Pawlet eNews May 11, 2020
Pawlet Emergency Management Covid-19 Updates: For regular updates please watch and like the Pawlet Emergency Management Facebook page. We are focusing on local and State information. For ongoing Executive Order Measures issued by Governor Phil Scott in response to COVID-19, see Executive Orders. See also the Covid-19 Rutland County Resource Guide, prepared by the Rutland County State’s Attorney’s Office.For national or global information we refer you to the CDC website or the Vermont Department of Health website. To sign up for daily updates on the coronavirus situation in Washington County, NY, click here. We hope you are all well and safe and look forward to seeing you when the time is right.
The Pawlett Historical Society May 14 monthly meeting has been cancelled and the June yard sale has been postponed. Please watch for updates.
Pawlet Select Board Meeting, Tuesday, May 19, 7 PM: During the Covid-19 crisis, the Select Board meetings are being held online. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held online on May 19, 2020; the agenda, which will include information on how to participate in the online meeting, will be posted here when available. Feel free to send any items you wish to be addressed by the Select Board to PawletSelectBoard@gmail.com. Thank you for your cooperation during this difficult time.
The Pawlet Town Offices are closed to the public until further notice. We are doing our best to be in the office to answer emails, phone calls, and assist in any way that we can while honoring the social distancing order set forth by our Governor, Phil Scott. Each of us spends time in our office each week attending to business; however we are not open to the public. As we move through these critical weeks of the pandemic we will continue to keep ourselves safe and make every effort to keep you, our community safe; therefore we must ask you to please not come to our homes. If you need us, please call the office and leave a message. Thank you for your cooperation.
Pawlet Town Clerk: pawletclerk@vermontel.net
Assessor’s Office: pawletlister@vermontel.net
Treasurer: pawlettreas@Vermontel.net
(802) 325-3309
The Town of Pawlet Highway Department requests that citizens do not come to the town garage to contact them. Please call them by phone and leave a message: 802-325-3467.
Pawlet Public Library Cancels 53rd Annual Book Sale: The Pawlet Public Library Board of Trustees recently voted to cancel the Library’s 53 rd Annual Book Sale, scheduled the last weekend in July, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The book sale sorting center has suspended acceptance of book donations until further notice. The Book Sale will be back in 2021!
The Library has been closed to the public since March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Library card holders can access free digital resources listed on the Library’s website: www.pawletpubliclibrary.wordpress.com. These include Listen Up! Vermont to access free downloadable audio and eBooks, courtesy of the Library’s membership in Green Mountain Library Consortium; and, courtesy the Vermont Department of Libraries, Universal Class to access free, self-passed online continuing education courses, Green Mountain Internet Archive to access national collections of digitized materials, and Vermont Online Library to access research information produced by known and trusted publishers on a variety of topics for all age levels. For more information, please contact the Library staff at 802-325-3123 or pawletpub@gmail.com.)
New information resource offered by Pawlet Library: Community Connector Sara Young has compiled a information resource that includes updates from the Vermont Department of Health and Town of Pawlet Emergency Management. It also lists local services in the Pawlet area, and State regulations and resources. For more information see Pawlet Area Covid 19 Information and Resources.
Pawlet Library Virtual Play Group and Tea Time, Weekly on Fridays, 10 AM – 11 AM: Pawlet Library Play Group has gone virtual! Please join our group using Zoom each Friday at 10 am. We will sing songs, read books and discuss how we can connect and support each other during this time. These are indeed unprecedented times we are living in, and we need to be able to support and connect with each other more than ever. I look forward to ‘seeing’ you! – Joni Eekhoff-Lee. Contact Joni if you would like to join the virtual play group.
Pawlet Scholarship Applications Due June 1: The Pawlet Scholarship Committee reminds all Pawlet and West Pawlet residents that applcations for funding to support education costs are due Monday, June 1. The Committee accepts applications to support continuing education beyond high school, including adults as well as current high school seniors. For more information and to download the application form, visit www.pawletscholarships.org.
Pawlet Community Church Sunday Service Update: Pawlet Community Church is offering its with Rev. Tracy Weatherhogg. Please visit Facebook “Pawlet Community Church” to view the service. If you cannot make it at 9:30, the video will remain on our Facebook page for future viewing. We would welcome any offering you could provide to the church. Please mail to Pawlet Community Church, 38 Route 133, Pawlet, VT 05761. Thank you so much!
Pawlet Cemeteries Have Reopened as of May 1: Northeast and Mettowee Valley Cemeteries will be open as of May 1. Lot holders are encouraged to check their lots for debris. Owners are asked to refrain from placing artificial flowers on grave sites. No burials or cremains will be permitted without the approval of the Superintendent. The Cemetery Association is striving to keep the grounds maintained as attractively as possible with very limited funds. For more information contact Myron (Mike) Waite, Superintendent, 802-325-3052.
A Helping Hand in Pawlet: The Pawlet Community Church Food Pantry and the Barn Restaurant are raising money to help stock food pantry supplies, as well as offer pick-up and delivery of free meals prepared by the Barn Restaurant 3 days per week for those who need assistance during this challenging time. The meals will be available on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Pick-up will be at the Church. The meals will be brought to you in your vehicle, so there’s no need to come indoors. If you are unable pick up a meal, it can be delivered to your doorstep. To reserve a meal, call the Pawlet Community Church at 802-325-3022 from 10 AM to 12 PM on the day before (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) for pickup from 5 to 6 PM the next day. Menus are posted every Monday via Front Porch Forum and Facebook “McChesney Real Estate.” Can you help support this effort? Please send your tax-deductible donation by check payable to Pawlet Community Church Food Pantry, c/o Timothy Bryant, 337 Milaura Lane, Pawlet, Vermont 05761. For more information call Scott McChesney at 802-287-1415. Take care, be strong, be safe and stay healthy.
