with a sustainable, distinct, and successful school. No matter what direction we head, Cabot residents deserve stability and certainty in what education will look like for our students. Therein lies what makes this vote imperative to the future not only of the school, but to the community as a whole. Joanna Thibeault

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History of Cabot School

Education has always been important to the citizens of Cabot. The first school in town was a log cabin on Cabot Plain where John Gunn taught in 1792. This became District 1. Over time, Cabot had 14 separate districts – one-room primary schools located in populated areas so no student had to walk over two miles. There were sometimes 30 or more students at various grade levels taught by one teacher. Since Cabot had no secondary school until after 1900, students who wished to continue beyond grammar school went out of town. The Walker children, Will, Annie, and Marion, went to St. Johnsbury Academy. Agnes Warren, George Currier, Glenn Carpenter and the Glidden children went to Montpelier Seminary, George Hill attended Hardwick Academy and others went to Goddard Seminary in Barre. These were fouryear “preparatory high schools” designed to prepare students for college. The first high school in Cabot was a two-year school organized around 1908. Wilfred “Fred” Davison was principal. Davison grew up in Lower Cabot and later became Dean of the Breadloaf School of English at Middlebury College. The first four-year class at Cabot High School – Ruth Austin, Edwin, Evelyn and Olive Smith, Byron Eastman, Merton Lyndes, Margaret Martin and Pauline Burbank – graduated in 1920. Getting to school was often a challenge in those days. Helen Wheeler drove a horse and buggy or sleigh. She put her horse up in a nearby barn and at noon she would go to feed the horse. Louise Staples also drove a horse four miles from Woodbury. My father, Aaron Bolton and his brother, Harold, drove a horse to school each day from the Plain – about four and one half miles. were in the Class of 1925. They

Athalene Ewen lived by Joe’s Pond and walked daily to the Plain to meet Freda Maynard and together they walked to school in Cabot Village. Freda said, “It wasn’t too bad going down, but on the way home it was all up hill.” They were in the Class of 1936, and both boarded in the village during the winter. I graduated in the Class of 1948 and rode my bicycle from the Plain until cold weather, and then I boarded in town until spring. A classmate, Larry Thompson, rode his horse from Woodbury every

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Historical Society

First High School established in Cabot by Wilfred Davison.

day, through snow, blizzards, rain and mud. Walt Goodrich, Class of 1946, rode a horse from East Cabot his first year of high school, and later provided “bus service” driving a stake-body milk truck to pick up neighbors’ milk and fellow students on his way to the creamery (and school) each morning. Nobody complained – it’s just the way it was. (Resources: Cabot, Vermont, A Collection of Memories From the Century Past, Cabot Oral History Committee, 1999; and Cabot Historical Society archives.)

Cabot’s first school in the village was built in 1845 and is now the Cabot Historical Society museum. In 1863, a larger two-story building was built. That building was replaced in 1938 by a onestory main school for grades 1-12 – the building that is today’s high school. Gradually, one-room schools in various districts were closed as population dwindled, and those students were transported to the Village. South Cabot was last to close in 1954. By then the school in the village was serving K-12 students and was overcrowded. Three auxiliary classroom buildings were added to the campus in 1970, along with an industrial arts building and gymnasium.

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All Smiles in Cabot

CABOT – The State Board of Education was obviously pleased yesterday with Cabot’s new campus-type building plan. In fact, its members were so anxious to grant preliminary approval for construction aid that they convened slightly ahead of schedule. One of Cabot’s school directors, their architect and the lawyer for the small community all arrived only in time to hear the board give unanimous approval. A front-page article published in The Times-Argus on Monday and concerning small schools was very closely in harmony with Cabot’s recently completed Design for Education, which was read by Dr. Harvey Scribner, state commissioner, during yesterday’s meeting. In the article, Dr. Royce S. Pitkin, special consultant hired by Dr. Scribner for this study, proposed a new approach to secondary education whereby “the participation would not be confined to the schools, but would embrace the whole community.” Cabot’s taxpayers have always had a generous enthusiasm for supporting their schools and will now have a chance to implement its new program of participation for kindergarten through Grade 12.

