 Egremont News |
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Issue 14 |
March, 2004 |
Thank you for responding so promptly to the Census Form. I would like to clarify one item on these forms. Many of you correct the Zip Code if you live in North Egremont. Egremont is one town and therefore only one Zip Code is recognized for residence/voter purposes. Your Zip Code for your mailing address is correct. I hope this explains it; if not give me a call.
Just a reminder that all dogs need to be licensed by May 1. There will be a Rabies Clinic on Saturday, April 3 from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at the North Egremont Fire Station.
If you wish to obtain an Absentee Ballot for any upcoming elections your request must be received in writing by 12noon on the day prior to the election. If you have any questions regarding elections please give me a call.
UPCOMING ELECTIONS:
Presidential Primary - March 2
Annual Town Election - May 11
Selectmen:
The Select Board wish to express their sincere gratitude for the years of service that Sydney Ornstil has given the town. He has recently resigned from his current position as Chairman of the Board of Assessors. In years past he was a Finance Committee member and Assistant Tax Collector. Mr. Ornstil will be sorely missed by all.
The Select Board, jointly with the remaining two Assessors, will be making a temporary appointment to fill the vacancy. This temporary appointment will be until the May 11 election at which time townspeople will be voting for a one year Assessors term and a three year Assessors term.
At the same time on the ballot will be a question seeking approval to make the Board of Assessors an appointed board instead of an elected board. There is a growing trend to make this town office appointed and this was suggested in a town government study conducted for the Town in the late 1990's. The Board of Assessors will then be authorized to hire a working clerk which will make the office more efficient.
The Select Board has been diligently reviewing Fiscal Year 2005 budget requests from town departments keeping in the mind the need to stabilize the town’s tax bill. Values will again be going up another 20%, which will lower the tax rate. In order to keep the tax bill from going up the budget will need to be kept as low as possible and the use of any available funds will have to be considered.
Real estate and personal property tax bills have been mailed for the 3rd quarter of FY 04. These bills are your actual bills with all your property information on them. Please look them over carefully for accuracy and contact the Tax Collector’s office with changes or concerns. The 3rd quarter payments were due on February 2, 2004. Please note: The personal property bills still have an error in calculation. Anyone who paid or over paid received an informational bill that shows a zero balance. We are still working with the software people to solve this problem. As always, feedback is welcome and necessary for change, improvement or to just let us know how we are doing.
Motor Vehicle - bills were mailed on February 12, 2004 for the calendar year 2004. Please file a timely abatement (form is on the back of the bill) if you do not have the vehicle anymore. If you have moved, contact the Registry for an address correction. Remember - the information on your bill is provided by you to the Registry when you purchase your vehicle. If there are problems you can go on line to www.massrmv.com or phone 617-351-9380. Payment is due by March 22, 2004 to avoid penalties.
My office hours are 7-3, Monday - Friday.
Planning Board:
Since mid-December a large group of citizens has been working diligently on reviewing our present bylaw. Five teams of citizens have been meeting to discuss various aspects of the bylaw in order to reformat it, to achieve greater clarity and internal consistency, and to update our bylaw in accordance with current state law. This work has been under the guidance of our consultants, Jeanne Armstrong of LandUse, Inc., and Attorney Mark Bobrowski.
The recommendations of all these meetings will be discussed with townspeople at a Community Forum on March 22, 2004 at the North Egremont Firehouse. At the present time a spring Special Town Meeting is planned.
Following is the current schedule leading up to the town meeting:
March 22, 2004 - Community Forum - 6:30 PM North Egremont Firehouse.
April 26, 2004 - Public Hearing - 7:00 PM Mt. Everett School Cafeteria.
May 26, 2004 - Special Town Meeting - 7:00 PM Mt. Everett Auditorium.
The bylaw draft will be available for review by townspeople in early March. The draft may be reviewed at that time on the website, www.egremont-ma.gov, with copies also available at the town hall and the library.
All citizens are urged to review the bylaw draft and attend the Community Forum on March 22 to discuss it.
Further information is available by calling the Town Hall at 413-528-0182.
