|
The Fletcher Community Newsletter |
| The Resource for Town, School, and Community News and Events - August 2004 |
Community Suppers
by Bruce Webb
Don't miss the Binghamville Methodist Church hot dish suppers on the third Thursday of the month. Seating begins at 5:00 p.m. and continues until all are served. Take out plates are available if you don't have time to socialize. Dates and menus are:
Dinner prices are as follows: adults are $7.00; children under 12 are $3.00; and children under 5 are free. You won't go away hungry!
Join the Cambridge Arts Council for a free outdoor concert on Sunday, August 15 from 4-6 p.m. at the Cambridge School Gazebo (rain site is Elementary School Auditorium). Big Spike Bluegrass plays and signs bluegrass music with impeccable vocal harmonies, a powerful stage presence, a sense of humor, and mastery of their instruments. Based in northern Vermont, Big Spike Bluegrass plays hard-driving traditional bluegrass with an emphasis on 3- and 4-part harmonies. They feature twin fiddles and solid original materials in the traditional style. They set themselves apart from many newer bands by their love for the songs of an earlier era, especially the sounds of the classic "brother duets" of the thirties, forties, and fifties. Whether it's a driving instrumental, a "heart song" done duet style, or a tight a cappella gospel quartet, audiences respond enthusiastically. Bring your lawn chair or blanket for this fabulous concert. There is not charge for the music, but donations for the food shelf or the Cambridge Arts Council are welcome. Refreshments will be for sale. If you have questions or special needs, please call Carol 644-2570.
Runners and walkers, this year's Fairfax Egg Run is scheduled for Saturday, July 31 beginning at 9:00 a.m. This fun, family race includes a 5K and 10K run and a 5K walk. The race travels a popular course along soft dirt roads following the scenic Lamoille River and quiet wooded country roads in Fairfax.
Race details and training tips can be found at http://eggrun.whatsitcomewith.com. Have questions? Want to volunteer? Contact Myles Cahoon at 849-6695 or menmy@sover.net. All proceeds benefit the Fairfax Recreation Path.
Fletcher Grange
By Marie Brouillette
At its June 28, 2004 meeting, the Fletcher Grange held its Home Economics Program Baking Contest (Cookies) with five entries. Judges were Harold Cross, Wanda Hemond, & Sandra Hatin. Winners were: First--Eleanor Sears; Second-Brenda Elliott; and Third-Charlotte Dykeman. The Charter was draped for Stewart J. Gasson and a Resolution of Respect was written and read by Chaplain, Marie Brouillette. He was a 71 year member of the Grange.
The next meeting, scheduled for July 9, will be a picnic at the Brouillette's home in Sheldon. Future meetings are scheduled at the Fletcher Union Meeting House for the following dates: July 26, August 13, September 10, October 8, November 12, November 22, and December 10. Meetings begin at 6:45 p.m. with a potluck supper.
Success By Six Summer Events
By Lara Weis
Don't forget to attend the Success By Six summer events: On Wednesday, July 28 from 6-7 p.m., there will be a Popsicle Party at the school playground. On Saturday, July 31 from 10-11:30 a.m., we'll hold a Summertime Playgroup on the Blue-Top. The rain location for both activities is in the school gym. All children six-ish and under are invited to join us, but a special invitation goes out to next year's Kindergarten class. Jenny Blackman, the new Kindergarten teacher, will attend both programs. She looks forward to another chance to meet and greet her students and their families before the fall. All children who attend will receive a new book and will have the perfect chance to enjoy some fun in the sun with their schoolmates. For more information or if you're interested in getting more involved with any of our programs, please call Lara Weis, Success By Six Liaison 2004-05 school year, at 849-9890.
Town Land for Sale
By Jon Bondy for the Select Board
The Select Board is planning to sell three parcels of land that are currently owned by the Town. These parcels include:
More information on the parcels will be available when the land is actually put up for sale.
New Town Garage Progress
By Jon Bondy for the Select Board
As the newsletter goes to press, the footings are in place, and the foundation walls will be up in a few days. Minor drainage problems around the footings were addressed with additional drainage tile. Project completion is estimated to be October 1.
Road Paving Plans
By Jon Bondy for the Select Board
You may have noticed the new paving near Mayotte Road from Slattery Road extending through the Sweet farm. It may seem strange to you that we paved that section of road when parts of Cambridge Road are in worse shape.