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By Gary Gulka

On Monday, June 19, from 6 - 8:30 p.m. at Old Schoolhouse Common in Marshfield, the Friends of the Winooski River will host workshop for private road and driveway owners. Participants will learn more about practical and low-cost best management practices that reduce erosion, protect water quality, and save money on road repairs. If you are a property owner and believe your road segment or

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No Matter who you

or where you are on life’s you are welcome to travel for as long as you need. The church is available for weddings, concerts, and anniversary celebrations and social 2278 and leave a message. *FYI: the church Pastor: Christina Findlay, Mdiv Music: Erma Perry, Bruce Westcott

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Article - 1970

News of the state Board’s decision spread rapidly back to Cabot Village where the high school principal, John Spasyk, announced it to the students about 2:30. The majority were on their way to chorus rehearsal and were so elated with the news they were given leave to dispense with classes. Philip (Pat) Lapan, president of the Student Council, was granted permission for his group to hold an informal assembly of the junior and senior high school whereupon a collection was taken and refreshments brought in. According to Principal Spasyk, “the place is bubbling all over.” An elementary teacher, Mrs. Erma Perry, expressed pleasure at the prospect of teaching in a new environment next year, but injected a note of sadness when she said, “I’ll be a little lonesome,” meaning that she and her fellow teachers would be more isolated and would not see one another except for the lunch hour. However, regular program planning sessions by the teachers will be a part of the school’s new program design. Final approval of aid will mean a September 1970 opening date for three new residential-type buildings which will house Grades 1 – 6, an industrial arts building and gymnasium. The fate of the old gymnasium has not been decided. However, there has been no definite provision made for a kindergarten or space for the thriving art program. The immediate plans of the Cabot school directors include budget sessions, beginning this week, when they are hopeful that a realistic calculation can be made for operating the new facility next year.

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Offered

driveway has an impact on a nearby stream, you may be eligible for technical and cost share assistance. The event is co-hosted by the Cabot, Marshfield, and Plainfield Conservation Commissions and the Plainfield Resiliency Committee, with funding from the Lake Champlain Basin Program. An RSVP to info@winooskiriver.org is appreciated. This workshop was previously held in Calais last year and was well received by those that attended.

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Why barbeque?

I’ve been in the restaurant business for a long time. I was the chef and general manager at A Vermont Place in Hardwick, but when I broke my back felling a tree and couldn’t work for awhile, it was unaffordable to keep it running. The restaurant business is really hard- and doing a food truck is like running a restaurant, plus you have to be a mechanic and a truck driver. When we started we did some pop-up barbeques at my house to raise money to buy the truck. It was bright yellow when we bought it- we joked around that we could call it Big Bird BBQ. The biggest reason we picked barbeque was our partner Ben Notterman raises these amazing pigs at Snug Valley Farm in East Hardwick. We love barbeque - it’s one of the things that’s been unchanged since the dawn of time- cooking over an open flame. Also, I have family in Georgia so I have that history with collard greens, beans, cornbread, biscuits…

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Speaking of the season… what do

you do in the winter? We do some catering through the winter. But mainly, myself and Charlie have children and Isaac and Ben are expecting. It’s important to us to have the time to spend with our families. Also, I sugar with my father-in-law, Caleb Pitkin, and brother-in-law, Nicholas Clark. I love the history of sugaring. My children, once they start sugaring, will be the 10 th generation of my wife’s family to sugar in Cabot and Marshfield.

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How many events did you do last

year and are you planning for this year? Last year we had- I'd say ten large events and a lot of roadside parking and some days at breweries. We did two weddings last year, too. I think we have 14 wedding so far this summer, and we'll be at Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro for about seven weeks, and also some time at Red Barn Brewing in Danville. Also we're doing a concert series at the Champlain Valley Expo.

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BBQ

Maybe in the winter near a ski resort. Right now we're trying to grow organically and not bring in outside money. The next step would probably be more trucks. I have an idea that if we do open a restaurant we'll pair it with a brewery and call it The Q'ery. My partners say I should keep that to myself, but I have two kids so I'm entitled to Dad jokes.

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Are you from Cabot originally?

I moved here when I was in 5th grade. I grew up in the red house across from the school. I started out as the deli clerk at the Cabot Store my senior year of high school, and then I went to VTC for electrical engineering. I realized that wasn't for me- I wanted to be around people- so I came back to Cabot. I saw the hospitality program at Champlain, so I went to Burlington for that, and worked in restaurants there. I managed the kitchen at Splash at the Boathouse for seven years, was a line cook at the Windjammer, executive chef at Tilly's Cafe, and kitchen manager at Skyburger. When my daughter was born, we moved back to Cabot. Bella's six now.

