 Egremont News |
|
Issue 24 |
November, 2005 |
Select Board:
The Select Board welcomes new Town Accountant Debra Blackwell, and wishes former Town Accountant Bev Cooper the best of luck in her future endeavors.
Also goodbye and thank you to George Oleen for his time as the School Crossing Guard in South Egremont. Jack Seelig was hired on a trial basis.
Holiday closings at Town Hall: Closed Thursday & Friday, November 24 & 25 for Thanksgiving and closed Monday, December 27 for Christmas. Also closed Friday, November 11 for Veteran’s Day.
The Board has met with a representative from the State Office that constructs and oversee fishing and boat access to public lakes to discuss access to Prospect Lake. The State will be upgrading the public access, which is 1/3 acre of land that abuts the canal to Prospect Lake. The access will accommodate canoes and other car top boats. Planning has already begun and construction should take place in the fall of 2006. The site will have a graveled area for about 8 car parking spaces with an approximately 75' handicapped walkway to the canal for launching such things as canoes and kayaks.
Real Estate Tax Credit for Persons Age 65 and Older:
Effective January 1, 2001 some taxpayers age 65 or older may be eligible to claim a refundable credit on their state income taxes for the real estate taxes paid during the tax year on residential property they own or rent in Massachusetts that is used for their principal residence.
The maximum credit allowed for the Tax Year 2004 was $820. You may claim the credit during the tax year and can be claimed retroactive for 3 years.
To be eligible you must be
• The taxpayer or spouse, married filing jointly, and 65 years or older at the close of the year;
• Must own or rent residential property in Massachusetts and occupy the property as his or her principal residence;
• Taxpayer’s “total income” cannot exceed $44,000 for a single filer who is not the head of household, $55,000 for a head of household, or $66,000 for taxpayers filing jointly.
• the assessed valuation as of January 1, 2004, before residential exemptions but after abatements, of the homeowners personal residence cannot exceed $441,000.
More information can be obtained, as well as an application, at www.mass.gov/dor or by calling 1-800-392-6089. The Town Hall has a Fast Facts sheet available.
Highway Department:
Due to the increased cost of road salt, sand, and vehicle fuel the Egremont Highway Department will be using different strategy for de-icing and snow removal this coming winter.
Salt and sand will be used mixed with a material called Magic-O. This material will keep snow from bonding to pavement. It melts snow and ice faster, works longer and is environmentally friendlier. Magic-O is less corrosive then distilled water and won’t damage steel, carpets, wood, asphalt or concrete. The product is being used in many other municipalities and is a proven de-icer at temperatures below 30 degrees ferenheit.
Also, the Highway crew will not be plowing during the hours of 11:00 PM to 4:00 AM unless the volume of snow fall warrant plowing during those hours.
Treasurer\Collector:
REMINDER - Real Estate & Personal Property Preliminary Taxes are due
November 1, 2005 - This is the second quarter payment of FY2006. Actual tax bills will be mailed on or before January 1, 2006. The tax bills will be generated after the Board of Assessors set the new rate and the Department of Revenue approves it. Remember, the tax rate for FY2006 is set based on the budget passed at the Annual Town Meeting held last May, 2005.
Motor Vehicle Excise - Interim bills are being mailed periodically as the bill information is received from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Interim bills are generated when a new or used vehicle is purchased and/or registered during the year. PLEASE NOTE: If you have disposed of a vehicle, please remember, it is the taxpayers responsibility to file an abatement. Do not ignore the tax bill as it stays on the books until it is paid or abated. Again, we only have the information provided to us from the Registry of Motor Vehicles which comes from the vehicle owner.
On Line Banking - UNIPAY on line banking is up and running. It is a great tool for last minute payments of any bill owed to the town. Go to the Town of Egremont web site www.egremont-ma.gov/ and click on pay your bills on line. Follow the instructions from that point. You will be able to use ACH or a credit card. Please give it a try.
