⚲  Open Saturdays 1–3 p.m. · 3216 Main Street, Cabot, Vermont Contact Us
Established for the People of Cabot

Cabot Historical Society

Preserving the history of Cabot, Vermont · Founded 1965

The Cabot Chronicle

September 2022 · 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 September 2022 pages (PDF)

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

In This Issue

Addams Family Netflix

Luis Guzman (right) as Gomez Addams with Addams in the upcoming Netflix series, ‘Wednesday’.

by Jeanne Johnson Netflix has released a teaser trailer for the horror-comedy series “Wednesday,” the newest version of the Addams Family story as a Netflix eightepisode series featuring Cabot’s Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, father of Wednesday Addams. starring opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones as Wednesday’s mother. Directed by Tim Burton, the series will be released this fall on Netflix. View the official trailer at: https://gofobo.com/main/ trailerDetails/134994766/wednesdayaddams-official-teaser The filming took place at several locations in Romania including Bucharest, and Luis was on location for several months. The makeup process involved a wig and grooming facial hair and complexion for consistency in every scene, and he was grateful for the support of a fantastic makeup artist from England who accomplished the job in only twenty to thirty minutes. Asked if he had a chance to work with “Thing,” the disembodied hand, he reported he did have a brief moment, and it was pretty cool. A Romanian actor with mime and magic skills performed the role. Playing against Catherine ZetaJones, he said, was pretty awesome. They had worked together in Traffic many years ago and she is very professional; they were able to collaborate well and worked together to compliment each other in their roles. Casting of Uncle Fester is apparently still a mystery, and Luis refused to allow the Chronicle a “scoop” with that revelation! The Addams Family was created in 1938 as a New Yorker cartoon, spawning films, comics, tv shows, television specials, a Broadway musical, video games,

DEADLINE: 15th of the month prior to production

Coordinator: Jeannie Johnson

↑ contents

Series

costar Catherine Zeta-Jones (left) as Morticia

a soundtrack and website. Luis said it was his favorite show growing up, and he remembers with great respect watching Raul Julia in the role of Gomez, noting that Julia was Puerto Rican, as is Luis; and is awed by the irony of being the first recipient of the Raul Julia Award ever in Puerto Rico. Luis expressed deep appreciation for having the opportunity to perform in this iconic role. When asked about the challenge of the part, he described a very simple loving passionate character, perfectly written, beautifully directed and delivering a performance that doesn’t duplicate that of Raul Julia but makes the role his own. He says that’s what you want – to grow and learn with each project, being challenged. It was a great experience. When reached on the road by telephone, Luis said he was headed back to Vermont in time for Thanksgiving. Before we hung up, he said to me – “One last thing: I love Vermont!”

↑ contents

2/215 Intersection

by Jeanne Johnson

The Marshfield Selectboard preceded their regular August 16 meeting with an invitation to the public to meet in front of the Marshfield Village Store to view planned changes to the intersection of Cabot Road in Marshfield (VT Route 215 South) and US Route 2. Town Clerk Bobbi Brimblecombe and Selectperson Richard Baker were on-site to answer questions about VTrans work expected to begin in 2023 or 2024. Rather than the current Y-shaped intersection with a small patch of grass in the middle, the future Cabot Road will terminate in a “T” intersection with U.S. Route 2. An exchange of land between the Town and owners of 1414 US Route 2 is required to accomplish this, which will be initiated at the close of the petition period on September 1, 2022. The expected benefits of this change include preventing vehicles from VT Route 215 rolling onto US Route 2 without coming to a full stop, improving safety for neighboring property owners by reducing cars and trucks speeding past their homes, and reducing the number of crashes and injuries that have occurred within the current configuration. Brandon Kipp, the VTrans Project Manager for the Marshfield-Danville NH PS19(1) resurfacing project, provided this information: “This project begins at the Plainfield/Marshfield town line and ends in West Danville, just east of the VT Route 15 intersection with US Route 2 and is on schedule for construction in 2023 and 2024. There is a chance that this project could be

nine times a year and is provided locally

05647 ~ Published by the Cabot Community

express written permission from The Cabot Chronicle . Publisher is contingent upon publisher’s approval and agreement claims based upon contents of advertising. Publisher does not occupied by individual item in which the error appeared.

↑ contents

subscriptions $12.50 ~ www.cabotvermont.org

newspaper devoted to telling the subject to budgetary constraints and could be delayed or pushed back another year. At this time, I am unaware of this project being delayed because of budget. It is important to mention that up front. The US Route 2 and Route 215 intersection in Marshfield will be configured as part of this project. The proposed reconfiguration will Tup the intersection with US Route 2 and eliminate a small slip lane. It will also require that a utility pole be adjusted to the east to allow for this work to take place. At this time, we don’t know if this specific work will be targeted for 2023 or 2024 because of coordination that needs to happen with Green Mountain Power and the utility pole. This project does not have a Public Information Consultant yet. My plan is to have one contracted late this fall. The PIC will coordinate reoccurring and frequent communication with the Cabot community and other news sources this winter as the project progresses into construction.” The intersection being redesigned is located in Marshfield, so the process of moving forward is being managed by the Town of Marshfield and Vermont Agency of Transportation. Future updates will be available in The Cabot Chronicle , or project activity can be tracked through Marshfield selectboard minutes available on the Marshfield Town website at Marshfieldvt.gov or the VTrans website at vtrans.vermont.gov under “Active Construction” heading and clicking “Find a Project by Town.”

free of charge.

↑ contents

Molly Brook

(continued from page 1) on organic feed for one year. The decision to end a 99-year relationship with Cabot Creamery also was difficult as Molly Brook Farm not only was a founding farm but had strong ties with the creamery. "Organic grain was expensive, and it cost us more to produce milk than we were paid," she says. "We ended up transitioning the cows six months before the land was certified organic, which saved us money but complicated our organic transition as we had to fence out the corn strips with a 50-foot buffer on each side above the barn where the cows were pastured." Myles notes that "we took them off corn silage. They were used to that. Even the grain was not the same, so some transitioned cows had reproductive issues." However, the farmers both agree that the decision was the right one for the farm.

After feeding the expectant cows, Rhonda Goodrich does a final check of the animals to ensure that they are comfortable and have enough feed and water. (photo: Peggy Manahan/UVM Extension)

"We treat our farm as a business," Rhonda says, "and we knew that we needed to rethink how we did things to plan for the future. For us, pesticides and herbicides in the ground did not make sense, especially with grandkids on the farm. We are now farming similar to how Myles' grandfather did 100 years ago. "We look at the return on our investment with every step we take," she continues. "If you manage your farm out of your checkbook, by the time the checkbook has no money, you've missed nine months to a year when you could have made changes." The couple worked with Bruce Howlett, a now-retired soil conservationist with their local U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS) office, to transition from conventional to organic dairying. The NCRS's Environmental Quality Incentives Program provided both technical and financial assistance to help them convert 53 acres of corn ground to perennial grass and clover for hay and pasture, put in a new watering system and install perimeter fencing for rotational grazing on their 100+ acres of pasture and to keep the animals out of Molly's Brook. They received additional technical assistance through the Vermont Farm and Forest Viability Program, including monthly on-farm meetings with advisors to discuss and plan their organic transition. They met regularly with Kyle Thygesen from Stonyfield and Sarah Flack, a Vermont organic dairy consultant, dur-

↑ contents

Farm

Myles Goodrich quietly watches as the last of his pastured cows heads into the barn to be milked at Molly Brook Farm in Cabot. (photo: Peggy Manahan/UVM Extension)

ing the planning process. "They have taken advantage of dairy improvement grants to upgrade their milking facilities, milk room and housing systems and used Stonyfield TA funds to establish bees as pollinators on the farm," Johnson says. "They are master grazers and joined Stonyfield's Dairy Grazing Apprentice program, hoping to share their love of Jerseys, dairy and land with the next generation." They received a grant from the Vermont Working Lands Program that helped defray the organic transition costs. The Vermont Housing Conservation Board Viability Program awarded the farm a $40,000 matching grant to update the milkhouse. UVM Extension provided Molly Brook with technical assistance to develop their nutrient management plan, water quality and rotational grazing best practices. "One of the first decisions we made when we transitioned to organic was to downsize the herd from 120 milking cows to 70," Myles says, a move that has allowed them to manage the operation more efficiently. Fewer animals have meant less manure to handle and less stress on the facilities and land. The farmers milk on a twice-daily schedule in a step-up walk-through milking parlor, capable of handling 45 cows an hour. Their rolling herd average is 14,939 pounds with 5 percent butterfat and 3.8 percent protein. They raise all their own replacement stock, breeding their heifers to produce their first calf at around 21 months of age. They strive for a calving interval of 12 months. They breed year-round although prefer not to breed their animals to calve in January over concern for the cow. They work with a sire analyst to match the strengths of the bulls with each individual cow, breeding for good feet and legs and for A2A2 genetic selection.

