 Egremont News |
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Issue 17 |
September, 2004 |
Select Board:
We would like to make you all aware that under the Public Records Law (which is a state law) your name, mailing address, phone number and email address on record with the Town are public record and we are required to give the information out to anyone who asks for it.
Thank you to the Garden Club for the lovely flower baskets on the Sheffield Road bridge.
The Select Board returns to its weekly Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm meeting schedule beginning September 7.
Library News:
Earlier this summer the Library Trustees met with the Board of Selectmen to discuss the status of our library with respect to ADA compliance and future space needs. The Trustees were given authority to investigate any and all options that might be available. The Trustees decided to create a “Library Facility Needs Committee” and asked Chuck Ogden if he would be its Chairman. He agreed. At present, the committee consists of the three Library Trustees, the Library Director, Ron Ronan and Chuck Ogden. More members may be asked to join as the need arises.
A non-binding “Letter of Intent” has already been filed with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. It is a checklist and is the first step in a grant-seeking process. The next step will be asking for $20,000 in town matching funds for a “Feasibility Study.” The Commonwealth’s matching grant is virtually guaranteed and will allow the group to hire an architect and other experts to evaluate all options, which range from expanding the current library to building an entirely new facility.
Townspeople will be kept fully informed of our progress and will be asked for input as the process moves along.
Water Department:
The final phase of our water main/distribution system improvement project is now complete. Using grant money provided by the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, the Egremont Water Department replaced six old and leaking hydrants throughout the South Village with new flush hydrants. Three of the new hydrants are the standard above ground type and three are ground level flush hydrants.
These new hydrants will enable the Water Department to more efficiently flush all sections of the distribution system, providing our customers with cleaner water at better pressure.
The Egremont Water Department is continuing to search for available grant money for fencing and other security measures at our pumping station and our water source, Karner Brook. When completed, this project will provide increased safety and protection of our water source, buildings and equipment.
The Egremont Water Department and its employees strive to provide the best water for our customers 365 days a year. Please do not hesitate to contact the Water Department at 644-9614 if you have any questions, concerns or want to report a water leak or suspected water leak anywhere throughout the system. Thank you.
Affordable Housing:
The Affordable Housing Committee, which is composed of six town residents and one nonresident, has prepared a draft housing plan for Egremont that contemplates creation of about five units of affordable housing each year. If adopted by the Select Board, the plan would make inapplicable Chapter 40B of the Massachusetts General Laws, which provides a streamlined permit process for developers who agree to make at least 25% of the newly-built units affordable. The committee’s plan constitutes a serious commitment by the town to affordable housing, and the committee urges all residents to read and comment on it. Copies of the draft plan, including a more definitive explanatory memo, can be obtained at town hall.
Alford/Egremont Cultural Council:
Application for the 2005 round of the Alford/Egremont Cultural Council grant program are due at the Egremont Town Hall by October 15, 2004. If you have any questions about the grant program please visit the Massachusetts Cultural Council web site at www.mass-culture.org/lcc or call Local Cultural Council representative Juliette Haas (413) 528-2028. The application is attached to this newsletter or can be obtained either at Egremont Town Hall, the Egremont Free Library or can be downloaded from the MCC web site. Good luck to all applicants!
Egremont Garden Club:
On Memorial Day weekend, the Egremont Garden Club had it’s annual sale at the Congregational Church. On sale were many perennial plants taken from member’s gardens, in addition to many annuals in full bloom. Baked goods and tag sale items donated by club members were also available. The successful sale created the funds for some of the clubs many civic projects.
Our members hope you have been enjoying the four flower baskets placed on the bridge on Sheffield Road. The plan is for the addition of four more baskets on that bridge, and two on the bridge on Button Ball Lane.
The entrance to the Hillside Cemetery has been worked on, with members planting rose bushes in memory of Lorraine Glanville who passed away this year. In addition, plans call for additional colorful, flowering bushes to be planted this fall. Two other areas that members maintain are the plantings at the Library, and the flowers on the town green.
