Important News about the Greensboro Post Office

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The United States Postal Service has recently sent a survey to users of the Greensboro Post Office soliciting community input to determine the best course of action for providing postal services to Greensboro.   The survey is testing whether the Greensboro Post Office will be open with 6 hours of window service each weekday, or whether the office should be discontinued.

A copy of the Postal Service survey is here.   Instructions are here.  If you have not sent in a form, please consider doing so immediately even if you are after the deadline.   The number of responses will be important as the USPS considers their decision.  Remember to list your Greensboro address on the form.

Besides the important aspect of whether the Post Office should remain open, the survey also asks for input on what the hours should be.    Daily hours can either be blocked (i.e. open 8 to 2 daily) or split (8 to 11, 1 to 4).    The efficiency and profitability of the USPS, a key factor in keeping an office open long term,  is maximized by blocked hours.     Please consider requesting blocked hours to give the Greensboro PO the best chance of remaining profitable and remaining open long term.

There will be a meeting with the US Postal Service on January 14, 2012 at 5pm at the Post Office to answer questions and provide additional information about the POST Plan.   If attendance is strong, provisions are being made to move the meeting to a larger venue.  The attendance and input from this meeting will also be used to make a final decision.

The Greensboro Post Office is only one of the sites being reviewed under a program called the POST Plan.  Further questions about the Federal POST program may be answered here.

 

 

 

Greensboro Association Position on Caspian Beach Potential Sale

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The Greensboro Association has sent a letter to the Greensboro Select Board supporting their efforts to come up with an equitable, community based solution which maintains local control of the Caspian Public Beach and importantly, does not change the use of the beach to all area residents. Copies of this letter, which was drafted in response to a request from the Select Board and to rapidly developing events regarding the Beach, were distributed at a meeting on Monday night in Greensboro. A letter has also been sent to the editor at the Hardwick Gazette stating our position.

The GA position has been developed by a subgroup of GA members chaired by Andy Dales.

Hardwick has owned the public beach for several decades, and Greensboro has viewed the property as not subject to state tax assessment since it is recreational and for the public good. For many years, both Hardwick and Greensboro, plus the GA, have contributed to the upkeep and maintenance of the beach, and to the important task of detecting incoming boats for Invasive Species like Milfoil. Last year, the State of Vermont found the property was not tax exempt, and forced Greensboro to assess Hardwick approximately $10,000 in property Tax. Hardwick is contesting this judgement in the courts, but is also understandably searching for other ways to mitigate the tax burden while keeping the property open and usable to all community residents. The Greensboro Association fully understands and sympathises with the Hardwick Select Boards tax situation, and has committed to working with the Greensboro Select Board and the Hardwick Select Board to develop a solution.

 

Special Select Board Meeting announced regarding Caspian Lake Public Beach

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There will be a special select board meeting on Monday, December 17 at 7pm on the Fellowship Hall at GUCC regarding the Caspian Lake Beach.  The purpose of the meeting is to inform the public of the facts (right now there is a lot of misinformation floating around) and to hear what the public has to say – concerns, new ideas, etc.  This is considered an informational meeting.

The GA has also formed a Public Beach Advisory Committee, chaired by Andy Dales.   This committee is considering the Public Beach issue from all sides, and welcomes input from any GA members.   Comments may be sent privately to [email protected] or posted here.  Many thanks for the comments we have already received.

Caspian Lake is included in 2013 Northeast Kingdom Open Water Swim

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The Northeast Kingdom Open Water Swimming Association is sponsoring a program of 7 swims on some of the most beautiful lakes in our region in 2013.   Caspian, Lake Memphremagog, Willoughby, Island Pond, Crystal and Seymour lakes are included in the events, which will take place from August 9 through 18.  Swimmers will use Highland Lodge as a base during this time.

The NKOWSA also sponsors the Kingdom Swim, Seymour Swim, Willoughby Swim and In Search of Memphre at other times during the summer.    The Daily News of Open Water Swimming has selected Lake Memphremagog and Lake Willoughby as two of the 50 great open water swimming venues in all of the Americas.

The Caspian Swim is from the Public Beach to Bathtub Rocks and back (or one way with a shuttle to return).   Participants can sign up for the swim on the NEKOWSA Kingdom Swim website.

NEKOWSA, a division of Indoor Recreation Orleans County, was established in January of 2010 with the purpose to organize and promote swimming in the legendary lakes of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and to raise funds for our rural area’s struggling, financially challenged sports, fitness, and recreation center, IROC.   In 2012 NEKOWSA hosted seven swims, with over 375 swimmers signing on.  Swimmers are now coming from 36 different states and three Canadian provinces and are travelling from as far away as Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Great Britain and Mumbai, India.  The events have been sanctioned by USMS and USA Swimming.  They are challenging, totally fun, awesome venues, well supported and safety conscious swims for young and old alike.

For further information on these events during summer 2013, please see the NEKOWSA website.

Hardwick Select Board meets with Vermont State Fish and Game to discuss sale of Caspian Public Beach

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There is a meeting this Thursday, December 6 at Hardwick Town Hall 6:30PM on Dec. 6th to discuss a possible sale of the Caspian Lake Public Beach by the Town of Hardwick to the Vermont State Fish and Game Department.    The Vermont State Fish and Game department is interested in buying the “Beach” and Hardwick is interested in a potential sale given the recent decision of the State of Vermont to assess property taxes on the beach.

The beach has belonged to the Town of Hardwick for decades, and has been considered a tax exempt property by Greensboro.   Last year, the State of Vermont decided the property was subject to tax assessment and Greensboro presented a bill to Hardwick.   The payment of the tax has been subject to legal challenge and discussion since that change of status.  Selling to VT Fish and Game is one potential option to the Town of Hardwick.

There are multiple possible questions about a sale to VTF&G, including what price, whether the property will be exempt from state taxes, and to what extent the VTF&G could change the beach – including changing lake level, dredging the boat ramp to accommodate larger boats on the lake (with the potential for noise increases and more potential for invasive species), limits on eradicating geese on the beach, etc.  The Greensboro Association is following the discussions, and would appreciate opinions from anyone who attends the meeting as to the above points and any others.