The milking herd heads back to the barn for the afternoon milking at Molly Brook Farm in Cabot. (photo: Peggy Manahan/UVM Extension) "Our registered Jerseys are appraised every nine months by the American Jersey Cattle Association," Rhonda explains, "so they see our cows in different stages of lactation." Calves are raised outside in hutches in the summer and raised inside the barn in winter in a well-ventilated area in group pens. Rhonda takes care of the calves and has a low mortality rate thanks to close attention to detail. "The calves get colostrum for three or four feedings, hand-fed by bottle until they are able to suckle," she says. "They are on milk for at least two months and sometimes three months depending on the needs of the calf. Calves are fed all the milk and fresh water they want. We give them organic grain as free choice right away, then hay as they start to wean." "We feed them good quality milk from a high-producing cow with high butterfat and protein," Myles adds. The milking herd is housed in a lightfilled 60-ft. x 160-ft. free-stall coverall barn and turned out to pasture between milking in the warmer months. Calves and cows drying off are housed in an 1835 barn, one of the original structures on the farm. Cow comfort is a top priority with kilndried sawdust for bedding on top of pasture mats, cow brushes for self-grooming and fans for good ventilation. Spring-fed cow waterers are cleaned every few days. "The cows work hard for us," Rhonda stresses. "It's our job to take care of them. We treat them well. We know every cow by name. Each cow has its own personality." Pasturing their animals has helped reduce their carbon footprint as they typically get four crops of hay each summer, which equates to 16 tractor trips over the 100+ acres used for pasture. They grow perennial grass on cropland so are able to produce their own haylage and round bales, which they supplement with organic grain from Morrison's Custom Feeds, Inc. in Barnet. They average 575 round bales and more than 600 tons of haylage during the cropping season. They also purchase 400 organic second-cut small square bales from Peter Everts, a hay grower in Barnet, to feed their young stock. The Goodriches have conserved all their land through the Vermont Land Trust. They are working with Luke Hardt, a Hardwick forester, to harvest timber and manage their 335 acres of woodlands, which includes a 1,600tap sugarbush that Myles' brother, Glenn Goodrich, oversees. They also are participating in Stonyfield's OpenTEAM pilot project to monitor carbon sequestration to help mitigate climate change and improve soil health on their farm. Their commitment to being good farmers extends to their community and beyond. They help promote the dairy industry by hosting farm tours and have col-

Advertising in

↑ contents

For more information, contact

Jerseys graze contently on pasture at Molly Brook Farm in Cabot. (photo: Peggy Manahan/UVM Extension) laborated with the Cabot School for onfarm work experiences for middle school students. They are active participants in many of Stonyfield's promotional activities. On Valentine's Day 2021, Frosty, one of their Jerseys, was selected for Stonyfield's "Date with a Cow." The program allowed people to book a 15-minute virtual date with a cow from one of the farms that supplies milk for the company's yogurts. Frosty's first "date" was with a group of New York City frontline nurses, who cherished their time with the three-year-old cow. In addition, Flowerchild, daughter of Molly Brook Fascinator Flower, has a blog on Stonyfield's Have a Cow website to share stories of her life on the farm. She was born in 2017 from an embryo frozen in liquid nitrogen on the farm for more than 20 years. "Their willingness to open up their farm to school groups and pasture walks to educate the local community to the benefits of farming make them excellent ambassadors for the dairy industry," Kitsos notes. Johnson agrees, adding, "They have blended old with new beautifully as they provide their cattle with topnotch cow comfort while preserving the historical significance of the farm. They have hosted customers, food bloggers and the general public. Anybody is welcome at the farm." 21Asked why their farming operation has endured for generations, Rhonda believes, "What's been consistent through the generations is love for the cows and the land that has been hard earned. That's what binds us, generation after generation. We are all in, in every aspect of this. We are always learning, using all resources available to us." "We do something before we have to," Myles says, "and are always thinking about how to do it better. We are all about continuous improvement." The family will be honored at an awards banquet at Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts, in September, along with the Green Pastures Program winners from the other New England states. Other finalists for this year's award were Mike and Denna Benjamin, Franklin, and Skyline Holsteins, Derby.

Its a great way to reach up to 1900 households in Cabot, Marshfield, Plainfield, Hardwick, and Danville! Spread the word about your product or service while helping to support a great community resource. us at

↑ contents

BITUARIES

Alan Alan Huntley Bruce Huntley

Alan Bruce Huntley, born December 13, 1962, passed away unexpectedly on August 14, 2022, at UVM Medical Center. He was born in Burlington at Mary Fletcher Hospital to Merton Wilber and Virginia Ruth Huntley. He moved to Cabot at age 10 with his brother Harry in 1972, living with Lucille Moulton at the same location on Main Street where Harry and Cheryl live now. Alan grew up in Cabot and graduated from Cabot High School in 1982, where he played sports; basketball was his favorite. Anyone who played ball with him knew what it meant when he said “See ya!” Always an animal lover, he loved all creatures but mainly dogs; Montana and Skeet were neighbor dog and cat that he considered “his” and he watched over them as if they were. He moved around for awhile, from New York to Maine, eventually moving to Destin, FL, where he lived and worked Richard Richard R. Roy Sicely Sicely

Richard Roy (Dick) Sicely, 83, of Cabot died peacefully with family by his side on Friday, August 5, 2022. Dick, a fifth generation was born Vermonter, in Marshfield on April 30, 1939, to Roy (Mike) Oliver and Mildred Clough Sicely. Like his brothers Roger and Ron, Dick was a musician and began his musical career at 13 calling square dances for the Sicely Orchestra founded by his aunt Gladis and uncle Bill. As a teen he worked summers on the last years of the Montpelier & Wells River Railroad, saving to buy his 1956 Gibson J-45. The first band he started was The Homesteaders. Throughout his musical career, Dick worked with many musicians in various acts and released one full length album, “Sing Your Heart Out Country Boy,” in 1976. He cut two 45's with the Big in Country Band. Dick also backed many artists with his band that would roll through the area, including Country Music Hall of Fame's Carl Smith. In the early sixty’s Dick worked as a DJ at WSKI hosting his show The Classic Country Jamboree. He parlayed his position at the radio station to become a concert promoter and was the MC at many shows including Bill Monroe at the Barre Auditorium in 1963 and multiple years at the Stark Fiddlers Contest in Stark, NH. As a promoter he hosted many acts at the Barre Auditorium and his popular music club, the “Country Cuzzin,” including Kitty Wells, Ernest Tubb, Farron Young, Red Sovine, Connie Smith, Jim and Jesse, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, and many others. Dick received the Leahy award for his contribution to country music. Dick spent 53 years at Cabot Creamery working his way from the cheddar room, delivery driver, warehouse manager, and eventually Senior Manager

↑ contents

EMORIALS

for a landscaping company. Alan later moved back to Vermont and worked for R & M Maintenance of East Barre cleaning the State House every night, Cabot Creamery in the warehouse, J.C. Penny in Berlin, Shaw’s in Montpelier, and at Charlio-0’s bar and apartment houses In September 2010 he was the victim of a hit and run accident, leaving him partially disabled and necessitating numerous surgeries. He endured a long uphill battle struggling with many difficulties, always with the support of his family. He was predeceased by his mother and father and brother Larry. He leaves behind brothers Harry Huntley and his wife, Cheryl, of Cabot, Merton Huntley and his wife, Pam, of Winooski, and sister Linda Benway of unknown location, as well as two nephews and five greatnephews. A memorial service is planned for Sunday, September 11 at 2:00 p.m. at Cabot United Church. All are welcome. Burial arrangements will be private for the family.

National Industry Sales where he traveled the US to natural food shows making many friends and customers along the way. Dick made many contributions to the Creamery including organizing dairy festivals held in town and he started a gift basket program to support employees during the holiday season or in times of need. Dick was a longtime fixture at the Creamery, cherished by his colleagues. After retiring from Cabot Creamery, Dick continued his radio show, which in its last years was syndicated in conjunction with Cabot to advertise in many stations across the US. To sound a bit more country he took the radio name of Dick Roy. He fully retired from the radio in 2018, a passion that spanned decades. On October 31, 1960, Dick married the love of his life, Sandra (Sandy) Foster, and had three sons, Michael, Richard A, and Ronald. They built a house and raised their kids in Cabot, taking part in the community. Dick and Sandy spent time bowling, playing cards with friends and dancing at the Barre Moose Club. Dick was a devoted and generous husband, father, and grandfather who will be missed dearly by all that knew him. Survivors include his wife Sandy Sicely of Cabot, three sons Michael (Mike) Sicely of Cabot, Richard (Rich) A. Sicely and his wife Michelle (Mikey) of St. Albans, Ronald (Ron) Sicely and Wife Tammy of Alton Bay, NH, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren . A memorial service was held at the Cabot Recreational Field on August 19.

