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The Cabot Chronicle

July 2024 · 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 July 2024 pages (PDF)

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

In This Issue

Community Award

(continued from page 1) Chief Deasy is also responsible for the development of Cabot's Junior Firefighter program which -with the support of Cabot School - recruits local youth between the ages of 15 and 18 into fire and EMS services and provides training and mentorship opportunities while acting as a development 'pipeline' into emergency services. In just three years, there have been six Junior Firefighters in our community. Three are current, two have graduated, one is graduating today. All have attended 'rookie' firefighter training, five have earned their VEFR certifications, three have gone on to earn their EMT status, and one is now a fully qualified professional firefighter and EMT, also pursuing paramedic certification. Chief Deasy has been an inspiration, mentor, and advocate for all of them and he has built a web of communication and partnership with key institutions, including Cabot School, to support this work. The Selectboard and the community are proud of the Department, its membership, activities, and service record both in Cabot and in our surrounding mutual-aid communities. The quality of Chief Deasy's leadership, his service and experience, has been highlighted in special ways in the last year following the devastating floods of July 2023. Most of us in this room remember every business and nearly every home in Cabot Village Center was flooded and significantly damaged, dozens of culverts, several bridges, and multiple roads were either damaged or destroyed. The Town Hall flooded. We lost our Fire Station to the river. The need for highly competent, sustained, and fiercely committed leadership to steward the work of recovery was im-

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Cabot Theater Camp

by Karen Mueller-Harder

Cabot Community Theater will present an encore performance of our 2024 Play: Flood Edition” at the Flood Commemoration event, at 2:45 pm on Saturday, July 13, at the Willey Building. If you missed it at the Twelfth Night Festival, now’s your chance to see the flood events portrayed with melodrama and comedy! And then please join us on Friday, July 19, at 5:00 pm, as the actors in Cabot Community Theater’s summer camp perform their plays at the Cabot School Performing Arts Center!

DEADLINE: 15th of the month prior to production

Coordinator: Jeannie Johnson

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Cabot Chronicle Mission Statement:

perative. The Selectboard asked Chief Deasy to step into the role of Emergency Services Coordinator in the days immediately following the flood, and for the last ten months Chief Deasy has held that role; not only as a volunteer Fire Chief but as a volunteer liaison helping to coordinate the multiple stakeholders who have been marshalled to repair and rebuild our community - volunteers and private contractors, the Cabot Road Crew and Clerk's Office, FEMA officials and governmental representatives from the county, State and Federal Levels. Chief Deasy works with all of them, and that work is ongoing. Because FEMA requires the keeping of statistics to support reimbursement for major projects, the Selectboard recently became aware that Chief Deasy has passed the 1000-hour mark of volunteer time devoted to flood recovery and he has done this while executing his duties as Fire Chief, running his electrical business, and caring for his family. Chief Dean Deasy is a humble and quiet man, but his leadership is highlighted through the quality of response and the growth of the Cabot Volunteer Fire Department, the loyalty and passion for service of the men and women whom he leads, and the sustained effectiveness of his work helping this community as we recover from the July flood. Chief Deasy would never speak of his own achievements but we – here in the community of Cabot - know them well through the lives he has touched, what he has built (and rebuilt) and how he is always there, how he is always available, when we as a community have needed him most. Thank you Chief Deasy, and congratulations on receiving the 2024 Cabot Community Award.

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Performances

The morning actors will present “How I Became the Nightmare Queen”-- a comic fantasy about a girl’s adventures in the land of dreams, featuring some nightmare creatures who aren’t quite as scary as they’d like to be. The older actors will then perform another one-act play, title still to be determined as of press time. Both plays are suitable for all audiences, though if you have very young kids, you are welcome to stay just for the first play; there will be a brief intermission. (The plays are about 20 minutes each.) Come support these talented performers and have a great time enjoying live theater! Admission is free for both events!

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Cabot Tree Warden

This spring I started work on replacing some trees in town. The two elm trees planted on the Town Green in 2015 or 2016, both died, and I cut them down four years ago. In May, the elm trees were replaced with two six-foot chestnut trees. A thank you to Ben Ackermann for removing the two elm tree root balls for me with his small excavator, as little decay had taken place on the elm tree root balls, making removal by hand difficult. Another tree will need replacing, over the winter someone slid off Whittier Hill Road and broke off one of the four northern pin oaks at the Willey building along the bottom of Whittier Hill Road. A new northern pin oak will be planted there next spring. The tree and root ball are removed, with fertile soil brought in to backfill the hole, this will make replanting much easier next spring. Later in May, I attended the Urban and Community Forestry Tree Conference in Randolph at the Vermont State College campus (formerly VTC). I have not attended the Urban and Community

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(Raindate Friday, July

Set off from the old railroad bed at the

monthly and is provided locally free 05647 ~ Published by the Cabot Community express written permission from The Cabot Chronicle is contingent upon publisher’s approval and agreement claims based upon contents of advertising. Publisher does occupied by individual item in which the error appeared. newspaper devoted to telling the

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ARDEN

Forestry Tree Conference since 2019. It was nice to reconnect with people there who I have not seen in five years. I was able to source a new tree to replace the northern pin oak next spring. My father had created a municipal tree inventory for the town when planting trees during his time as Tree Warden. I made plans to put the municipal tree inventory into ArcGIS using one of the Urban and Community Forestry iPads. In June each year I have been working on the giant hogweed on Elm Street. Again this year I will be remediating the giant hogweed with fewer plants to cut down now. Cedric Alexander and I will be meeting up on June 20 to cut the plants before the flower heads can turn to seeds. The plants use much of their energy to produce the flowers and seeds, so cutting them just as the flowers begin to develop has proven to be an effective means of eradicating it, though several more years of cutting will be needed to completely remove all the remaining giant hogweed. If left to seed, each flower head would produce around 1500 seeds, so cutting it is quite important to fully eradicate the giant hogweed.

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Other State Last Year While

Reprinted with Permission from Vermont Public | By Carly Berlin Published May 31, 2024 at 5:38 PM EDT This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. As states across the country struggle to loosen their tight housing markets, the gridlock consuming Vermont’s stands out.

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Vermont leads

Nationwide, the low inventory of homes for sale has helped drive up prices, Dr. Anju Vajja, deputy director for FHFA’s Division of Research and Statistics, said in a statement. The national analysis looks at a massive dataset of single-family homes with mortgages, tracking how the prices of those properties fluctuate over time. The FHFA notes that Vermont’s relatively small number of real estate transactions over the last decade could skew its rank among the states. But a more close-to-home analysis still shows a strong upward tick in home prices from 2022 to 2023. A recent evaluation by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency looked at sale prices for primary homes specifically, weeding out the roughly 16% of seasonal or occasional-use homes in the state’s housing stock, which the federal analysis includes. It also takes into account homes paid for in cash, not just those purchased with a mortgage. VHFA found that the median sales price of primary homes reached

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Fewer Homes Sold

A recent nationwide analysis of home prices from the Federal Housing Finance Agency showed that Vermont saw the highest year-over-year home appreciation rate of any state, at 12.8%. That’s markedly higher than the national average. Across the country, home prices rose 6.6% between the first quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, according to the FHFA.

the nation in home price rise

$325,000 in 2023, a 5% increase over the prior year. The median price for newly constructed homes sold last year jumped by 11%, reaching $616,500. No county in Vermont has seen a decline in annual home sale prices since before the COVID -19 pandemic, according to the analysis. “No matter what you look at, home prices are increasing, interest rates remain high, and affordability continues to be out of reach for many, many Vermonters who don’t already own their homes,” said Maura Collins, VHFA’s executive director. VHFA’s analysis also shows a dramatic drop in the number of primary homes sold in 2023: a nearly 26% decrease from the prior year, down to 5,759 homes. The decline comes after a spike in home sales that crested in 2020. Last year saw the lowest number of home sales in the state since 2012, when the housing market was still recovering from the Great Recession, according to VHFA.

through the years in Vermont That decline in home sales can be chalked up to the fact that Vermont isn’t building enough new homes to meet demand, Collins said. High interest rates play a key role, too. People who bought their homes when rates were lower might be reluctant to put their homes on the market and buy elsewhere now, with interest rates for a 30-year mortgage hovering around 7%. “More and more homeowners who want to downsize, or move into more efficient homes, or move into different communities to follow job opportunities, are not able to do that – because they’re locked in to these very low interest rates that they likely have,” Collins said. The bottleneck in Vermont’s housing market also manifests in the shorter timeline of home sales. Over the last several years, homes have sold faster and faster: In 2023, the median number of days between when a home went up for sale and when it was sold or went under contract fell to 62. That can leave little time for prospective buyers to arrange their financing, Collins said. “If you see something you like, you better move on it — because it’s not going to be around for long,” said Peter Tucker, a lobbyist for the Vermont Association of Realtors. The state’s tight housing market sends wide-ranging ripple effects through Vermont’s economy, said Megan Sullivan, a lobbyist for the Chamber of Commerce. The lack of housing makes it more difficult for employers to retain their workers and to attract new employees from out of state. She hears stories of prospective hires

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Progress on Next Steps

Asbestos removal from the Cabot Post Office insulate and replace the ceiling and a possible was closed March 5 after asbestos was discovered the Marshfield Post Office. Cabot post office photo Reprinted from The Hardwick Gazette, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Page Six

by Danae Moyer,

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UVM Community News Service

Information has trickled out slowly and sparsely to Cabot residents inconvenienced by the closure of the town post office, but there has been some recent activity there. turning down job offers because they can’t find a place to live, or because the only available homes are far too expensive to match their wages. “Everything comes back to our labor force, and our labor force keeps coming back to the lack of available and affordable housing for workers in every industry, in each part of Vermont,” Sullivan said. Sullivan, who advocated for exemptions for housing from Act 250 during this year’s legislative session, hopes that lawmakers’ attempts to reduce regulatory hoops for housing development can help promote more growth. She acknowledged, though, that reforming the state’s land use policies “isn’t going to be a silver bullet” for Vermont’s housing woes. Tucker, from the Realtors’ association, sees some early indications of the market loosening, including a modest bump in the number of homes on the real estate market in the first few months of 2024, compared to the same period last year. “If we have a few more properties available for sale, we can do more business. So that ultimately may help our industry, but it’s certainly going to take some pressure off of pricing, too,” he said. Carly Berlin Carly covers housing and infrastructure for Vermont Public and VTDigger and is a corps member with the national journalism nonprofit Report for America.