The Town actually has two kinds of paving projects. Every third year (or so), we get a grant from the State, which allows us to do a major paving project. Our most recent such project was the re-paving of Buck Hollow Road, a year ago, in 2003.
This year, our paving effort was limited because we did not get any State funds. As such, we limited the effort to a simple skim coat over the oldest road that could benefit from a skim coat. We expect to continue this kind of paving next year as we slowly head back towards the center of Town.
Since Cambridge Road requires more than a skim coat, we will wait until we have State support for this more extensive repaving project. We expect to remove the old pavement, improve the road bed, and repave Cambridge Road in 2006.
2004 Tax Rates Established
By Jon Bondy for the Select Board
The Select Board established the 2004 tax rates on July 13. The
table attempts to compare the 2004 figures with the previous year's figures,
but this is difficult given the changes in the way in which schools are funded
this year. For example, there was one tax rate last year, but this year the
tax rates have been split into Residential and Non-Residential rates. In addition,
the State dictated the non-municipal portions of the rates (the bold/underlined
numbers in the table), so the only part of the rate the Town could set was the
municipal portion.
The good news is that 1) the Town was able to reduce the municipal portion of
the tax rate slightly, and 2) the State reduced the remaining portions of the
tax rate significantly. The result is a tax reduction of approximately 10% for
residents, and 5% for non-residents. Note that, at this time, it seems likely
that the rates will go up by 5% next year, due to legislation that is already
in place.
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Municipal Budget
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|
| 03 Budget | $363,273 |
| 04 Budget | $365,240 |
| Increase | $1,967 |
| % Increase=100* | 1% |
|
Municipal Budget
|
|||
| 03 Tax on $100K | $2,212.00 | 03 Tax on $100K | $2,212.00 |
| 04 Res Tax on $100K | $2,000.50 | 04 Non Res Tax on $100K | $2,100.00 |
| Decrease | $211.50 | Decrease | $112.00 |
| Municipal | Residential | Non-Res | Total 03 | Total Res | Tot Non Res | |
| 03 Tax Rate | 0.5100 | -- | -- | 2.2120 | ||
| 04 Tax Rate | 0.5008 | 1.4997 | 1.5992 | 2.0005 | 2.1000 | |
| Decrease | 0.0092 | -- | -- | 0.2115 | 0.1120 | |
| % Decrease | 2% | 9.56% | 4.74% |
Law Enforcement, Fire, and
Rescue Activity
By Jon Bondy
The Town was surprised a few months ago when we discovered that the School's alarm system had been calling the Cambridge Fire Department repeatedly. We were unaware of the problem until it had been going on for a while. Since we all pay for the emergency services that both Cambridge and Fairfax provide, I thought it might be useful if we started seeing what was actually going on in Town.
| Organization | January | February | March | April | May | June |
| Cambridge Fire | Chimney fire | Car fire Car accident |
-- | -- | Water rescue | -- |
| Cambridge Rescue | Fire standby Illness |
Heart attack Fall 2 Fire standby |
-- | -- | Water rescue | Head injury Illness |
| Fairfax Fire |
1 fire, 5 medical
|
|||||
| Fairfax Rescue | 4 Alarms 2 Chimney Fires |
-- | -- | Search/Rescue | -- | -- |
| State Police | Burglary alarm Theft MV complaint 2 Misc |
Wanted person Burglary Theft Family fight 2 Misc |
3 Citizen disputes 3 Misc |
Vandalism Burglary MV complaint 5 Misc |
3 Thefts Burglary alarm Property Damage 5 Misc |
2 Burglary Alarms Vandalism Family fight Theft 4 Misc |
| Constable | Dog complaints | Dog complaints | Water rescue Four Wheelers Dog complaints Unregistered dogs |
Dog complaints Unregistered dogs |
||
Home Cleaning Substitutes
From the Solid Waste District Guide - "Waste Watch"
It's easy to reduce toxics in your home while save money at the same time. Here are a few substitutes for common household cleaning products.
Please be aware that the Listers will be taking pictures of houses and properties during the next few months. Some photographs in the Lister files are quite old and need to be retaken. You may the Listers on your property.