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What do you like about having your

own business in general, and a business in Cabot in particular? My favorite thing about having this kind of business in the Cabot area is being able to feed my friends. When I broke my back, there was a Go Fund Me page started for us, and Cabot bailed us out. It's great to be part of the community, to get to have personal relationships with farmers and growers, and get to know our customers. I get to go to David Carpenter's farm and pick my produce right out of the ground. It's cool to be a part of a community of makers and producers. And I like being ultimately responsible for the success or failure- you get to control your destiny.

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What are some of the challenges?

The challenge is being able to serve high quality local food at a price people can afford. We had paper thin margins last year. We really struggled with that, and underpriced ourselves to try to keep it affordable. This year we had to do an increase or we wouldn't have been able to keep doing it.

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Road BBQ last year, and you were

just featured again in that paper for an event in Barre. Congratulations again and continued success!

Local Business Matters is brought to

Ellen will be contacting local business people over the next few months. If you have a business and are interested in being highlighted or have other ideas you’d like to propose, we’d love to hear

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VT and NEK and is fully insured.

If people call to hire you, what do they need to know about your business? First, we will assess the situation to determine the most efficient and economical way to approach the project. Sometimes, spending the extra money on a crane ends up being cheaper, faster, and safer than manual rigging. We will consider factors such as equipment access, powerlines, underground utilities (septics), etc. Every jobsite is different and care has to be taken to minimize damage to residual vegetation and landscape. Calvin, how did you come to work in this rather unique field - climbing trees and cutting them from top to bottom? I originally went to school for Forest Technology, some of my dorm mates were in the Arboriculture and Landscape Management program. They removed the tiles from the ceiling in their dorm room and were hanging from ropes from the beams. They looked like they were having more fun than me, so that summer, I got my hands on some climbing gear and never looked back. How long does it take to learn this profession? Anybody can get there foot in the door with commercial arboriculture. I spent 14 months on the ground learning the ropes before I actually set foot in a tree. There is a wide array of training resources available. The International Society or Arboriculture is currently the industry standard and a good place to start. A passion for being outdoors in all weather conditions is a must. This is also one of the more physically taxing professions, as well as the number one most hazardous industry in the USA, based on workplace injuries per capita. Besides the physical aspect - climbing a tree with a chainsaw- what is the most tricky part about your work? This work is surprisingly mental, as much as physical. You are dealing with a lot of physics and calculated risk. Every tree is a unique puzzle, and no two are the same. The mental aspect keeps you on your toes. Trees have no remorse and can kill you a million different ways. Like the game of Chess, you want to be thinking three steps ahead and always have an escape route.

You are usually working with a partner on the ground that is helping you to lower down the parts of the tree you just cut with a rope. What skills and character trades do you both need to bring in to make the work go smoothly?

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You Up To?

Communication is key either through voice commands, hand gestures or even two-way radios. Once you’ve developed a solid working relationship, you can almost anticipate each others actions and remove a tree with virtually no speaking. Is there a huge different between, let’s say, cutting down a spruce and a maple? Do different trees need different ways/ techniques to be cut? There are several methods of pruning/ shaping trees for structure, aesthetics, fruit yield, etc. Trees are also sensitive to the time of year they are pruned. So I would say it depends completely on the species of tree, size of tree, and the particular role that that tree plays in the landscape. Many folks have trouble with heights. You clearly don’t seem to suffer from vertigo. Can you tell me anything you are scared of? The day you stop being scared is the day to get out of the business. What do you do to relax - muscles and mind- after or in between work? I drink an all natural energy drink from Vermont Switchel Co., also based in Cabot. Did you ever regret cutting down a particular tree, because it was special in any way? There are a lot of grand old, 200 years plus, trees in VT, especially along roadways and as center pieces of the front yard. As Vermonters, we have a certain attachment to our Maples. I have not had the opportunity to work on any historic or state record trees, however, there are a lot of methods that can be applied to prolong the life of a meaningful tree instead of cutting it down. What is your favorite thing to do, what does your ideal project look like? The more technical, the better. Large deciduous trees with wide, sweeping canopies are usually the most fun to climb. And what was the most outstanding project you ever worked on? I recently had the opportunity to travel to California and work on a FEMA project mitigating the death of over 100 million dead Pines caused by the Mountain Pine Beetle. Some of these trees are reaching heights of 250 feet. The shear mass of the coastal Redwoods and Giant Sequoia trees is a wonder that every American should witness.