Naga Bakehouse Community Bake Pizza Night Series, May 13, 20, 27: This Wednesday will be the first of 3 pizza nights. You can order now for 1, 2 or 3 weeks. If you sign up for the 3-week series, receive any topped pizza at a discount, for the price of a Good Ol’ Sauce and Cheese ($14). Our rotating menu includes local ingredients purchased from our neighboring farms and food producers. Don’t forget to add a side of garlic knots! Order no later than midnight on Monday, May 11; click on this online order form to preorder your preferred ready-to-eat, fully dressed pizza, and you’ll be directed to sign up for a pick-up time in 15-minute intervals. On Wednesday, please arrive to Naga Bakehouse (Sundog Lane, Middletown Springs) as close to your 15 minute time slot as possible. We’ll have a tent set up at the bottom of the road and we’ll greet you there, pizza in (gloved) hand. We rely on word of mouth to reach our audience, so please pass this on and help us expand our circle! Questions? Send us a note at nagabakehouse@gmail.com. Thanks, Julie Sperling and Doug Freilich, Naga Bakehouse, Middletown Springs, VT 05757, (802) 235-1282, nagabake@vermontel.net.
Little Village Road Landowner Opportunities from Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District: Thinking about making improvements to your driveway or forest roads this summer? At the Conservation District we are working in the Flower Brook watershed to address water quality, flooding issues, and serious downstream impacts. If you are a landowner along Little Village Road, there are two opportunities for financial and technical assistance. For a limited time, the District can cover costs associated with improving stormwater drainage related to driveway runoff or fixing erosion along your logging or forest roads. Please contact me if you think that your driveway or forest roads need drainage improvements and you live between the Kelly Hill Road bridge and Little Village Road or anywhere along Little Village Road. This program is funded through the Lake Champlain Basin Program and is in its early stages. Landowner participation and feedback will be important if resources such as these are to be made available to landowners in other parts of the Lake Champlain watershed. I can be reached at (802) 558-3515 or hilary@pmnrcd.org. Resulting site visits will follow all applicable safety procedures and social distancing measures. The District is a non-regulatory, locally run group interested in helping landowners address water quality issues on their properties. Thank you for considering participation. Thank you, Hilary Solomon, Poultney Mettowee NRCD
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event Postponed: Due to Covid-19, the Rutland County Solid Waste Alliance Communities (SWAC), the towns of Benson, Chittenden, Fair Haven, Middletown Springs, Pawlet, Rutland Town, Shrewsbury, Sudbury, Tinmouth, and West Haven, have rescheduled the Saturday, May 16 household hazardous waste collection event. The collection event had been scheduled for May 16. The newly scheduled date for this event is Saturday, October 3 from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM at the Rutland Town Transfer Station. Please check the Solid Waste Alliance Communities website at www.rutlandcountyswac.org for updates and additional information. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Courier Service for Self-Isolating Seniors: Joe and Martha Pofit of Wells are running a Courier Service as part of a state-wide program to help home-bound seniors with groceries, prescriptions, clinic visits, errands. If you know someone in need in Wells, Poultney, Danby, Pawlet and surrounding towns, contact us at 802-345-3965 or martha.pofit@gmail.com. We are excited to do our little part to spare any suffering we can for those in self-isolation who are at-risk for infection.
SVCOA Offers Shopping Service for Older Vermonters: Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging has started a new grocery and supply shopping service to support older Vermonters in Bennington and Rutland counties during the COVID-19 issue. The shopping service, which is supported by vetted SVCOA volunteers, is available to anyone age 60 or over, as well as eligible younger disabled individuals. If you or someone you know is interested in accessing the shopping service, or if you’re interested in volunteering, please call SVCOA at 802-786-5990 and ask to speak with Ellen Green. For more information about SVCOA, visit www.svcoa.org.
Update from Community Health Centers of the Rutland Region: Don’t hesitate to call us at 888-989-8707 for appointments and for any questions you have regarding your health. Check our website for more details, hours and locations https://www.chcrr.org/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
Update from Vermont DMV: The State of Vermont is extending expiration dates for Vermont licenses and Vermont registrations for 90 days due to the outbreak. Until further notice, the “valid registration” requirement to pass a Vermont Safety Inspection is lifted for a 90-day period beyond the registration expiration date. Photographs and VIN validation requirements still apply. Any vehicle whose registration has expired for longer than 90 days from the effective date, shall not pass a Vermont Safety Inspection. All other requirements to pass a Vermont Safety Inspection still apply. If you have any questions about these or other inspection component criteria, please contact Scott Davidson, Chief Inspector or your area DMV Investigator directly. To find the investigator assigned to your area, please visit the DMV Inspector Map or contact the DMV Investigations Unit.
Info on How Covid-19 is Affecting Transportation: Here at Go! Vermont we know that transportation is one of the many necessities that has been affected by Covid-19, and we must all take precautions to make sure everyone stays safe and limits the spread. If you are required to travel during Governor Scott’s “stay home, stay safe” order, please practice social distancing in all forms of transportation, whether that’s riding the bus, biking or walking. If you have any questions about your transportation options or need a ride, please call our help line at 800-685-7433 or visit https://www.
Resources for Businesses, Covid-19 Update: Visit the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce website to learn about help available for businesses.
Rutland Area Visiting Nurse monthly community health clinics are cancelled until further notice. For more information visit http://vermontvisitingnurses.org/events/categories/rutland-area/ .