Thetford Town Newsletter
No.
59 January 2009
TOWN CLERK NOTES
Animal
License Renewals
January
1
Registration begins for animal license renewals (due by April 1)
Town Meeting/Articles/Offices Information
Petitions for articles to be included on the Town Meeting Warning are due to
the Town Clerk by January 22, 2009.
The petition requires signatures of 5% of the checklist (approximately
105).
The following offices have terms that
end on March 3, 2009. This means anyone who
wishes to have their name on the ballot as a candidate for a position must:
1)
Complete a nominating petition (available at the
Town Clerk’s office)
2)
Get the necessary
signatures on the petition (approx. 25, 1% of the voter checklist)
3)
Return the
petition to the Town Clerk’s office by January 26, 5pm and complete the
consent for nomination.
For information on the
various offices, please contact a Selectboard member or the Town Clerk at
785-2922.
OFFICE TERM
Town Moderator 1 year
Selectboard 3
year
Selectboard 2
year
Grand Juror 1
year
Agent to Prosecute/Defend
Suits 1 year
Agent to Convey Real Property 1 year
Lister 3 year
Lister 2 yr to complete
3 yr term
Budget Committee 2 & 3 year
term
Trustee of Trust Funds 3 year
Cemetery Commissioner 3
year
Latham Library Trustees 4
year
School Moderator 1 year
School Director 3
year
School Director 2
year
Mid-February – Town Reports will be
mailed
February
28 – Town
Meeting
March
3 – Town
Australian Balloting at Town Hall
We
are also looking for digital photos from around town (people, buildings,
events) for inclusion in the town report. You may send your digital
photos to townclerk@thetfordvermont.us.
SCHOOL BOARD NOTES
Please note (and help spread
the word among your neighbors) that the school board will be addressing
two important school issues this January: the Thetford School District
Budget (including secondary education costs) for next year, and the hiring of a
new Principal at
We
will be providing more information about these meetings in early January,
via notices outside the TES office, at Post Offices in Thetford, and on
the email discussion forum (lists.valley.net/lists/info/thetford). However, we
wanted to provide preliminary information now, to encourage public input at
these meetings.
Budget: Discussions concerning the
proposed FY2009-2010 Thetford School District Budget, including secondary
education costs, will take place in January with members of the Thetford Budget
Committee and Thetford residents. School board completion of the
proposed budget is scheduled for January 27th (please note: the original
meeting schedule indicated this would take place January 13th). This is
the budget that will be presented to Thetford voters this spring.
TES Principal Hiring Process: In addition, the process of hiring a new principal
for
Information
concerning the Thetford School District,
which includes Thetford Elementary School and Thetford Academy, and
details of the proposed budget will be included in the Thetford School
District Report. Documents will be mailed to residents prior to Town
Meeting. Please consider attending the Town of
The
Thetford School District Board will continue to meet with the public on
the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Meeting times and
locations may vary in January and February to allow the board additional time
to prepare the proposed budget and provide information to residents concerning
a new
The next
The Thetford School Board: Robin Brown, Karen Kaliski,
Jennifer Reining, Elise Tillinghast, Andy Boyce
TA NOTES
*The Thetford Academy Board of Trustees
will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday, January 8, at 7:00pm in the
TA Library. The meeting is open to anyone interested and the public
is encouraged to attend.
*The sophomore Anthology Reading will be Friday,
January 9, at 8:00am. All are welcome to witness this rite of
passage for 10th grade English students at TA.
*The Winter Choral Concert will be held on Saturday, January 10, at
7:00pm in the Thetford Congregational Church on Thetford
Hill. The snow date for this always popular event is January 13 at
4:00pm.
*Mark your calendars for
January, 15, 16, and 17-- the 10 Minute
Play Festival. Performances will be offered each of those days
in TA's Shark Tank Theater.
*Friday, January 23, the sophomore class will sponsor a dance from 7:30-9:30pm.
Students in grade 7-12 and their guests are invited to attend.
*Happy New Year from all of
us at
Submitted by Wendy Cole
Warmth in the Winter Film
Series Returns
The Thetford Energy Committee
will be showing energy-related films at the Congregational Church on Thetford
Hill on the following Sundays: January 18, January 25, and February 8. At press
time, we were still finalizing our selections, so check the Events Calendar on
our webpage at <www.thetfordvermont.us/energy.htm> or
look for posters around town to get more information about which films we'll be
showing this year.
