Selectmen: 

            Town Meeting is May 5, 2009 at 6pm at Mt. Everett High School. Warrants are available at Town Hall, the Library, and the general stores in North and South Egremont. The evening will begin at 6pm with a Special Town Meeting for some Fiscal Year 2009 financial issues. The Annual Town Meeting will start at 7pm.

            Town Election is May 12 from 10am to 7pm at the North Egremont Fire Station. If you are unable to make it to the polls, absentee ballots will be available upon written request.

            The Egremont Memorial Day parade is Monday, May 25 at 12:30pm starting at the South Egremont Fire Station. A gathering with light snacks will follow the parade. Would you like to volunteer to help coordinate the parade or the snacks? Would your group like to participate in the parade. Please call Town Hall.

            The Board is still seeking members for the Draft Hydrant Committee. This Committee was formed by Town Meeting vote to help the Fire Department maintain and install draft fire hydrants in town. No physical labor required. If you would be interested in serving please contact Town Hall.

            The Conservation Commission is, as well, seeking new membership. If interested contact Town Hall. 

Eco-tip #1

Upgrade old appliances to smaller, ENERGY STAR models. Replacing a fridge older than 1991 will pay for its replacement costs in less than a year.

Egremont Police Department:

            In an effort to keep Massachusetts roadways safer, the Egremont Police Department, Fire Department, and the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) are raising awareness for the state’s new Move Over Law and promoting safe driving across the Commonwealth.

            The new law, which took effect on March 22, 2009, is meant to help protect police, firefighters, paramedics, tow truck drivers, and all roadside emergency and maintenance workers. The law requires all drivers approaching a stationary emergency or maintenance vehicle with flashing lights to move to the next adjacent lane if it is safe to do so, and barring that, to reduce their speed. Violating the Move Over Law can be expensive, as well as dangerous, as failure to comply could result in a fine of up to $100.

            We ask that all drivers in Egremont and across Massachusetts take a moment to slow down and move over – if it is safe to do so – if they see an officer, emergency responder or maintenance vehicle stopped on the side of the road. Together we can make the roadways of Massachusetts safer and less stressful for everyone involved.

            Every year, first responders across the country are injured or killed while providing emergency roadside help. In the past six months alone, several Massachusetts state troopers have been injured on the job. According to the Merit Rating Board, in 2008 there were nearly 2,000 violations of the Chapter 89 law, which deals with obstructing emergency vehicles including failure to yield and following too closely.

            As always, please contact us at 413-528-2160 with any questions, concerns, or input. We are here to serve the residents of Egremont.

Egremont on Parade:

            The 2009 Egremont on Parade event is Saturday, July 26 at French Park. Volunteers and funds are needed. If interested in helping or giving contact Bonnie Oloff, 528-5637. Town Committees and Boards are being asked to participate to let residents know what their functions in town are and to give out information.

Treasurer\Collector:

            PLEASE NOTE:

            FY 2009 - Real Estate & Personal Property Tax final payments are due May 1, 2009.

**There is no grace period.

** Postmark is not considered received timely.

** Back dated checks are not accepted as timely.

            Fees & Fines - The demand fee for delinquent tax bills will increase to $10. 00 per bill on July 1^st, 2009.

            Motor Vehicle Excise - Demand for payment has been sent out for the FY09 Motor Vehicle bills that were due March 16 & March 27 and continue unpaid. Interim bills are still 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 present or prior 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. If you have received a notice from the Deputy Collector please call his office to clear your obligation.

            On Line Banking - UNIPAY on line banking 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. Thank you to all who are using the on-line product. It is working great. Please give it a try.

            Note: When making payments through your bank bill pay please remember to use your current tax bill number and check to be sure the remittence address is correct.

            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.

            Office hours - Tax Collector 7-3 Monday through Friday or by appointment.

Historical Commission:

            The Commission would like to thank Nancy Kuntz for her volunteer work in beautifying the Mt. Everett Cemetery next to the Egremont Library.

            The Commission has received a grant from the Upper Housatonic Valley Heritage Area to computerize the records in the Archives room. The computer will have internet access for research purposes. Our thanks to Charlie Flynn for his volunteer help in setting up the system.