In the next months, members will be working on garden related craft projects that will be on sale at the December Holiday Boutique held each year at the Library. Hopefully, Egremont residents will be there to support the club’s efforts.
Council on Aging:
Are you a caregiver for a senior member of your family....or, do you know a caregiver tending to the needs of a loved one??? Did you know there is help available, both for the caregiver and the patient? Health information today shows that 30% of today’s caregivers will die before the patients!!!! That is a frightening statistic, which tells us that we must see that caregivers receive the help they need....the latest information to assist with ministering to the patient AND some respite from their work.
If information about caregiver assistance would be of help to you, PLEASE get in touch with a member of the Council. There are funds available to assist with expenses, support groups with the latest medical information about various problems, and knowledgeable people who can help you.
We KNOW you are out there. Please let us hear from you!
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Between September 18 and October 3, the Mass. Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will conduct 10 Memory Walks to raise much needed funds and awareness in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. If you are interested in honoring a loved one by participating, please get in touch with Rachel Shaw, 528-3488, for more information.
Board of Health:
Prospect Lake Beach Testing
Although it may not have seemed like we’ve had any summer this year in the Berkshires, the BOH has been performing weekly water quality testing at two swimming sites on Prospect Lake – the semi-public beach at the Prospect Lake Campground and the public swimming access spot on Prospect Lake Road.
The tests have included the monitoring of total coliform bacteria as well as e. coli bacteria. These two bacteria, when above the maximum advisable limits, can lead to swimming related health disorders which may include urinary infections, gastrointestinal infections, inner ear infections, et. al. The very good news is reported levels as of August 18th have not exceeded the maximum limits. If they should, for obvious health reasons the BOH is prepared and has the responsibility to post the beaches closed to swimming.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has set guidelines as to what is classified a public beach or a semi-public beach. Within those classifications lies who is responsible for paying for the state mandated testing. The BOH is currently paying $475 year to test the Prospect Lake Road site as that is a public beach. The campground beach testing is being paid by the campground as it is classified a semi-public beach. Mandatory testing on the state classified semi-public beach on the west side of Prospect Lake, open only to members of that community and their guests, in the Board of Health’s opinion is the financial responsibility of those residents. As those residents earlier in the summer chose not to proceed with testing of the four rights of way that lead to swimming access spots, these areas were posted closed by the BOH at the beginning of the summer season and will remain closed until after Labor Day weekend. Beach closing signs were posted not because bacteria levels were high; they were posted because testing was not performed at those sites. Currently, the DPH is reviewing their descriptions of what constitutes a semi-public beach and if these descriptions should no longer include the residential area on the west side of the lake the BOH will of course no longer require the testing.
Prospect Lake 2004 beach testing results are posted weekly at Town Hall. If you have any questions regarding this matter, or any other BOH matter, please feel free to call the BOH clerk Juliette Haas.
Egremont Wastewater Management Committee:
Update on District Formation
Good news! The move to create an Egremont Wastewater Management District is currently being addressed at the State House in Boston. Our very own State Representative Smitty Pignatelli called Town Hall recently stating the enabling acts have not only been assigned a bill number (HB #4888) but have made in through the first committee and has been designated a “non-confrontational” bill, meaning it should not meet with debate from the various other committees it needs to go to along the way before final House passage. Keep in mind this is just one of three steps our little bill needs to make it through before it comes back to Egremont for a full vote of registered voters at an as yet to be determined Special Town Meeting. The bill, if it should pass the House, must go through the same process in the State Senate and then make it to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
Establishing an Egremont Wastewater Management District will mean all properties within the district boundaries will be part of a group designed specifically to address matters relating to the proper disposal of wastewater. Wastewater is everything leaving your home or business either down the drains or flushed down the toilets. On-site septic systems, when properly designed and installed, generally handle the safe disposal of wastewater. But as the passage of time (all septic systems must be properly maintained and have normal a lifespan) and the passage of Massachusetts Title 5 have proven not all septic systems meet state minimum requirements. Failed septic systems, and there are many in the two areas mentioned above, are a genuine threat to the public’s general health through the creation of an unhealthy environment and the possible contamination to both surface and ground water.