↑ contents

Demolition of 3065 Main Street

by Neil Bainton (Idlewild, Inc.) The brown building on Main Street, the former apartment house, has been sitting idle for some time. Last summer we hired a structural engineer to get an estimate of the costs to restore the building for commercial use. The ballpark estimate was $750k. The conclusion was that the building was too far gone to be restored. We also clarified that the building was not of historical significance. Yesterday (August 23) the structure finally came down. The plan is to continue the demolition of the site and then Demolition begins build in its place a single story structure with a large deck. The building should have approximately 900 square feet of

Almost gone.

usable space year round. The deck should double or triple the footprint. The building will be heated and cooled with a heat pump and electric backup heat. The design will push the front of the building back from the street as the previous structure was right up against Main Street. The goal is to continue the efforts to revitalize the downtown area and provide another reason for folks to stop in town. While we are open to proposals for retail space, the current concept with the greatest support is a co-working space. The idea is that we will set up good internet with Spectrum, provide working space, and coffee and tea. The fee to use the space will be nominal. The space could also be rented out on weekends and/or evenings for special events. Timing has been challenging. The tear down was pushed out waiting for logistic support. If the weather permits, we would hope to get the initial structure in place before November 1 and then continue the build out during the winter. The opening would be in Spring/Summer 2023. This project has been planned and executed by Cabot residents. It has been very gratifying to see the town come together to rebuild.

Building? What building?

↑ contents

Richard and Jennie Gilbert

by Jeanne Johnson Cabot Main Street residents Jennie and Richard Gilbert are also West Danville blueberry farmers, and Joe Carroll of WCAX featured their work at Silver Fox Farm on August 18 in his regional award-winning Super Seniors segment. The Gilberts manage 3,000 blueberry bushes and they’ve been doing it together for thirty years, in addition to Richard’s logging. At age 78, Jennie credits blueberries for keeping her alive against the odds for more than twenty years. Read or watch the whole story at: https://www.wcax.com/2022/08/18/supersenior-richard-jennie-gilbert/.

(right) Cabot Super Seniors Richard and Jennie Glibert at their blueberry farm. WCAX photo

↑ contents

Town Common

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer The subject of the bandstand on the common resurfaced at the July 19 meeting of the Selectboard. During public comment, Linda Savoca presented a petition to the board with signatures from Cabot residents opposing the bandstand being built on the common. Linda stated that she is gathering more signatures. When the meeting reached the Town Common agenda item, Mike Hogan preceded the discussion with comments about all the opinions on social media. He pointed out the board considers every issue in public, and there are no secret meetings. He added there are minutes for every meeting and nothing done in secret. He also noted the board members do not agree on every issue. Mike went on to say, “we all live in a democratic society,” and that “we all have to have a chance to speak about it and debate it.” He said he thinks there is a lot of misunderstanding about this issue and that it's been talked about since April. Mike said they had hoped the town attorney would be at the meeting, but the attorney wasn’t able to attend. Mike explained that even though the attorney couldn’t attend, the topic was put on the agenda because Ian Ackerman wanted to talk about the subject. Mike asked Ian to start the conversation, and Ian responded that he has been “getting a ton of people telling him they do, or don’t want it.” Then Mike turned to the public and asked who hasn’t had a chance to talk about the common. Jenn Miner made a couple of points, her understanding was that there is talk of a child care center in the bottom of the church, and she asked where would the children play? She added that in her position as the president of Cabot ambulance, she is concerned about getting apparatus through the village if there are frequent events on the common. Jenn then asked about the grant regarding the bandstand and its status. R.D. Eno responded that the grant application was moot because the town did not have Village Center Designation, which was required for the grant. Next, John Cookson questioned the attorney fees that are being accrued by the town regarding this issue, and how the board works in regard to contacting the attorney. Mike responded by noting there is a budget item for legal work, but he added the board has agreed if more money is needed then ARPA money would be used. Richie Hourihan then spoke about how the issue started with a request for a letter from the board allowing the placement of a gazebo on the common. He noted that now it's a moot point, so “why are we discussing it?” Mike responded that the board has the authority to do that. At this point someone else started speaking and Mike told them to go in order or he would have them removed. promotes their mission to enhance is to empower Cabot residents to participate writer to cover selectboard and other meetings, able to attend. Most meetings are available are posted regularly on Front Porch available on the Town website, CabotVT.US

↑ contents

Status (Part 1)

After the brief commotion was over, R.D. responded to Richie’s question by stating that the board was considering the bandstand proposal, and it was uncertain about the implications of the 1822 deed. He said that Betty called the attorney and asked about the trust set up by the deed, and the attorney responded. He added that the board felt there was an additional question about the actual status of the ownership of the common and the board felt it should satisfy itself with an additional question to the attorney. He said the question put forth to the attorney was in regard to the monument and the white posts with the chains that surround the common, and if those installations violated the trust. R.D. continued to describe that the town has used the common in a way that broke the trust and the town may now have “adverse possession” of the common. He said the town needs to know if it has unencumbered possession of the common, or that the trust has not been broken. He said the issue no longer has anything to do with the bandstand. At this point the discussion got very heated. After the meeting settled down, Brittany Butler was given a chance to speak over Zoom. She referenced the Sites and Structure Survey of 1979 and 1981 and said that “the village of Cabot is one of the last remaining villages that is an intact village that looks like a village of the 1800s.” She added that the deed states the green is for military parades, military exercises, and the monument honoring our military is a parade. Sandy Pond asked how the deed would be changed if the town violated the trust set up by the deed. R.D. responded that it would not change the deed. He continued to explain that the question is if the town has unencumbered possession of the common, and the question is about the trust set up by the deed. After more comments from the public, Mike stated his position that statutory law had changed a lot since 1822 and it gives the Selectboard wide discretion, and that is why they are looking at this. Ruth Goodrich said she thinks the issue that people are concerned about is that the board is pursuing the question of whether the trust has been broken. She said people don’t want one person or group making a financial gain from public property. Then Larry Gochey spoke about why the posts and chains were erected. He said that it was done under his direction, and that the common used to be much larger. He also said that way back, people used to get on the common and spin it up. Towards the end of the lengthy discussion, Jenn Miner suggested that this issue be put on the ballot since this issue is so controversial. Mike said it could be put on the ballot at the next Town Meeting. the quality of community life for those in the governance and management for the purpose of keeping community via Zoom for those who would like Forum, or you can call the Town Clerk's by clicking on "Selectboard Meetings.

↑ contents

Town Common

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer The Selectboard invited the town attorney, Mike Tarrant, to the August 2 board meeting to discuss the status of the common. Mike Hogan said the board had asked Mike Tarrant to look at the complexities of the deed for the common, and to do a little research. He then turned the discussion over to Mike Tarrant. Mike Tarrant started by clarifying with the board that they wanted to have the discussion in a public session. He said it's up to the board, and that anytime a question of legal right arises, it's the client’s choice to waive. The board confirmed they wanted to have the discussion in public. Then Mike Tarrent stated that the 200-year-old deed contains some use requirements on the common. He added It also has language that resembles a trust, which was a common technique in the distant past. He said the trust stipulates how the town is to operate the common. He then stated that, given facts of how the town has operated the common over the years, the town has not always honored the restrictions of the deed. He then stated the question he was addressing was if there is a basis for adverse possession. He described that adverse possession occurs regardless whether you do anything to affirm it. He stipulated there is a 15-year window on the owner of the land. He added that once the 15 years passes, the deed is done, but one has to go to court to get a clear title. Mike Tarrant said there are cases under VT law, such as a case involving Shelburne receiving land meeting hall. The town for a town of Shelburne stopped using the land for a town hall after a period of time and later filed a quiet title action and it was successful. This happened in the 1990s and the land was donated in 1807. The 15-year time period started when the town stopped using it for a town hall. He then told the board that if they want to go forward and file a declaratory judgment to take a quiet title to the town, he was not sure who the adverse party would be. He mentioned that it may be difficult to determine if there are any heirs around, and if there are, they may not live around here. R.D. Eno asked to whom the common was actually deeded, and if it was the town treasurer. Mike Tarrant responded that the town treasurer was the trustee, the deed has both sets of language. He added that clearly the trustee is not the owner but is tasked with implementing the trust. He also said that it is not entirely clear who is the stated owner. Mike Tarrant continued by saying he thinks the deed used shorthand and that the common was given to the town in trust in 1822. But he stipulated that he was conjecturing because it didn’t make residing, doing business, and visiting of our town. members informed about issues to listen in person. Instructions for

