Margo Marrone’s Plymouth Report

Posted on 11/09/2012 by Plymouth Press Contributing Writer

Republished with permission from The Vermont Standard

11/5/12

Well, perhaps you didn’t even notice, but I did not submit anything last week! Tom & I were on a road trip to Hilton Head from 10/22-11/2. As a result we completely missed “Sandy”. We were glad to hear that there was relatively little damage, although I understand Plymouth was well prepared. We did have a tree come down between our sugar house & barn, but it caused no damage. Thanks to Steve Heilner for removing the furniture from our deck in advance of the storm & to Joan Day & Dana Dolloff for checking on the house, along with Donnie Bixby & our daughter, Melissa.

We had several nights with family & friends en-route & only encountered the effects of the storm at my sister’s place in Mohegan Lake, NY, where they were without power for a week, as of this writing. I slept with my clothes on that night! We spent 2 nights with Aldine & Jim Musser in VA & it was great to have time to visit with them.

Belated Happy Birthday to Willow Bascom (11/2). Ellen Steward will have a birthday on 11/8, while Art Lynds is 11/15 & Missy Lynds is 11/17.

The Reach Out Luncheon will be 11/15 with Shepherd’s Pie on the menu. Audrey Bridge from Black River Good Neighbors will be the guest speaker at 11:00 AM. Many thanks to Tyson Ladies Aid, a number of whom are also members of the church, for having a clean-up day in the kitchen after the 11/1 meeting!

I am on Sabbatical until 11/23 & am grateful to Charlie Purinton for covering four Sundays for me. There was a sense of renewed energy before I began this time of renewal on 10/22, with various folks stepping up to handle the numerous activities of the church.

Hopefully all Plymouth residents receiving service through the Plymouth Post Office have completed & returned the surveys that were recently distributed. There will be a meeting at the PO on Thursday, 11/15 at 4:00 PM to review the results, answer questions & provide additional information on the POST Plan.

I understand that AARP is offering a safe driving course at the Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow on 11/16 from 10:00AM to 3:00PM. Call Bill Cherico at 672-1823 to register.

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Plymouth Polls Open 10AM-7PM

Posted on 11/05/2012 by The Plymouth Press

From Jen Flaster, The Plymouth Press

Don’t forget to vote! Election day is Tuesday, November 6. The polls in Plymouth are open from 10AM-7PM at the Plymouth Municipal Building.

Local election results will be posted here when the ballots are counted, so stay tuned…

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November Safe Driving Course Special Offer for Veterans and Seniors

Posted on 11/02/2012 by The Plymouth Press

From Bill Cherico

The AARP is offering a safe driving course at the Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow on November 16 from 10:00AM to 3:00PM. Veterans can take the course for free. See more info by clicking on the link below.

Call 672-1823 to register.

AARP Safe Driver’s Course Nov2012

 

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Storm Update 10/30 – Plymouth Emergency Services

Posted on 10/30/2012 by The Plymouth Press

From Al Poirier, Plymouth Emergency Services

From the big picture we survived the Frankenstorm with apparently little damage. However the few individuals that sustained damage would disagree. We can still expect wind gusts through the afternoon and ending early evening.

We have closed our Emergency Operations Center but as always Plymouth Emergency Services is ready to respond to any event.

This has been a tough week having to worry about this storm called “Sandy”. The town was well prepared and from what I have heard many individuals were well prepared. The storm took it easy on us but we were ready for the worst.

Thank you all for being ready for this storm. I know it takes time to do all that is needed to be prepared but in the long run it is worth it.

Stay safe.

Al Poirier

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Plymouth Emergency Contacts

Posted on 10/29/2012 by The Plymouth Press

From Al Poirier, Plymouth Emergency Services

If you have an emergency at your residence, call 911.

If you need assistance, but it’s not urgent, call 672-5000 to reach the Plymouth Emergency Operation Center. This line will be monitored as long as we have the emergency operation center open.

If you lose phone service you will need to get to the town building to notify us of an emergency.

If you have internet access send email to arpcolby@yahoo.com. This will be monitored for 24 hours starting Monday at noon.

The important thing is to stay safe. As emergency responders we will do everything we can to respond but if the winds get too high then we will have to delay our response.

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Storm preparation idea-preserving food in a power outage

Posted on 10/29/2012 by Plymouth Press Contributing Writer

From Steven Radonis

Just wanted to share one of the things I do to prepare for a storm.

Aside from the normal things (batteries, water etc.), I fill empty milk containers with water, then freeze them and try to fill all the empty spaces in my refridgerator and freezer with these frozen containers. By taking up the volume of empty space, your fridge/freezer will stay cold for a much greater time (probably days) than not doing anything.

I hope this helps!