Questions/Confusions - I will be glad to address any question that would be of general information to the taxpayers. Submit questions and concerns pertaining to the Tax Collector/Treasurer to Pat, P.O. Box 368 So. Egremont. Responses will be given in the following newsletter.
OOPS - It seems tax bills for the Town of North Egremont were lost(in the Mail). I have re-mailed tax bills to just those properties that were outstanding October 13, 2005. If you were missed - you still owe the tax by November 1, 2005. The tax bill mailed on July 1st serves as your tax bill for this half of the year. Interim Real Estate & Personal Property bills are mailed as a courtesy and reminder to the tax payers. November 1st payments are equal to the payment made on August 1st. Please call the office if you can not find your bill.
Office hours - Tax Collector 7-3 Monday through Friday or by appointment
Council on Aging:
With winter weather approaching and possible dangerous roads and isolation, Council members want to remind our seniors, or their caregivers, that we will be glad to arrange a “buddy system” of daily phone calls to check on the safety of the senior if this will be of help. Just call a member of the Council and we will make the necessary arrangements.
We know that many older folks are bothered by Arhtritis. In some cases the physician will recommend water exercises for those patients. For that reason we accepted a small amount of “grant” funds and have set up an Aquatic Exercise program, along with the Alford C.O.A.. The program is held weekly at Simon’s Rock college with the participants saying they are getting a lot of benefits from this program – If a senior, male or female, is interested, please let us know. This may be a great help to you!
Seniors receiving questionnaires regarding eligibility for Medicare Part D prescription coverage should move SLOWLY. Do not make any rash decisions....do not give out private information to any phone caller. If you need help with documents, or have questions, please let us know. You may call Elder Services 1-800-544-5242 and get reliable help from a SHINE counselor.
Affordable Housing Committee:
It has been recognized that there is a shortage of affordable housing statewide. This is especially true in South Berkshire County. This impacts development of business and creates a gradual exodus to other areas when low and modest income families cannot find housing.
The Select Board created the Affordable Housing Committee to research possible solutions to the problem. This committee has been meeting for approximately two years and to date has found no good answers. It has become apparent “affordable” is impossible if zoning and land prices aren’t mitigated in some manner. Local land prices and “affordable housing” seem to be an oxymoron.
The committee has explored the options available and have come to the conclusion that applying for a State grant is a cumbersome and complicated way to tackle the problem. Local funding would be a less restrictive procedure. The committee is presently exploring any and all possible “free” land in the Town.
We are most anxious to learn what the Town perceives our need for affordable housing is. We are asking all residents for opinions. The committee wants to hear from ALL property owners as well as renters.
WE all have a stake in making our Town the best place to live and work.
Egremont Garden Club:
Fall cleanup is finished, all our town projects are in order and we are preparing to launch our holiday workshops. Our gala “Holiday in Egremont Sale” will be held in the Egremont Free Library on December 10th from 10am to 2pm. Craft items such as Holly or Fir centerpieces and table trees with or without lights will be decorated and waiting for you. Tree hangings such as sheep, angels, Santa’s, skiers, etc. and lavender potpourri or sachet bags made of silk are cut and ready to be assembled. Gift tags, bookmarks, hand painted “Pet Rocks”; Dog Biscuit wreaths, colorful Scarf’s and other lovely jewel decorated items, perfect for that unexpected guest, will be designed and completed in our workshop meetings during October and November. Remember when you buy a gift also buy one for yourself.
Perfect cookies packed in Holiday Decorated Tins. Each of our cookie committee members will bake three batches of her best recipes. You will receive at least a 15 cookie variety, a very good reason for buying at least three pounds.
Fudge pieces packed in individual “Holiday boxes”. Charming to arrange in clusters on the dinner table will top off any dinner. As the old tune reminds us it’s nice to have “Something for everyone”. Please remember to come early as some items are picked up in a hurry.