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By Cecilia Gulka

Girl Scouts in Cabot are wrapping up a wonderful year. The Daisy troop (Grades K & 1) is headed to the Get Air Trampoline Park on June 3 rd and will hold their end of the year awards ceremony with campfire and s’mores when they return that afternoon. The Brownie & Junior girls (Grades 2-5) are headed to Santa’s Village on June 11 th with a sleepover at school in the evening. The following morning, the girls will cook U C C breakfast for their parents and hold

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No Matter who you are

being the required second registered adult at all the Brownie and Junior meetings. Girl Scout registration is now open for the 2017-18 school year. Forms can be filled out online at www.girlscouts gwm.org. For more information call Ce-

or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome to travel with us for as long as you need.

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Cabot School is Unique

the unified district. (continued from Senior pullout, page 4) The church is available for weddings, concerts, community organizations, birthday and anniversary celebrations and social gatherings.* To reserve a time call 563- Security and much needed funding for 2278 and leave a message. *FYI: the church is an alcohol and smoke free building. Cabot’s Middle and Elementary Pastor: Christina Findlay, Mdiv Established in 1806 School. Music: Erma Perry, Bruce Westcott Moved to present location in 1849 Expanded Project Based Learning (PBL) opportunities for all children in Improved educational and social opportunities for all children in the unified district. Make sure your voice is heard; come out and vote “YES” to the Cabot, Danville, Twinfield merger on June 20!

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By Karen Deasy, Zoning Administra-

tor, Planner and Road Commissioner The Town of Cabot manages maintains 58.19 miles of class two three highways and 7.2 miles of class highways. From time to time road changes and the need to upgrade, sify or discontinue a Town highway comes apparent. The Road Commissioner and Foreman have recently viewed the town’s inventory of highways and have presented to the lectboard a list of roads within the that should be reclassified based on current usage and the needs of the munity.

Highway number Town Highway 11 Town Highway 13 Town Highway 15 Town Highway 33 Town Highway 34 Town Highway 40 Town Highway 43 Town Highway 44 Town Highway 45 Town Highway 46 Town Highway 47 Town Highway 54 Town Highway 55 Town Highway 57 Town Highway 63 Town Highway 64 Town Highway 12 Town Highway 49 classification class 3 class 3 class 3, 4 class 3, 4 class 4 class 4 class 3 class 3 class 3, 4 class 4 class 3 class 4 class 4 class 3 class 3 class 3 class 3 class 4 Road upgrades provisional class three Highway number Town Highway 14 Town Highway 24 Town Highway 41

The Town will be classification class 4 class 3, 4 class 4

notifying all residents who will be impacted by these changes prior to the required public hearings reclassification. This process will proceed slowly and carefully to allow for comment and to assure that the needs the entire town are taken into consideration during this review.

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June 2017 ~ page 17

roads is apparent. Many of these roads usage 234 Pransky Road,

reclasbeare used as public access trails for recreation and have limited use as roadways. Previously in Cabot large stretches of roads were discontinued leaving small Cabot, Vermont 05647

rebits and pieces of roads and right of ways town behind as well. Many of these would be Sebest served being returned to the landTown owner. their The list of roads currently under concomsideration and their potential change in w. camplaughingturtle.com

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Valley Senior Center

Summer's the perfect time to slow down, savor the present, and make a record of the garden, the woods, or your vacation. This class will focus on using watercolor -- by itself, and with pencil and pen drawings, close up and at landscape scale. We'll work from natural ob4583 U.S. Route 2

East Montpelier, VT 05651

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At Twin Valley we want to play

bridge! Jan Danziger of Plainfield would like bridge partners to play at Twin Valley Senior Center. If you play great, if you want to learn to play, she is willing to teach you. Jan is eager to play and waiting for some phone calls from interested parties that would like to join her. Please

in playing at Twin Valley. jects, flowers, leaves, shells, sticks, mushrooms, berries, and so on; occasionally from photographs, or outdoors from the landscape. Our world includes people and buildings, maps and stories; we’ll do some of those, too. All levels of experience are welcome. Classes begin June 23 and run six weeks, Fridays, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. $35 for class and $15 for materials. Taught by Susan Sawyer. Call Susan