↑ contents

Status (Part 2)

sense to deed it to a municipal officer. He also added that as of now, Vermont municipal law states that the legislative body has full control of municipal property. R.D. asked the attorney about the trustee’s responsibilities, seeking some clarification. Mike Tarrant responded by noting that although there are a number of asks of the trustee, only a subset of those asks are listed that would render the deed void. He further cited the clause “Cause to be erected or built…” any building would seem to be adequate, and he wondered why they listed the specific buildings. He further conjectured that if you consider the fencing to be in breach, that would seem to be where the language would go. Fred Ducharme asked if the fence and monument play into what we are trying to do. The attorney responded that it's not clear when they listed a lot of other stuff in the trust, but only a subset that would void the trust. Mike Tarrant also speculated if the monument fits “any other building.” He added that it's also not clear if these are the only things that would void the deed. Fred then asked if the people decided to put the monument on the town, does that set a precedent? Mike Tarrant responded that could be argued, and the town owns the land free and clear because the deed wasn’t enforced. He said the cleanest and simplest thing the town can do is go see what the court would say. He warned that the court could require everything to be removed, or say nothing can be added, or declare the common free and clear from any restrictions. Ian and Mike asked if the voters of Cabot could decide what goes on the common, if the trust was voided. The attorney said that Vermont statutes are clear that the Selectboard owns and maintains municipal property. He added that he does not think any article voted on by the town prohibiting construction on the common could be binding because the State gave the power to the Selectboard. Ruth Goodrich spoke from the public and speculated that if the common was free from deed restrictions and a bandstand was built, then any board in the future could put another structure on the common. Then Ruth asked to hear the opinion of the treasurer. Betty Ritter responded that she had sent an email to the board in that regards and summarized her note. She said she agreed that the trustee of the common is the treasurer and that we should stop talking about this, and stop spending the taxpayer money on it. She added that we should not get people riled up and let it be. Ian asked how much it would cost to take the issue to court. He wondered if it (see Town Part 2, page 6)

↑ contents

Town Part 2

(continued from page 5) was $10,000 or $100,000. Mike Tarrant responded that he would be shocked if it reached $100,000. He then described what the process would entail and estimated it would probably cost less than $30,000. After some questions from the public, Mike Tarrant said that he never understood the town’s question was meant to upend anything. He said it is certainly within the town's purview to clear up this deed. He agreed there is confusion and costs involved.

↑ contents

Recycling Center Repairs

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer The topic of repairs being needed on the Recycling Center building resurfaced at the July 19 selectboard meeting. John Cookson described the condition of the side door, and how raccoons are getting into the building. He said it is mandatory to accept compost, and the raccoons are making a mess of the compost. John also said a bear tried to get through the door. He said the building needs to be secure so animals can’t get into the compost. there are rats He is also worried in the building. Mike Hogan asked how often the compost is picked up, and John responded it is collected on Saturdays and the district does not pick it up until Thursday. Ruth Goodrich noted this can be a major health hazard. John then talked about how the entire roof is leaking now, not just the panels, and it is leaking onto the cardboard containers and soaking the cardboard. He said he received a call from the district and was told they are not going to take the cardboard if it is wet. The topic of lighting was also discussed, and that the building needs more lighting. John said the door repair needs to be addressed, or there needs to be a secure area for the compost. R.D. asked how the compost totes could be secured, and John said he might be able to figure something out. The board approved a motion to set aside $15,000 from ARPA funds for repair and maintenance of the Recycling Center Building. The board revisited the topic of the Recycling Center again at the August 2 meeting. Mike said he and Ian Ackermann had gone down to the Recycling Center after the last meeting. He mentioned he was surprised by how large the building was, and that when they measured the doorway they realized John was right about the gap. He talked about looking at the roof and gates, then turned the discussion over to Ian. Ian asked Betty to review the quote he had obtained from Dan Dunham. She first covered the quote for the roof for the Recycling Center, which is 5760 square feet. The quote was $26,440 for removal and disposal of the existing roof, and installation of the new roof. Ian summarized the discussion by stating two options: Either leave it as it is and the town treasurer controls the common, or the town spends $30,000 to $100,000 and possibly the selectboard would have say over the common. Mike Tarrant responded that the deed is against Vermont law and that he doesn’t know where that leaves anything, and who actually has control of the land. He reiterated that it is unlikely to cost $30,000 to go to court, and very unlikely to cost $100,000.

↑ contents

Needed

She continued on to the next item, the removal and disposal of the existing gates, and the installation of two new 24 foot gates for $11,240. The final quote was for the removal and disposal of the existing overhead door, and the installation of a new overhead door for $4,251. Betty said that an additional power lift could be added for an additional $847. Ian said the door is about 10’6” tall and 12’ wide, and he suggested putting an electric lift on it. He also suggested that if they eliminated the clear roofing panels, that lights need to be added because it would be very dark inside. The board approved a motion to spend $5,100 from ARPA money to replace the overhead door at the Recycling center. They revisited the subject again at the August 16 meeting. Mike recalled they had gotten some numbers from Dan Dunham, but added they need to talk about putting together a bid process for the gates. He added they also need to discuss what to do about the roof. He proposed the town either replaces or fixes the roof. But Mike went on to say he thought it was a bigger discussion regarding the roof. He expressed that the board needs to consider other utilizations of the building. He said they still have ARPA funds, and something in addition to the recycling center should be considered. Ian said that it made sense to him, and he had talked to a company about painting the roof. He felt the board needed to decide the future of the building. Mike responded by saying he recommends fixing the roof and putting the gates out to bid. Skip Bothfeld reiterated that the bigger question is what can the building be used for? that would be a good Mike agreed thing to decide and suggested the board visit the building, along with the Planning Commission.

↑ contents

Conflict of Interest

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

The topic of the Town Common was first discussed during public comment at the selectboard meeting on August 2. Will Walters submitted a letter to the selectboard titled “Statement regarding perceived conflict of interest…”. Mike Hogan responded to the letter by saying that the board is not going to respond since they just received the letter and it's not on the agenda. Mike proceeded to read the letter to the public. In the letter, several sections of text from the Cabot Conflict of Interest Policy were quoted. Will stated in the letter that he perceived that R.D. Eno had a conflict of interest because he “serves as a public official representing the best interest of the people of the community may be in conflict with his position as the chair of the Cabot Art, Inc., organization who can benefit from the lifting of these deed restrictions.” The letter concluded with “Two important questions for which I do not have the answers, and should be brought out tonight, are did Mr. Eno disclose the perceived conflict of interest between his two positions to the board and did he disclose the same to the town attorney during telephone conversations? there is sufficient reason I hold that for Article 5 A, non-participation, to be enforced.” After reading the letter, Mike said they are accepting the letter, but are not going to respond to it because they just received it. He said, “if we are going to respond to it, I’ll let our town attorney look at it.” He added, “I don’t see a conflict of interest, that’s my position.” R.D. Eno then addressed the assertions in the letter. He started by saying

↑ contents

Assertion

there are several errors in the assertion. He stated that he did disclose at the very outset of the conversations regarding the bandstand that he was on the board of Cabot Arts. He noted that Dana Robinson presented the concept of the bandstand; he said it was not a project of Cabot Arts. R.D. also said he had never been in an individual conversation with the town attorney, and he disclosed to the selectboard the email he wrote to the town attorney. He reiterated those are two incorrect assertions. Mike concluded the discussion by saying the letter had been read into the record, and if the board takes any action on it, or no action at all, they will let the public know. R.D. further responded to the letter at the August 16 meeting by reading from a prepared statement during public comment. R.D. listed the allegations against him and added that the “allegations have been amplified in Front Porch Forum posts by Ruth Goodrich.” He went on to say that the “audio recording and published minutes of the meeting of April 5 at which the bandstand was discussed show unequivocally that I disclosed that I am a director of Cabot Arts, Inc.” He added, “But my connection to Cabot Arts is beside the point, because Cabot Arts was not the sponsor of the bandstand proposal, nor is the bandstand a project of Cabot Arts. This was also made clear at the April 5 meeting. The bandstand was a project of an informal committee of Cabot residents. I am not a member of that committee. There was no conflict of interest.”