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a Mystery

has been completed, but the status of work to reopening date are unknown. The Post Office and all of Cabot’s operations were relocated to by Vanessa Fournier. Select Board member (corrected from “chair”) R.D. Eno said the closure in Cabot resulted from “vermiculite shifting down from the ceiling.” Vermiculite, a mineral commonly used as insulation in construction, often is contaminated with asbestos. On May 28, Eric Levaggi, with Levaggi Environmental Contracting Inc. of Morrisville, said he had finished the job of removing the asbestos from the ceiling on (see ’Asbestos Removed’, page 4)

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BITUARIES

Mary Mary Lou Lou DeLacy DeLacy Obituary

Mary Lou DeLacy, age 88, passed away peacefully on June 12, 2024, after a short illness with her beloved family by her side. She was born on March 30, 1936, in Boston, MA, and grew up in South Boston and West Roxbury. Mary Lou is survived by her loving husband, Donald; her sons, Michael and Stephen and his wife Holly Ellington; and their children and her cherished grandchildren, Skyler and Kieran. She is also remembered with great love and affection by her extended family and many loving friends. Mary Lou became a registered nurse in 1956 at the age of 20, dedicating her career to caring for others. She worked in many nursing fields, including psychiatric care, hospice care, nurse education, and private nursing, and managed the hospice care of many close relatives who passed before her, including her father and mother-in-law. She married Donald DeLacy, and they enjoyed 63 years together. They had three sons, David, Stephen, and Michael, and raised their family in Newton, MA. Mary Lou and Donald later moved to Cabot, where they lived off the grid for the last 15 years, cherishing the peace and natural beauty of the area. They shared their home there with many friends and family by hosting a yearly summer party mainly for the friends of their children. During the winters, they spent time with their sons in Boston to stay close to family. She was a feminist, a marcher for peace, civil rights, women's rights,

Wallace Ramona Hood A. Lumsden Ramona Ann Lumsden, 85, formerly of Whittier Hill Road, Cabot, died May 25, 2024, after a long battle with dementia/Alzheimer’s disease. Ramona was born on March 21, 1939, in St. Johnsbury, the daughter of Ethel Pearl Chase and Patrick Norman Davis. She attended St. Johnsbury Academy and graduated from there. Ramona was a homemaker and sold Avon. She also worked at Cabot Creamery for many years in the packaging division. She married Wayne Lumsden on October 15, 1987, in Cabot. She enjoyed riding the backroads in her car, listening to country music or audio books and spending time with her family. She is survived by her daughter, Rosemary Nunn and her husband,

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EMORIALS

LGBTQ rights, and equality and justice for everyone. She volunteered at the Cabot Library, reading to little children, and was a donor of children's books, play equipment, and musical instruments in her beloved son David's name. Mary Lou was also an animal lover and a lover and observer of hummingbirds. She was a humanist, a believer in science and medicine, and a kind stranger to all. She loved Jeopardy and was a devoted fan of crosswords, sudoku, and recently embraced the daily puzzle Wordle, which she was remarkably good at. Mary Lou was a lover of music, enjoying everything from Queen to Mike Nesmith, Bing Crosby to John Denver, Nina Simone to David Bowie. She played the piano and was a singer with a beautiful voice who shared the songs that her own mother sang to her. Mary Lou was an immense source of love and support to her children, husband, father and mother, nieces, nephews, and friends. Her kindness and compassion were immediately obvious to anyone she met and were a wonderful gift to those close to her. It's difficult to describe, but Mary Lou had an incredible ability for making people feel seen and understood, particularly the younger generation and the friends of her children. She always lovingly welcomed young people into her home and was considered a "bonus mom" to many. Her persistent kindness and acceptance of people in whatever circumstances was just so incredibly tenderhearted. She will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to the Cabot Library in Cabot. A burial service is planned at the family property in Cabot on Saturday, June 22.

Carter, of Benton: son Jeffrey Sweeney, of Barre; son, Timothy Sweeney and his wife Amy of KY, daughter Dawn Roberts and her husband, John, of TN; three stepsons, John Lumsden and his wife, Robin, of Highgate Center, Matt Lumsden, of Essex Junction, and Allan Lumsden and his wife, Laura of Rochester Hills, MI; one stepdaughter Jennifer Devenger and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A graveside service was held on Sunday, June 2, 2024, at the Greensboro Village Cemetery. Those wishing to express online condolences may do so at www.guareandsons.com. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 300 Cornerstone, Drive, Suite #130, Williston, VT 05495 or at www.alz.org/vermont.

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Asbestos Removed

(continued from page 3) May 6. Before that, in late April he had cleaned out the building, moving everything inside to storage, before he began the work of asbestos removal. Levaggi said the next step will be to insulate and install a new ceiling. He was asked for recommendations for a contractor by the owner’s representative, who had been having a difficult time finding one. Postal Realty Trust, a publicly traded real estate investment firm owns the Cabot building among more than 1,500 post office properties nationwide. Based in Cedarhurst, N.Y., the landlord’s representatives did not return messages seeking comment and additional information. The U.S. Postal Service mailed an announcement to local customers on March 6 describing a “sus-pension” of local operations “due to safety issues.” Eno said that, as far as he knows, no one has reported any health issues as a result of working at the Cabot Post Office. Cabot residents have since had to travel nearly five to 11 miles (one way) to Marshfield for mail services, including access to post office boxes and package pickup and drop-off, or farther to Plainfield. “The post office closure has been especially hard on elderly, more home bound residents on a fixed income,” Cabot resident Cheryl Gilbert wrote to a Hardwick Gazette reporter in a direct message on Facebook. “They now have to find a way

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EAST HARDWICK

to Marshfield to pick up their mail instead of walking a few doors down. They paid their expensive box fee. Mail to rural boxes are free. The postal service should be delivering to village residents free instead of making them find rides, etc., to Marshfield.” The Cabot post office closure comes amid a series of problems and customer frustrations with the federal postal service in Vermont. Staffing shortages have led to mail delivery delays or unserved routes in some areas across the state. The Vermont congressional delegation has criticized the postal service’s leadership in Washington. This month, the postal service announced it had scrapped a plan to move Vermont mail processing operations out of state to a central warehouse in Connecticut, partly in response to consumer complaints and political pressure. In April, Eno reported that, “Once reconstruction is complete, it will be up to the USPS to decide when to occupy the building, but a USPS official in Portland, Maine, has assured the select board that the post office will be reopened.” Cabot residents, meanwhile, are left without clear answers about when the post office might reopen.

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UPDATE FROM R.D. ENO:

A contract to complete the interior work was awarded to Dan Dunham, who will be subcontracting with an electrician. Postal Realty Trust has said they're hoping the work can be done by July 1. But Dan is already at work on the deck at the hardware store, and he might not meet that deadline.

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Public Gatherings

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer The topic of public gatherings appeared on the Selectboard agenda for the May 21 meeting. Mike Hogan told the board that he wasn’t sure how much time they should spend on the subject, and asked the board if they wanted to look at an ordinance to regulate public gatherings. R.D. Eno said he wasn’t sure how deep the board would want to go, and the board discussed the possibility of a noise ordinance. Fred Ducharme said that could create a real mess. Jenn Miner spoke from the public and asked who would have authority to enforce a noise ordinance, and what would be the process to act upon a complaint. Mike said the State has regulations and requirements for large gatherings. Jenn said that those requirements were simple documents for contact information and identification of appropriate accommodations for safety. She pointed out that the new requirements stem from the disaster in Lancaster, New Hampshire, where a sudden thunderstorm caused injuries to people. Karen Larsen added that the requirements are connected to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), so those hosting events can get notifications about dangerous weather events. Mike turned the discussion back to noise, and said that it was a rabbit hole. He stated that the events on the Pransky property were covered by a conditional use permit that has parameters. Mike read from the permit, which states that at 12 midnight the sound amplification will be stepped down and then turned off at 2:00 am. Jenn said the DRB (Development Review Board) did make some changes last year, but it wasn’t to the permit. She said they made some suggestions and the Pranskys agreed. Mike said the conditional use permit is not the correct vehicle to regulate these types of events. Karen pointed out that unless the town has a specific ordinance, then state statute says events with less than 2,000 people do not need a permit. Karen wondered if the conditional use permit was still supportable. Jenn said the DRB discussed the applicability of the conditional use permit, and also noted the permit does not have an expiration. She stated the Town would have to revoke it. R.D. said if the permit went away, then the Town would have no control over any events on the Pransky property. R.D. asked if they could take another approach and require permits for events with 500 or 1,000 people. Jenn said that would be possible, if it applied to everyone. Mike said he thinks it's worth talking about. Fred said there isn’t a need to

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and Noise

enact an ordinance if the town can’t enforce it. He also asked how much money they want to spend on enforcement. R.D. pointed out that Manifestivus never approached 2,000 people, and that at 750 people the neighbors were troubled. He talked about the hours of maximum amplification. Fred said if we go down the road of a noise ordinance, then the guy running a chainsaw could be an issue. R.D. said that a chainsaw isn’t an event. He added that it would be silly to contemplate policing for a decibel level, but he would try to draft an ordinance. At the June 17 meeting, R.D presented a draft proposal for an ordinance governing noise from events. R.D. said he had looked over the zoning regulations, and he looked at the Marshfield DRB ruling as a model, and drafted a simple amendment to the zoning regulations. Mike and Skip Bothfeld were not present at this meeting for the discussion. R.D. read from his draft, which specified a five year permit that could be withdrawn, and the conditions for the permit required noise levels at the property line not to exceed 65 decibels. He said that is the standard set by the Marshfield DRB ruling. Fred said the whole thing sounds absurd, and he thinks it's a slippery slope. R.D. pointed out that the permit would apply only to commercial use, when admission is charged or solicited. Fred disagreed, and said that once we start something, then they will get boxed in. He said if its constant noise that goes on forever that is different than something that just happens for a weekend. He expressed that once you start restricting what people can do on their property, it becomes a slippery slope. Sandy Pond asked about events that are by donation, and R.D. explained that if it is solicited then it's the same as charging admission. He also pointed out that it is just a draft, and that he tried to pair it down to be as specific as possible so it does not apply to what people normally do. Maria Acchione Goodrich suggested the permit be yearly, not for five years. R.D. said the permit could be revoked during the five-year duration. He also pointed out that a venue needs a permit for more than one year so they can plan events. Karen asked about enforcement, and whether the Town would dispatch an official up to the property line with a decibel meter. R.D. said the Town would have to be provided with contact information for the event organizer. Jenn Miner noted that the town constables get a fee for each call they respond to, and a lot of complaints for an event could add up to a significant 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.

amount of money. R.D. asked her if she was suggesting a fee for the permit. Jenn pointed out that for a large event, a fee or a fine might be meaningless, and they should brainstorm on the issue. Karen proposed a security deposit to cover the cost of constables. Fred asked if we have to get the decibel meters calibrated, and what would be needed to revoke a permit. Karen said that Cabot is getting to be known for special events, and we could potentially see more of these events in the future. She said that they have heard concerns from neighbors, and neighbors across the valley. She said the board could just say what you do on your land is your business, but this is a topic that comes up and we should consider some policy. Allison Hogan suggested that neighbors pay for enforcement since it's an issue raised by neighbors. She also said she agrees with Fred in that it will create too many issues. She stated that

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Lower Sports Field

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer At the June 4 meeting of the Selectboard, Betty Ritter read from a letter she received from the Gocheys regarding Larry and Son’s Ballfield. The letter stated that everything needed to be removed from the field. She then read responses from various people associated with the Recreation Committee and Little League Baseball regarding who owned the structures and it appeared no one claimed ownership, or could remember who constructed them. Mike Hogan said the structures could not easily be moved and expressed sorrow that Tim decided not to Ducharme said and Jennifer Gochey restore the field. Fred that they have to move the stuff off, and asked about the deadline. Betty said it was July 31. Mike speculated that the town could get a bunch of volunteers to clean up the field, smooth it out and mow it. R.D. Eno wondered if the Recreation Committee could pull together the volunteers. R.D. asked the other board members if they would be willing to rent the field, even if it’s not used, for another year. Mike said they did budget the money for the lease. Karen Larsen said that the field incurred heavy damage, and there is still standing water on it. She expressed that without an understanding of what is needed to restore the field, would it be prudent to lease it for another year? R.D. said the $600 would give the town another year to figure out what to do with the field. Mike suggested they invite the Gocheys to the next meeting, which occurred on June 18. At that meeting R.D. initiated the conversation by explaining he called the Gocheys and asked if they’d consider renewing the lease on the ball field so the town has time to get a volunteer effort together to clean it up. He added that he had contacted the Recrearesiding, doing business, and visiting of our town. members informed about issues to listen in person. Instructions for

we are a community, and we should be able to get along, and let people who pay their taxes do what they like. Irv Robbins said where he lives one never knows when there is going to be a barrage of gunfire. He expressed that there are multiple ways of making noise and was wondering how this permit would limit other activities. He also said he agreed with Fred and that it's a can of worms. He says he respects his neighbors, but he still might hear boom boom boom at 10 pm at night. Irv said he understands it is necessary, but in a way it will be proliferating. Fred said that maybe they can come up with ways to regulate new things, but questioned enforcement. He speculated that when things are supposed to be turned off at night, and it doesn’t happen, may the permit be withdrawn. Jenn suggested that if anything new is enacted, that existing event organizers should be required to apply for a new permit.