Our “New Members and Guest Tea” was held at the Berkshire Gardens on October the 19th at 2 p.m.... The guest speaker was Charles W.G. Suittle; he spoke on “The weather Resistant Garden”.
Board of Assessors:
The Board of Assessors would like to inform property owners that the List and Measuring of the Town of Egremont, that was done by KBK Cama Consulting, should be completed November 1, 2005.
There will be Public Disclosure Hearings of new property values scheduled as follows:
November 5, 2005 8:00am to 10:00am
November 7, 2005 1:00pm to 3:00pm
November 8, 2005 7:00pm to 8:30pm
November 9, 2005 9:00am to 11:00am
The Board meets Tuesday nights 7pm - 9pm. An Assessor is at the Town Hall Wednesday mornings 9am - 11am. Please contact us, 528-0182, ext. 13, if you have any questions
Emergency Management:
The Emergency Management Team consisting of the Emergency Management Director, Select Board, Fire Chief, Police Chief, Board of Health, and Road Department meets on a bi-monthly basis to plan for and prepare for any emergency situation that may affect Egremont.
Included in this mailing is an informational sheet entitled “Emergency Planning For Families”. Please post this on your refrigerator so that you can personally be prepared for an emergency.
The Town’s emergency plan is available at Town Hall if you wish to review it. The South Egremont Congregational Church is listed as a secondary shelter and will be used in instances where residences need to leave their homes but may not need to, or want to, leave the Town boundaries. At this time we need non-perishable food items and bottled watered to stock the shelter. We are also in need of battery powered flashlights. You may drop these items of at Town Hall during the regular business hours.
The AlertNow rapid notification system that the townspeople voted to take part in is activated. A test call will be made on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 at 7:00 pm to ensure that our calling information is correct and to explain what the system does.
As well as planning for dealing with our residents during emergencies, the Team has begun to consider what to do with its animal population, both large and small. Being considered at this time is training for Large Animal Rescue. Egremont is fortunate to be home to two working dairy farms, and two horse operations, as well as home to many other large animals.
The teams next meeting is tentatively scheduled for November 8 at 1pm at the Town Hall.
Egremont Board of Health:
In areas of town which have a high concentration of failed septic systems (South Egremont village for example) members of the Egremont Board of Health have been presenting property owners with the concept of a clustered or shared septic system as an option to bring the septic systems into compliance with state sanitary codes.
A shared septic system is a septic system which serves multiple properties but has only one leach field which is designed to serve the wastewater load of all the buildings that are connected. Shared septic systems are particularly interesting in areas where lot sizes are small or soils are poor making the location of traditional systems difficult. Shared systems, when involving three or more existing properties with failed septic systems, may even offer cost savings when compared to installing separate systems. The road to a shared system is a complicated one though as will soon be explained.
The first thing that must be established if a shared system is a viable option is to have a property owner willing to site the leach on his or her property and then determine if the site is suitable (goods soils, meets setback requirements, etc.) Having a shared leach field on a property does affect the value of that property as a permanent easement must be granted. Legal documents must be drawn up between all the participating parties to clearly state not only the easement requirements but the financial, installation, and future maintenance requirements. And because participating properties can be sold during the life of the system all participating properties owners must educate themselves as to what is involved and what are the final costs and then agree on the requirements not only for the present situation but in perpetuity. Onerous indeed!
Certainly there are situations where shared systems make a lot of sense. You need at least three interested parties to offer any kind of substantial cost savings as opposed to just doing an individual repair. If those three (or more) parties have failed systems, have problematic and limited choices in terms of upgrading on their own and are looking at the costs of replacing their systems anyway then they tend to be more open to the idea. If the property owner offering his or her property as the site for the leach field also has a failed system and is looking at the financial burden of upgrading their system they may ask to be excluded from any costs related to the shared system as compensation for the affect on the value of their property (how it is affected in terms of actual dollars is unclear).
