Welcome to The Plymouth Press Online

All Plymouth Town Offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4th in Observance of Independence Day. Have a happy & safe holiday.

The Plymouth Schoolhouse is a busy place!

We have opened up a second classroom and are looking for a toddler teacher to join the team for the upcoming school year. The right individual will have a background in childcare and college credits in Early Childhood Classes. Must be first aid/ CPR certified. This could be a part or full time position. The program serves infants and children up to 10 years old. It is located in the former Plymouth Elementary School in Plymouth, VT.

We value creativity, kindness and community, and helping childen find the wonder in the world around them. We look forward to welcoming a new person to the staff, so we can continue to best serve our surrounding communities with providing high quality childcare in a small setting.

If you are interested in visiting the program and learning about the opportunity, please contact Lauren Skaskiw at 802-417-6895 or email: plymouthschoolhouse@gmail.com

7/1/24

It seemed like many visitors headed into our area over the weekend to enjoy spending time and take advantage of the upcoming holiday week. It was so nice to see the open doors at Shaws in Ludlow and welcome back many familiar faces!  The showers of Saturday have made vegetation flourish and Sunday’s cooler temps and reduced humidity provided a lovely day.

The bears are still making their presence known in the neighborhood, now even ravishing hummingbird feeders.  From what I hear, Ludlow has its share of maundering bears, too. Friends in Pomfret told me about a bear getting into their vehicles. Doors left open on both their car and truck with muddy prints inside. These amazing creatures seem to be able to open doors with ease!

On a different nature note, a junco has taken up residence in one of my hanging plants. It flies out in a panic when I water it, but hovers close by, making a clicking noise. When I saw her fly away this morning, I used a step stool to peer in and saw tiny open mouths waiting to be fed.  It guess it is a safe nursery!

I received an inquiry about the funding that allowed the food at the Strawberry Festival to be free. As Emergency Management Director for Ludlow, Plymouth Town Clerk, Angela Kissel learned about and applied for a grant for a post-flood celebration that was utilized to cover the food costs.The various organizations had donation jars so they will still be able to provide needed community services.

July 4th events from the website:  The Coolidge Foundation is proud to partner with the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation to host all of these exciting events at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site

9:00 AM: Declaration of Independence Reading – Union Christian Church

9:30 AM: Octo-Final Round, Coolidge Cup Debates – Throughout the Site

10:00 AM: Grace Coolidge and the First Ladies: A Discussion with Diana Carlin and 

                 Jennifer Coolidge Harville – Union Christian Church

11:00 AM: Quarter-Final Round, Coolidge Cup Debates – Throughout the Site

12:00 PM: Procession and Wreath-Laying Ceremony – Gather at Village Green

1:00 PM: President Coolidge Birthday Cupcakes – Picnic Area

1:30 PM: Address from President Coolidge (portrayed by Tracy Messer) – Cilley Store 

               Porch

2:30 PM: Semifinal Round, Coolidge Cup Debates – Visitors Center & Church

4:00 PM: Coolidge Cup Championship Round – Under the Big Tent

5:00 PM: Coolidge Cup Awards Ceremony – Under the Big Tent

Throughout the day: There will be tours of the Historic Site, wagon rides, sheep

shearing, children’s games, and more. The Plymouth Cheese Factory will also be open.

According to Tiffany, the park is “back to normal” with green grass, boat rentals waiting for folks, and the concession fully stocked with ice cream! Also Whetstone Beer Co. is back with “Pints for Parks” to honor & support Vermont State Parks’ 100th Anniversary and will be at Camp Plymouth 6/29 and 30.

Vermont State Parks is celebrating 100 years of providing environmental education and information and supporting the economies and values of local communities. They promote, operate, and maintain a large and complex system of conserved lands, as well as both historic and modern facilities that are enjoyed by over 1 million visitors every year. This is a collaboration according to Sarah Alberghini Winters, Executive Director, Vermont Parks Forever, a fun and creative partnership that will showcase Vermont’s beautiful state parks and raise awareness of Vermont Parks Forever (VPF), the foundation for Vermont’s state parks.

TRORC is currently starting up the Resilience Initiative for Vermont Empowerment and Recovery (RIVER). This project is a way for us to gather potential flood mitigation ideas, with the goal of developing a list of potential projects that can be funded through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Plymouth, Bridgewater, and Woodstock are the focus towns in our region for this project.

Though there are five other Regional Planning Commissions working on RIVER in select towns in their communities, including Mount Ascutney Regional Commission in Ludlow. TRORC will be having its first public forum for the project this Saturday, at 10AM at the Bridgewater Town Office. There will be subsequent public meetings, so there will be other opportunities to participate as well. Project ideas can also be submitted on the RIVER website linked above. Please also see the attached flyer for more details on the project and the public forum.