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Motor Coach Tours

Twin Valley has advertised by requests some day trips. Champlain Tours met with me and we chose some trips that were the least expensive, but I am sure interesting, trips. The trips would be on Motor Coach from TVSC parking lot. There has to be at least 30 people signed up for them to do the pickup at the center. I have heard from very, very few people interested for these day trips. If you have overlooked the trips, please go to our website, Twinvalleyseniors.org, or refer to our newsletter for the trips being offered. I have two $50.00 gift certificates toward two of the trips that would be drawn from the people signed up to take the trips. The first trip is scheduled June 10, so time is running out. You can con-

seniors@myfairpoint.net if you are interested in any of the trips.

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This summer’s theme is – Build A Better World

All programs are free and open to children and adults of all abilities. Sign up for the summer reading program as soon as school is out and win prizes and T-shirts! The Thousand Page Club continues . Story Hour and fun building activities Tuesdays at 10:30am – come prepared to have fun! Wednesday, June 21 st – 7:00pm - The Cougar Returns to the East Sue Morse , nationally acclaimed tracker and Keeping Track founder, provides the low-down about the latest confirmations of cougars in the East, including the prospects and expected timing for the return of this magnificent animal to Vermont and other parts of its original range. Sue illustrates her talk with fascinating photographs and stories from four decades spent on the trail of wildlife from the Arctic to the Everglades. Saturday, June 24 th – 6:30 pm – Katie Trautz Katie Trautz (www.katietrautz.com) is a native Vermont fiddler who has toured nationally and internationally sharing traditional and original folk songs. Katie plays fiddle, guitar and banjo crossing genres with her numerous ensembles. She has studied with some of the greatest fiddle players in the US including Dirk Powell, Pete Sutherland, David Greely and Bruce Molsky. Katie has released a number of albums in the past seven years with her various bands (Mayfly, Wooden Dinosaur, Kick em Jenny, and more). Thursday, June 29 th – 6:00pm – Vermont Raptors–

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Southern Vermont Natural History Museum

Meet birds of prey! Three to four live hawks, owls, and falcons will come for a faceto face exploration of what it takes to be a raptor. Their role in the environment and history with humans can help us learn from the past and help us build a better world for the future.

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F ROM T HE C ABOT

It’s time to start thinking about summer, and the Cabot Public Library has an amazing lineup of programs waiting for you – please see our full schedule in below. As soon as school is out, pick up your packet of materials to join in the Summer Reading program and win Tshirts and prizes! We also have the new Vermont State Parks Pass, Vermont State Historic Sites Pass, the Echo Pass and the Vermont History Museum Pass. Can’t wait to see you at the library! In addition to summer programming, there will be ongoing sessions in Yoga, Meditation and Tai Chi – please see schedules below.

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Yoga and Stretching - with Alicia

Feltus– Tuesdays, June 6 – 27, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Class will be a blend of yoga, active isolated stretching and strengthening, relaxation and breathing techniques. Learn simple exercises to practice anywhere. Naturally free your body from stress and tension and breathe more deeply! All levels and ages welcome! Wear comfortable clothes and bring a mat, if you have one. Contact Alicia for

tus@gmail.com. Donations welcome.

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Wednesdays, June 7 and 21, 6:00 –

7:30 p.m. Meeting on the first and third Wednesday of the month. Daria Babbitt has been teaching meditation for over 25 years and will introduce different meditation techniques designed to reduce stress. There will also be time for discussion about various healing techniques and inner spiritual growth. This workshop is open to all and donations are gratefully accepted.

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Tuesday, July 11 th – 6:30pm

Back by popular demand! Mazie O’Connor dragons for many years in local markets. dragon. Supplies and tools will be provided. will be available for ideas. Please sign up workshop is for youth aged 10 and up. Saturday, July 15 th – 1:00pm – Comic Learn the basics of drawing a figure and We’ll apply these skills to create a super-hero talents, what you love to do and how you would For youth aged 7-14.