Town Clerk:

            Absentee Ballots are available for the May 12 Town Election. To receive an Absentee Ballot you must put your request in writing. Your request must be received by 12noon on Monday, May 11.

            PLEASE remember to license your dog. All dogs must be licensed by June 1^st or fines will be imposed.

            If you have not already done so, please return your Census Form. State law stipulates that failure to respond to the Annual Census results in being placed on the Inactive Voter’s list. If you have any questions please contact me - 528-0182 ext 11.

Egremont Water Department:

          Spring flushing of the many hydrants located throughout the distribution system will be done during the week of April 13^th and will be completed by April 22^nd. You may expect some cloudy water during flushing but this will go away within a short period of time and is nothing to be concerned about. If running your tap for 15 to 20 minutes does not clear the cloudy water please give us a call.

          The next round of meter readings is scheduled for April 28^th through April 30^th.

          Swimming pool accounts – it is almost that time of year to start thinking about opening your pool for the season. Remember, it is still cheaper to fill your pool or hot tub with water from the Egremont Water Department than it is from a commercial water hauler. Call the water department for more details-644-9614.

Board of Health:

            The Board of Health would like to take this opportunity to remind Egremont homeowners on private wells that spring is an excellent time of year to have your water tested. You can find a water sampling kit with full instructions on how to properly take the sample and the location and directions to the lab at Town Hall.

            It is important to test your water periodically because impurities can enter your well either from the well head or underground. These impurities can adversely affect your health or the health of someone visiting your home. If your water does contain bacteria there are short-term (a one time chlorine treatment) and long-term (installation of a UV treatment unit) measures you can take to treat your water and eliminate the problem.

            As with most things, preventing a problem before it becomes a problem is the wisest course of action. A basic water test, testing only for the presence of bacteria, costs about $35. A full water test including sodium, hardness and other elements, costs about $100. You will find the peace of mind is well worth the relatively low price and effort.

ADDITIONALLY……

            Lyme Disease is a huge problem here in the Berkshires so spring is also a good time to start taking the proper precautions to keep disease carrying ticks at bay. Ask anyone who has had Lyme Disease – it can cause a myriad of health problems and a tremendous amount of suffering. The key to avoiding contracting the disease is again prevention. Use an insect repellent containing DEET when you are outside in areas where ticks can be found. Perform “tick checks” on yourself and loved ones and if you are bitten by a tick carefully remove it and bring it to your doctor to check to see if it was carrying the disease. Take the very easy preventable measures of avoiding Lyme Disease – you’ll be happy you did.

Eco-tip #2

Replace your thermostat with a programmable model. With an ENERGY STAR thermostat you can save $180 a year on your heating bill.

Egremont Green Committee:

            The Egremont Green Committee was delighted that the weather was great and the response of Egremonters even greater in our First Egremont Clean Day part of E Recycles 2009. “We were concerned at first that only a few of the 41 miles of Egremont roads would be adopted” Juliette Haas, Chair of the Egremont Green Committee said, “but by 11 a.m. we had an amazing 95% sign up on our street map and by 3 p.m. we had four truck loads of garbage disposed of. Needless to say we cannot thank all of our volunteers enough for their hard work and heartwarming community spirit”.

Green Committee Members promoting recycling

            The South Egremont School’s Galactic Garbage Guy and Undermountain School’s fabulous recycled hand puppets decorated the tents along with other clever and innovative art from trash entries. All of our volunteers received wonderful prizes: bedding herbs and plants from Bessie Johnston, shopping bags from Salisbury Bank and Berkshire Bank, cookies and apples from Big Y and water for sustenance donated by the kind folks from Kenver as well as other free eco-friendly gifts supplied by the Egremont Green Committee. The recycled pencils were to remind everyone about the small things we can do. “Think about all of those “disposable” pens and how really not “disposable” they are” Susan Bachelder pointed out.

 “Galactic Garbage Man” a six foot high piece made entirely from trash was the entry from the South Egremont School in the “Trash to Art” exhibit.