Kyle Katz | Planner, CFM

Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission

128 King Farm Road, Woodstock, VT 05091

kkatz@trorc.org | Tel: 802.457.3188 x3005

6/24/24

Well, I am happy to report that a tornado did not make an appearance in Plymouth on Sunday despite the warning! We had several thunder storms and some wind, but nothing that caused much damage. Although flowers took a hit, the thirsty vegetation seems happy. Also, I understand that the Billings Bridge has been completed, a huge relief for those in the area.

Camp Plymouth State Park may have had fewer visitors over the weekend, but folks were out in force last Wed for the Strawberry Festival. Although the entrance count at 5 PM was about 400, there were many people cooling off there during the day who likely wandered over for the BBQ, homemade salads, and yummy strawberry shortcake. Face-painting, crafts, and the raffle all added to the fun. The person who won the 50/50 money very kindly donated it back to the church. Our own Stephanie Seavy won the pretty donated earnings. Not sure who was the recipient of the wonderful maple product basket donated by Green Mountain Sugar House. Thanks to Adam and Sue for providing delightful music.

Just to let you know that Tyson Ladies Aid gave $1,500 scholarships to WUHS student Jordan  O’Neal and GMUHS student, Semille Blake.  The Plymouth Memory Tree fund also provided scholarships for Amelie Fabre and Jordan O’Neal as well. 

We had quite a discussion about on 6/17 about Daphne Kolotay’s book, Russian Winter. It touched upon the suffering ordinary people endured during the Stalin era, but provided contrast to the lives of the elite. The next Book Group gathering will be Tuesday, 7/23 at 6:30 pm at the Tyson Library to review American Beauty by Shana Abé.

It is nice to know that we have many fun-loving folks in town. Cassier Horner provided this picture of nature combined with a humorous plastic frog that someone had inserted on Scout Camp Rd mushroom. Nature is uplifting on its own. I recently saw a grouse crossing the road with many little ones close behind. Another bear was on my deck overnight. I took the precaution of getting in my car and driving down the road to put peelings in the woods. I am wondering how it tracked me!

The Mountain Views Supervisory Union June 3rd, 2024 School Board meeting was
entirely devoted to a presentation on the Woodstock Middle School/High School
Building options including a chance for Q&A from the community. Following is
information from and a recording of the meeting:

 Woodstock Middle School High School Strategic Planning Presentation Slides
 Woodstock MSHS Strategic Planning Summary Report
 Woodstock MSHS One Pager
 Zoom Recording of June 3rd Board Meeting

On June 17th, 2024 the School Board will have a special meeting to decide on next
steps. As one of your Plymouth Representatives to the MVSU School Board, I welcome
your comments, questions, concerns and other feedback on the proposed MSHS
Building options. I will do my best to get you answers.

Please feel free to send me an email with your thoughts to elliot.rubin@mtnviews.org
I look forward to hearing from you

Elliot Rubin, MD, FAAP

Topic: Plymouth Select Board Meeting
Time: June 17, 2024 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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1. Call to Order:
2. Consideration of Any Changes, Additions or Removals to Agenda:
3. Approve Meeting Minutes:
   a. June 3, 2024 Regular Meeting
4. Citizen Comments:
5. ANR – Land Acquisition Coordinator – Gunnar Nurme:
6. Special Events Permit:
   a. North Chair Brewing, LLC.
7. Other Business:
8. Sign Warrants and Review Mail:
9. Next Select Board Meeting Date:
   a. July 1, 2024 Regular Meeting
10. Possible Executive Session:
11. Adjourn:

Delightful weekend, weather-wise, but I have noticed the Vermont Alert for excessive heat this coming week. Apparently, there will be a pause in our lovely, cool nights that enhance sleeping.

Shade and hydration are important in order to stay safe. This seems like an ideal time to jump in the lake, which can be done at Camp Plymouth State Park on Wednesday, 6:19 when you attend the annual strawberry festival. Admission is free at 5 PM, but it may be worth paying the price of admission to be there all day!

Just some quick reminders that although the Town office will be closed on Monday, 6/17, the select board meeting will still be held at 6 PM.

Or if you would prefer a different type of gathering, the Plymouth reading group will be meeting at my house at 6:30 on Monday 6/17 to discuss Russian winter by Daphne.

Mark your calendar for the upcoming events at the Calvin Coolidge historic site. On 7/2 the Coolidge cup speech and debate tournament will be happening. On 7/3 there will be the annual Coolidge foundation meeting and summer dinner. As usual, there will be the Fourth of July celebration at the notch with the parade to the the Calvin Coolidge gravesite including the placement of the presidential wreath in honor of his birthday.

Plymouth Town Offices will be closed on Monday, June 17, 2024 in Observance of Juneteenth. There will still be a Select Board meeting on Monday night starting at 6:00 pm.