Archive for category: Blog

The GA held its Annual Meeting last week in the Sanctuary of the Greensboro United Church.  The meeting was well-attended despite the last-minute change in venue.  The membership heard reports from several GA committees.  They also heard a detailed update from the Lake Protection Committee on the status of discussions with the State’s Agency of Natural Resources to regain the authority to set and adjust the lake level for Caspian.  In addition, attendees had the opportunity to honor Janet Long, this year’s recipient of the Greensboro Award, as well as learn more about improving bike and pedestrian safety from the Interim Executive Director of Local Motion.   Other presenters included Sue Wood, current Chair of the Greensboro Select Board and Victoria Von Hessert, current chair of the Lakeview Union School Board.  Finally, Sarah Waring, Executive Director of the Center for an Agricultural Economy presented the membership with news and information about this organization and the work they do in the greater Hardwick economy to improve food security, incubate local businesses, and improve school and institutional nutrition.

The membership approved the 2018 budget, year-end financial report, and the auditor’s report, as well as the 2018 and 2020 slate for the Board of Trustees.  These materials, as well as individual committee reports, are available for review on our website.  Thank you for joining us at this year’s Annual Meeting.

Kingdom Games is returning to Greensboro and Caspian Lake for the final leg of their Swim the Kingdom Week on Sunday, August 20.  Twenty-five swimmers are already signed up to swim. Event sponsor Kingdom Games has lowered the cost of the swim to $50 and local swimmers in the Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia counties can do this swim with a 50% discount.

If any of you have some time you can give to the day, Kingdom Games could use additional boats to support swimmers if needed. Every swimmer is escorted by a kayak. As in previous years, swimmers leave the beach at 9, swim to Bathtub Rocks and return. A couple of folks may want to shuttle back to the beach.

Organizer Phil White brings his boat to each lake they swim, but with the increased numbers, they would appreciate the assistance of a few more boats. They should be done by about 1 pm.

If you can help with boat support, please contact Phil White at Kingdom Games through the website below. Registration information for the swim is also available below.

https://kingdomgames.co/swim-the-kingdom-week/

Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts will speak at the Greensboro Land Trust’s annual public meeting on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Greensboro UCC Fellowship Hall. Tebbetts will discuss the current agricultural scene as it affects our region.

The Greensboro Land Trust is celebrating its 25th anniversary. GLT co-founder Nancy Hill will introduce Tebbetts. His talk will follow a brief business meeting. Refreshments will be served.

The Lakeview school building needs significant repairs and renovations to remain safe and code-compliant and to continue to meet the educational needs of Greensboro and Stannard children.  This forum will be the second opportunity to learn more about the options for addressing renovation needs, including each scenario’s possible cost.

More information is available at the school board website, https://lakeviewschoolboard.ossu.org/lakeview-facilities.html

The board’s website will be updated frequently with new materials and information about the possible renovation for your review in advance of the forum.  Be sure to check back often.

The forum will take place on Thursday, July 20 at the Lakeview Union School.

6:15 pm:  Tour of school facilities

7:00 pm – 8:30 p.m.:  Forum and discussion

All are welcome to attend.

The Greensboro Planning Commission currently has two vacancies.  The commission meets the second Monday of the month at 7 PM.  You do not have to be a full-time Greensboro resident to serve on the commission.

This is a 7-member board that is responsible for developing amendments to the zoning bylaws and the town plan.  They also consider proposed amendments submitted by others, including those submitted by petition.  In addition, they prepare and approve written reports on any proposed amendment for review by the select board.  As many will remember from last year’s annual meeting, the commission is currently working on a redraft of the Greensboro Town Plan.

If you are interested in serving, contact the town office at 533-2911, or send a letter of interest to:

Town of Greensboro, Attn. Planning Commission, PO Box 119, Greensboro, VT 05841.

Since last summer, the Lakeview Union School Board has been assessing the functionality of our school facilities.  The existing Lakeview Union School building has served students from the Greensboro and Stannard communities well for the past 30 years.  Our facility, however, is now in need of significant repairs and upgrades to remain not only safe and code-compliant, but also to meet the demands of a 21^st century learning environment.  We want Lakeview to continue to provide our students with an inviting space to learn and grow.

We would like to invite the residents of Greensboro and Stannard to the first in a series of conversations about this issue on Wednesday, May 24 at 7 PM at the Lakeview School.  This is an opportunity for us to share with you the challenges we as a community are facing when it comes to our building and our options for addressing them.  But most importantly, this is a chance for us to hear from you, the school’s stakeholders, to help us get a better understanding of what the community feels would be an appropriate direction to take on this critical issue.

We hope you can join us on the evening of May 24.  For more information, please visit the Lakeview school board website at https://lakeviewschoolboard.ossu.org

It’s the time of year when camp owners return and begin opening cottages for summer use.  With all the cleaning that is often needed to make a camp homey again, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of choosing safe cleaning products for our lakes.  Avoiding phosphates, bleach, and other chemical detergents and cleaners can contribute to helping keep our lakes clean.  Willey’s carries many eco-friendly cleaning products for home use.   Other alternatives to chemical cleaners include white vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach.

Happy camp opening season!

Winter in Greensboro and across Vermont was on the milder side this year.  As a result, health agencies are anticipating a challenging tick season for anyone who enjoys being outside in Vermont.   There are several varieties of ticks in Vermont, and not all are prone to biting humans.  For photos and information on each tick variety, visit here:

https://www.healthvermont.gov/immunizations-infectious-disease/mosquito-tick-zoonotic-diseases/types-ticks-vermont

Unfortunately, despite our far northern location, we are not immune to these concerns, and anecdotal reports of people removing ticks from pets and themselves have already been shared around town.

While we all enjoy Greensboro for its natural beauty and plentiful opportunities for outside recreation, gardening, and forest management, we want you to remain safe and healthy.  The Vermont Department of Health provides some excellent resources for tracking ticks across the state, performing tick checks, as well as information on prevention and removal.   Find more information here:

https://www.healthvermont.gov/immunizations-infectious-disease/mosquito-tick-zoonotic-diseases/prevent-tick-bites