            Marj Wexler, chief of bottle sorting and all around good sport, made certain that our carbon footprint was invisible at the end of the day. Bruce Turner, Dan Martin, Tom Haas, Police Chief Reena Bucknell and Egremont Police Officer Shannon Blodgett were also on hand helping with the heavy lifting and lending all-around support.

SAVE THE DATE…..

            Want to decrease your carbon footprint, fight climate change and save up to 20% on your energy bills all at the same time? Please join the Egremont Green Committee on Thursday May 21^st at 6:30 p.m. at the North Egremont Fire House for an energy awareness seminar. Come hear energy efficiency experts talk about the simple things you can do to save energy and lower your heating and cooling bills. Call Juliette Haas at 528-2028 for more information.

Council on Aging:

            A couple of dates seniors should mark on their calendar........

            MAY 13 - 11am at the Gt. Barrington Senior Center Library, Attorney Deborah Marchard will bring an important program dealing with necessary legal documents which seniors should have. This is an important matter and should have our attention. Your survivors will bless you!!!!

            JUNE 18 - The Sheffield Senior Picnic will be held at Noon at the Town Pavilion. Once again, their COA has extended an invitation to include the seniors of Egremont. This is always a fun time. Please get in touch with Rachel Shaw 528-3488 for more details, if you plan to go. There will be a presentation at 11am by a “potter” which should be very interesting.

Town Meeting Study Group:

            As we approach town meeting on May 5^th many are reminded of the length and late hour of the meeting from last year. Understanding resident participation is vitally important to the town meeting process, a study group was formed, made up of the three Selectmen, two members of the Finance Committee and two members of the community at large, to explore ways to expedite the process and encourage attendance. Town meeting Moderator Tom Gage also contributed his thoughts to the discussions and an input hearing was held specifically to take additional comments from the public. The following is a list of changes which was gathered from these discussions that will be implemented this year:

·   A glossary of financial terms will be attached to the warrant in the hopes of demystifying some of the municipal language many residents find confusing. That glossary is attached to this newsletter for your review.

·   The Moderator will no longer read each individual line item during budget review. Instead he will read only the section total amount request and then each section will be voted on.

·   If there are any holds on the budget the Moderator will address those holds while he is still reviewing the section.

·   If it appears the meeting will run into the late hours of the evening the Moderator will entertain a motion to adjourn to another date to conclude the meeting. The later date and the location will be specified before adjournment.

·   The Moderator will ask those who feel they may want to speak to sit in the front of the auditorium and in an aisle seat.

·   While the introduction of a portable microphone to hear comments from those in the middle of the auditorium was discussed it was generally agreed that speakers should go to the two standing microphones at the front of the room with speakers addressing the audience.

            With a town meeting form of government in place the voters represent our legislative body. Therefore it is crucial to have your input at town meeting. The town meeting study group hopes these changes spur greater interest and participation at town meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!

PLANT, BAKE AND TAG SALE – SATURDAY, MAY 23:Spring is here and it’s time to plant. To help you on your way, come to the Egremont Garden Club’s Annual Plant, Bake and Tag sale on Saturday, May 23, in front of the First Congregational Church in South Egremont. A variety of perennials, annuals and herbs will be available at low cost from 9:00 A.M. To 2:00 P.M. The majority of the plants come from members’ own gardens and so are sure to flourish in yours. Herbs of all kinds are also locally grown and the annuals are ready to go in the ground. And after your hard work gardening, treat yourself to home baked cookies, brownies, breakfast breads, pies or a beautifully decorated cake. The club will also hold an intriguing tag sale with all sorts of items for your home and featuring slightly used purses, belts and scarves. All proceeds from the sale go to the Garden

Club’s work in supporting scholarships, gardening activities in local schools and providing flowers in our local public gardens. We hope to see you there.