A big advantage to clustered septic systems is that if the area is in an area of high ground water the homeowners are looking at one mounded systems instead of three, four or five individual mounds. From a Board of Health point of view clustered or shared septic systems bring multiple failed systems into compliance and those systems will be serviced and maintained thereby ensuring the utmost in long term protection to the environment and the community.
Alford/Egremont Cultural Council:
This year the Alford/Egremont Cultural Council will review close to 30 applications for cultural grant funding for the 2006 cycle. There are always more applications for grants than can be funded by this state program but your Local Cultural Council members will do there very best to chose a mix of programming which will offer events which have the greatest merit and the most direct community benefit.
Committee members will soon be reviewing the thick stack of applications and accompanying material and will meet on December 8th at the Egremont Town Hall to officially vote on the allocations. Tune in to the next Egremont newsletter dear reader to find out what exciting programs will take place and how you can attend.
Egremont Free Library Building Project:
The Director and Trustees of the Egremont Free Library have applied for and received a grant of $20,000.00, matched by the Town. The purpose of the grant is to study the possibility of creating a larger, handicapped accessible facility to better serve the needs of Egremont.
This study will take about a year and will be asking everyone in the Town to participate in discussions. It’s vital to the process to know what the Town wants the Library to be. What is important to each citizen? What is your dream?
All meetings of the newly appointed committee will be public throughout the coming year. We urge you to come to any or all meetings. This is your chance to be part of something exciting, interesting and beneficial to the whole Town. Our next committee meeting is Thursday, November 17th at 5:30 P.M. in the North Egremont Firehouse. Join us!
The newly appointed Egremont Free Library Building Committee is as follows:
Sally Caldwell, Library Director
Grace Moyer, Library Trustee
Sue Turner, Library Trustee
Tom Haas, Library Trustee
Nancy Kuntz
Mary Minihan
Herbert Lorentzen, Jr.
Philip Reilly
Bruce Turner
Richard Burdsall
Rosemary Carpenite
Marjorie Wexler
Donald Chester
Caroline Wilson
Miriam Curnin
William Wood
The next year promises to be a busy one as we explore many new potentials for a facility that will enhance all the lives of this community. This study provides the Town with a workable opportunity to make a difference that will benefit everyone now and in the future.
Egremont Planning Board:
In addition to the usual work of reviewing plans for land division and working with townspeople on related questions, the board focused the past two months mainly on the following areas:
* Bylaw reformatting: A Public Hearing was held on the reformatted bylaw on October 19, 2005, in anticipation of a November Special Town Meeting. The Selectmen have now decided to wait until January 2006 for a Special Town Meeting to vote on the reformatting and other bylaws.
* Telecommunication bylaw: The Planning Board worked with the Board of Selectmen and Town Counsel in developing a contract with telecommunications consultant Walter Cooper. Mr. Cooper has now developed propagation maps showing coverage that could be gained from cellular towers located on town-owned sites. The board will continue to review these and other sites before a final recommendation will be made to townspeople. The board is also working with Mr. Cooper on recommended changes to our telecommunication bylaw language. Because of the upcoming holiday season, the present plan is for the bylaw to be presented to townspeople at a special town meeting in January.
* Bylaw districts: A Community Meeting was held September 14, 2005, to begin discussion of the establishment of village and rural districts in Egremont. Work continues on identifying townspeople's issues and preferences for land uses in these areas. The next meeting will be held November 7, 2005, at 7:00 PM at the North Egremont Firehouse. Townspeople interested in working on this are encouraged to attend.
* Other bylaw work: The board is reviewing recommendations made during the Community Development Plan process in order to clarify ambiguities in our present bylaw. The changes to section 5.2.4 of the bylaw approved at the annual town meeting were approved by the Attorney General's office on September 8, 2005, and are in effect retroactive to May 3, 2005, the town meeting date.