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Status

tion Committee and they said they were overbooked and can’t organize a volunteer group. He speculated that it's not a lot of money to lease the field. Tim Gochey pointed out that the money is to cover the insurance costs, it basically passes through them. R.D. said the $600 expense for the town would give them the chance to clean up the field. Tim noted that since the day of the flood, no one from the town has set foot on the field. He said the town has not upheld its part of the lease regarding mowing and trimming. Fred Ducharme asked directly if they would give the town a year. Karen then said that there wasn’t a need for a response right now. She expressed that the town was at the point to be able to move down the list of flood damage repairs, and there was still an opportunity to fix the field now that the town has the bandwidth to look at it. Karen added that the extension would be done without a clear understanding on how to move forward, and asked if the Gochey family would be interested in executing the lease for another year. Tim said they would consider the proposal.

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Wastewater Plant

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer The topic of the wastewater plant has become a regular agenda item on Selectboard meeting agendas. In the months of May and June, it has been discussed at every meeting. On May 21, Rodger Sheldon of H2O Innovations, the company contracted to maintain the plant, was present to update the board on the status of the plant. Mike Hogan told those present that Rodger had been meeting with him and Fred about the aging wastewater plant and its needs. Mike said he has requested money from the federal government because they have a permeate skid that is needed. He said it's a piece of equipment that costs around $100,000. Rodger explained that the permeate skid is basically the heart of the wastewater plant. He said the pumps draw the water through the membrane, and discharge to the river. He stated that it's the most important thing down there, and it's a generation one model that is over 20 years old. He went on to describe a new skid, which would be much more advanced, and it would have multiple gauges to help narrow down where a problem is located. He pointed out that since the tanks are aerated, the pumps draw air as well as water through the membrane. He said the new skid has a mechanism for the air to bypass the pumps. He explained that basically the skid is a package, it shows up on a truck, they pull the old one out, put in the new one, wire it up and then fire it up. Mike asked if the current permeate skid was on life support and Rodger answered that it is beyond life support. Rodger added that the lead time for a new skid is four months. There was some discussion about the additional labor cost and shipping costs, but Mike pointed out the board needs to figure out how to pay for the new equipment. He said the Town never had a sinking fund to deal with the wastewater plant. He said the previous vendor did their best, but it is an old plant. He said they have to either get a loan, or add it to their user fees, and said it's something they have to talk about internally. Fred Ducharme said the board needs to make a decision now. He added that the cost of trucking off wastewater is thousands every week. Fred asked Betty Ritter how much are the bills for trucking. Betty said she currently has a bill for $24,000 and she doesn’t have the money to pay it. She also said the new pumps are coming and that bill will be $30,000. Mike said that the board needs to discuss long term plans for the wastewater plant when they have budget discussions. Then the board approved a motion to sub-

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Development Review Board

The Cabot Development Review Board has Board is a quasi-judicial body that reviews 4460 such as Conditional Use Permits, right ment without frontage, site review plans. set meetings. If you are interested in joining submit a letter of interest to Betty Ritter, Cabot (P. O. Box 36, Cabot, VT 05647), email (tc@cabotvt.us), terest.

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Woes

mit an order for a new permeate skid. During the June 4 meeting, Fred said the new pumps had arrived. He said they were going to install them that week. Also, Mike told the board he had talked to the Dufresne Group and the 90% completed report on the needs of the wastewater plant should arrive next week. He thinks once the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) sees the report, there would be some money coming to the town. R.D. asked about the expected lifetime of the plant. He pointed out that H20 Innovations is the successor of the prior firm and if there might be liability issues, with respect to lapses in maintenance. The board briefly discussed this possibility but then moved on. Fred asked how the Town was going to inspect people’s basements. He said that after the last rain, the plant couldn’t handle the increased amount of water. He speculated that there is either a big leak in the sewer, or people are pumping water from their basement into the sewer. Betty pointed out that, according to the ordinance, the town can inspect houses. But she said they could just unhook the pumps before the inspection. Fred said that if there is a pump that isn’t going anywhere, it would be obvious. Rodger returned to discuss the wastewater plant at the June 17 meeting, where Mike and Skip Bothfeld were not present. Fred chaired the meeting and asked Rodger for an update. Rodger told the board they need to order new membranes for the facility, and the lead time is three months. He explained they have tried everything under the sun to get more production out of the plant, but they are being limited by the old membranes. He explained that after the two new pumps were installed, the plant’s production didn’t go up. So they did an experiment by running the pumps without the membranes and got twice as much flow through on the pump than when they were running with all four membranes. He stated he believed the membranes are clogged. Fred said that they did try a new experiment to double check and make sure they were not missing anything. He said they connected a line to measure the vacuum pressure at the membranes and verified the membranes were plugged. Rodger also said they tried another experiment with one of the old pumps and the flow through the pump fluctuated and was about half that of the new pump. So, he is convinced that old pumps are pretty much gone. He said they also know there are a number of vacuum leaks on the skid, and he believes there are a number of bad valves.

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School Visitation

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer The School Board had rescheduled their regular meeting in May to a week earlier due to the Memorial Day holiday. At this special meeting on May 20, the board discussed the current visitation policy. Ellen Cairns started the discussion by saying this came up because she heard from some parents and community members about their desire to visit the school, and possibly sit in on classes. Mark Tucker explained what they do here in Cabot is aligned with what is done in all the CCSU schools. Becca Tatistcheff wanted to make some clarification of terms before the discussion, and said that “shadowing” means a prospective or visiting student spends time participating in classes, for some or all the classes, and is paired with a current student. She went on to explain “touring” means a family comes in and sees the school’s facilities with the counselor or a staff member. She said that it could include brief visits in classrooms, time for questions, and a debrief for a shadowing experience. She added that tours can take place during the school day or after school. Becca also said, to ensure shadowing and touring is not disruptive, specific dates and times may not be accommodated. She said they do not offer shadowing or extended observations with adults because it would potentially violate our obligations under Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). She added that visitors also have not undergone the same background checks as volunteers or staff. Mark explained the idea behind shadowing is to give the prospective student a sense of what the cohort is like. He said parents are not allowed to shadow in any of the schools in CCSU. Chris Tormey wanted clarification regarding if parents have a chance to see what the classes are like. In response, Becca said that parents are supervised during their visit by the counselor, or a staff member, when they visit classes. Becca also noted that there are times when they say no to a date or time. She expressed that it does not mean they don’t welcome people into the school, but that there might be reasons they have to say no, like a staff member out. She also added that she would not have students shadow in the week before the exhibition. She expressed there are times in a school year, when visiting would not be beneficial for the prospective student, or the current students. Ellen said she understands that some weeks are not a regular school week. Ellen invited the public for comments or questions and Carrie Randolph spoke about having a different perspective. She said that during the school budget deliberations, there seemed to be a lot of dialogue around how we could be more inclusive for homeschooling families. She expressed that the visitation policy is geared towards families that have used the public school system since kindergar-

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Procedures

ten age. And if you are not one of those families, the idea of sending a young elementary student to shadow with no parental guidance seems off putting. Carrie asked if a policy could be created that is more inclusive of families with different types of values and beliefs around education. She said she is a homeschool parent for six children, and she is uncomfortable taking that step without being able to observe some part of the school day with her children. She expressed an understanding of the need for background checks, and the need to make sure it's not disruptive. But she said there is no way she feels comfortable sending her child for a shadow day without some ability to observe. She added that her children have not experienced daycare or preschool. Chris responded that it sounds like the administration has a tour for families, and it seems like that would be a reasonable way for families to get an idea of what classes are like, even for families like yours. He asked Carrie if she had tried making use of the touring option. The discussion then centered around the email exchanges between Carrie and Becca, with some disagreements between the two on what was expressed. Erica Fucello said if a student wants to shadow, or if they only wanted to stop in for a short time, that seems possible. She said that she understood Carrie’s desire not to separate from her child for a long time. Erica asked If it was a short time, if it would be easier? Carrie responded that she didn’t think it would be appropriate. Erica stated that if there is a hesitancy to have a student shadow for 20-30 minutes, she isn't sure Carrie might want to utilize the public school system. Erica expressed that they are trying to accommodate the situation, and if the intention is to utilize some classes, the separation would have to happen. Chris relayed his wife’s experience with home schoolers, and described how some students would put their feet in the water by attending just one class, and then the next year move onto more classes. He added that a lot of families have moved successfully from homeschooling by taking little steps. Becca asked the board what was the purpose of the board in the discussion, as this discussion is about process, and not the policy. Ellen explained a community member went up the chain of command and the subject came before the board. Mark explained that he said no to a specific request of a parent spending a full day in classes with a student. He said that there are middle grounds built into the procedure. Carrie responded that the policy is not an inclusive policy, and she doesn’t think there should be a surprise that people are hesitant about how to engage. Kerri said that in larger schools, tours are often only able to be done before or after school. She added that they have to be aware of FERPA issues, and they have to be aware of concerns not just for (see ’School Visitation’, page 8)

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School Climate Update

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer The School Board discussed school climate at the May meeting of the board, where Ellen Cairns noted that a survey was conducted in March of 2023 to hear from parents about how perceived behavior issues were handled, and any lack of follow through. She noted that Mark Tucker had put together the survey and sent it out to families. She added that they heard from about 36 families, and the results were not great. She continued to say that at that point, the board heard from our administration that there were things in place to address some of the concerns. Ellen expressed that with a new administration coming on board, it seemed like a good time to have an update. Becca Tatistcheff, principal, explained that the school rolled out an updated family handbook at the beginning of the school year which included updates to the behavior matrix. The updates explained Tier 1 through three supports. Becca went on to say there has been a significant decrease in behavioral issues, both major and minor incidents, over the school year. She went on to explain that major incidents are Tier 3, and minor incidents would fall under Tier 2. She added that the decrease was from about 200, down to around 100, a 50% decline. She explained that it’s not separate children as there might be repeated incidents with specific children. Becca also explained that Tier 1 incidents are not tracked because they are handled by the teachers, which don’t input into the system. Only when the issues rise to Tier 2 are they tracked in the system. She added that not all Tier 2 incidents get tracked, as it is dependent upon the level of support needed. According to the school handbook, the different Tiers are defined as follows:  Tier 1 Teacher Handled in Classroom  Tier 2 Teacher Handled with Support  Tier 3 Handled by Administration and/or Guidance Counselor Becca added that for the major incidents the school has seen a 75% decrease. Mark Tucker explained that teachers do not input incidents because there would not be consistency. He also went on to explain that it seems there is a common misunderstanding by parents about what constitutes bullying. He said that two students snapping at each other on the playground does not constitute bullying. Chris Tormey asked for some clarification on the different tiers. Becca replied that Tier 2 falls into repeated Tier 1 behaviors, like repeated disruption over time, and the classroom teacher