Energy
Tip of the Month: Proper Vehicle Warmup Saves Fuel Do what's best for your car and limit vehicle warmup
to necessary defrosting. Vehicles with direct injection engines (produced
beginning in the mid-1980s) do not need to be warmed up and are most efficient
when being driven because driving warms up the catalytic converter and other
mechanical parts not warmed by idling. Idling for long periods in cold weather
can actually cause excessive engine wear. According to the US Department of
Energy, “[t]he best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30
seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel
and increases emissions.” <www.energy.gov/4308.htm> NPR’s Car Talk
Guys suggest 30 seconds of warm-up when it’s 25 degrees out, and a minute if
it’s 10 degrees or lower. Consult your vehicle manual for the manufacturer’s
advice on appropriate vehicle warm-up.
Diesel
engines need less than a minute of warmup, even in very cold weather. (Note
that heavy diesel equipment has different warm-up needs: follow the
manufacturer’s instructions for vehicle warm-up and cool-down.)
On
older cars with carburetors, extended warm-up (5 to 10 minutes) may damage the
engine by diluting the oil with excess fuel.
Submitted by Alice Stewart, Thetford Energy Committee
RECREATION DEPARTMENT
NOTES
Saturday January 31st
- The first Winter Carnival
sponsored by Thetford Recreation Department! We will have snow sculpture
contests, show shoeing, skiing, and other fun, outdoor events on the
Common. We will also have a soup & chili contest
and indoor facilities available. If you are interested in
volunteering to run a specific event or help to plan, please contact the Rec
Dept. soon!
Family Game Nights will return to Latham Library’s basement on the first
and third Saturdays of the month from 6-8 PM, beginning Saturday January
3rd. The Rec Dept. will provide snacks and a few games. Families are
encouraged to bring their own games to share with others for the night. If
you are planning to attend any particular night, please consider being the head
family for the night. This entails being responsible for set-up and
clean up and being the go-to family for the night. Contact the Rec
Coordinator to sign up.
King
Arthur Flour had to cancel the cookie
decorating due to instructor injury, so we will reschedule that and also
offer a baking class, this one
all about bread making techniques. Neither date is set yet, but will most
likely be in mid January. Space is limited, so sign up early by contacting
the Rec Coordinator.
Hilary Linehan, Thetford Recreation Coordinator
785-2922 ext 6 recreation@thetfordvermont.us
LEARN Cross-step WALTZ
Sunday Afternoons 2pm – 4pm
Jan 4 ~ Feb 1 ~ March 1
at the
2:00 - 3:00 BEGINNER
3:00 - 4:00 INTERMEDIATE
4:00 - 4:30 practice
Donations accepted ** RSVP appreciated
Submitted by Gina Sonne 785-4220
T.E.N. - Thetford Elder Network
Do you know any person in
town who needs some assistance with rides, gardening, cooking, carpentry,
painting, plumbing, house cleaning, transportation or some aspect of their
life which is making living in Thetford a difficulty?
If so, TEN has a list of
volunteers, ready to assist.
Contact
the TEN Volunteer List by calling Inge Trebitz at 785-2129.
T.E.N. MONTHLY SENIOR MEAL
Wednesday, January 28th, 11:30am at the
Please call if you know of
someone who needs transportation!
RSVP to Martha
Daum 333-4082
"FOOD FOR FRIENDS”
In
addition to the Thetford food-shelf faithfully attended by Roberta Howard at
the Town Office, Thetford Baptist Church (off Route 5, near Huggett's)
offers a supplemental food pantry to those in need. The church's pantry,
"Food for Friends," provides a grocery bag of canned goods and frozen
foods to any family upon request.
The
pantry is OPEN each Sunday from 12:30 to 1:30 and Thursday evenings
from 6:00-7:30.
Call
Pastor John Hartley (785-2050) for alternative "pickup" times or for
more information.
Submitted by Jennifer Gernhard
NEW HOURS AT THE RECYCLING CENTER!
For your convenience, there
will no longer be any "winter hours" and "summer hours" at
the
Submitted by Frank Bonnett 785-2543
*THETFORD TUTOR* Grades K-8
For parents who are concerned about their child's academic performance, private
tutorials can lead to success in school and at home. Tutorials strengthen
skills, increase confidence and provide enrichment. Tutorials are held at
"The Tutoring Barn" on
For further information
visit: www.uppervalleytutor.com
or call Jane Friedlander at 785-4455. Limited openings available.
The deadline for submissions
is the 20th of each month.
Send news including contact
name and telephone number to Cathee Daum Clement at 785-2668 or turtlepond@netzero.net.
Please list Thetford Town
Newsletter in the subject line.