* Development at Catamount Ski Area: Members of the Planning Board attended the final public hearing on the application for development at Catamount Ski Area in Copake, New York, and had input by letter concerning the traffic impact. The proposal is for a 125-unit resort hotel/condominium, with up to 313 bedroom units and 15,000 square feet of retail space. The Egremont Planning Board had reviewed the traffic study which was based on industry standards and questioned whether it accurately reflected the traffic impact on the town of Egremont because of all the tourism amenities located to the east of the Catamount area. Present status of the project is that the Copake Planning Board has conditionally approved the development application.
* Commonwealth Capital Application: The Planning Board assisted the Selectboard in preparing this year's Commonwealth Capital application. This is the second year of this state scoring system, which considers how the town complies with Smart Growth principles. The town's score is then used in weighting the town's competitiveness on various state grant applications.
Report from the Friends of Prospect Lake:
Friends of Prospect Lake has been formed to study the condition of Prospect Lake and examine options to improve it. At the initial meeting on September 3, a steering committee was formed, consisting of Leslie Alfin, Chet Delaney, Frank Frescentese, Dave Johnson, Marty Kalikow, and Marj Wexler. At our second meeting on October 8, Lee Lyman, a lake expert who has studied Prospect Lake, talked about the excessive weed growth and discussed options. We have been drafting an organizational structure and bylaws, which will be presented, along with a review of the problems and options, at our next meeting. Please join us Saturday, November 12, 2005, 10 AM, at the North Egremont Firehouse. All are welcome!
Technology Study Committee:
The Egremont Technology Study Committee was appointed by the Selectboard earlier this year and charged with the following mission:
“To identify the need for cell phone service and internet service in Egremont, to identify the appropriate technology, the appropriate location for equipment, the resources to get the technology, providers, and funding.”
Members include Charles Flynn, Stella DeLuca, Craig Elliott, Helen Krancer, Matt Mervis, Theresa Morrow, Vince Murphy, Nick Fredsall, and Marjorie Wexler. The committee unanimously agreed that it would pursue its mission apolitically, without interfering with the missions and objectives of other elected or appointed boards.
In the September Newsletter, the committee asked townspeople to complete a survey that addressed needs for both broadband internet and cellular telecommunications. A brief summary of the results follows:
TOTAL RESPONDENTS: 200
INTERNET RESULTS
|
No. |
% |
Households that connect |
187 |
94 |
For business reasons |
110 |
55 |
Importance of broadband: Very |
152 |
76 |
Somewhat |
26 |
13 |
Health or Aesthetic concerns |
19 |
9.5 |
|
|
|
CELLULAR RESULTS
|
No. |
% |
Household that own cell phones |
166 |
83 |
For business reasons |
124 |
62 |
Importance of Cell service: Very |
141 |
71 |
Somewhat |
34 |
17 |
Health or aesthetic concerns |
25 |
12.5 |
|
|
|
As a result of initiatives by the committee and the overwhelming response to our town survey, Egremont was selected as one of three communities in western Massachusetts to be part of the Massachusetts Underserved Communities Pilot Project to develop strategies for broadband. The first meeting of this effort, coordinated and chaired by Berkshire Connect on September 29 in the north firehouse, was attended by committee members, Rep. Smitty Pignatelli, Nat Karns of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Selectman Phil Reilly, and others. For a copy of the minutes of that meeting, email Charlie Flynn at cbflynn@lee.k12.ma.us.
In addition, we support the Planning Board’s work with consultant Walter Cooper to revise the current town cellular telecommunications bylaw. To provide Mr. Cooper with the locations of existing towers in the region, committee member Nick Fredsall spent an entire day hiking the hills and valleys of the region to get GPS coordinates of the towers.