Board of Health/Wastewater Management Committee:
As many of you know, the Board of Health and the Wastewater Management Committee have been working towards solving the problem of failed, aging septic systems in two key areas of our town – South Egremont village and the properties surrounding most of Prospect Lake also including portions of North Egremont village. These areas have demonstrated a high percentage of septic systems that are in Title 5 failure which pose the risk of contaminating ground water wells and surface water (Karner Brook or Prospect Lake) with harmful bacteria from human waste. Constructing a wastewater treatment facility, or sewer, has been discussed as one way of getting homes and businesses in these areas into full Title 5 compliance and as a way of protecting the health of our community.
Early cost estimates of two separate systems serving approximately 275 homes and businesses were approximately $8.6 million. Last May an application to the United States Department of Agriculture/Rural Development (USDA/RD) for grant funding was submitted in the hopes of reducing the costs to the property owners (this has always been presented as a user funded project) along the lines of the proposed sewer main. USDA/RD has unfortunately denied Egremont’s application for the grant funding which has now left the Wastewater Management Committee with the arduous task of reassessing the scope of the project and looking for ways to fund the project if it should proceed. This round of grant funding may have gone away but the number of failed septic systems remains and will only grow as septic systems in the area get older and come to the end of their useful life.
Replacing a septic system can cost anywhere from $20,000 - $30,000 depending on the site. Many of the homes and businesses in the proposed wastewater district are problematic because of either site or soil limitations. Imagine you are a homeowner on a small lot and the only place to put a leach field is in your existing driveway – there goes your parking area. Imagine installing a “tight tank” which requires frequent and costly pumping. Imagine a mounded system in historic South Egremont village. Imagine paying for and installing a $30,000 alternative technology system that requires on-going maintenance and semi-annual checks by a certified (read-expensive) inspector. Worst of all, imagine the possibility of a failed septic system contaminating your well or effluent marring the purity of our lakes and streams.
While grant funding would have considerably assisted in constructing a wastewater treatment facility the Wastewater Management Committee is now exploring other options available to meet that end. The boundaries of the two services areas are being reviewed and the committee will be focusing on the areas of greatest need – reducing the scope of the project will lower total project costs but will also mean higher costs to individual users. But the advantages to being on a sewer remain: no mounded system in your front yard, the ability to use more of your land, protection to your drinking water and no more Title 5 inspections.
A public information meeting to address the South Egremont portion of the project will be scheduled at a yet to be determined date in April. The Prospect Lake/North Egremont portion will also have a separate meeting sometime in June or July. In the meantime, if you have any questions relating to Egremont’s wastewater situation you are welcome to attend the committee’s monthly meeting or to call the administrator at town hall.
Egremont Historical Commission:
The Massachusetts Historical Records Advisory Board awarded the Egremont Historical Commission a grant, Discovering Local Resources-Phase 2, to continue its work from an earlier grant. This effort took a regional approach to local history, with analysis by consultants from the Inlook Group of the historic resources in six South Berkshire towns; Egremont, Alford, Becket, Mt. Washington, New Marlborough and Sheffield.
In a review of improvements to preservation and access since the first grant, the Commission realizes there is more work to accomplish. The grant also funds the publication of a brochure outlining historic resources in town.
The Egremont Historical Room and Archives has become a source for residents and visitors researching family, house, business and social history. School children use its maps, photographs and papers on their products. Located in the Academy building, Button Ball Lane, South Egremont Village, it is open to the public the first Saturday of the month 9am -12noon, the third Monday of the month 2-4pm (summer only), or by appointment. Call Betty Duryea, Chairman, at 413-528-3426.
Library:
Book Sale
The Egremont Library has an ongoing sale of used books. Think of the best in modern novelists, you’ll probably find them in the back room of the Library. Cost: $.50 hardcover, $.25 softcover. The Library is open on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday form 2 until 6 and Saturday form 9 til 12. Feed a hungry mind with a good book.
Important!:
The Annual Town meeting is Tuesday, May 4 and will take place at the Mt. Everett High School Performing Arts Center beginning at 7pm. This you chance to vote on the total town budget which is in part how your tax bill is calculated. If want a voice in your government you should attend this meeting. Deadline for items to be placed on the warrant is March 15. The warrant will be available after April 20th. Copies will be available at the Town Hall, Library and Post Offices.