THE GARDEN CLUB’S SPRING TEA, JUNE 11:

           All Berkshire residents and their friends are invited to the Egremont Garden Club’s Spring Tea – The Annual Memorial Gertrude B. Burdsall Scholarship Tea – on Thursday, June 11, at 2:00p.m. at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens. The club is proud to welcome Amy Murphy as our guest speaker. Her talk is titled “The Deconstruction and Reconstruction of a Suburban Garden”. A delicious tea featuring homemade tea sandwiches, freshly baked cookies, a variety of sweets and fresh fruit will be served. It promises be a delightful afternoon which you are sure to enjoy. A donation of $10 will be asked which will go to the Garden Club’s work in supporting a scholarship for a local student studying horticulture

Household Hazardous Waste:

            Mini-Site Collections - Saturday, May 16, 9am to 11am, Lenox Department of Public Works and Wednesday, June 10, 4pm to 6:30pm, Great Barrington Recycling Center.

            Accepting used motor oil, oil based paints (no latex), turpentine, stains, paint thinners. Not accepting latex paint, paint brushes/rags, medical wastes, asbestos, fireworks & explosives, ammunition, gas cylinders, smoke detectors, radioactive material, fire extinguishers, empty aerosol cans, PCB’s - to get rid of these items contact Town Hall or CET for more information. Pre-register at 1-800-238-1221 ext 30 or robt@cetonline.org.

Recycling:

            Used Kleenex and used paper towels are not recyclable. These items belong in your trash not your recycling bin. Indeed any paper that is wet, dirty, or stained is not recyclable.

            The Town has installed a medical waste collection kiosk. Put your used needles/sharps in a protective container - such as a coffee can with a lid. Then put that container into the Medical Waste Kiosk. Needles/sharps used on humans and animals are accepted.

            Have you looked in the Swap Shop shed lately. You may find something of interest. Or you may have something of interest to leave there for others to consider.

Eco-tip #3

Use reusable cloths for cleaning the house. You’ll be cutting down on your paper towel consumption saving $45 per year.

Applause!!!! Youth Theatre Company:

“Law Joins Forces With Waterman and Coughlin To Start A New Youth Theatre Company”

Contact Persons: Robert W. Law 413-229-2765 rwl296@aol.com

Charles J. Coughlin Charlescoughlin@gmail.com

Kristine Waterman Kriscw@gmail.com

            Robert W. Law, the former Director of the Performing Arts Department for the Southern Berkshire Regional School District and the co-founder, along with Charles J. Coughlin, of ENCORE!! Youth Theatre Company has joined in a partnership with Kristine Waterman, to launch The Applause!!!! Youth Theatre Company.

            Applause!!!! will debut its first season this summer with a comprehensive six week theatre program for all area children in grades 3-9 at The Kathleen McDermott Auditorium at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington. Applause!!!! Youth Theatre Company, will run from Monday, June 29^th through Sunday August 9^th. Students may also apply for two separate three weeks programs running from June 29^th through July 17^th and July 20^th through August 9^th. The six week program will culminate in the finale production of Fiddler On the Roof which will be open to the public for five performances beginning on Thursday, August 6^th.

            Law said, “we have a new vision for Applause!!!!. We are expanding the program to include opportunities for kids who attend school where programming no longer exists. We will spend a considerable amount of time working on dramatic scripts, both musical and non-musical, comedy, serious material and poetry. In addition we will offer the opportunity for kids to get more instruction in the various forms of movement, ie; tap, jazz, hip hop, drumming etc. Along with the new curriculum, we will continue our previous practice of working on basic acting skills, dance/movement, voice, monologues, theatre games, improvisation, and technical theatre skills such as lighting and sound, set design, set construction, set painting, and prop making. At least half of each day will be spent rehearsing for our finale show of Fiddler On The Roof.” Outdoor “recreation or gymnasium time” will be provided every day.” He concluded his remarks by adding “everyone on the artistic team loves to work with a diverse age group of children. It is remarkable to watch the younger children look up to, and learn from the older students. The older students become instant role models and mentors.”

            Waterman said, “ After the summer, if we can find a suitable venue we hope to offer a grades 5-8 show in the fall, perhaps a holiday show, workshops on vacations, and a grades 3-6 production in the spring.” Coughlin added that “we feel that it is possible to do an inter-generational show highlighting youth and local adult talent.”

            The tuition for the full six week program is

$600, and the two three week programs will cost $300 each. Enrollment will be limited to 30 students for the summer program. For more information please call Law at 413-229-2765 or e-mail at rwl296@aol.com.