We continue to explore opportunities and will report on them as their feasibility become more realistic. Most of our work has focused on broadband internet service, as it appears that bringing this service to Egremont should not involve changes to our current zoning bylaws. Once Mr. Cooper has completed his work with the Selectboard and the Planning Board to revise the town’s cellular telecommunications bylaw, the committee will shift some of its focus to developing initiatives to bring that service to the town.
The committee thanks the members of the community and town officials for their support.
Finance Committee:
The Finance Committee has started its organizational meetings, but will meet on an irregular schedule until January 1, 2006. We meet at 7:00 Wednesdays, and as long as it is all right with the Town administration, we will meet in the Planning Board meeting room where there is plenty of room on the tables to spread out our work.. Of course we can meet on the first floor at any time, if necessary, in order to accommodate any members of the public for whom the stairs might be a problem. We post our meeting notices on the outside bulletin board at the Town Hall at least forty eight hours before we expect to hold a meeting.
The Administration has sent out budget requests to all commissions, committees, department heads, and others responsible for wages, salaries, operating expenses, and capital spending. The due date for returning these requests is November 12, 2005. The Administration will be sending copies of each budget request to the Finance Committee, and we expect to have some for analysis by our next scheduled meeting, November 9, 2005. Look for our meeting dates on the Town Hall bulletin board through November and December, and come to our meetings to see how the budget for your town evolves. We always have a time set aside for citizens to comment on our work, or make their wishes known about the prospective budget.
Your Finance Committee members are Craig Elliott, Laura Allen, Bob Warner, Bill Wilson, Debbie Heath, and Richard Burdsall. We all want the public to feel a part of the budget process.
Egremont Free Library:
About every three weeks, a new shipment of books arrives at the library. This is after extensive use of tools put out by the American Library Association (such as Booklist Magazine) which gives reviews of books approximately three months before they are published. Recent acquisitions are:
Bait and Switch Barbara Ehrenreich
Before the Frost Henning Mankell
Blue Smoke Nora Roberts
Breath of Snow and Ashes Diana Gabaldon
Chill Factor Sandra Brown
City of Falling Angels John Berendt
Divide Nicholas Evans
Lincoln Lawyer Michael Connelly
Lost in the Forest Sue Miller
No Country for Old Men Cormac McCarthy
Painted Drum Louise Erdrich
Point Blank Catherine Coulter
Polar Shift Clive Cussler
School Days Robert B. Parker
Sweetwater Creek Anne Rivers Siddons
Vanish Tess Gerritsen
Widow of the South Robert Hicks
Without Mercy Jack Higgins
100 People Who are Screwing up America
Bernard Goldberg
And for the kids:
Frannie K. Steins Crate of Danger
If You Give a Mouse a Muffin
If You Give a Pig a Pancake
If You Give a Pig a Party
If You Take a Mouse to School
And
The Alex Rider Adventures for
Young teens
A Reminder: We also have a book group which meets the last Tuesday of month at 7:30 p.m. Come and discuss a chosen book each month with other town friends.
The library is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 2-6 p.m. and Saturday morning from 9 a.m.-12 noon.
Flu Clinic: November 9th 10am to 11:30am at the North Egremont Fire Station on Route 71 in North Egremont. No charge, all ages welcome, no health status requirements.
There will be no blood pressure clinic at the Town Hall in November. The schedule will resume on Wednesday, December 7 from 11:30 to 12:30.
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. (Every other Tuesday during July and August)
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
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.
Potluck Dinner at the South Egremont Congregational Church the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 October through May. Bring a dish to share and your place settings.
This is a fabulous way for new residents to meet their neighbors. Children welcome. November 17 and December 15.
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 arabpinto13@yahoo.com
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,
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
Anita Schilling - Real Estate Listing & Sales
Century 21 Franklin Street
413-528-8118 x12
Florence F. Browner Real Estate - Full Service
90 Creamery Road
413-528-3266
Linda Warner - Realtor Associate
Lance Vermeulen Real Estate
413-528-1428
Kenver Ltd - Ski equipment and apparel
39 Main Street
413-528-2330
Maple Leafe Art Gallery - Joan Mentzinger
154 Hillsdale Road, Route 23
The Agency Without Walls - Helen Krancer
Advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing. 413-644-9779
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.
