 Egremont News |
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Issue 20 |
March, 2005 |
Rules & Regulations of this Newsletter:
The purpose of this newsletter is to keep residents informed of what is going on their community. It is printed on a bi-monthly basis by the Selectmen’s Office Staff. Articles submitted by Town Boards are not edited by the Select Board or Office Administrator. Outside organizations are allowed to submit articles of no longer than one column length. These articles are to be factual and will not be printed if they contain any political format, forum, or communication.
We welcome reader input and hope you enjoy reading the Newsletter.
Selectmen: Did you know that you can stop by the Selectmen’s Office to read the Community Development Plan, Master Plan, Comprehensive Emergency Plan, State Register of Historic Places, and Comprehensive Wage Study, as well as various town board minutes and past yearly audits?
Town Meeting is fast approaching. The deadline for submission of articles to be placed on the Annual Town Meeting is March 15, 2005.
With the new tax assessments and tax rate of $8.16 the average value of a house in Egremont is now $333,822.00 and the average tax bill is $2,725.00. There were 9 new homes constructed in Egremont in 2004.
Do you need to update your phone number, mailing address, or email address with the Town?
Do you have a tenant unit in Egremont? If so we need to know your tenants name and mailing address. This information is used for E911, residency and motor vehicle excise information.
Please remember that plastics such as laundry baskets, buckets, bins and toys are not recyclable. Only jars, tubs, and bottles less than 2 gallons in size are recyclable. Paper must be dry to be recycled - if it is raining please keep your papers covered.
CET is collecting used athletic shoes. The sneakers will be ground and recycled into new running tracks, basketball and tennis courts, and playgrounds. Contact CET at 413-445-4556 to donate.
In the Selectmen’s Office is the plan for the development at Catamount Ski Area. Anyone who wishes to read it may stop by during regular business hours.
There is to be a community forum at the Great Barrington Town Hall with Representative “Smitty” Pignatelli and Verizon to clarify the issue of DSL in the Southern Berkshire Area on March 11 at 9am. Town Officials will be attending this very important forum.
The Board is seeking an applicant to fill a vacancy on the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Board meets on an as needed basis when an application is filed for a special permit or a variance. Please contact the Town Hall before March 8 if you may be interested in serving. The term of office is three years.
Town Clerk:
Census forms have been sent out. The town is required to conduct a yearly census of residents each winter for publication by mid-April. If you did not receive a form, please call the town hall and one will be sent. The zip code that is printed in the upper left portion of the form is always 01258 as that is the State assigned zip code for Egremont. You do not need to change this. Please make sure the mailing address below this residential address is correct.
Don’t forget to license your dog. The town rabies clinic, for dogs and cats, is being held at the North Egremont Fire Station on Saturday, April 2 from 10am to 12noon. It is sponsored by the Egremont Civic Association.
2005 TOWN ELECTION SCHEDULE
March 22 5pm - Last day to file nomination papers
March 26 - Last day to post notices of Caucuses
April 2 - Last day to hold Caucuses
April 5 - Last day to file Caucuses nomination papers
April 7 - Last day to withdraw as a candidate
April 9 - Saturday Voter Registration 9am - 5pm
April 13 - Last day to register to vote for Town Meeting & Election
May 2 - Annual Town Meeting, Mt. Everett Auditorium 7pm
May 10 - Annual Town Election, North Egremont Fire Station 10am to 7pm
Nomination papers are currently available at the Town Hall during regular business hours. The following offices will be elected in May:
Moderator for one year
Town Clerk for one year
Tree Warden for one year
Selectman for three years
Assessor for three years
Water Commissioner for three years
Library Trustee for three years
Cemetery Commissioner for three years
Planning Board for five years
Planning Board for one year
Sewer Commissioner for one year
Sewer Commissioner for two years
Sewer Commissioner for three years
Planning Board:
Bylaws
The board has been holding extra sessions recently in order to finalize preparation of bylaw proposals for presentation to the town this spring. These bylaw proposals will be mailed to all voters in the town for review, and meetings will be held to discuss them.
Last spring at Special Town Meeting, voters postponed indefinitely a vote on a reformatted bylaw. That bylaw proposal had come about as the result of many hundreds of hours of work by the board, citizens from the town, a professional planning consultant, and a well-known land use attorney who assisted the town. That proposal had included a reformatting of the bylaw and work toward clarifying some of the ambiguities in the bylaw. Feedback to the board after that meeting was that this was just too confusing and too much to take on all at once.
