Cavendish board ponders fate of Vermont Apple Pie Co. water allocation

By Jasmin Gomez
©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC

The Cavendish Select Board, acting as Board of Waste Water Commissioners at its meeting on Monday, April 12, is trying to determine if Vermont Apple Pie Co. needs to retain its second allocation for town water now that its business is confined to homebased baking. An allocation is equal to 10,000 gallons of town water annually.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Vermont Apple Pie operated a small restaurant. Since closing those doors in March of 2020, it returned to being an at-home bakery and the owners want to free themselves of the restaurant allocation.

Owner Charles James said that before he opened as a restaurant, he paid for residential water use, then added the second allocation when operating as a small restaurant. James would prefer to make that second allocation inactive while they are working from home.

Town Manager Brendan McNamara said that water usage must be inactive nine months before the town can take it off and that complicating the matter is the fact that the James’ home water meter is, like so many in town, broken. “We have quite a few meters in town that have this problem. It’s an ongoing issue … multiple meters are being replaced as we speak,” McNamara said.

The board wants to fully understand how much water has been used so it tabled the decision until its members speak with the Board of Water Commissioners.

In other news, the Cavendish Town Office will be accepting credit and debit cards for all payments to the town. Debit cards will carry a 1 percent processing fee, but that will be covered by the town. Credit cards, on the other hand, will have a 3 percent processing fee added to the card holder’s bill. “We’re getting with the times here,” says McNamara.

Federal funds for boosting broadband, Wi-Fi

Also, McNamara gave a brief update on the federal American Rescue Plan Act, saying that Cavendish is looking at receiving potentially $420,000 in relief funding. There are guidelines to how towns can utilize their relief funds, he said, with “the big focus” seeming to “be on broadband and water and sewer infrastructure.”

In a related situation, Cavendish is also working with the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center, a part of the Covid Relief Program. The center aids in installing Wi-Fi boosters for free in towns. A hot spot booster was installed in the Town Office, which expanded the free Wi-Fi to the green behind the office. The Center will be back to install another hot spot booster at Outer Limits Brewing in Proctorsville, which will provide the Proctorsville Green with free Wi-Fi.

McNamara also said that the town of Cavendish is expecting a paving grant for the town’s Class 2 roads, with eyes toward repaving Quent Phelan and Tarbell Hill roads. McNamara added that the town is attempting to get back on a paving schedule.

• With vaccinations occurring and restrictions set to be lifted this summer, McNamara brought up the potential to move to in-person meetings in July.
• Neal’s Restaurant was approved for 1st- and 3rd-class liquor licenses and an outside consumption permit.
• Cavendish Pointe Hotel and its Castle Hotel were approved for 1st-class and 3rd-class liquor licenses and outside consumption permits. Castle Hotel was also approved for a caterer’s license.
• The decision to purchase a new bucket loader will be tabled for a later date.
• There are currently seven properties that have been turned over to the town for tax sale. The tax sale will take place at 10 a.m. May 5 at the Town Office.
• The Streetscape Committee was approved to use the Village Green from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 26 for its Birds and Bloom fundraiser, during which the organization will be selling flowers and birdhouses.
• The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association was approved to use the Village Green for the summer concert series, which will be held every Wednesday at 6 p.m. from July 7 through Aug. 11