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UPDATES

sion because there were several families that brought this to the board's attention. She stated that they certainly want homeschool families to come and look at the school and feel welcome, but expressed that it needs to be done in balance with the needs of the school.

tried to engage the student. She went on to explain that at Tier 2 a plan is put in place that then is shared with families. She stated she believed they create plans that are proactive, which may be the reason for the decrease. Ellen said that behavior issues are not just a Cabot problem, some of the information she has received from the AOE indicates it is a state wide problem. Erica Fucello expressed a concern about the tracking. She said that she knows there is a lack of reporting by the students to the teachers, but the students are reporting incidents to their parents. She added that the parents then wonder why something isn’t being done. Erica said that she thinks a vital question is “did you tell someone?” She then wondered if there is a way to encourage students to speak up and overcome the tattletale stigma. Becca responded by expressing hope that families would work with their kids when an incident happens to write an email. She expressed that parents are hearing something at home and getting angry, and that doesn't solve the problem. She said that if parents would sit down with their child and write an email to the teacher, they might find out that it is possible that the incident was addressed, but the child is still coming home upset. She added that it is also possible that it wasn’t reported. She felt that it is helpful to step back and use the situation as a teaching moment with the child. She expressed that she believed there are times when there is a disconnect between school messaging around incidents and problem solving, and the messages outside of school, like not snitching on friends and hitting back. Chris added that it may be confusing and challenging for students if they are being coached differently at school and at home. Ellen returned the discussion to the subject at hand by saying they do need to decide if the board should redo the survey, and send it out on its own to get a higher response rate. Chris said he thinks it's important to have a bigger response. He added that it would be really valuable to use the survey to see if the success the administration is seeing is also seen at home. He expressed that they should do it before the end of the school year while people are still thinking about school. Kerri Moll asked if they should be doing the survey every year. Becca expressed that it seems every time there is a perception the climate isn't good, that is when a survey has been done. She suggested another course of action, Becca added that committing to surveying twice a year, instead of on a reactionary basis, would help administration set goals around the results of a climate survey. Becca then pointed out that the current efforts to get community input on sustainability might get muddied if a climate survey was done at the same time, and reiterated her suggestion to wait until the fall. Chris disagreed and said that things have been in place over the past year which are bringing positive results. He felt that it would be useful to check in with the community and use it as a teaching tool. He said that he wants to see what people think about the modifications and changes to the system. And added that it might be guidance to the new principal and superintendent. Mark said he agreed with Becca, and that if he was the incoming superintendent, and he received the results of the climate survey, he would not know what

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Antler Art

by Amanda Legare

Ken Klingler carved this 34-inch-long to do with it because he would not have any contacts with any of the school staff. Chris said that it just makes sense to him to give a new principal and superintendent a sense of the climate, and if it is something they should focus on or not. He also added that it might be valuable to have a larger sample size from a recent survey to focus upon. Mark suggested that as a first step, put something out explaining the state of things. He pointed out that they got criticized for ignoring the survey, which isn’t true. He thought they could explain the changes that have been made and there have been a reduction in incidents. He expressed that a 50% reduction in incidents is significant. He also felt the sample size for the previous survey was insufficient. The board decided to provide an update on school climate to the community, and reissue the survey in two weeks. Mark reminded the board that responses were anonymous for the previous survey.

moose antler for a customer who saw his work on the internet. It was commissioned as a gift to a man who owned a camp in which would be getting a baseline at the Maine. Ken was sent a drawing and photographs as guidelines. Ken started working beginning of the school year, and then on the piece in January. revisiting the survey again in the spring.

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Thomas F. Ziobrowski,

Tom Ziobrowski announced he is a candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives representing Cabot, Danville, and Peacham (CaledoniaWashington). “The reasons I am running are the same as the reasons I became a doctor: I have the qualities and skill set to be an excellent representative. I like taking care of people, fixing things, and making people's lives better. As a primary care physician, I listened carefully to each individual patient. After appropriate examination and studies, I applied what I knew in order to recommend a plan. Sometimes this involved reading in the medical literature or consulting with specialists. Ultimately, you stick with the patient over time, through uncertainty and good news and bad. In this era of conflicting political opinions, a steady and thoughtful consideration of all points of view is necessary. I will make every effort to reach out to residents of Cabot, Danville, and Peacham

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Community-Based Broadband

NEK Broadband and CVFiber announced a preliminary plan to join the two Communications Union Districts (CUDs) under 30 V.S.A 3052a, a recent addition to the law under S.199. The proposed merger would unite resources, experience, expertise, and a shared commitment to deliver exceptional highspeed internet services to their collective 71 communities. Working together, they will be better able to support digital equity, economic growth, and community development across the Northeast Kingdom and Central Vermont. Working more collaboratively allows the CUDs to leverage infrastructure investments effectively, accelerate the deployment of proven and reliable technologies, and optimize operational efficiencies. This will significantly add to the ongoing capacity to fulfill the combined mission to ensure that every resi-

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of Representatives

and bring their concerns to Montpelier. We want to do what's best for them, our towns and our state. To get things done we must work together. “I grew up in south central Pennsylvania, attended public schools, and went off to Harvard for college. There I met Toby Balivet and he introduced me to Danville. That would have been 1966. For the four years of college and the next eight years of medical training in Philadelphia, Danville continued to be a frequent destination as a place to “recharge my battery”. “In 1978 I came to Danville and started practicing internal medicine (primary care for adults) in St. Johnsbury, opening my own office three years later. I later worked at both Northern Counties Health Centers and NVRH, finally at Kingdom Internal Medicine. My work included office and nursing home visits, care for hospitalized patients, and the occasional house call. “In terms of community service, I have served as Moderator for Danville for over ten years and have served on the boards of NVRH, Fairbanks Museum, and Danville Senior Citizens Housing, for which I continue to serve as president. “Beth Williams, my wife, and I built our home in 2004 on land off Dole Hill previously hayed by Occie Beattie. Our kids are Adam Kennedy, a graphic designer and trainer, and Sarah Kennedy, a hospice nurse. I enjoy birding, playing the viola with local musicians and singing in the North Country Chorus. “Between now and election day I plan to reach out to voters in Cabot, Danville, and Peacham in order to learn their concerns and ideas. The Northeast Kingdom has been very good to me and now I want to help make it a better place through advocacy in the legislature, particularly around housing, education, public health, and public safety. Although I'm running as a moderate Democrat, my primary responsibility would be to all residents of these communities, and I am well suited to

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Merger

dent and business has access to reliable high-speed internet. Specifically, NEK Broadband and CVFiber propose to work together under the new business name, Northeast Central Broadband. The service plans, customer service, and pricing for both CVFiber and NEK Broadband areas will not change for the foreseeable future. Their respective financial, operations, and communications professionals will share skill sets. An additional benefit will be collaboration for grant applications that often benefit from a larger service area. During this process, the CUDs are committed to providing transparent communications to keep customers, partners, and communities informed every step of the way.

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Greg Burtt

Greg Burtt of Cabot announced he will be a candidate for state representative for the Caledonia-Washington district that includes the towns of Cabot, Danville and Peacham. Burtt, 38, grew up in Cabot on the family farm and attended Cabot School, where he graduated as valedictorian of his class. Greg received the Green and Gold scholarship to UVM, achieved a degree in mechanical engineering, and also earned “Engineer of the Year”. In 2005, he started the apple orchard on the farm, which has now grown to 12,000 fruit trees. They also have a successful maple business with 30,000 taps. When announcing his run, Burtt stated: “As a small business owner and farmer, I know what hard work is all about. I love Vermont, but the state is becoming unaffordable for folks like myself and my neighbors. I’m running because I feel I have a duty to do so, to bring the voice of working Vermonters to the State House. I want to make Vermont a more affordable place to live, with thriving communities. I want to see our small farms endure. I want people

islative bodies of NEK Broadband's and CVFiber's respective municipalities on June 1st. Both CUDs will arrange for notice of the July 16 public hearing by distributing such notice to their member municipalities, publicly posting such notice, and publishing notice in local newspapers and other paid media. These notices will be made no later than three days before the public hearing. NEK Broadband and CVFiber will each hold a public hearing on the Plan. Public hearings will be scheduled by each CUD for July 16, 2024.

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of Representatives

working the trades to make a good living. I believe in quality education rooted in reading, writing, and arithmetic. All of these things are within our reach. As representative, I will help Vermonters keep more of what they earn and steer the state legislature toward treating your money like you would. “In short, I understand four things well: the needs of the workforce and small businesses, the need for quality education, the need for affordability, and the need to listen. The last one, listening, is maybe what’s most important. I will listen to my constituents first — not legislative leadership from Burlington or the special interests who seem to have too much influence in Montpelier. I will vote in the best interest of the people of Cabot, Danville and Peacham.” Greg owns and operates the family farm with his wife, Stefanie, and daughters, Malia 13, Tess 11, Samantha 8 and Mabel 5.

For more information, please visit our website: https://cvfiber.net/preliminarymerger-plan/. Direct inquiries can be sent to: preliminarymerger@cvfiber.net. According to Cabot CVFiber representatives, the merger has been in the works for some time, since the BEAD program (Broadband Equity and Access and Deployment) funds were thrown open to bids from the private sector. CVFiber was too small to compete with Consolidated and others, so we began merger discussions with NEK Broadband, which is larger, more fully built out, and right next door. The combined CUD will still have all the virtues of the smaller municipal co-ops -- non-profit, community-oriented, locally governed -with the advantages of size and scope. R.D. Eno is Cabot’s representative to CVFiber and Seth O'Brien is Cabot’s alternate and Walden's principal representative.