Editor’s note: The USDA notes that a full freezer will stay cold for 2 days without power if left closed. A fridge lasts more like 4 hours. Here’s a video with some more hints on preserving food during a power outage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vGAZ64T0uE&feature=plcp

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Weather Update 10/28 – Plymouth Emergency Services

Posted on 10/28/2012 by The Plymouth Press

From Al Poirer, Plymouth Emergency Services

Same story. High winds and moderate rain is still being predicted. Minor flooding is a possibility but the biggest problem will be the wind.

Power outages could be our biggest problem.

Once the storm starts stay indoors and don’t venture out when the winds are gusty and there is a high chance of trees or limbs coming down.

Remember that when power lines go down there is no way of knowing if the wires are dead. Always assume that they are live unless notified by Green Mountain Power or Ludlow Electric clearly states that the power has been shut off. Stay safe.

We will open the town hall (fire department meeting room) as an emergency operations center. It will open at 2PM tomorrow (Monday) and stay open until we don’t need it. It will be staffed 24 hours a day.

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Weather Update – Plymouth Emergency Services

Posted on 10/27/2012 by The Plymouth Press

From Al Poirier, Plymouth Emergency Services

There has been no change in the forecast. Still predicting high winds and moderate rain for us.

Will send out another update early evening tomorrow unless there is a dramatic change in forecast in which case I will send out something earlier.

Keep up your preparations – be ready.

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Weather Update from Plymouth Emergency Services

Posted on 10/26/2012 by The Plymouth Press

From Al Poirier, Plymouth Emergency Services

Update for potential bad weather next week The motto is “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best”. There is still a lot of uncertainty in the storm path. However there is a pretty high confidence that we will experience strong winds and moderate rain. We could see minor flooding but the biggest impact will be the wind. The weather “people” are clearly stressing that this is not an “Irene” but a very strong northeaster.

What does this mean for us in Plymouth. At this point in time we are looking at the potential of trees coming down which could or more than likely result in power outages. Strong winds could begin late Monday and last well into Tuesday night. Rain is expected to be moderate in the range of 1 to 3″ which could give us some moderate flooding but nothing significant.

Bottom line is that we need to be prepared. Time to clean up around the outside of the house and make sure all is put away or well tied down. Be prepared to be without power for an extended period of time.

Things could change and I will continue to post the latest information that is being supplied through Vermont Emergency Management and the National Weather Service.

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Elaine Gambone will be missed in Plymouth

Posted on 10/26/2012 by The Plymouth Press

Editors Note: Over the last year I had the good fortune to work closely with Elaine on the Plymouth Memory Tree to help Plymouth residents recover from Tropical Storm Irene. Our community benefited in so many ways thanks to Elaine’s dedication, even while facing her illness. I will also miss the whimsical photos she always provided to the Plymouth Press. 

-Jen Flaster, Plymouth Press Editor

Below is the obituary which appears this week in The Vermont Standard.

A memorial service for Elaine Gambone, 60, who died at home after a long illness, will be held at the Bethany Mennonite Church in Bridgewater Corners on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 11 a.m.

Elaine was born Sept. 11, 1952 in Boston, Mass., daughter of Salvatore and Heloise (Lucier) Gambone.

She graduated from Woodstock High School in 1970. She attended University of Vermont and Castleton State College before graduating from Community College of Vermont in 1989 and Johnson State College in 1995. Elaine studied herbalism with Rosemary Gladstar. Elaine loved to sing and studied voice for many years and sang in area churches.

Elaine and Eric Johnsen married on September 13, 1972 and have lived in Plymouth since 1974.

They operated E&E Tree Service from 1974 to 1986 and E&E Horticultural Services from 1991 to the present.

Elaine loved to garden and created many gardens in the Plymouth-Woodstock area. Her perennial and vegetable gardens at her home on Messer Hill delighted both her and visitors alike.

Another passion was cooking, from soups to desserts. She was a master in the kitchen. She also loved to swim, hike, camp, travel and walk her dogs. Her two constant companions were Mason and Oscar, rescued racing greyhounds.

Elaine is survived by her loving husband, Eric, two brothers, Steven and Gerald, and a sister, Denise; also four nephews, Philip, Jacob, Noel and Nicholas.

The community will miss Elaine’s dedication to Green Up Vermont; she was the Plymouth coordinator for over 10 years. She resurrected the Plymouth Memory Tree Fund, a community fund that helps Plymouth residents in need. After Tropical Storm Irene, the fund morphed into Plymouth Memory Tree Community Fund, Inc. Elaine was a leading force within this organization and served as treasurer.

Donations in Elaine’s name may be made to Plymouth Memory Tree Community Fund, PO Box 47, Plymouth, VT 05056.

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