The board has now reformatted our present bylaw without changes in the text, but with additional headings, a new order, and new numbering to try to make the bylaw clearer. During our bylaw review process over the past few years, townspeople have said that it is difficult to find information in the bylaw. The present reformatting proposal tries to make the bylaw more user-friendly. The reformatting proposal does not have any proposed changes for clarifying ambiguities.
In addition to the reformatting proposal, the board is proposing a series of choices to the town for clarifying what has been a confusing and troublesome section of our bylaw, leading to inconsistent decisions about how new building lots can be created in town.
What should be a very clear and simple issue --- the number of feet of frontage that a new lot requires --- is instead ambiguous and subject to numerous interpretations. This is an issue with widespread implications for the future of the town, and the board hopes that townspeople will read these choices very carefully and decide clearly what is required for new building lots in town.
Finally, there is a proposal related to telecommunications service in Egremont. There has been increased interest lately in the possibility of improved service in Egremont. Two years ago, Verizon applied to the town to place a switching hut at the church in South Egremont. Because of a ruling by Town Counsel that this would not be allowed under a provision in our bylaw that there cannot be more than one principal building on a lot, Verizon did not pursue the application. The Planning Board's proposal creates an exception to this rule that would allow a building of the size Verizon requested for upgrading telecommunications lines. Verizon has reviewed and supports this proposal. Verizon states that while there are no immediate plans for adding DSL service to North or South Egremont, this bylaw would allow them to get approval for the building needed and to move ahead as soon as they are ready.
It is the understanding of the board that a citizens' petition to accomplish a similar but broader purpose may be presented to the Selectmen to place on the Annual Town Meeting warrant in May. The board's proposal takes a somewhat different approach and offers another alternative. Either or both could be passed by the town and would provide different kinds of opportunities for telecommunication improvement.
Voters in town can pick up a packet of information with these bylaw proposals and information about them at the Town Hall, Library, Old Egremont Store, Country Market after March 1 or call the town hall at (413) 528-0182 to have one mailed to you. A Community Meeting to discuss these proposals will be held on March 16, 2005, at the North Egremont Firehouse at 7:00 PM. A Public Hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 7, 2005, at 7:00 PM at the North Egremont Firehouse -- watch for the official posting of this hearing. And a Special Town Meeting to vote on these proposals is tentatively scheduled for April 25, 2005, at the school in Sheffield.
Future Bylaw Work
The concept of establishing new zoning districts in town has come up for discussion both during the Master Plan process and by expressions of citizen interest since then. Since our two villages are different in character from more outlying areas of town, the idea of Village and Rural Districts has been proposed for discussion. Our present bylaw reflects the characteristics of our rural areas more than our villages in terms of density and appearance. Creating districts which more clearly describe the present character and uses in our rural and village areas could make it easier to establish new uses in those areas and give townspeople clearer expectations concerning future growth in the town.
The board would like to enlist the help of interested townspeople in exploring the idea of creating Village and Rural Districts. This is expected to be a long term project which might involve surveying townspeople for their ideas on the matter and, if there is interest, proposing how the district lines would be drawn and what uses, density characteristics, and approval processes would be appropriate for each.
If you are interested in working on a committee to explore the idea of Village and Rural Districts, please leave your name and contact information at the Town Hall. The board would like to schedule an initial meeting this spring to begin this process. Community Development Plan
This plan, which was completed last year, is available for review at the town hall and library. It is the record of the bylaw work which took place last year with our consultants under the Community Development Plan grant, as well as numerous maps required by the state under that grant program. It also includes the Transportation Plan, which was a required part of that grant. The Transportation Plan, developed by traffic planning consultants, gives recommendations for improvements in the two villages. This work was based on input from townspeople during the Master Plan process which supported making the villages safer and more pedestrian-friendly while keeping the small-village character.
The Planning Board and Selectboard invited all owners of property where improvements were suggested to discuss these ideas at a joint meeting in January. Many of the ideas were reviewed, and those present agreed to continue discussion on them. The town will consider implementing some of them on town property, and private owners will have the plans available to them should they decide to implement any of the ideas in the future.
Townspeople are invited to review this information at the town hall and library.
Resignation
Planning Board member Sandra Martin has submitted a letter of resignation to the Selectboard. Sandra has served very capably on the board, having been first appointed to fill a vacancy and then elected in 2001. Members of the Planning Board regret very much losing her as a board member. Sandra serves the town in other capacities and stated in her letter of resignation that her personal circumstances and time commitments to this other work no longer allow her to be a full participant on the Planning Board also. The Board expresses its deep gratitude to her for her willingness to commit so much time to the board in the past.
