Patrick's blog

We were awarded a 2018 “Building Communities” grant for $25,000, from the State of Vermont.  Administered through the Department of Buildings and General Services, these funds will help complete the third and final phase of renovations in Okemo Valley TV’s facility. The annual Building Communities grants are awarded to “help preserve important historic buildings and enhance community facilities”; the program is funded by the State legislature. A grant award ceremony was held last week at the State House; shown in the photo below (from left to right) are: State Rep. Annmarie Christensen (Cavendish-Weathersfield), Patrick Cody, Gov. Phil Scott, State Senator Alison Clarkson (Windsor Co.), and State Rep. Dennis Devereux (Ludlow-Mt. Holly-Shrewsbury).

Several years ago, we embarked on a project to renovate the former Ludlow Armory "tank barn", which is now part of the Ludlow Community Center complex. Thanks to the support of the Town of Ludlow, who selected us as a long-term tenant of that building, along with Black River Good Neighbor Services, we could establish a new home. That meant building an actual studio, along with the other supporting spaces, that would make the facility an accommodating and efficient work environment for community members to use, for the purposes of creating media.  The first 2 phases included the initial fit-up, studio & performance space. Given the scope of the project and our limited budget, it was necessary to break it out into more manageable pieces. We are now gearing up for the final phase. The remaining work involves enclosing the remaining rooms, which include a classroom (to function as a digital media lab), as well as editing suites, a lobby, and control room.  The project, estimated to cost $145,000, will also add needed energy efficiency improvements. With the addition of the grant, $60,000 has now been raised towards the final phase of the build-out. Due to the requirements of the "Building Communities" grant, we will need to begin a portion of the work by March 2019. We will start with the "Digital Learning Lab" (conference room / classroom) and the studio production control room. These 2 rooms will allow us to more effectively teach TV studio production to students and other groups while also allowing us to expand our media education services beyond TV production, with the new "Digital Learning Lab". We will be able to host and offer classes on such topics as podcasting & computer animation. Fundraising for the project will continue until the entire goal of $145,000 is met.

Please consider making a contribution to help us expand media education opportunities!

Cavendish Ghost Stories

During the last school year, CTES 6th graders did a class project on ghost stories in Cavendish. They explored buildings and houses throughout Town that are said to have been haunted. The students interviewed current occupants of the buildings and then recorded those stories in our studio.

And From the Archives...

Back in 2005, just before Halloween, local author Joe Citro gave a talk about local haunted tales at the Fletcher Memorial Library. Michelle Stinson, the youth librarian at the time, caught up with him before that talk, out on Depot St. in Ludlow, in front of a house that reportedly had ghostly activities. (Incidentally, Michelle went on to work for us for 8 years. This was the start of it all). 

OVTV Executive Director Patrick Cody (Left), with RVTC student Cameron Purington, who won logo contest

RVTC Teacher Ms. Kristen Wilson (Left), with students from her Technology Essentials class

After receiving 42 entries from 17 different people in the recent logo design contest for Okemo Valley TV, we are pleased to announce Cameron Purington as the winner. Cameron is in the Technology Essentials class at River Valley Technical Center. The class, taught by Ms. Kristen Wilson, participated in our contest as a class project. The class visited our facility this past week, where they were given a tour and heard from Okemo Valley TV Board member Jon Clinch, who helped judge the contest and offered some insight on design and typography. Since 2001, we have been known as "LPCTV", but our name has changed and now, thanks to Cameron, Ms. Wilson, and the RVTC class, we have a logo! "By identifying a need to re-brand LPCTV, we wanted to involve the community much as possible", said Executive Director Patrick Cody. Community members were polled earlier in the year to help choose a name and then, over the past few months, the logo contest was held. "By getting the community involved, not only to participate in our regular operations, but also to shape who we are and where we're going, that's what it's all about."

Keep tuned into your local government in action. We have been providing "gavel-to-gavel" coverage of local gov't meetings since 2001, and we have continued to expanding that coverage. We are now televising 2 local meetings per day on our Education & Gov't channel. Meetings play each night, beginnign at 7PM, and then repeat starting at midnight, 8AM, and 2PM the following day. Find all of that info. & more here

In all, we cover an average of 16 meetings each month. These include meetings in Ludlow, Cavendish, Plymouth, Mount Holly, and, our latest addition, Andover. We record Selecboard, Planning Commission, & Development Review Board meetings. In addition, we cover school board meetings in these Towns as well, including those held within the Two Rivers Supervisory Union.

By increasing our telecasts to 2 meetings per day on our Educational & Gov't channel, we have doubled the number of times that each meeting plays, to a minimum of 16 times.

Not only do we televise the meetings, but we also make them available for viewing right here on our website.