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Introduction to Tai Chi – Thursdays

– June 1 – July 27, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Tai Chi 8 Postures: This is a great way to start Tai Chi. Each week, one of the eight sequential postures will be focused on. Each posture is easy to learn and can form the basis for more advanced study. Each class will also include stretching and strengthening exercises. Tai Chi helps with balance and concentration and is often considered a moving meditation. Classes are free to the public, though suggested donation of $5 per class is welcome. It is requested that no outdoor shoes be worn on the wooden floors. Bare feet or clean indoor shoes are suitable. Call or email for more information and to register. taichivt@gmail.com 802-4246088 *No class on June 29

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Thank you!

Special thanks to David Carpenter for a wonderful season of Contra Dances – see you back in September for the start of next season’s dances. Thanks again to Jen Boucher for organizing movie nights/dinner for our movie series, And Still I Rise. The continued volunteer help is very much appreciated – thank you Lorelai Bastress, Susan Dineen, Mary Lou DeLacy, Lela Jones, Vicki Palmer, and Beth Wade.

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Cabot Library Book Sale

all genres for all ages and interests! All Friends of the Library which help for accepting donations of books in or materials in poor quality

– Build your own Clay has been building and selling sculpey She will guide you in making your own Books and examples of Mazie’s dragons in advance as space is limited. This

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School Board

May has been a very busy month for Cabot School and for our board. On May 5, the Cabot School budget for the 201718 school year was passed by Cabot voters in an all-day Australian ballot at the Willey Building by a margin of 235 to 171. We are very appreciative of the turnout for this vote, and for the strong support for the school budget by Cabot voters. On May 3, the Cabot/Danville/ Twinfield Act 46 Committee gave final approval for a plan to merge the existing Cabot, Danville and Twinfield School districts into a single unified school district. If the plan is approved by a majority of the votes cast in each of the four towns (Cabot, Danville, Marshfield, and Plainfield) on Tuesday, June 20, then the new district would begin operation on July 1, 2018. The nine-member school board that would govern the proposed merged district would be comprised of two representatives from Cabot, three from Danville, and two each from Marshfield and Plainfield. Under the terms of the merger plan, Cabot High School would close after the 2017-18 school year, and the approximately 275 high school students of Cabot, Danville, Marshfield and Plainfield would have the choice of attending Danville or Twinfield High Schools. The merger plan includes no change to the preK-8 grades as they currently exist at the Cabot, Danville, and Twinfield school campuses; however the language of the merger agreement allows for “reorganization” of grades across the new district as needed in the future. This reorganization, that could potentially result in the removal of some of the remaining preK-8 grades at Cabot to Danville or Twinfield at some time in the future, would have to be approved by a majority of voters of the new merged district. Currently, Cabot voters comprise 22% of the potential number of registered voters in the proposed unified district. The costs of educating students in the proposed merged district would be shared by taxpayers across the four towns of the district. Because the perpupil cost to educate a student at Cabot

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The Pros and Cons

In many places, dog parks have come into popularity. If you are considering going to them so your dog can play with other dogs in a safely fenced area, there are a couple of things to consider. There should be separate areas, one for large dogs and one for small dogs. There should also be two gates to go through to get into the area where the dogs will be. This prevents dogs that are going into or leaving the area from escaping. This also gives the dogs a chance to check each other out safely with a fence between them. If at all possible, ask people who go to the dog park you have chosen if dogs are temperament tested for how they behave around other dogs, and be sure that dogs with aggression issues toward other dogs are not allowed. It is also good to be sure that females in heat are not allowed until they are out

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Update

School is currently higher than the current cost at Danville and Twinfield, it’s likely that the cost-per-pupil and the resulting property-tax rate will both decrease for Cabot in the proposed merger, at least in the short term. Due to other factors at work, however, it’s difficult to know for sure how large these propertytax savings will be and how long they will last. At its board meeting on May 15, our Cabot School Board approved the warning for the merger vote on June 20. At the same meeting, our board unanimously approved a resolution making clear our non-support for the merger plan, and describing our reasons for that decision. The text of that resolution is included in this issue of the Chronicle and is also posted on the Cabot School web site. At its meeting on May 16 at Winooski High School, the Vermont State Board of Education officially approved the merger plan for the Cabot/Danville/Twinfield Unified School District. The decision on the actual formation of that new district will now depend on voters in each of the four towns approving it on June 20. We will be hosting an informational session on the proposed merger at the CSPAC on Wednesday, June 14 at 6:00 p.m. All residents of Cabot should also be receiving a mailed brochure in the coming days outlining the opportunities and challenges connected to the merger. In addition, the entire Articles of Agreement and Act 46 Committee report (as well as other general information on Act 46) are available on a link at the Cabot School website (CabotSchool.org). We encourage all Cabot residents to become well- informed about this merger proposal, and for all registered voters in Cabot to get down to the Willey Building on June 20 to vote. Regardless of your perspective on the proposal, it represents a major change in how the education of the young people of our town is organized, directed, and paid for, and it has the potential to have long-term effects on our town as a whole. Chris Tormey Cabot School Board