Southern Berkshire Regional School District celebrates its 50th anniversary as the first regional school district in Massachusetts.
Congratulations!
EGREMONT AFFORDABLE HOUSING QUESTIONNAIRE
There is a shortage of available housing for low and modest income people in south Berkshire County and surrounding areas. This questionnaire seeks your views on what Egremont should do to provide some affordable housing. For purposes of this questionnaire, “affordable housing” in Egremont means housing that is income-restricted and priced below market. The town would determine how and what to build (but not do the building itself) and set the rules on who would be eligible to occupy it and how it would be priced. (For purposes of this questionnaire, please ignore the state law known as “40B”.)
On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being very important and 1 being not at all important), please answer the following questions. Please feel free to write any comments you wish after each question or on a separate piece of paper.
How important is it for Egremont to provide some affordable housing _____.
How important are the following factors regarding affordable housing in Egremont:
Visibility from the road: ______
General attractiveness: _______
Effect on traffic: _______
Effect on town services: _____
Identity of occupants: ______
Size/layout of buildings: _____
Distance from your home/business: _____
Minimal town financial support: _____
Other matters (please specify): ______________________________________________
Units of affordable housing could be sold or leased to the occupants. How important is it that units be (a) only sold to occupants _______, (b) only leased to occupants _______, or (c) some combination of owning and renting ______
How important is it to restrict occupancy (or give occupancy priority) (a) to the elderly _____, (b) to town residents ____, (c) to offspring of town residents _____, (d) to town employees _____, (e) to others (please specify)___________________________. Should there be ANY such restrictions (or priority): ___ Yes ____ No
While the number of units would depend on the location or locations, roughly how many units of affordable housing do you believe Egremont should provide? ___________. If your answer depends on other factors, please describe them here: ________________________________
The Affordable Housing Committee has concluded that affordable housing in Egremont is possible only if a site or sites can be obtained at little or no cost. The Committee has so far identified four sites that meet that criterion. On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being very suitable and 1 being not at all suitable), how suitable is each of the following sites for affordable housing:
(a) the area owned by the town uphill from town hall and the town recycling center (the town owns about 35 acres including the town hall site) ______, (b) renovation of the building between the town hall and the fire station known as the “annex”: _____, (c) an area of French Park far away from the areas now developed for park use (French Park has about 140 acres in all; an act of the legislature would be required): ____, (d) an area off Jug End Road on the site of the Jug End reservation (the reservation is about 1000 acres; an act of the legislature would be required): _____. If your view is affected by other uses or possible uses for any of these sites, please explain: __________________________________________________________________
Other comments on this questionnaire or on affordable housing ________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
It is important to obtain the views of all town residents and property owners on these issues, including all adult members of each household. Therefore, the Committee will seek to obtain as close to a 100% response as possible by following up with those who have not submitted an answer to this questionnaire. For that to be possible, you should write your name and address on this questionnaire or, if you wish your responses to be anonymous, put the questionnaire in an envelope and write your name and address on the outside of the envelope. In either event, responses will be kept strictly confidential.
Name (printed): ____________________________
Address: __________________________________
Your age: Under 30 ___; 31 to 40 ___; 41 to 50 ___; 51 to 60 ___; 61 to 70 ___; over 70 ___
Members of the Affordable Housing Committee: Richard Allen, Mark Holmes, Brian Killeen, Grace Moyer, Carolyn Wilson. We invite and encourage your participation.
Questionnaire responses may be deposited at town hall, at the North Egremont post office or at the South Egremont general store or may be mailed to
AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE
TOWN OF EGREMONT
P.O. BOX 368_____
SOUTH EGREMONT, MA 01258