Waste Water Management Comm:
For the past three years, the Waste Water Management Committee (WWMC) has been working hard on behalf of the entire town to address the growing number of failing septic systems, particularly in downtown South Egremont, and its impact on both the environment and local economy.
Here is where we stand today:
· We are looking to build a waste water treatment facility (at a site yet to be determined) which includes collection, treatment, and disposal of sewage from 80 homes and businesses in the downtown area of South Egremont
· The project is estimated to cost $3.85 Million
· Currently, $993,480 is available in grant funding from the federal government, and we have applied and received an additional $2.435 million in secured low interest loans from both state and federal agencies. FEDERAL AND STATE GRANT & LOAN ASSISTANCE IS ONLY GUARANTEED IF THE TOWN APPROVES THE PROJECT AT THE MAY 3rd MEETING. THIS DEADLINE IS A CONDITION BEING IMPOSED ON US BY THE FUNDING SOURCES
· The town is being asked to approve the project (and the ensuing debt and capital costs) AND fund the balance of the project not covered by loans and grants, or $371,000, at the May 3rd meeting
If you have been following the waste water saga then you know the committee has explored a number of different alternatives over the years to fund this project, and is now working with the Finance Committee and the Select Board to present what it believes to be the most economically viable and sensible plan. Our key concern has always been to keep the costs associated with this project as low, and as fair and equitable as possible.
It is imperative that all Egremont residents understand the extent of the problem and what it means to our community and to the individuals who are directly affected. Currently, there are 19 residences and businesses in and around South Egremont Village that have septic systems deemed to be in failure by the Board of Health, and many more systems identified as being in progressive failure. Unfortunately, this is a problem that will NOT go away and is only expected to get worse. This leaves ALL residents with one of two options:
1. Address the problem now by building our own waste water treatment facility under the most favorable of all terms and options by approving the project with the grant funding, as it will be presented on the warrant of the May 3, 2005 Town Meeting, or
2. Fix the problem, without grant funding, at a later date when there is a very good chance the DEP will force the issue only they will mandate the upgrades on their terms and on their timeframe.
Given that these are our ONLY two options, it is in the best interest of the Town of Egremont to pass this project at the upcoming May 3rd Town Meeting. If it does not, we loose the $3.4 million we worked so hard to secure, and we run the risk of the DEP mandating a fix to the problem, which will mean the town or the individual users will be forced to build the treatment facility and incur all the associated costs, or fix the problem themselves.
Neighbors, this is where we are at. No longer can we hide from this problem or assume a ‘fix’ will magically appear at no cost to either the town or individual home owners. We recognize that you are being asked to consider a tax increase as well as user fees for those being served by the sewer, but this is how we all gain from the investment:
· We’re protecting and preserving the environment for a healthier community (Harmful bacteria from failed septic systems is an obvious threat to the public health. Substandard septic systems are currently affecting water quality in Karner Brook. These types of environmental threats affect the quality of life for all in Egremont.)
· Users will see an immediate increase in their property values
· We can build a stronger downtown business district with the right infrastructure in place to support a viable, healthy economy
· A stronger business district will continue to help keep individual property taxes lower than in surrounding towns
· The town will own an asset ( a waste water treatment facility)
The WWMC is hosting a series of informal community teas and meetings leading up to the May 3 Town Meeting. We urge you to join us for these educational events so you can make an informed decision when asked for your vote:
March 19, 2005, 10:00 A.M. – Congregational Church
April 2, 2005, 11:00 A.M. – Weathervane Inn
April 30, 2005, 11:00 A.M. – Egremont Inn
Park:
Motorized vehicles, such as snowmobiles and 4-wheelers, are not allowed on the trails in the park. The trails are used for hiking and cross country skiing. The trails cannot be safely shared with motorized vehicles. Snowmobiles pack down the trails making them unusable by cross country skiers. So if having to go through the park on your vehicle, please stay off the trials.
As the summer recreation season approaches, we wish to make you are aware that all organized recreational group members using the Park must sign liability waivers as required by our insurance company.
Affordable Housing Committee:
The Committee continues to investigate possibilities for creating affordable housing in town. The committee’s goal is to make the town proactive in meeting its responsibilities for moderate cost housing, so our citizens will have places to live and so we can provide that housing in a manner accept to the town.