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Squire Morse’s Honorable Son

by Jane Brown

The Center of Town is one of Cabot’s earliest historic spots, and a very serene one. This is where the first town meetings and church gatherings took place, where the village pound, stocks, and first tavern stood. It is the site of Cabot’s first burying ground, established in 1799. The buildings are gone, but the cemetery, with its rows of weathered fieldstone markers bearing names of the earliest settlers such as Adams, Heath, Hitchcock, Morse, Osgood, and Smith, is a grim reminder of the men and women who struggled in the wilderness to create this little community. The Center hosted the town’s business affairs for about 40 years until it was displaced by the need for waterpower. Business moved to the valley where there were mills on the Winooski River. The Center was abandoned - the last burial at the little cemetery was in 1849. Still, people gathered at the Center in the late 1800s for Fourth of July picnics, and later Old Home Week celebrations. In 1901, a large boulder was placed at the crest of the hill where the first meeting house and school once stood. Gradually, the cleared land became a fine grove of trees and in time, the stone walls that defined the old pound and the roadway were overgrown with ferns, moss and wildflowers. Today it is a quiet, solitary spot where it’s easy to imagine the plodding oxen used to till the soil and children happily playing in the school yard under tall evergreen and maple trees. If you visit, listen carefully, for it was here, beside the stump of a tree, that David Morse once took a solemn vow. This is his story:

In a certain book about Vermont early history Is the following story, ‘tho if it’s true is a mystery. It says that James Morse, a gentleman fine Came from Massachusetts in 1789. He walked north with his family, up hill and down To Cabot Vermont, at the Center of Town. He cleared land for a cabin of logs, mud and rock, And settled his wife, his children and stock. The townsfolk respected James Mores, Esquire. They said he had knowledge the down did require. They made him their moderator, the said, “Wait just a minute! Our town is growing—we need a Justice of Peace in it!” So they made James a Justice, but he did declare, “I know nothing of weddings, so I’d best prepare. He called upon David, his eldest son, And said, “Stand by that tree stump and I’ll practice what’s done.” Young David stood by the chopped off tree Squire Morse boomed with importance: “REPEAT AFTER ME! I DAVID, TAKE THIS TREE AS MY LAWFUL WIFE TO LOVE AND PROTECT FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.” Dave repeated those words, sincere and true. “You’re now man and wife,” Squire said. “We’re through!” The years went by and many were married, But David remembered the vow that he carried He was faithful to the stump, ‘tho many a lass Let him know she’d be willing, if only he’d ask. “I’m sorry,” he’d say, “I cannot marry thee For I’m already married to that yonder tree.” With weather and wear through the years it diminished, But ‘twas twenty-two years before that stump was finished. When Old Dave saw it all crumbled and rotten, He knew his vows could at last be forgotten. He hurried to town to find the young girls Who had teased him so with their smile and their curls. But the pretty young things were now all old ladies With husbands and children and even grand-babies. Alas, thought poor David, for me it’s too late. Being wed to that tree was a terrible fate! He left the village feeling sad, lonely and old, And headed home through the forest all dreary and cold. On the path came a woman, her hair pulled back tight. Her smile was like summer, her eyes deep as the night. Dave stepped to one side and tipped his cap slightly. She stopped and reached out to touch his cheek lightly. She spoke with a voice like an angel’s in Heaven – “I remember you, David – when I was by seven I watched as your father married you to a tree And wished in my heart that it could be me.” “Who are you?” Dave asked, holding fast to his cane. She curtsied and smiled. “Meribah Woodbury’s my name.” “Your husband?” asked David. “I have none,” she said. “Will you have me then?” She nodded her head. Dave’s friends all rejoiced as soon as they heard. But others complained the whole thing was absurd— Dave was crazy to be faithful to that stump on the hill, And any woman who’d marry him must be crazier still. On the tenth day of April in 1810, David stood before the Squire again. The words rang out clearly—he knew them by heart. “I’ll love and cherish you ‘til death do us part.” His bride was a vision—so demure and sweet. Dave was bursting with love from his head to his feet.

The next spring Dave and Meribah had their first son. Dave proudly named him George Washington. When the next baby came, they named him Jare; Then Sally was born – but they didn’t stop there. There was Jesse, Joshua, Franklin and Nilson— Six boys and a girl—the house was quite filled then. The youngsters were happy and grew up just fine. Some stayed in Cabot, some left in due time. They are all gone now, every last one, Resting peaceful and quiet, their work on earth done. But at the Center of Town there’s said to still be A restless stirring where there once was a tree. If you stay very quiet and patiently wait, Folks say that you’ll hear the stump calling her mate. Historic records verify that James Morse came to live in Cabot in 1789. He built the first log cabin at the Center of town, and later ran a tavern there. He was moderator at Cabot’s first town meeting, a legislator, and Cabot’s first Justice of the Peace. The first marriage in Cabot, performed by Justice Morse, was David Lyford to Judith Heath in 1795. David Morse was about 29 when he was married to the stump. David had a much younger brother, James, born in 1782. Square Morse died in 1812 at age 66 and is buried in the Center of Town Cemetery. I found no record of his wife, Hannah, but I assume she was also buried there. David Morse married Meribah Woodbury in 1810 when he was 46 and she was about 24. David died in 1834 at age 68 and Meribah died nine years later at age 58. Both are buried in the Cabot Village Cemetery. James Morse, David’s brother, moved to Calais and in 1814 married Lucy Bliss. Direct descendants of James and Lucy are Harry “Burr” Morse and his brother, Elliot, both

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of Woody Rubble and

by R.D. Eno & Peg Elmer Hough

Members of the Flood Resiliency Task Force, accompanied by Agency of Natural Resources river engineer Ben Matthews, Selectboard chair Mike Hogan and contractor Steve Hogan, walked the tributary running through the double culverts on Main Street to examine the two large debris piles that accumulated during the July 2023 flood. The purpose of the visit was to determine whether debris should be removed as a stop-gap measure to prevent culvert clogging this summer. During the catastrophic storm that inundated the town at rates exceeding at times nine inches an hour, boulders, loose logs and uprooted timber were swept downhill and blocked the culverts, sending cataracts into the Willey Building parking lot and the Town offices, tearing up Main Street and seriously damaging the dwellings and businesses on the opposite side. Similar flooding occurred at the Rec Field bridge and adjacent houses. A grant-funded engineering study will get underway this summer to identify interventions that can mitigate debris hazards in the future. In advance of the study’s conclusions, the Task Force is seeking more immediate measures to protect the Village Center. The first debris pile is situated about 100 yards upstream of the VAST (Vermont Association of Snow Travelers) bridge that sustained damage and was retracted after the flood. A mass of rubble – logs, branches, roots, boulders – got wedged by the swollen waters against standing trees and at the end of a humped island created when the tributary cut new channels for itself against both banks. A second log jam occurred further upstream at a cabin built by landowner Gleb Glinka, through whose property the tributary runs. To Matthews’s trained eye, the VAST pile seemed secure enough to act as a barrier to oncoming debris in a future storm. In fact, the engineering study could recommend constructed debris piles or “woody additions”, consisting of

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Rubber Ducks

large trees felled and positioned perpendicular to the tributaries. Another option might be metal “debris catchers” – there is a variety of designs to choose among, from embedded I-beams to grates and Vshaped structures – installed at strategic locations along both tributaries. Either alternative would intercept debris on its way down to the culverts. For the moment, however, the naturally-created VAST pile, like a giant beaver dam, could be stable enough to protect the Village in the next heavy rain. The cabin pile, in Matthews’s view, is more likely to shift under stress, and he advised the Task Force to monitor the site for the movement of large logs. A comparison of photos of the cabin pile the day after the inspection, to pictures taken last fall by Cabot high-schoolers in Thomas Dunbar’s science class, showed no discernible shifting, despite December’s downpour and sudden snowmelt. Still, the Task Force will continue to observe the debris situation along the tributaries, even as the engineering study gets underway this summer. If significant movement is detected, the Town now has a green light from the State to bring in heavy equipment and extract or reposition any dangerous logs. So, until more permanent solutions can be found, it appears the Town’s best option is to leave the debris piles in place. On another, fun, front, the July 13, Saturday afternoon After the Flood

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Commemoration Event the Task

Force is working on, in partnership with the Cabot Public Library, is shaping up! We hope the weather will allow us to be outside, under tents, with a series of interactive exhibit “stations” – a stream table, a “window shield” that protected the Lincoln Library during Tropical storm Irene, a Cabot School station presenting the students’ flood mitigation studies from last fall, an “Idea Station” and much more. Get stamps on your ticket by visiting the stations, and you can get assigned a famous bathtub toy to enter in the – wait for it! – RUBBER DUCKIE RACE ON THE RIVER!

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EVENTS

10 AM - Sing your favorite old hymns 11 AM - Worship Art Zorn at the 1896 Hook & Hastings organ Ministers from the past reflect on their time in our pulpit 12:30 PM - Buffet Lunch on the Common - By Donation Cabot Historical Society Building - Open for history buffs.

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175 Years of Service

by Amanda Legare When Cabot was granted in 1780, religion was not high on new settlers’ priority list. It wasn’t until 20 years later that citizens voted to organize a Christian society that was to be known as “the Congregationalists in the Town of Cabot” which became official on October 25, 1801. The 13 members of the new society first met in homes, barns, or the schoolhouse at the Center of Town, but plans were soon made to build a proper church. Leonard Spencer wrote in his “Biography of a Building,” about the Center Meeting House that was “raised” in September, 1806 but remained a bare frame for almost six years until it was finally closed in enough for use, but only in the summer. Another Cabot author, Archie Stone, wrote in a publication put out by the Vermont State Teacher’s Association: “My grandfather used to tell me that he could recall sitting in that church when he was a small boy, while the minister in the high pulpit pounded out his hourand-a-half sermons, and the cattle lowed in the pound, and the lambs bleated under the floor where they had crawled for respite from sun and flies.” Parishioners were divided on whether they should finish the building where it stood or move it to the village where a trading center had grown up around water-powered mills. Winter gatherings continued in local homes and barns for the next 12 years. The building was eventually disassembled and transported to the village where it was rebuilt over a period of several months at the northeast corner of the common, about where the Cabot School is now. Rev. Henry Jones was ordained in 1827 and installed as pastor, paid half by cash and half in grain. At that time, there was a one-room schoolhouse located on the northwest corner of the common, but as the village grew, a larger two-room schoolhouse was built (now the home of the Cabot Historical Society), and the old school was taken down. That made the prominent corner lot on Main Street available and the church rebuilt on this better site in 1849 at a cost of $3,500. Photographs show that the once one-story building was jacked up at some point to allow for another floor. The new building was heated with two large stoves in the basement and stove pipes running the full length of the church. Incisions in the flooring under each row of pews allowed heat from the stovepipes to rise, warming worshipers in the room above. The Congregational Church was extensively redecorated and refurbished in 1898. New stained glass windows were put in place, an ornamental steel ceiling installed, a new furnace, new hardwood floor, and the straight-back pews were replaced with new, curved oak pews from Grand Rapids, Michigan. This work was carefully overseen by Mrs. Seraphine Wiswell, who donated her time and a good deal of money to the project.