↑ contents

Management District

The Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District (NEKWMD) is excited to now be offering expanded polystyrene foam (aka Styrofoam) recycling at the Lyndonville Recycling Center. This new program is the first foam recycling program in the state of Vermont and is available to all NEKWMD residents and businesses free of charge at the Lyndonville Recycling Center. This new recycling opportunity will allow our residents to reduce their dependency on the landfill, reduce their waste disposal costs, and prevent possible plastic pollution from entering the environment. The NEKWMD is able to offer this new recycling program for a six-month pilot project thanks to Foam Cycle, a patented foam collection, densifying and repurposing system. Foam Cycle is a unique recycling company pioneering a closed loop recycling system to help solve the “foam problem”. Foam packaging and food service foam are some of the most plentiful, yet least recycled plastics in existence today. Plastic foam is typically difficult and costly to recycle because of its light weight, making it inefficient to transport to a processing facility without first densifying the material. The Foam Cycle system processes expanded polystyrene foam into dense ingots, which will be shipped to a facility in Sherbrooke, QC, to be processed into

↑ contents

Recycling

insulation board. This six-month pilot project will allow the NEKWMD to assess how much foam is in our community, how much time and labor is necessary to process the material, and how quickly we accumulate enough material for a shipment. We will be accepting all sizes and colors of clean and dry #6 expanded polystyrene foam including rigid foam packing materials, food and prescription medication coolers, meat trays, egg cartons, and other foam food packaging. Please remove all tape and labels before recycling. The NEKWMD will not be accepting any flexible foam, including flexible packing materials, pool noodles, or pipe insulation. We also are not accepting any packing peanuts or foam insulation board. If you have any questions or would like more information, visit September 24 – October 1

Welcome to the Northeast Kingdom! We may be looking a little different this year, but we are still on the grid for meeting and greeting visitors to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom Annual Fall Foliage Festival. We invite you to travel our highways, draw in the crisp, fresh air and colorful vistas, taste the foods and brews prepared during our bountiful harvests and meet our hardworking people …this is Autumn in Vermont

↑ contents

HARVEST SUPER

pressing, arts and crafts, field games, music and more! Book sale, bake sale, horse and wagon rides, craft sale, flea market and 50/50 raffle. Food tent with all kinds of chilis, soups, stews and local homemade breads : 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. $ 8 adults and $ 4 children. Barbecue if you don’t like chili: hamburgers from a local farm, hot dogs and veggie burgers will be for sale. Program about the history of Marshfield. History sponsored by the Marshfield Historical Society. The Harvest Festival will be at the Old Schoolhouse Common, 122 School St.

↑ contents

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 26 WALDEN

Our day begins at the Walden Church in Noyesville Village to register and pick up a Walden packet. Our tours this year are self-led OPEN VISITATION, boldly marked with introduction information in the packet. All over town, Walden residents are inviting you to see how they make a living or supplement their income by working or crafting in their homes, fields and studios. Spots for foliage viewing are also listed where we couldn’t take tour groups before. Our Barbecued Beef Supper, previously served family style will be take-out. The menu is the same: luscious, open-spit barbecued beef, mashed potato & gravy, veggies, roll & butter, beverage and home-baked pumpkin or apple pie. $15/A, plus child rate.

↑ contents

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 29 PEACHAM

Welcome to Peacham! For Covid safety, masks will be required indoors. Exhibits at the Blacksmith shop, Roller Barn and The Peacham Historical house. The theme at the Historic House is The Last of the Hill Farms , photos by Richard Brown, open 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The library book sale is open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Lunch at the Peacham Elementary School from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM, $8. Northern Skies Observatory (near the school) open from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Italian supper at The Peacham Congregational Church, eat in the social hall or take out dependent on Covid. 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Adults $12. Children

↑ contents

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30 BARNET

Welcome to Barnet! Pancake breakfast at the Barnet Center Church vestry from 8 til 11, with Vermont maple syrup and sausage. Activities at the McIndoe Falls Academy from 9 to 4. There will be a Vendor Market on the lawn and an all-day silent auction. There is plenty of parking with handicap accessible bathrooms. A town map is available identifying local businesses, events, and locations. Tour the town and see Ben’s Mill, a local sugar house, the historical society’s Goodwillie House, and the Walter Harvey Meeting House. The West Barnet Quick Stop will have free maple cremees with lunch from 11-2; a European Coffee Hour from 1-4 at the West Barnet Church. And a free Hobo Stew Dinner at Harvey’s Lake Beach starting at 4:30 (bring a can of veggies, donations welcome) with a dance at the beach

↑ contents

SATURDAY OCTOBER 1 GROTON

Join us in Groton for our Festival Day. Start with a visit to the Peter Paul Historical House open from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Visit our Library from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm where there will be a book sale (also on Friday Sept 30th from 2:30 pm - 7:00 pm). Enjoy Arts & Crafts as well as food provided by local vendors in locations throughout Main Street 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Participate in the Great Pumpkin weigh-in at Upper Valley Grill from 10.30 - 12:30 pm. Our annual parade starts at 1:30 pm led by the Blue Mountain School Band. This will be our 66th year of serving our World Famous Chicken Pie Supper!!! Serving times are 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 pm. Take out dinners are also available. Tickets are $17 for adults and $6 for children under 12. Contact Peter Lyon, 848 West Shore Drive, Groton, VT, 05046

↑ contents

a Cabot Harvest Hub

by Sarah Spletzer Welters

We are at the height of the harvesting season in Vermont. As I look out over our homestead garden as I am writing this – red tomatoes on the bushes, a greenhouse full of cucumbers and ears of corn ready to be picked – I can’t quite grasp how quickly summer seems to go by! I don’t know if it is the short growing season of Vermont or my German-Polish heritage that makes me want to preserve some of the goodness of the summer months. Whatever it is, I felt inspired to buy a crockpot two years ago and now I am making pickles and Sauerkraut for my family every September. Surely, I am not the only one around here turning summer goodness into Winter pantry provisions – a lot of our producers at the Cabot Harvest Hub preserve a great deal of their harvests for the winter months. Carol from Broadfork Farm in Greensboro makes berry jams and Jardiniere pickles, Bull Shed Farm in Cabot gathers creamy honey from their farm bee hives and Nama Farm in Cabot turns their vegetable harvest into deliciously spiced pickles and chutneys. Before we are all bound to move more indoors, again we at the Cabot Harvest Hub and Neighbors in Action want to celebrate this season with a true harvest feast! That’s why we are organizing an evening of local food and enjoyment for the community – the Harvest Hub Dinner. The dinner will take place on Sunday, September 25 from 4 pm – 6 pm at the Neighbors in Action building on 39 Main Street. The meals will be almost entirely made of products that are sold in the Harvest Hub online shop at www.cabotharvesthub.org. There will be wheat-free, vegetarian and vegan meal options available. Tickets are $20 per person. Dinner guests can participate in a raffle and win a bountiful Harvest Hub gift basket. Please RSVP if you would like to come – and let us know how many friends you want to bring along. Simply write an email to Sarah at cabotharvesthub@gmail.com. One of my pleasures this summer and fall is to visit our Cabot Harvest Hub producers one by one and learn more about their businesses and inspirations. Let me introduce a few of our local producers to you:

Sandy Pond is the owner of Back Roads Farm on Urban Farm Way in Cabot - which surely has a lot more to offer than its fresh veggies from the big hoop greenhouse! Sandy turned her

↑ contents

Dinner

whole property into a destination for people who seek pleasure and relaxation. Besides the daily farming, Sandy hosts campers on her ten available campsites and leads pottery classes for campers and locals alike. Being an established artist herself, she turned the farm's red barn into her pottery studio and gallery which is open to the public. Sandy is also a certified massage therapist and is trained in a variety of techniques. Back Roads Farm is open to visitors during the daytime. Sandy welcomes visitors to take a walk through Back Road Farm's sacred herb and flower gardens or relax in a hammock amongst the trees. As Sandy says: ''I really believe that Earth is sacred. I hope that people experience that sacredness when they come here!"

Allison Gulka and Matt Millard found their home in Walden in 2015 and transformed it into a small-scale farm Steadyfoot Farm. Besides their rows of vegetables and berry bushes, they grow tomatoes and other heat loving veggies in the hoop greenhouse. Allison and Matt strive to run a diverse market garden using ecological principles to promote soil health, diversity, and season extension - and pass this knowledge and way of living with the land on to their kids. As Allison says: "We love raising a family here and having the kids help with our vegetables and chickens."