As many of you know, the Egremont Wastewater Management Committee together with the Egremont Board of Health have been exploring bringing a centralized sewer to certain areas of the proposed district, specifically the Main Street area of South Egremont village and the residential area on Prospect Lake. Why have these two areas demonstrated a need to be considered candidates for a sewer? First and foremost, it is the relatively high percentage of known septic system failures. Addressing these high numbers collectively, as opposed to individual upgrades, seems to be the most prudent approach to the problem.
Of course cost factors into this equation. Members of the proposed Wastewater Management District (and this will include non-registered voters as well) will have the final say through their vote in the appropriation and allocation of any funds that go towards any District related project. And the Egremont Wastewater Management District will be there as the entity that will offer assistance and guidance to its members whether individually or as a member of a collective.
Treasurer\Collector:
Due dates - 8/2, 11/1, 2/1, 5/1 - There is no grace period. Payments received after the above dates are subject to interest. Payments received after May 1 are subject to additional penalties. It costs valuable time and money to issue reminders, warnings, and extra bills.
Real estate and personal property tax bills
have been mailed for the 1st quarter of FY05.
These bills are PRELIMINARY. Preliminary tax bills do not show your property detail because they are based on your prior year tax. When the new tax rate is set, the bills mailed for January 1 will have the actual tax for the year in addition to your property detail. Be sure to check your bill over for accuracy. If you feel your bill is not correct, contact the Assessors’ Office to go over the changes that need to be made.
Please remember that the postmark is not accepted as timely. Payments received after the due date will accrue interest.
As always, feedback is welcome and necessary for change, improvement or to just let us know how we are doing. Office hours 7-3, Monday - Friday.
Transfer Station/Recycling Center:
As well as having compost bins for sale, the Town now has a small supply of kitchen compost buckets.
Recycled papers must be clean and dry. Bottles, cans and plastics must be empty and rinsed.
You must have a new (2005 Orange) sticker in order to be allowed to dump. Please get it at the Town Hall.
Board meeting schedule:
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.
Planning Board - Second & Fourth Monday 7:30pm
Archives Room - First Saturday 9-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 - Third Thursday 4:30pm
To reach a board member or leave a message please call the Town Hall.
Did you Know?
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. The flue clinic is set for October 22, 2004 10am to 11:30 am at the North Fire Station.
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. 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.
In 1874 Egremont was the 25th Town in Massachusetts to form a National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry. It was Egremont No. 63 with 16 members formed by H.P. Robinson. Meetings were held at the old Tuller Tavern (Elm Court) in North Egremont. The Grange disbanded in 1968.
The Dance
David Allen Hunter
1920's
The gleam of lights from windows high
Reveals a group of cars.
While here and there to greet the eye,
The sparks of lit cigars.
The merry laughter of a maid, --
A fragrance floats along.
And here a youth by music swayed
Sings snatches of a song.
A flood of light before the door,
There stand a knot of men.--
The sound of music from the floor–
The dance is on again!
A gay piano’s lively notes,
A mellow violin.
Whose animated music floats
Above the drummer’s din.
The glide of feet across the floor
To melody in time, --
Around they go, around once more,
Like never ending rime!
When lively music starts to play,
Could aught convey the charms
Of having one be borne away
In some good dancer’s arms?
Envoi
To you the dance, this riming mess
May lack the “go” and “pep”
So friends, I may as well confess
I never danced a step!
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
413-528-1230
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
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
Support local businesses.
Town of Egremont
P.O. Box 368
South Egremont MA 01258
413-528-0182
Printed by Office Administrator Mary Brazie
as submitted by Town Department.