The Annual Town Election is Tuesday, May 11 at the North Egremont Fire Station. Positions on the ballot this year are as follows:
Moderator for one year;
Town Clerk for one year;
Tree Warden for one year;
Library Trustee for one year;
Selectman for three years;
Assessor for one year and for three years;
Cemetery Commissioner for three years;
Water Commissioner for three years;
Constable for three years; and
Planning Brd for one year and five years.
Anyone wishing to run for a town office may obtain nomination papers at the Town Hall. Nomination papers must be turned back into the Town Clerk’s office by Tuesday, March 23. For more information contact the Town Hall.
Did you Know?
You can take small quantities of sand from the town sand shed by the Town Hall. Buckets only please.
That there is a potluck dinner at the South Egremont Congregational Church on the 3rd Thursday of each month (October through May). This is a good way to meet the community and eat good food. Those interested in joining should contact Evelyn Willcox at 528-3378.
Burning season began Jan. 15 and ends May 1. Get a permit from the Fire Chief, Bill Turner 528-3464.
You can cross country ski on the trails in French Park.
The Lee Visiting Nurse comes to Town Hall the first Wednesday of every month for blood pressure checks from 11:30 to 12:30. All are welcome.
You can obtain Tax Assessment and Property Record Field card information on the web. Log on to the CAMA Support site at www.csc-ma.us/Egremont. Go to the Public Access section. You can search on the property owner name or the location. Shortly you will be able to obtain Tax Maps there also. This will especially interest appraisers and real estate personnel.
The Town’s web site is up and running. Log on to www.egremont-ma.gov. We would love your feedback.
Board meeting schedule:
Assessors - Wednesdays 9am to 11am & Tuesdays 7pm to 9pm
Board of Health - Tuesday & Wednesday 9-noon & Thursdays 10am to 11am
Board of Selectmen - Tuesday evenings 7pm
Planning Board - Second & Fourth Monday 7:30pm
Archives Room - March 6 & April 3 9am -noon
Building Inspector - Tuesdays 12:30pm - 3:30pm
Town Clerk - Tuesday evenings 7pm - 9pm
Conservation Commission - Second and Fourth Thursdays 7:00pm
Waste Water Management - Third Tuesday 3:30pm
Water Department - Fourth Thursday 4:30pm
.
A Store Yarn
David Allan Hunter
1920's
Around the stove the fellows sit
And swap their yarns galore.
In one retreat they nightly meet,
The little village store
And here’s a sample of their yarns.
I cannot swear its true,
But will relate the story straight
And pass it on to you.
I think it was down Jersey way,
Where skeeters grew immense.
A certain man of farmer clan
Was out repairing fence.
He heard a mighty buzzing sound.
“Twas like a coming storm.
Its volume swelled. He soon beheld
Mosquitos in a swarm.
He clutched his hammer in his hand
And started down the lane.
Although he flew, the bussing grew
His flight it seemed was vain.
Some place of refuge he must find.
A cauldron caught his eye.
The pot he tipped and soon had slipped
Beneath it with a sigh.
But when the skeeters lit outside
They drove their bills clean through.
His hammer then came handy when
He bent and clinched them too.
I never heard how many came;
Their numbers were not small.
For I told, lo and behold, --
They flew off pot and all?
The first post office was established on January 29, 1818 at Josiah Webb’s Tavern in North Egremont. The postmark was Little York.
On January 9, 1840 the post office was moved south to the village and carried the postmark of North Egremont.
Hollenbeck’s Post Office was established January 24, 1824.
On February 12, 1835 the name was changed to South Egremont Post Office.
Egremont Plain Post Office was established at the Hall on the Plain on February 24, 1853 and was discontinued July 31, 1902.
Currently the North Egremont Post Office is housed in the Old Egremont Store on Egremont Plain Road. The South Egremont Post Office is located at 49 Main Street. A new South Egremont Post Office is under construction at 64 Main Street and should be occupied by mid-spring.
Town of Egremont
P.O. Box 368
South Egremont MA 01258
413-528-0182
Printed by Office Administrator Mary Brazie as submitted by the Town Department heads.