Rhapsody Natural Foods started as a restaurant in downtown Montpelier, led by Elysha and Sjon Welters for 14 years. In 2011 they built a food production facility close to their own home in Cabot on Danville Hill Road and went into full time food production. Elysha and Sjon were invited to Japan by TV Tokyo in 2018, where their (see ‘Harvest Season’, page 11)

↑ contents

Cabot School Principal

It was great to welcome our learners to campus on August 24. Our focus in these first six weeks of school is to build relationships between adults and students and among students. We intentionally work to build a positive school culture and climate that is focused on belonging and inclusion. This year, our approach in these first few weeks has been to focus on our grade level first. Before the school year began, our faculty began working with the Lamoille Restorative Justice Center to build our capacity to understand restorative practices and the building of school culture and climate. We began this work last year with the implementation of Crew. Crew is an essential component of how we build positive relationships with and among students. Crew is both a structure (we have time from 10:30-11 a.m. across the school community to work on building community, understanding each other and building empathy, and understanding the needs of ourselves and others) and a mindset (we are crew, not passengers). We are working to create a space where students and adults feel responsible for each other's well-being. This year, we are working to clarify our approach to building community and positive school climate through community building circles, restorative conversations, and restorative circles. Restorative conversations or circles happen when there is a conflict (big or small) to help students take responsibility for their actions and collaboratively work High school students engage in a marble run challenge in Crew:

toward a solution. The first tier of our approach to building school culture is community building. We do this through morning meetings, cooperative games, social emotional learning, and getting outside for hikes, days at Siskin Outdoor Center on high ropes, and other team building experiences. These experiences build a sense of responsibility to each other and help us to all be helpers in our community. You can do the same as community members by signing up to be a mentor, volunteer in the school, and be a positive adult in the lives of our young people. As always, we would love to have you in for a conversation or a visit. Please reach out to set something up.

↑ contents

PCB Testing at Cabot School

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of manmade chemicals. Until they were banned in 1979, they were commonly used in building materials such as window caulking and in paint. Practically speaking, any structure built before 1979, including homes, probably has some PCBs in its building material, and thus may have airborne PCBs leaching from this building material into the air. Nonetheless, following the closure of Burlington High School in September 2020 due to the presence of airborne PCBs, the Legislature decided in the 2021 session to require PCB testing at all public schools in Vermont. School testing was started in late spring 2022, with schools generally prioritized based on the age of their buildings. Cabot School was one of the first schools tested. On August 19 we received a verbal preliminary report from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Department of Health (VDH) that their testing had flagged levels of airborne PCBs in two areas of the school – the art room and the gymnasium – that we have to address. VDH guidelines use a scaled matrix based on student grade level to determine the action levels and the need for remediation. The two numbers that matter are 1) School Action Level (SAL), which means the level of airborne PCBs is low but requires remediation, and 2) the Immediate Action Level (IAL) which means that the level of airborne PCBs is high enough to restrict use of the space. While we won’t have the specific numbers for these two spaces until we receive the final written report, promised for next week, we do know that the risk in the art room is low enough that it requires no immediate action. However, the IAL in the gymnasium requires us to restrict its use by students in grades PK-6 until the source and cause is remediated.

↑ contents

Immediate Impact

Out of an abundance of caution, the gymnasium is closed for use by all students until we can identify and remediate the specific source of the airborne PCBs. Likely sources are wall and/or ceiling surfaces, even where these surfaces have been painted over, and window caulking. Pinpointing the specific source depends on another round of testing by consultants hired by DEC, which we are hoping will be done very soon.

↑ contents

Desk

Once the source is identified, we will conduct remediation steps. If it is window caulking, we will remove and replace window caulking. If it is the paint, we will repaint the gymnasium with an epoxy-type paint that seals in the existing paint. We were surprised to learn yesterday that the State doesn’t actually have plans in place for testing and remediation beyond the airborne testing that has been done so far. This has to be a priority for the State, because while Cabot was one of the first schools tested, there is every reason to believe that many schools in Vermont will face this issue as the airborne testing is still ramping up. We will update you as this unfolds over the next few days and weeks.

↑ contents

Is the School Safe?

The school is safe and we are reopening on schedule. We hesitate to say, “It could have been worse,” but it could have been worse. None of the primary instructional areas in the main and satellite buildings were flagged and they are absolutely safe and open. The art room is not an immediate issue because it is not used for instruction of Pre-K students. We have already shifted plans for PE classes, which will be held outside (weather permitting) or in other spaces. And despite the fact that the cafeteria is attached to the gymnasium, there is no reported airborne quality issue in the kitchen and dining area.

↑ contents

What Happens Next?

We don’t have a firm timeline yet, but here are the next steps as we understand them: 1. Source testing by DEC in the gymnasium and art room – this will identify the area(s) that need to be addressed to stop the leaching of airborne PCBs. 2. Completion of remediation based on the source testing 3. Retesting of air quality to confirm elimination of the airborne PCBs. (This last is a commonsense assumption on our part.) Reopening of the gymnasium to student use

↑ contents

Other Air Quality Initiatives

We have a project proposal awaiting funding by Efficiency Vermont and Agency of Education to update and/or repair all of the airflow management systems on the campus. Airflow improvement is the one best intervention that positively addresses the issue of airborne PCBs; another way to think about this is that schools with up to date air handling systems can still have PCBs present in the structure but not have an airborne PCB issue because the air handling system resolves it. Mark Tucker, Superintendent Rebecca Tatistcheff, Cabot Principal

↑ contents

Trails Committee

by Gary Gulka As of this writing, the Trails Committee is still awaiting receipt of its recreational trails grant funding due to bureaucratic delays at the Agency of Natural Resources. This delay has allowed us to focus on existing trails and improvements to these. We have placed trail user logs at the McQueeney Trails and Talbert Farm Trails to keep track of number of trail users and user comments. improved and re-marked We have trail signs throughout. We are re-routing a few sections of the Winter Trail in collaboration with landowners. The Langone Trail off Menard Road is complete to Dubray Road and provides a nice path through fields and forest with scenic views. We hope to be working on the Old Center of Town Trail from the village and the Town Forest Trail. Parking improvements are in the works at some of the trails. We continue to work on a connector trail network from Cabot to Marshfield and the Cross Vermont Trail. We are excited about completion of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT) in our area, including Cabot, this fall. Access to the LVRT will be a relatively short distance from the McQueeney Trails. Trail maps are available at some of our information kiosks at trailheads and can also be found at cabotvermont.org.

↑ contents

Program Coordinator

Before becoming a mentor, here are a few things to understand about the role of mentoring. Most of us have had a teacher, supervisor, or coach who has been a mentor to us and made a positive difference in our lives. Those people wore many hats, acting as delegators, role models, cheerleaders, policy enforcers, advocates, and friends. assume these different roles Mentors during the course of a relationship, and share some basic qualities: ● A sincere desire to be involved with a young person ● Respect for young people ● Active listening skills ● Empathy ● Ability to see solutions and opportunities ● Flexibility

↑ contents

BENEFITS OF MENTORING?

Mentoring relationships are a shared opportunity for learning and growth. Many mentors say that the rewards they gain are as substantial as those for their mentees, and that mentoring has enabled them to:  Have fun  Achieve personal growth and learn more about themselves  Improve their self-esteem and feel they are making a difference  Gain a better understanding of other cultures and develop a greater appreciation for diversity  Feel more productive and have a better attitude at work  Enhance their relationships with their own children Above all, a good mentor is willing to take the time to get to know their men-

↑ contents

Harvest Season

(continued from page 9) fermentation practices were featured nationwide by the Japanese network. They tell me "The Japanese have been experts in fermented foods for centuries, so it was an honor to receive this recognition and experience a life-long dream. We want to share this same love of fermented foods here in America."

↑ contents

HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?

If you’ve reached the conclusion that you’d like to become a mentor, you’ve probably been thinking about it for some time and done enough research to have an idea how different each mentoring situation can be. Think about and identify your own interests and needs. The following steps will help walk you through the process of choosing a mentoring situation that is right for you. To help you clarify, ask yourself the following questions:  What time commitment can I make? (Cabot Mentoring asks for two to four hours per month minimum for a period of one year)  What age of youth would I like to work with? (Mentees are age 7-17)  What types of activities interest me? Do I want to help a youth learn a specific skill, pursue an interest, help with schoolwork, or just be a caring adult friend?  What mentoring location would I prefer to meet with my mentee; on-site at the school, in the community or a hybrid approach? HOW DO I APPLY TO BE A CABOT

↑ contents

MENTOR?

Send an email with your contact information to Karen Hatcher, program coordinator at cabotmentoring@gmail.com. You’ll receive an application and be scheduled for an interview. Training and orientation, background checks and references will follow. Once all that’s completed, you’ll be matched with a compatible student and supported as you build your friendship. We hope you’ll apply today! *Text largely attributed to Mentor VT.

↑ contents

at 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Today, Rhapsody has eight employees and ships their tempeh, miso, natto, mochi, and koji to all 50 states - and to us at the Harvest Hub. Visiting these kind and hard-working folks honestly makes me grateful for our community. May you have a bountiful September!