The Committee welcomes your views on this subject and encourages you to make them known. The Committee is also seeking additional members. Meetings are held once a month, so only a modest time commitment is involved. If you are interested, please contact Richard Allen, 45 Second Street, North Egremont, 528-2108.
Southern Berkshire Regional Schools:
The Southern Berkshire Regional School district is a proud and strong growing community of learners striving to achieve excellence in education. The District is committed to all students successfully achieving rigorous standards by aligning national, state and district curriculum frameworks; teaching effective, relevant, differentiated instruction in mixed ability classrooms; creatively maximizing all resources, tools, and technology; and establishing consistent accountability among skillful and knowledgeable education leaders. The proposed 2006 Budget supports this community. The proposed FY 2006 Budget is reflective of the collaborative work of the Superintendent, Business Manager, Principals, Director of Special Education, Teacher Leaders, and the members of our School Committee. Programs, positions, and services provided for students were thoughtfully reviewed. Federal, state, and district goals were examined for compliance. Present and future needs of all students strongly influenced our budget work. Data was analyzed and applied as an important component of the budget process; i.e., declining enrollment, teacher-student ratio, and resource utilization.
The Proposed FY 2006 Budget includes a reduction in force (RIF) of 5 positions. In addition, an increase of $200,000 was added to the operating budget from the district Excess & Deficiency and School Choice funds. A large number of variables impact budget decisions; some of the most important are all students’ needs, effectiveness of student services, duplication of student services, program relevance, and accountability and assessment.
The Proposed FY 2006 Budget reflects respectful and active listening to the members of the five towns. All towns trust the District to provide an excellent education for every child sent to the our schools. The proposed FY 2006 Budget is fiscally responsible to our students, parents, and communities and provides for an excellent education for each child. A draft of the Proposed FY 2006 school budget is available for review at Town Hall. The public hearing will be held on Thursday, March 3, 2005 at 6:30 pm at the Mt. Everett High School. The budget increase overall is 3.27%. Egremont’s share of the Operating Budget is up .22%, the share of the Capital Budget is up 7.14% for an overall increase to Egremont of 1.31%.
Please view the School web page for lots of good information - www.sbrsd.org.
Some upcoming public events at the school:
♦ March 4 the Earth Angels 7:30pm
♦ March 8 ½ day of school
♦ March 8 Parent/Teacher Conferences
♦ Eagle Fund Benefit Performance 8pm
♦ March 17 School Committee meeting 7pm
♦ March 22 & 23 Elementary Talent Show 8pm to 10pm
♦ March 26 Junior Western District Concert
♦ March 31 School Committee 7pm
♦ April 1 SADD Breakfast 6:30am - 7:30am
♦ April 1 & 2 Grade 7-12 Drama 7pm
♦ April 13 ½ day school
♦ April 14 School Committee 7pm
♦ April 15, 16, & 17 Kiwanis Performance 8pm
♦ April 28 School Committee 7pm
Board meeting schedule:
Subject to change.Archives Room - First Saturday 9-noon
Assessors - Wednesdays 9am to 11am & Tuesdays 7pm to 9pm
Board of Health - Monday by appointment, Tuesday 11am to 3pm, Wednesday 10am to 12noon, Thursday 10am to 12noon
Board of Selectmen - Meetings Tuesday evenings 7pm. Office 7:30am to 3pm.
Building Inspector - Tuesday 12:30pm to 3:30pm.
Conservation Commission - Second and Fourth Thursdays 7:00pm
Finance Committee - Wednesday 7pm as needed.
Library - Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 2-6pm &
Saturday 9-12noon
Planning Board - Second & Fourth Monday 7:30pm
Town Clerk - Tuesday evenings 7pm - 9pm
Waste Water Management - Third Tuesday 3:30pm
Water Department - Third Thursday 4:30pm
Zoning Board of Appeals - as needed
To reach a board member or to leave a message please call the Town Hall.
What is DSL?
As explained by Bob Lea, in very basic terms Digital Service Line (DSL) system uses a device called a DSL modem to turn an existing standard phone line into a three-channel telecommunications line. One channel transmits voice frequencies, and normal voice phone usage continues whether or not the other two DSL channels are being used. A second channel transmits computer information in digital form downstream to the Internet Service Provider (ISP), and a third channel transmits data upstream from the ISP. (Explanations of more complex forms of DSL are found on the Internet; for example, see howstuffworks.com).