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to Celebrate

Congregations grew in both the Congregational Church and the Methodist Church that sat diagonally across the common. A generally friendly rivalry existed between the two churches, and for many years both churches flourished. Rev. Fred Blodgett wrote in My Generation in Cabot, “The Congregational church catered a bit more to the generally considered IMPORTANT families of the community, while the Methodists were more ROUGH AND READY and appealed more to the rank and file. . . . They were about equal in attendance, financial support and enterprise.” Rev. Blodgett continued: “Our family all belonged to the Methodist church, and my father held most of the responsible positions there at one time and another until 1893 when he married for his second wife, Miss Lelia Haines, whose family from the beginning of the town had been prominently identified with the Congregational church. Following their marriage, he began attending that church with her. . . . We children continued to belong to and attend the Methodist. The division even extended to the pair of horses which worked together during the week. The brown mare, Nell, carried us children to the Methodist church and the bay, Tib went to the Congo. They protested the situation by often calling to each other in loud whinnies during the services, to the amusement of people in either church who knew the situation.” Over time, with diminishing membership and increased expenses, it became evident that the two churches could not continue as separate entities and were going to have to merge, despite strong opposition from some members. The initial agreement was that each church would maintain its own organization and that one pastor would serve both societies and that worship should take place alternately every six months in each church. This schedule became difficult to maintain. Important decisions had to be made. It was decided that the Congregational Church building would better accommodate both congregations. The Methodist’s pipe organ was quite grand and had been purchased with a $1,000 memorial gift by Miss Josie Lance in 1895. The local newspaper reported that the Hook and Hastings organ in the Methodist Church was moved from that church to the United Church of Cabot “by amateurs”. At the new location, a new railing had to be built to adapt for the muchlarger instrument. Bessie Bean recalled copying the railing around the choir seating and sawing out the shapes with a jigsaw on her kitchen table. The merger officially took place July 7, 1928, and the first service as the United Church of Cabot took place July 15. After the merger, members could join the United Church of Cabot, the Congregational section or the Methodist section. Lois Domey remembered the Methodists went to the alter for communion and at the same time the Congregationalists “passed the wine around in little containers.” At one point they had a Baptist preacher, Mr. Hildreth, as pastor. When a young lady became seriously ill, Pastor Hildreth was asked to baptize her. He believed in total immersion, but a church committee advised him to baptize by sprinkling. He eventually converted to the faith of the Congregational church and stayed with the Cabot church for seven years. The Methodist church building was remodeled in 1938 to become the school’s gymnasium. The horse sheds and hitching rail along the east side of the United church were taken down. The 1944 budget was the first year there was no allocation for “pump boy” for the organ – a mechanical blower had been installed. A metal roof was put on the church in 1945, and toilets were installed in 1947. The heating system was upgraded to oil in 1952, and in 1955 a kitchen was installed and major work completed in the vestry, under the supervision of Don Houston. In spite of improvements in wiring, heating, plumbing and construction over the years, in 1972 the oil furnace blew a gasket and the interior of the building was coated with oily smudge. The whole interior had to be repainted and the furnace was replaced. On May 13, 1973, disaster struck again. Three hours after choir practice , the double ceiling and insulation caved in, devastating the interior. It was thought that the old square nails fastening the original planks to the main cross timbers were loosened by the weight of the insulation. Fluctuating temperatures caused by the malfunctioning old furnace, and finally the shock of the furnace exploding all contributed to the ceiling accident. The damage was discovered the following morning by Ilene Walker, the custodian. People from all over town came to see the shocking situation. Community volunteers formed work bees every evening to break up and carry out the debris. The damage was so bad a committee was formed to decide whether to repair the damage or build a new church. The executive board voted in August to hire Raymond Picard of Hardwick to repair the church. The cost would be $21,967. Morris Sanders supervised the structural and technical aspects of the work and Leonard Spencer chaired the decorating committee. Leonard worked closely with Mary Tebbetts and Eloise Gibson, and painted wreaths and swags on the ceiling’s sheet metal border and other detailing throughout the church. He also built an attractive new cross from a barn rafter. And now, more than 50 years after that disaster, the church holds Sunday services every week, served by a continuation of enthusiastic pastors. Mainstream church membership across the country is falling and as expenses like fuel and insurance rise; the Cabot congregation reflects that trend. The Cabot church has recently converted its ground floor dining hall into a daycare facility to help meet expenses and to serve the community’s need. Services begin at 10 am every Sunday and the church is open to everyone. On Sunday, July 28, the celebration of the church’s 175th anniversary will be held with a hymn sing at 10 am, followed by an 11 am service, and a buffet lunch on the Common. The whole community is invited, as well as folks from “away”, who in years past might have returned to Cabot for an “Old Home Week.” Members look forward to stories and reminiscences that might add to the church’s existing historical record.

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to the Cabot Poetry Walk

by Sonia Scherr, Cabot School

Visitors to Cabot’s newest recreation trail will find something unexpected there: a display of poems written by students at Cabot School. The poetry walk, a partnership of the school and the Cabot Trails Committee, is situated on the Old Town Center Trail, which officially opened this spring. Located directly behind the Willey Building, the mile-long trail extends from the municipal building parking area to just beyond the historic Center of Town Cemetery. The trails committee used a grant from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to improve what had been an informal trail, while students in the high school poetry workshop took the lead on creating the poetry display. As part of this project, students in the class:  visited poetry trails in Vermont and New Hampshire.  learned and practiced poetic techniques.  used published poems as models to write their own nature-themed poetry.  participated in a poetry workshop with local poet Sean Prentiss.  taught poetry writing to younger students to help them craft poetry for the trail.  designed, constructed and helped install 16 stands featuring the selected poems, which were written by class members and students from across the school community. The trail’s grand opening on May 29 featured presentations from the trails committee, the Cabot Historical Society, and Cabot high school students, who spoke about how they developed the poetry display. The event was covered by WCAX, which interviewed students after their talk as they took community members on a tour of the trail. The students’ final task in the poetry workshop was to write about their experience creating the poetry walk. Below are brief excerpts from these papers, in which students reflect on what they learned from the project:

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Shianne C., grade 9:

“Creating the poetry trail seemed like a daunting task, and at the beginning of the class I thought that it was a goal we wanted to accomplish but would never see. The idea of putting together all the elements of a poetry trail seemed unattainable in the time we had for our class; however, I quickly figured out that I was in fact going to have to build this poetry trail. … I thought that I wouldn’t have much to offer, but once we started I figured out that I could contribute in lots of ways. I contributed a poem, I helped put up the poems on their stands, and I helped create the pamphlet that goes in the kiosk at the beginning of the trail. … “The best part of having contributed to this poetry trail is that I get to continue seeing the work that I’ve created because it is a part of our community. I am really proud of myself for drilling plaques to stands because I’ve never really had to use an electric drill before this project. Overall, I learned that the people in this class can work together, have fun, and still manage to leave a lasting impression on our community.”

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Meadow B., grade 9:

“We each had to create our own plaque with our poem on it in a software app called “Inkscape.” I was familiar with the app, so I knew what to do. The only thing I struggled with was when it came to the text because I didn’t know what font to use. But my teachers helped me out with it so it turned out well. I also helped with the plaque after it was created, when my class and I helped apply varnish three times on the plaque to protect it from the weather and breaking down. When the varnish was dry, my class and I helped sand it down with sandpaper so the top and bottom were smooth. When it came to putting the poetry on the trail, my friend and I helped pre-drill holes into each plaque and put it on the post. We did a little bit of arguing about whose poems would go where, but we got some of them finished at the end of class. “As I hiked the trails [as part of our coursework], I learned to appreciate nature more and how important it can be to people. I have also learned to pay attention more to the little things… because every little detail counts when it comes to writing a good poem. That has helped me put more thought and effort into my writ-

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Aysha R., grade 12:

“I was surprised by how long it took for the Glowforge [the 3D laser printer] to print just one poem [typically about 45 minutes]. I learned that it takes a lot to make revisions and sometimes the Glowforge messes up. It’s also important to ask a lot of clarifying questions to make sure you know exactly how everyone wants the trail. “I have always wanted to do something for the community so I might try to get a poetry trail in Maine [where Aysha will attend Husson University]. Maybe even do some poetry workshops! Sometimes kids don’t know they are interested in writing poetry until they write poetry for the first time or even read it. In the very beginning, on the first day of poetry class, I had no idea how to write a poem and I couldn’t remember when I’d read a poem last. I have learned that I really enjoy writing and reading poetry. Sometimes when I’m feeling down I find myself looking up poems to motivate me for the day. In college I want to read more poetry books and experiment with different types and techniques of poetry.”

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Birdwalk Results

by Cedric Alexander

May 19 turned out to be a splendid morning weatherwise for our annual bird walk. Clear skies, a comfortable temperature, and surprisingly few bugs contributed to a very enjoyable walk near the northeast tip of Joes Pond. Ten folks enjoyed the expert bird identification skills of leader Tom Berriman of Lyndonville, and 43 different species were detected on our two-hour walk along the wetlands and forest habitats after digging another could take over. To me it wasn’t that difficult because of work I had done in the past with my grandfather. Tools that we used to dig the holes were post hole diggers, a breaker bar and some shovels. Then we set the posts with some more help from the other trail committee members. To me something that really worked well during the trail building process was when we split up to cover more ground and get [the job] done fast. “Some moments I look back on fondly are our trips to the other poetry trails. We used information that we gathered from other trails to make our own better, such as by counting the number of poems on the trails we visited. Or [thinking about] how accessible their trail was for people with disabilities.”

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Leilah T., grade 9:

“I was surprised to see that many people came to our exhibition [at the Willey Building on May 29], and how many people took pictures and actually walked the trail and read all of the poems. After the tour, River and I walked down the hill and spotted some moose tracks, and he said it was probably a female moose. I was surprised because Stella wrote a poem for the trail about a moose crossing the river. Even though I didn’t write Stella’s poem, it was kind of relatable to see the tracks. “The most memorable thing about this project was being interviewed and being on the news. I was right next to my poem “The Scavenger” when I got interviewed. The reporter pulled out her microphone and started asking questions like, “How do you feel about your poem being on the trail?” and “What inspired you to write this poem?” I shared that this was actually an object poem about a boar jaw that my dog brought home one day. This poem was my favorite because it is easier for me if I have a visual in front of me to write from or about.”

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River M., grade 9:

“I loved getting out of the classroom to go work on the trail. Honestly, I felt like out of all the time we spent making and planning this trail, I didn’t dislike any of it. One thing that was most stressful for me was digging the holes for the posts on the trail. It was hard to dig around big rocks and roots in the ground. “I’m most proud of the end result. I feel like our trail could really get out there. It could draw the attention of people who don’t even know what poetry is, and that could be a good thing. People could tell family and others about it, and it could become one of the well-known trails in Vermont.”

owned by Dennis and Diane Fuse and the Passumpsic Valley Land Trust. We enjoyed the sights and songs of seven different warblers, three sparrows, three thrushes, and several wetland species including Great-blue Heron, American Bittern, Common Snipe, Greater Yellowlegs, Canada Goose, Mallard, Wood Duck, Common Loon, Swamp Sparrow, Alder Flycatcher and Northern Waterthrush. A highlight of the walk was hearing the loud calls of the Virginia Rail, a rare breeder in northeastern Vermont. Special thanks to the Fuse’s for allowing vehicle parking on their property!

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Consulting and Gardening

Many of us have an idea of how the landscaping around homes should look. A nice short green lawn (only grass), a few neatly-trimmed shrubs around the foundation, and some very bright flowers in a couple pots, and possibly a mature tree or two. While this might appeal to the eye, there are significant downsides to this “traditional” look. Let’s consider the problems, and the alternatives that can make a property a haven for living things.

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Lawns

Cut within an inch of its life, and doused in herbicide and fertilizer, the American lawn is worse than a desert. If you want a lawn that actually gives some benefit to other living things, allow it to contain lots of different plants (including clover), and mow it less often, and higher (about 3-4”). As a side benefit, it will stay greener in hot spells, reducing the need for fertilizer and water. Also think about reducing the size of your lawn. Lawns provide a place to play and relax. But they only need to be that size, not the entirety of a property. Keeping a lawn to a reasonable size saves you time and work, and if you use a gas mower, it saves a lot of emissions as well.