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of Dog Parks

of heat. This sounds like common sense, but sometimes a new dog owner is not aware of the initial signs of a female coming into heat and what it can trigger in other dogs. If your dog is reluctant to meet or is fearful of new dogs, be sure that you can be in there with them. It might take a couple of visits for them to be comfortable with new dogs they meet. Dogs whose owners take them there usually on the same days or time of day often develop wonderful friendships with other dogs, and owners often develop friendships with other dog owners. Remember that dogs are pack-oriented social animals, and enjoy having canine friends, just as we enjoy our human friends. Sincerely, April Frost Animal Behaviorist Animal communicator

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C/D/T Merger

We, the elected members of the Cabot School Board of Directors, are not in support of the Cabot School District joining into a new, merged school district with the Danville and Twinfield School districts. We have been working for the past eighteen months in meetings with representatives from Danville and Twinfield to research the value of merging. Throughout the process, we’ve been focused on answering two essential questions: Will merging benefit our Cabot School students, and will it benefit our Cabot community? After looking carefully at the final merger plan developed by the joint Act 46 Committee (comprised of two representatives from Cabot, four from Danville, and five from Twinfield), we do not believe that it will, with certainty, benefit our community or our students. Educationally, the benefits for our Cabot students in a merged district are uncertain. It is clear that Cabot High School would be closed in 2018 if the merger plan is approved, and our high school students would have the option of attending Danville or Twinfield high schools. It’s unclear how the strong, successful curricula of our high school would be continued for our students in the merged district. The continuation of a preK-8 school at Cabot in the future in a merged Cabot/ Danville/Twinfield school district is also uncertain. The language of the merger agreement makes it clear that grades across the district could be “restructured” if approved by a majority vote of the voters of the new, merged district. There appears to be capacity for at least some of our younger grades at Danville and Twinfield, and Cabot vot-

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Cabot Requesting

The Town of Cabot is requesting proposals for the reconstruction of the old Garage Site located at 3432 Main Street in Cabot. Work to include excavation and installation of a stormwater filtration area. A job site meeting will be held June 2, 2017, at 9:00 am. Bids for the project will be due June 14 at 5:00 pm. Bidders must prequalify at http://vtrans.ver

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Elder Sweetness

Ranger and Target are two very sweet older boys. Ranger is a mottled grey color and is about eight years old. Target is a long haired fella, white and grey, with double paws in the front, and an extremely mellow and sociable personality. He is about twelve years old. They need to go to a good home together, as they have lived a long time in each other's company and are bonded. They would do best in a quiet home as the only pets where they could just dote on their humans and spend time in their laps. Come and meet them at Kingdom Animal Shelter, 1664 Memorial Drive in

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Resolution

ers would at this point comprise 22% of the voters in the merged district. For our community, the value of Cabot School joining a merged district with Danville and Twinfield in 2018 is also uncertain. At least in the short-term, the cost in dollars of educating our students in a larger district would likely be reduced, although the size and duration of those property-tax savings are not clear. We are concerned about the long-term impact of the merged school district on the general vitality of our town. There would be two board members elected from Cabot on the nine-member board of the new district. Given the number of families that have moved to Cabot at least in part because of the value of its school, we are concerned how property values, business activity, and town population might be impacted by a potentially much smaller Cabot School in the future within a merged district. We believe it to be important for our town to be able to vote, along with the residents of Marshfield, Danville, and Plainfield, on this merger proposal. For that reason, our board approved the warning for the merger vote on June 20. In summary, we believe it to be in the best interest of both our Cabot students and our town as a whole to reject the Cabot/Danville/Twinfield merger proposal on June 20, and to devote our energies in the coming weeks to research alternative options for our school that would, in the future, yield better results for both our students and our community. The Cabot School Board of Directors: Jackie Folsom Lisa Olsen Chris Tormey Sharon O’Connor Randilee Raynor

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← From the Cabot Chronicle