Legislative Update
By Senator Don Collins
I have received notice from William Russell, Chief Legislative Council, that I have been appointed to serve as the Senate member of the Committee to explore the Consolidation of State-Funded Historic Preservation Activities. This committee will review the current historic preservation goals of the State of Vermont, including a comprehensive summary of the funding, organizational structure, and programming activities of the various organizations that receive state funding for historic preservation activities. Area residents who have comments about the programs and funding of historic preservation projects are encouraged to contact me at 868-7975 or 23 Broadway Street in Swanton.
June 7, 2004 (approved)
June 21, 2004 (approved)
Update on Special Town Meeting
By Bonnie Waninger, newsletter editor
Some of you might be wondering about the outcome of the Special Town Meeting on purchasing the Sheltra property. With a little over 60 people in attendance, the purchase was voted down by a ~10-vote margin. I can't provide much detail as I missed most of the discussion. I hope those of you who were able to attend will take my summary in stride and let me (and others) know if I make mistakes. I'll include corrections in the next newsletter if you sent them to me.
From talking to other folks, it seemed as if most people agreed that the Town Office needs some work. There was disagreement on whether to fix and expand the existing office or to build a new building. Residents appreciated that the Select Board tried to take advantage of an opportunity and bring the potential sale before the voters for discussion.
Several issues were brought up, including:
I expect we'll hear more discussion about the Town Office during the next year, so stay tuned. Thank you to everyone who took time to attended the meeting on a beautiful summer evening.
May 19, 2004 (approved)
Get the word out about your events and activities through the Fletcher Community Newsletter. The next deadline for submissions is Friday, August 13, 2004. Events and articles can be sent to: Bonnie Waninger, 791 Shaw Road, Cambridge, VT 05444; Fax & Phone: 849-9869 (press "start" for fax); E-mail: redpoll@sover.net.
The Town of Fletcher accepts advertisements for publication in its newsletter. Ads are published as space is available in each edition. All ads will be business card size (3½" x 2") and will cost $10 per ad. Logos can be printed, but it must be provided on disk or sent via email to the Town Clerk in a .jpg file format. Advertisement is open to anyone who wishes to place an ad. The Town reserves the right to reject any ad. Publication of an ad is not an endorsement of the service or business by the Town of Fletcher, the Fletcher Elementary School or the newsletter editor. Revenue received from the ads will be used to offset the cost of mailing the newsletter. To submit an ad, please mail your information and payment to the Fletcher Town Office, 215 Cambridge Road, Cambridge, VT 05444. Ads for must be received by the second Thursday of the month prior to publication (received by August 12 for publication in September newsletter). Information cannot be returned.
| 24 | Recycling and trash drop-off | 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Town Garage |
| 26 | Fletcher Grange monthly meeting | 6:45 p.m., Fletcher Union Meeting House |
| 26 | Adult Basketball (All ages) | 7:00 p.m., Elementary School Gym |
| 28 | Popsicle Party at the playground | 6:00-7:00 p.m., Fletcher Elementary School |
| 31 | Fairfax Egg Run |
River Road near Fletcher Road intersection, Fairfax |
| 31 | Summertime Playgroup on the Blue-Top | 10:00-11:30 a,m,, Fletcher Elementary School |
| 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 | Adult Basketball (All ages) | 7:00 p.m., Elementary School Gym |
| 2,16 | Select Board meeting | 7:00 p.m., Town Office |
| 5 | Independence Day Holiday | Town Office closed |
| 6 | No. Country ATV Association meeting | 7:00 p.m., Abbey Restaurant, Sheldon |
| 7, 21 | Recycling and trash drop-off |
9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Town Garage |
| 11 | FUMHA monthly meeting | 7:00 p.m., Fletcher Union Meeting House |
| 12 | Newsletter advertisements due | By 3:30 p.m., Town Clerk's Office |
| 13 | Newsletters article due | |
| 13 | Fletcher Grange monthly meeting | 6:45 p.m., Fletcher Union Meeting House |
| 15 | Big Spike Bluegrass Band | 4:00-6:00 p.m., Cambridge School Gazebo (rain site is Cambridge Elementary School Auditorium) |
| 16 | Bennington Battle Day (State Holiday) | |
| 19 | BMC Community Supper | 5:00 p.m. until all served, Binghamville Methodist Church |