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Foundation shrubs

The style of foundation shrubbery came about with the rise of the suburbs and the automobile. Who sees a foundation shrub? Generally not the homeowner…it’s too close to be seen from inside the house. It’s meant to be seen by the neighbors, and cars driving by. Planting shrubs right against a building can cause damage to the siding, and in some cases, to the foundation. Consider planting shrubs further from the building. They won’t damage your house, and you’ll be able to enjoy them simply by looking out the window.

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Joe’s Pond Association

The Joe's Pond Association (JPA) is pleased to announce that its Greeter Program for the 2024 season is underway at the boat launch on Route 2 in West Danville. The purpose of the statewide program is to educate boaters, inspect watercraft and trailers, and prevent the introduction of various invasive aquatic species into our lakes and ponds. Although several invasive plant species are worrisome, the Eurasian watermilfoil is particularly so, and to date, none has been identified in Joe's Pond. Greeters and program coordinators are required to complete in-person or online training with state biologist Olin Reed prior to the opening of each season. Throughout the season, they collect and report data to the State via the Survey123 app.

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is it actually good?

the showiest flowers are bred for color only, and don’t provide much nectar or pollen for wildlife…some don’t provide any at all. To look so perfect and flashy at the store or nursery, they may be heavily treated with pesticides and fungicides, and are almost always fed large amounts of petroleum-based fertilizer. As an alternative, choose perennial flowering plants. Even better, choose native plants. They may not have the “in-yourface” impact of petunias. But their subtle beauty, coupled with an abundance of pollinators, makes for a lovely and lively garden.

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Mature trees only

Mature trees are great, no mistake about it. But often they are the only tree on a property. What will happen at the end of its life? Plant young trees, so when the inevitable occurs, the property is well on its way to more mature trees. Your future self (or your children, or successive homeowners) will thank you.

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Tidiness

Dead trees, brush piles, fallen leaves, garden debris, tall grass: these are forbidden elements of a “traditional” landscape. But they have immense ecological value. All of them provide homes for insects and other invertebrates, which in turn become food for birds and mammals. Of course, there are safety considerations. Tall dead trees that pose a risk to buildings or people need to come down. Brush piles should not rise to the level of fire hazards. But having some amount of “messiness” makes your property a richer place for all sorts of wildlife. When you look at landscapes as living places, your idea of what is beautiful and what looks good will shift. I hope you’ll start to see landscapes in a whole new way! 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 gardening help, visit www.SocksFamily

The Greeter program is made possible with financial support from the towns of Danville, Walden, and Cabot, as well as from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Aquatic Nuisance Control (ANC) Grant-in-Aid funding. Controlling nuisance and invasive species is a crucial factor in maintaining the health and recreational potential of Vermont's lakes and ponds. Boater education, cooperation, and vigilant implementation of proper practices are also crucial, along with local and state funding. Let's have a great summer on the pond!

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BYU Names Will Voight

B r i g h a m Young University (Provo, UT) men’s basketball head Kevin coach Young announced June 3 the on addition of Will Voigt to the program as an assistant coach. “Will is someone I’ve had great respect for,” Young said. “He is a creative thinker, very organized and has an unmatched work ethic. Will has years of head coaching experience in the NBA GLeague, as well as vast experience coaching all over the world, including in the Rio Olympics. He’s not afraid to push the envelope creatively, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Will is a high-level coach who I will lean on heav-

Voigt brings a wealth of experience to the Cougar bench, boasting more than 20 years of basketball experience, including time as a head coach in the NBA G League, Europe and international level. He joins Young’s staff after spending the 2023-24 season as the head coach of the Austin Spurs in the NBA G League. David Duke Jr. played in a team-high 34 games, averaging 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He also worked with RaiQuan Gray, who averaged 17.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game and was named to the United States roster for the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup qualifiers. He spent one season as the head coach of the Zamalek of the Egyptian Basketball Super League and Basketball Africa League. He guided the team to a third-place finish in the BAL playoffs, along with an appearance in the Super League semifinal. Voigt had two different stints as the head coach of German Bundesliga side Telekom Baskets Bonn, after serving as

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to Coaching Staff

the head coach of the Angola National Basketball team from 2017-20. Former Cougar Brandon Davies played for Voigt in four AfroCan qualifiers, averaging 16.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. He was named the head coach of the Nigerian national team at AfroBasket 2015. He helped the D’Tigers win their first-ever FIBA Afrobasket title with a 74-65 win over Angola securing automatic qualification to the 2016 Summer Olympics. He spent the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach for the Shanxi Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was the head coach of the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League from 2009-14, leading the team to a trio of playoff appearances. He led the Vermont Frost Heaves to back-to-back ABA Championships after being voted the head coach by the fans when Alexander Wolff purchased the team and put the naming of the head coach to a vote. He got his first head coaching gig in Norway, spending three seasons with Ulriken Elite from 200306. Voigt worked under Mike Dunlap at Metro State during the 2002-03 season where the Roadrunners went 28-5, winning the RMAC Tournament before falling to Nebraska Kearney in the regional final. He spent the previous season as an assistant coach under Rick Barnes at Texas, helping the Longhorns make a run to the Sweet 16. The Cabot, Vermont native was a video coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs from 1999-01 after getting his start in coaching in 1998 as an intern for the Los Angeles Clippers while earning his degree in political science from Pomona College. Watch or read WCAX 2020 coverage of Will, “From Cabot to the World: A Basketball Journey,” at https:// www.wcax.com/2020/12/11/from-cabot-to -the-world-will-voigts-basketballjourney/.

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Let’s Talk About Art—Margarita

Margarita Pulaski at the May 31 opening Jaquith Library in Marshfield

by Janet Van Fleet

Painting by Frederick Rudi

I often wonder, what is it that makes some people interested in art (or music, or theater, or books…) and not others? It must be some combination of natural, innate attraction, along with chance or chosen life experiences that expose a child or young person to an artform. And many times someone will move in and out of involvement with an artform – like studying a musical instrument in school, stopping for many years, and then coming back to it decades later. If we are lucky, life is long, and art can be there when we want and need it, waiting patiently while we focus on other things. Margarita Pulaski has lived in Cabot for over 30 years. She was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York City when she was seven. One of her earliest memories, around age 4 or 5, is of being on a small balcony in the family home and looking out at the world and having an intensely strong awareness of the beauty of colors and the joy of being a part of it. That responsiveness to the seen world continued in her school experience in New York, where she said, “I drew a lot, and was named the Class Artist in fifth grade.” In junior high school she went to the Henry Street Settlement and worked to create a portfolio of artwork to apply for entrance to the prestigious High School of Music and Art. “Other kids came to the interview and entrance ex-

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Pulaski

reception of her two-person exhibit at the

ams with fancy leather portfolio cases, but mine was made with cardboard,” she said. Nevertheless, she was accepted for their four-year program, which involved painting and drawing classes for three periods a day, as well as rigorous academic classes and, equally important, exposure to other kids with artistic interests and aspirations, as well as outings to the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum. Life moved along, and when she was 21 she married the author Jack Pulaski and had children, a job, and not much time for painting and drawing. But after she stopped working in 2002 she began to take classes at SPA (Studio Place Arts), doing life drawing in Danville, and sketching at home. “I wasn’t driven to do artwork at times in my life, and I didn’t value the drawings I did then and mostly just discarded them,” she confessed. “But finally, in the last 10-20 years, I started taking it more seriously and actually working on it at home.

Oil pastel by Margarita Pulaski entitled “Altar”, showing objects and a window view that have great personal significance for the artist

She now works with pen and ink and pastels, and has exhibited her work in the Artisans Gallery, the Cabot Art Barn and currently in an exhibit at the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield village, which will be up through the month of August. Margarita is sharing this exhibit with Frederick Rudi (who goes by his last name), a painter who often participates in the Cabot Show and Tell meetings that happen once a month at the Town Hall. Although their work is very dissimilar, Rudi has also spoken of having had periods of intense painting alternat-

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Please Help the Planning

The Planning Commission is asking for the help of residents to update our Town Plan. It has been seven years since the last Town Plan update, and a lot has changed in that time. Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability and drop it off at the Town Clerk’s Office. We can then start compiling your data for the update to reflect the wishes of the community. Thank you, The Planning Commission Town Planning Community Input Survey 1. How long have you lived in Cabot? 2. What do you value most about Cabot? 3. In your opinion, what is the most important issue that the community needs to address? 4. To what extent do you value the following features of Cabot? (Choose 5 and rank from 1-5, one being the most important) a. Historic buildings and landscapes/neighborhoods b. Working farms c. Gasoline for sale in the village d. Natural features (lakes, rivers, forests, etc.) e. Schools f. Community and cultural organizations g. Recreational opportunities h. Arts and events i. Other—please specify 5. Do you believe that Cabot needs more: (select all that apply) a. Single-family housing? b. Multi-family housing? c. Housing for the elderly? d. Housing for the disabled? 6. How valuable are the following in maintaining a high quality of life in Cabot? Does Cabot demonstrate these qualities? a. Scenic qualities, natural beauty b. Small-town character c. Engaged and caring community 7. Do you believe Cabot Creamery is important to the future of Cabot? Why? 8. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the following resources should be protected when development occurs ? (1 = Not at all, 10 = Completely) a. Large areas of contiguous forests b. Wildlife habitat and wildlife travel corridors c. Land being actively farmed ing with no painting activity. Perhaps the message in this month’s column is that there is no one way to be an artist. Some people work consistently throughout their lives, while for others the work may ebb and flow like the tide. But art can always enrich both viewers and makers if it’s given a chance. So, why not go on down to the exhibit at the library in Marshfield before the end of August, and see for yourself?