↑ contents

A Good Day’s Work

by Elizabeth Vitale Her morning starts before the sun is up, making fresh donuts and egg salad. “I can’t let my volunteers go hungry!” Cindy Brown tells me. By 8:30 am the Neighbors in Action building on Main Street is buzzing with activity. Over 160 boxes are lined up on tables throughout the large room and volunteers are busily sorting dried goods into them. Everything from cereal to pasta, canned fruit and tomato sauce go into the boxes based on family size. “These are the 1-2s and 3-4s over here, and the 5-6s and 7-9s are on that side” Cindy indicates to me. The larger families get 2 or 3 cans of each item. Volunteers arrive from Cabot, Danville, Walden, and even farther from Hardwick, Barton and Greensboro. They work individually and in teams so efficiently that the only sounds are the jokes and easy conversation of the morning. Taking a quick break, volunteer Bert grabs yet another of Cindy’s amazing donuts and a cup of coffee to keep him fueled for the long day ahead. Around mid-morning, a 26-foot box truck pulls into the parking lot. It is filled to bursting with pallets of fresh produce, meats and dairy that Bob picked up at the Vermont Food Bank. Volunteers quickly organize a bucket brigade to pass boxes into the building. Rodney goes to work unloading the frozen meat and putting it away in chest freezers, ready to be pulled back out in a few hours to add to the food boxes. A team of volunteers grab a few chairs and a roll of grocery bags and start sorting the produce. Each bag gets a handful of large carrots, several red beets, a bunch of crisp swiss chard and another bunch of dark green kale. They then augment these bags with huge heads of lettuce, fresh parsley and fresh sage delivered that morning by local farmer, Sandy Pond. Two cases of plums are brought over by another volunteer and they are also added to each bag. Lastly, delicious prepared meals from the Cabot Village Store and Joe’s Kitchen are added to the pile, available to the community through the Everyone Eats program. At last the boxes are filled and the volunteers, under Cindy’s careful watch, all take a breather and grab an egg salad sandwich. goes home now, “The morning crew and the rest who stay will load the cars,” Cindy explains. Before you know it, cars are lining up outside. Each car is greeted with a smile

↑ contents

Conservation Corner:

by Gary Gulka This is actually a book review of a recent Cabot library acquisition , A Trillion Trees: Restoring Our Forests by Trusting Nature , by Fred Pearce, a distinguished journalist and author, who has visited forests in over 40 countries. The title, A Trillion Trees , comes from the movement a couple of years ago to plant a trillion trees to protect the climate. Pearce spends a part of the book debunking that argument as costly, infeasible, and expensive. He takes us to all the major forests of the world – the Food Share - Dana Dunnan, Cindy Brown, Bert Vanasse, and Sue Shwab

by Neighbors in Action employee Jackie Young and treated like the friends and neighbors they are. Many cars are picking up for multiple households - friends and family who can’t drive to the food share. Becoming an extension of the volunteer group, these drivers plan to deliver the boxes after they leave the food share. Each car is given a number based on when they arrive, and as they pull up, volunteers load their vehicles with the boxes of food, and even a word of encouragement. One mother in line had her young child with her and told Jackie that it happened to be his birthday. Before they had even collected their food boxes, he was given a balloon and chocolate bar and left with a huge grin on his face, almost as big as the smiles in the hearts of the staff and volunteers. As the last of the cars pull away from the curb, the Neighbors in Action team breathes a sigh of relief and tallies up the day’s work: 161 boxes handed out and 488 people served. That is a good day’s work. While I often heard the refrain of “people just don’t know what we do here” echoed throughout the morning, it was obvious that the kindness of this group didn’t need any recognition, they’d just keep doing what they did for the pure joy it brought them. Are you in need of food? Neighbors in Action food share is available the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month. Pick up 12 pm-2 pm at 39 Main Street, Cabot. Are you interested in joining our awesome group of volun-

too can try Cindy’s great donuts!

↑ contents

A Trillion Trees

Amazon, Africa, North America, Central America, Indonesia, Russia and beyond, to describe the plight of the forests, but the optimism and hope that we can and are turning things around in some places. It is not that we do not need more intact forests for carbon uptake, cooling of the planet, rainfall enhancement, flood and erosion mitigation, and biodiversity – but we will be far better off if we allow nature to replant in degraded areas as is happening all over the world, intentional or not. Pearce is quick to point out that few of the world’s major forests are unby Sarah Spletzer-Welters

↑ contents

Cabot Harvest Hub Manager

touched by earlier civilizations, and that includes the Amazon rain forest. That should give us hope that lost and degraded forests can recover. Almost a third of the planet is covered by about three trillion trees, though we have lost about half of our forests. They store as much carbon as we have emitted since the industrial revolution. Some of the more interesting and alarming findings: Rain forest deforestation is estimated to contribute 10-15% of global carbon emissions. Clearing of Amazon rain forest for cattle ranching, palm oil and soy (estimated at over 17%) may be reaching a tipping point where further loss may result in turning most of the Amazon into savannah. Because forests transpire so much moisture into the atmosphere, creating rivers in the sky that recycle and transport moisture and rainfall inland, deforestation will eventually deprive forests of needed moisture to thrive or regrow. Industrial plantation forests in the Southeast U.S. are now supplying Europe with enormous amounts of biomass (wood chips) to replace coal energy, claiming to be carbon neutral. These forests are being cut and replanted at such a rate that the process is anything but carbon neutral. Offsetting carbon emissions by planting trees is often an oversimplification and fallacy. Is there any good news in all of this? Well, yes. Although we continue to lose the great tropical rain forests, about three-fourths of that loss is being recouped by natural regrowth in many areas. Naturally rewilding forests has been shown to work all over the world, including New England as an example. Naturally rewilding is enormously less expensive than plantings and is much more likely to survive, especially in a changing climate. Indigenous populations the world over have been shown to be much better sustainable stewards of forests than weak and corrupt governments. This has led to more land transferred to these populations. Central and West Africa, home to much intact rain forest, is a good example. Agroforestry, that is planting and maintaining trees in small agricultural operations, has proven beneficial to crop yields in Africa. Farmers growing trees such as coffee, cacao, and vanilla can do so within the forest canopy, rather than monoculture plantations which cause deforestation. The more developed nations have a long way to go in managing forests sustainably. And on top of this, our demand for timber, fast food hamburgers, cheap palm oil for food products, coffee and orange juice, to name a few, has degraded tropical forests the world over. And in Vermont, we are losing forest cover and intact forest blocks that we know we need in order to maintain biodiversity. A healthy forested planet can be within our grasp, and we can reverse the loss. Pearce’s recommendations to focus on natural regrowth of forests and allow indigenous people to be the custodians where possible seem to be two proven methods.

↑ contents

Cabot Arts & Music Festival Recap

by Dana Robinson food trucks, staff members, and generated a great deal of economic activI am happy ity for local and regional businesses. to report that  The festival provided a platform for the first Cabot local non-profit organizations to enArts and Music gage citizens. Festival went The civic engagement locally, that oclike a charm! curred on account of the festival, was In fact, the profound. Socially and politically, Cabot festival ex- is very much a microcosm of the United ceeded our States at large. This festival accomexpectations in plished what we were hoping to achieve: all ways. our diverse citizenry took the opportu We had 50% higher attendance than nity to interact, communicate and coopwe anticipated (360 tickets sold, plus erate in a way that is good and healing over 100 kids, volunteers, and for us all! comps). All this was possible because of local  We were able to market the festival participation and financial support. more comprehensively than we ex- Thank YOU!!! pected. We have just put up a photo gallery of  the festival at https://www.cabotarts.org. The festival provided employment to The second (annual) Cabot Arts and 26 Vermont musicians (plus ten more Music Festival is already in the works. from out of state) and supported more Save the date in your calendar for July than 20 local artists, craft vendors, 28th & 29th, 2023.

↑ contents

Molly’s Falls Pond State Park

by Kate Abrams The Department of Fish and Wildlife has posted signs at the launch that the boat ramp at Molly's Falls Pond will be closed for approximately two-to-three weeks, starting Thursday, September 15. There will be improvements made to the ramp and fishing platforms and folks will not be able to launch or retrieve boats, or fish at the access during that time. Paddlers can still launch from the sites along Old Route 2 if they are able to We sincerely apologize for the inconcarry their boats down the paths to the venience, but we expect the project will water. result in Park visitors' satisfaction.

↑ contents

Marshfield Harvest Festival

Sunday, September 25, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Free Family Friendly Activities : cider pressing, art making tent, field games, petting zoo & more! Book sale, bake sale, horse and wagon rides, 50/50 raffle and vendors selling art, crafts and locally grown goods. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Food tent with all kinds of chilis, soups, stews and local homemade breads : $8 adults and $4 children. Free Music: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m . The Steppes (rock fusion) 2 to 3 p.m. Tom McKenzie, Patti Casey and Friends (old time bluegrass, folk and more). 3 p.m. H ike up to the Marshfield cliffs. The Harvest Festival will be at the Old Schoolhouse Common, 122 School St. Marshfield 05658.

