Republished with permission from The Vermont Standard
5/28/12
What an amazingly lovely holiday weekend this has been! The sunshine, mild temps, & low humidity, plus a gentle breeze to keep the bugs at bay, all combined to bring smiles to the multitude of locals & visitors who were out & about everywhere. Bikers were out in force for the Killington Stage Race & there were a good many visitors to the Historic Site.
Well, the robins have matured & left the nest – didn’t take long for them to hatch, grow, & learn to be out on their own. I did try to move the now brown Christmas wreath from its location on the back side of my house, so I could place a basket of flowers there. What a shock to have an angry mother bird fly out at me! I am not sure what kind of bird has made a nest there because I was busy ducking. I haven’t heard any peeps, so I assume the eggs have not hatched yet, but I am staying clear of that area for the time-being!
The Tyson Library opened for the season this past Saturday & included a book sale. I believe there are still many books left that can be purchased. Volunteers have signed up to allow the library to be open Tues – Sat from 10:00 until noon, plus Sally Nadeau will be there the 1st & 3rd Mon evenings from 6 to 7 PM. Come see the nice selection of books & all the new improvements, including a new bathroom!
It was nice to have Theresa Steward back in church with us this past weekend. We had 4 young people because she & Maddie Dean both brought guests. My sister & brother-in-law from Mohegan Lake, NY joined us as well. So nice to see the lovely azalea that was planted in memory of Evelyn Warren in bloom for Memorial weekend.
Don’t forget that the Strawberry Festival will be taking place at the main pavilion at Camp Plymouth State Park on Wednesday, 6/20 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. It will include the BBQ, strawberry shortcake, & raffle, so come out & enjoy this festive time together! The proceeds go to support a number of community activities & programs.
I had an opportunity to speak with Tara Metcalf the other day. She is currently playing softball – 2nd base at WUHS, but will be graduating this year. She is excited about attending Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC in the fall. We wish her the best as she heads off to possibly pursue a degree in psychology.
Some of you may remember John Hale, who formerly lived in Plymouth. He is also graduating from WUHS this year. He will continue to work at Shaw’s in Ludlow for another year, then hopes to attend Johnson State College to study creative writing, which has been a passion of his for quite some time.
The Town budget was passed easily by the 50 or so folks present at the recent Town Meeting. After Selectman, Russ Tonkin explained some of the changes, no other questions were asked. There will be another meeting to continue work on the new Plymouth Zoning Regulations/By-laws. Kevin Geiger will be there again Ned Swanberg, Vermont DEC Flood Hazard Mapping Coordinator, will make a presentation concerning Fluvial Erosion Hazards.
I noticed that Camp Gokemo, the day camp at Okemo for ages 6 – 13 will start on 6/18 through Labor Day weekend. To obtain more information, call 228-1600 or to camp.gokemo.
Plymouth Town Meeting 5/23/12
About 50 gathered at the Plymouth Town Building to re-vote the Town budget that was defeated in March. The new budget was $1,236,603.96 with $1,070,883.96 to be raised by taxes. Selectmen, Russ Tonkin noted that it was a 1.8% increase over last year. He also took the time to explain some of the increased or significantly changed items., The wage increase for the Town Clerk & Assistant Town Clerk had been reduced by their request & their hours have also gone from 40 per week to 36 hours each. He indicated that that the increase in the Lister’s budget reflected the fact that they had not received a raise in the past 2 years. A position has been included to provide assistance for Planning & Zoning, as well as the Select Board. Ralph Michael answered Betsy Tonkin’s concern about staff insurance costs, by saying that they had met with VT League of Towns & Cities & learned that coverage is similar to other towns in our area & the cost was similar. The budget passed easily.
Strawberry Festival
Sue Poirier announced the upcoming Strawberry Festival on Wed, 6/20 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Camp Plymouth State Park & encouraged community support for this local event. The meeting was adjourned in less than an hour, but most folks stayed around to socialize. The atmosphere was very amiable!
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