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Commission

d. Open land with valuable agricultural soils e. Scenic views, including scenic roads f. Ridgelines g. Wetlands h. Tributaries and Streams i. Historic buildings and sites j. Other please specify 9. What recreational opportunities in Cabot do you value most? 10. What, if anything, do you believe is needed for additional recreational opportunities in Cabot? 11. What, if any, additional businesses do you think are needed in the Town of Cabot? 12. Do you believe that Zoning should regulate protection of forest blocks? Like cluster housing? Yes or no and why. 13. Please help the Planning Commission prioritize the following issues: (Choose 5 and rate from 1-5, one being the most important) a. Retention of farms b. Retention of open space/natural areas c. School facility planning d. Preservation of historic buildings and sites e. Development of tree canopy on Main Street f. Climate change mitigation g. Transportation alternatives h. Affordable housing opportunities i. Road maintenance j. Economic development k. Tourism l. Commercial Development m.Better cell service/internet n. Maintaining the character of the village 14. Were you involved in the planning process for the previous Town Plan? 15. Do you want to be involved in the current Town Plan renewal process? 16. Did the pandemic change your way of life in Cabot? If so, how? 17. With two floods (2011 and 2023) since the last town plan was approved, how have your ideas changed about what the town needs to work on? 18. Why do you live in Cabot? And please give your name or road name so that we have an accurate representation of who has responded to the survey. Thank you for your participation! Sincerely, The Cabot Planning Commission

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Cabot’s Katie Trautz of

On July 10, 2023, Executive Director of Montpelier Alive, Katie Trautz, was hit with the unexpected: days of record rainfall on already saturated ground caused the Winooksi River to breach its banks and inundate downtown Montpelier. The worst flood event in nearly a century resulted in catastrophic damage to both businesses and residents, and left some people seriously asking if Montpelier’s downtown even had a future. A musician, mother, and arts advocate, Katie was just month into her tenure as Executive Director at Montpelier Alive when she demonstrated the creativity, dedication, and leadership that helped a devastated community rise up. In the days after the flood, Katie’s previous plans to grow activities, boost economic development, and celebrate Montpelier’s unique charm were scrapped and she pivoted in ways she never expected. With the assistance of the City Parks Department and community leaders with emergency response experience, she became a central figure in the City’s recovery. Katie helped lead Montpelier’s volunteer Hub that helped connect almost 4,000 volunteers with people who needed help mucking out water-soaked homes and businesses. She linked businesses to assistance providers, helping them apply for funding, and helping raise and disperse over $2 million in direct flexible funding to local businesses —many of whom by

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Montpelier Alive!

their own admission would not be operating today if not for that assistance. Of the over 140 downtown businesses impacted by July’s flood, just under one year later, 90% have reopened. Katie became a trusted source of information. She helped convene a series of well-attended community forums that allowed the city to begin a common conversation about the trauma they had experienced, and to consider a long-term vision for resiliency. Today, she serves as a founding Commissioner of the Montpelier Commission on Resilience and Recovery that was formed in the wake of the flood to help Montpelier meet the challenge of a generation. All the while, Katie continued to manage Montpelier Alive’s activities. She invested in organizational growth – doubling the staff to meet community needs and to enhance revitalization efforts. She has also become a leading voice among other downtown organizations and has shared Montpelier’s story with other communities impacted by climate change from Maine to Alabama. It’s no surprise that Katie won USA Today’s Woman of the Year award for Vermont for her flood recovery efforts in Montpelier. For ALL her exceptional work leading the community through very difficult times and into an exciting future, the Vermont Downtown Program honors Katie Trautz with the 2024 Downtown Leadership Award.

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Leucistic Red Squirrel

Leucistic Red Squirrel at Tebbetts Farm 6-8-24. Photo Rollin Tebbetts. What’s a Jerry Jam? still be part of the experience by listening live from the website at no cost. “We are A Celebration of Music and Community just good people trying to do good things,” is how Dan Webb sums up the event. Tickets are available online at jerryjam.com or at Harry’s Hardware Store. Hope to see you in a field near you!

Well It's Not the WI Times Square Kiss, But,,,,

by Nate Alberts While the festival continues to honor Jerry Garcia with tribute bands and Grateful Dead-inspired performances, it has expanded to include a variety of genres. Attendees can enjoy rock, folk, bluegrass, reggae, and more. One of the defining features of Jerry Jam is its friendly atmosphere for all ages. Families with children are a common sight. A highlight is the “kids' parade” on Sunday, along with a kids' activities tent and a small stage for children to play on with a variety of instruments. A collaboration with Lyndon State University has been part of a long tradition with Jerry Jam. Student interns studying music participate each year by running their own stage at the festival. They are responsible for sound, production, and booking bands and artists. Camping is a significant part of the festival. While many bring their tents or RVs for the duration, day passes are also available for those who would like to come for a day or two. A variety of great food and craft vendors will be available. New this year: hot showers! Keeping true to its grassroots and

This year's event will be held July 1921 at the Pransky Farm in Cabot, VT. Jerry Jam started in 1996 as a humble gathering with founder Dan Webb and a handful of friends in the backyard to honor and celebrate the life and music of Jerry Garcia. Jerry Jam has now grown into a beloved tradition that brings together music lovers, families, and community spirit reminiscent of simpler times. Now a multi-day event, Jerry Jam community spirit, 100% of the proceeds features a diverse lineup of local, re- go to support a nonprofit, commercialgional, and national bands and artists. free, volunteer-run community radio station called North Country Community Radio. North Country Community Radio's studio is in Littleton, NH. It broadcasts on an FM transmitter and streams online at northcountrycommunityradio.org. Live, local volunteer hosts produce original content, promote community events, and support local and regional musicians and bands. Since 2011, North Country Community Radio has remotely broadcasted live from Jerry Jam, allowing people who are unable to attend to

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Americana & Country Blues

Christine Malcolm, Rudy Dauth, Fran Forim and Hank Clark make up The Kate Brook Romp, described as “acoustic northern Vermont-grass originals with a high note of country blues.” An acoustic celebration of the Grateful Dead! Featuring Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, Jefferson Hamer, Wendy Sassafras Ramsay.

An acoustic celebration of the Grateful Dead!

Featuring Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, Jefferson Hamer, Wendy Sassafras Ramsay.

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Sunday, July 14, 2024, 4:00 PM

Plainfield Recreation Field, 641 Recreation Field Rd, Plainfield, VT Music starts at 4:00 PM Plainfield Recreation Field Suggested donation $20 Bring a chair, blanket, picnic! You're welcome to arrive as early as you'd like, music will begin at 4:00 PM. Kids are of course welcome. Donations encouraged ($20 suggested). Pay what you can.

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Summer Reading Program (ages birth

- 18) - Starting June 18! Come to the library, pick up your reading chart and stickers to earn prizes. It's easy! Read or be read to for 15 minutes a day for 15 days. Participants earn a T-shirt, book and an additional prize of their choice. Sign up for the 10 page club and earn a free pint of ice cream from the Cabot Village Store. Get ready to read!

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Story and Activity Time (ages birth -

5+) - Wednesdays 10:30 - Noon - June 12 - July 31 - Join youth librarian Amanda Otto and teen assistant, Shianne Charette, for stories, songs, crafts and activities! Stay after for snacks and more active play on the swing set, sand box and fields. All are welcome! To note - on 7/17 Firefighter Kerri Moll and Therapy Dog Rudy will lead a fire department themed SH & 7/24 Hannah Morgan from Families Rise Up will join us for a special climate justice themed SH - Please see more info below.

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Ready-To-Read Storytime & STEM

Program (ages 5 - 8) - Tuesdays - June 25, July 9 and July 23 3 - 4:30 pm Join Amanda Otto, Shianne Charette, Stella Herber and Aspen Long for a drop off program designed especially to support emergent readers. Participants will enjoy fun and exciting books and STEM and nature-based projects. Snacks provided. Space is limited. Registration is required email amandaotto.cabotlibrary@gmail.com.

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Family Paint & Snack with Jen Tidd

- Thursday, July 11 6 -7:30 pm - Cabot Public Library - Join Jen Tidd to create your own masterpiece by following stepby-step instructions to paint your own version of the sample art piece. Snacks will be available to help feed your creativity. All materials provided. This program is designed for children and an accompanying parent or caregiver - recommended age is 6 & up. Please plan to attend and be engaged with your child for this program. Registration is required - email amandaotto.cabotlibrary @gmail.com Flock of Fun with Mama Duck of Diamond Family Circus - Saturday, July 13 4:30-5:30 pm - Outside at the Willey Building - Friends of all ages and abilities are invited to join our Flock of Fun with Mama Duck of Diamond Family Circus! We will play and learn circus arts like juggling, hula hooping, and even how to act like a duck! Then Mama Duck will lead our "Make Way for Ducklings" parade to the river, to cheer on our exciting

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Community Sing with Heidi Wilson -

Saturday, July 13 1-1:45 pm - Meet at the Willey Building - Join with friends and neighbors to sing songs as we commemorate the power of the flooding last summer, and all the community generosity and care that followed. Raising our voices together we can remember and move some of the grief and gratitude that comes with such a natural disaster. Local community songleader Heidi Wilson will lead the group in simple, harmony-rich songs to honor resilience, change, water, and interconnectedness. All voices and ages welcome! All songs taught by ear.

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Cell Phone Photography with pho-

tographer Ora Moore – Wednesday, July 31– 6:30-8pm Do you love taking photos on your cell phone? There are some tips and tricks to make the best use of your phone camera: How not to blow out the highlights When to use the “live” button? Is shooting horizontal or vertical best? How do I get the most out of the “edit” button? Should I delete any photos or move them to my computer? What about super wide or super telephoto options? How can I take decent/complimentary selfies? This workshop will take place both inside and outside – please be prepared for the weather and bring your cell phone! Thanks so much to the Library Trustees for their devotion and hard work: Niall McCallum, Angela Ogle, Kurt Steinert, Taeryn Robbins, and Erin Ruddell. See you at the library! Kathleen Hoyne – Library Director Amanda Otto – Youth Librarian

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Division IV State Track & Field Meet Results

partment - Wednesday, July 17 10:30 Noon - Join firefighter Kerri Moll, Therapy Dog Rudy and the Storytime Crew to read stories and learn about fire safety, equipment and trucks! Meet at the Cabot Rec Field Pavilion. The Fire Station is handicapped accessible and there is a bathroom on the premises. Please wear closed-toed shoes. Open play at the pavilion to follow.

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Wednesday, July 24 10:30 - Noon -

Come join Families Rise Up to learn about the ways that families in your area have been rising up for climate justice, and how you can get involved! Everyone is welcome! Childcare support and light snacks provided. Families Rise Up is a project of 350vt dedicated to building community and empowering families to take action for climate justice. We are a group of parents and caregivers who believe that all children deserve a safe and healthy future, and that we have an important voice in calling for real and meaningful change. Storywalk - June 5 - July 17 - Cabot

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Rec Field Pavilion - Enjoy Wonder

Walkers by Micha Archer - July 24 - August 28 - We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade Vermont State Parks and other centers are open for your summer enjoyment! Call or email to borrow these passes: - State Park Pass – Free entry up to 8 people in one vehicle to a Vermont State Park - day area - Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium – Free Family Admission - Historic Sites pass – Free entry up to 8 people in one vehicle for Vermont State Historic Sites -The Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village in Brownington, Vermont – Free entry with pass. - ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain – Aquarium and Science Center - $7 admission for up to 4 people -Vermont History Museum/ Vermont Heritage Galleries – Free entry with Family Pass Before you head out, come to the library to borrow birdwatching books, binoculars, wildlife viewing guides, etc. Many thanks to the Cabot Conservation Committee, The VT Dept. of Libraries, the Dept. of Forests, Parks & Recreation and all the organizations that provide passes. Call or email the library for more info: cabotliby Ry Hoffman

Camryn Hoffman, Senior at Cabot High School, competed in the Division IV State Track & Field Meet May 30 in Manchester, Vermont. Camryn was the only Cabot Track & Field participant this year, having coordinated independently with U-32 High School to participate as a Cabot athlete with the U-32 team. While she qualified for the 200, 400, 800, 1500, and 30 distances, she chose to participate in only the 1500 and 30 races in the State Meet. Her results were impressive. Despite this being her first year competing in Track & Field, Camryn finished second overall in each of these events. Perhaps even more impressive, her one-person team outscored seven other Division IV teams in today’s meet - giving Cabot School a seventh place overall finish in this State Meet. Camryn would like to thank Cabot Principal, Becca Tatistcheff, and Danville Athletic Director, Randy Rathburn, Camryn Hoffman displays her awards. for supporting her in this endeavor.

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(Take-out or tables available inside the church)

Its a great way to reach up to 1900 households in Cabot, Advertising in Marshfield, Plainfield, Hardwick, and Danville! Spread the word about your product or service while helping to support a great community resource. For more information, contact us at We can also design

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← From the Cabot Chronicle