The advantages of DSL over non-DSL transmission is that the DSL technology allows simultaneous voice and DSL data transmission over the same telephone line. With basic DSL, an ordinary phone line can carry digital computer information without disturbing the line’s ability to carry conversation at the same time. This eliminates the “busy” signals on incoming calls while the home computer is on-line. It also allows out-going phone calls to be made while the home computer is online.
- It eliminates the need for a separate second line that is used only as a computer connection to the Internet. Another economy is that you can hook up more than one computer to a single DSL connection. However, there is monthly DSL charge (about $30).
- A major advantage is that DSL increases the rate of data transmission to and from the Internet. While this rate depends on many factors (such as the length of the connection from a central office and the condition of the wiring inside and outside your location), it is reasonable to expect that the DSL transmission rate will be 5-10 times the non-DSL rate.
The latest word from Verizon on when Egremont may get DSL is that budget planning may begin in 2006.
Community News & Notes:
Is there something going on your life that you would like to announce to the town or some function that you think residents may be interested in. Please send it along to us and we will print it here.
Charles and Dorothy Flynn report their son Spc John Flynn has just completed a one year tour as a Cavalry Scout with the 1st Infantry Division in Baquoba, Iraq. Their other son, 1st Lt. Patrick Flynn, an Army Ranger, is heading over to Iraq in August as Platoon Leader for a Calvary Scout Platoon. We wish them both luck.
Congregational Church first formed on Town House Hill in 1767 as a meeting house. In 1770 the first church was organized. The church disbanded in 1794 and reorganized in 1816. Several Pastors later the new church in the village of South Egremont was dedicated in 1833.
Baptist Church was first organized in 1787 and services were conducted in various locations. Baptisms took place in Green River. In 1808 the church was incorporated. Parishioners voted in 1816 to build their first church. The Baptist Church was completed in 1832 in the village of North Egremont. In 1887 the current North Egremont Baptist church was erected and the former church was set on top of the first story. The church was used as a rooming house. Since 1943 the church shared pastors with the South Egremont Congregational Church, with the exception of 1950 to 1953 and for the past 10 or more years.
Methodist Church was built in 1830 in the village center and later became the Community Center where town meetings were held until the floor collapsed, and the Men’s Club, and was owned by the Egremont Fire Department. It is currently a private residence.
Business listings:
In an effort to promote local small businesses, the following businesses/services located in Egremont have agreed to be listed here. If we missed asking you and you wish to be included, please send your information to the Town Hall.
Baldwin Hill Farm B&B - Lodging and breakfast
413-528-4892 / 888-528-4092
www.baldwinhillfarm.com
The Silo B&B - guest accommodations
413-528-5195
The Weathervane Inn - Lodging
413/800-528-9580
John Andrews’ Restaurant - Restaurant
413-528-3469
Elm Court Inn - Restaurant
413-528-0325
Swiss Hutte Country Inn and Restaurant-
Restaurant & Lodging
413-528-6200
Howard’s Antiques - Antique Lighting & Restoration
413-528-1232
www.howardsantiquelighting.com
Red Barn Antiques - Antique lighting & fine metal polishing
413-528-3230
Blue Rider Stables - Therapeutic Riding Center
413-528-5299
Green River Arabians & Pintos - Horse back riding, training, lessons, breeding
413-528-2367
www.thearabianexperts.com/greenriver
Odyssey II Kennels - All breed boarding for Dogs
413-528-2816
Indian Line Farm - Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) & Farmers Markets
413-528-8301
House to House Hauling & Recycling-
Rubbish removal
413-528-0943
G&S Gventer “Books - Buy & Sell Books
413-528-2327
Cosmic Resonance (Elfie Six) - Shiatsu/Acutonics, Soundhealing, Lymphatic Drainage
413-644-9979
Peter Goldberg, Dipl. Ac - Acupuncture, Pain
Management 413-528-5055
Divine Automotive - Automotive repair
413-528-8007
Old Egremont Store - groceries, beer, wine, liquor, newspapers, lottery, & much more 413-528-4796
Blueberry Lane Home Design - Interior decorating
413-528-9633
Closet Collection - clothing & household
consignment shop
413-528-6236
Berkshire Veneer Company - wholesale/retail
wood veneer sales
413-644-9696
Catamount Ski Area - Skiing
413-528-1262
Support local businesses.
Town of Egremont
P.O. Box 368
South Egremont MA 01258
413-528-0182
Printed, on recycled paper, Selectmen’s Office Staff
as submitted by Town Department.