↑ contents

It is not too late to:

Read and Win an “Oceans of Possibilities” T-shirt, a book and a prize! Here’s how: 1. Come to the library and sign up to read! We will give you a reading log and stickers so you can keep track of your own progress. 2. For every 15 minutes you read, or you are read to, put a sticker on your reading log. Jot down the title of your book. . 3. Earn 25 stickers-- WIN a t-shirt, a book and a prize of your choice.

↑ contents

Fruits, vegetables, herbs

Did you grow too many, or not enough, of some of your food crops? One year I ended the season with fifty jars of pickles in my pantry, and I don’t even like pickles. Think about surpluses and gaps in your food storage and make notes for winter seed shopping. Were any pests, diseases, or weeds problematic? Many issues are best addressed before the problem is even apparent. For instance, if you were plagued with cucumber beetles this year, plan to stock up on insect netting so that in 2023, you are ready to cover your cukes and squash at spring planting time. If weeds were a headache, consider raised beds, landscape fabric, or sheet mulch to ease next season’s workload. Did you run short of supplies for preserving the harvest? If you found yourself running around to six stores in three towns searching for freezer bags or canning lids, make a note to purchase supplies midwinter.

↑ contents

Blazing the Broadband

As the beginning of construction draws closer on our 1,200-mile fiber network, CVFiber is working on pricing, marketing, and communications plans for the launch of service and a budget for the new year. Our high-level network design is complete, and we’re meeting twice a week with field engineers from the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative to finalize the design. Over the past two weeks, we’ve been in touch with contractors who submitted bids for network construction, and we hope to launch construction in October. Schedules, materials, and weather permitting, we’re aiming to complete 100 miles of our 1,200-mile network by year’s end and connect our first customers.

↑ contents

Preparing to Onboard

CVFiber is beginning to hold regular meetings with network operator Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom (WCVT) to prepare for installation of service and bringing customers on board. Service will be reaching some addresses within months, so we’ll need to have the customer service basics ready to go. WCVT is, like CVFiber, a locally owned and locally oriented Internet service provider with a strong emphasis on customer service.

↑ contents

Back, Taking Stock

through the season, or did you have a gap of no bloom in the middle of July? Did you have mostly yellow flowers when you actually wanted a rainbow of colors? By the time the plant catalogs land in your mailbox, or you visit a nursery in spring, you may not remember these details. Write a wish list now (“something to bloom pink in midsummer,” “bulbs for blue and purple in spring”) so that you can make good selections several months from now.

↑ contents

Shrubs and trees

Evaluate gaps in your landscape. Maybe you want a privacy hedge, or shade for your deck, or just something to soften the edges of the yard. Think about future gaps as well; plants that are not thriving, or will be removed due to their invasive nature, or for construction. When you are knee-deep in snow, these gaps may be a lot harder to notice; look around now, while you can still see the ground. Enjoy the colors of fall foliage, the goldenrod, and the asters, have a cider donut, take a hike…. September in Vermont is a wonderful time of year!

This garden article is brought to you by Susan Socks, aka the Garden Goddess. Stay tuned for upcoming articles on green lawn care, pruning, garden tools, edible landscapes, and more. For gard e n i n g h e l p , v i s i t www.SocksFamilyFarm.weebly.com or

↑ contents

Another Federal Grant Opportunity

The recently passed federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes a new grant program for rural broadband. It’s called BEAD, or Broadband Equity Access Deployment. The program is aimed at funding efforts to provide affordable broadband to the underserved. The total allocation for BEAD is $5 billion, less than previous programs, but every grant dollar is one dollar we don’t have to borrow. Thanks go out to member towns like Cabot that have granted a portion of their ARPA funds to CVFiber. Less borrowing means lower rates for CVFiber subscribers. We also send regular updates to everyone on our email list. If you’d like to add yourself to the list, you can use the “Subscribe to our Newsletter” option on the CVFiber homepage at CVFiber.net.

↑ contents

C ABOT P UBLIC

Cabot Public Library is open! ley Senior held every 1 st and 3 rd Monday at 1pm Come visit in person Monday 3 p.m. – Center continues to be open for all ages on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. In addition to serving Meals on Wheels, we gather for a Congregate Meal at Noon with folks who can make it to the Center. The meals are currently provided by the City Hotel Cafe with bread donated by Red Hen Baking. The suggested donation for a meal is only $6.00. Join us for a tasty lunch and some social fun! If you need a ride, please contact Gene or Bethany and we will arrange for GMT to pick you up and bring you home after. At the Center we offer several classes, available in person or via Zoom for your comfort level. Bone Builders with Cort Richardson; via Zoom on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:30-8:30 a.m. Bone Builders with Sue Carey; in person on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00-10:00 a.m. Chair Yoga with Karen Kennedy; in person on Mondays from 3:00-4:00 p.m. (monthly fee of $20) Tai Chi with Pat Boyle; in person on Tuesdays from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Tai Chi with Dyne Sapp; in person on Fridays from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Blood Pressure Clinics are on the 2 nd Wednesday of the month from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Mystery Book Club is held in person on the first Thursday of each month Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice provides Foot Clinics on a monthly basis In-person Art Classes are advertised periodically as well At Twin Valley, our primary mission is to provide nutritious food to older adults within our rural communities. Most of our meals are sent out through the Meals on Wheels program. Our dedicated drivers make deliveries through snow, rain, ice and especially through mud. We are proud to have delivered all the meals this year regardless of the conditions and despite COVID. In addition to providing meals, drivers are a great source of human social contact for people in remote areas who may meet very few people over the course of any given week. We are so fortunate to have a committed group of volunteers keeping the meals program running, but we can always use more help! Come visit us today. Best Wishes, Eugene Troia, Executive Director P.O.Box152 East Montpelier, VT 05651

director@twinvalleyseniors.org 6 p.m., Tuesday noon – 6 p.m.,

↑ contents

Wednesday 2 p.m.-6 p.m., Thursday

9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.noon. Curbside library service is still available during regular library hours. Fall Programming - Be sure to visit our website: cabotlibrary.com and check FPF for updates, registration information and added programming. All programs are free! For more information or to express interest, email amandaotto.cabotlibrary@gmail.com.

↑ contents

Field

StoryWalk is an innovative and delightful way for children and adults to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time. As you stroll down the trail, you're directed to the next page in the story. Cabot's StoryWalk features the book Story Boat by Kyo Maclear and starts at Rec Field pavilion. The Night Sky – the week of September 26 – 8 p.m. – Cabot Rec Field Pavilion Join Mazie O’Connor and Amanda Otto as we look through the library’s new tele-

↑ contents

ec

scope at the night sky. We will pick the best weather day and announce it on our website and Front Porch Forum. In addition to viewing the star -filled sky, Jupiter will be closest to Earth and at its brightest during these dates. The library will have a limited number of red-light headlamps available for use.

↑ contents

Expect Revitalized 2024 Show

by Jeanne Johnson In the September edition of “Agriview,” the Vermont Farm Show Board of Trustees announced cancellation of the 2023 Vermont Farm Show. Following no show in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic, the Board is working to ensure the event serves the interests of the agricultural community for years to come. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is coordinating a focus group to help move toward this goal.

↑ contents

Community Service Program - Sec-

ond Tuesday of each Month (ages 1418) Fulfill your H.S. Community Service requirements at the library! Help shelve books, re-stock take-home kits for kids, tutor kids during H.W. Help, assist the youth librarian during Game Club and Book Club/Outdoor Exploration Program. To register, email amandaotto.cabotlibrary@gmail.com.

↑ contents

Summer Reading Program

Thank you for a successful 2022 Summer Reading Program! We had over 85 children sign up to read and receive prizes such as books, water bottles, tshirts and other prizes. We look forward to supporting your reading interests and goals throughout the school year - stop by soon to see our new selection of picture books, graphic novels and other books too!

↑ contents

Story & Activity Time

Thank you for joining us this summer for our ocean themed storytime - we had so much fun reading, exploring, singing and playing with all of you! We had a record number of participants this summer and had twelve new families join us. Special thanks to our student workers who assisted with programming Brody Moran, Natalie Gouge, Aysha Russell, Noeshia Shuart and Declan O’Connor - they were a joy to work with! We look forward to more fun this fall. Additional pictures from this summer can be seen on our website. Thanks so much to the Library Trustees for their continued dedication to the library: Grace Hoffman, Niall McCallum, Angela Ogle, Kurt Steinert and Beth Wade and our student representative, Ila Steinert. See you at the library! Kathleen Hoyne – Library Director Amanda Otto – Youth Librarian

↑ contents

← From the Cabot Chronicle