 Egremont News |
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Issue 43 |
January, 2009 |
Rules & Regulations of this Newsletter:
The purpose of this newsletter is to keep residents informed of what is going on in 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.
Reminder: July 26, 2009 11am to 4pm Egremont on Parade at French Park
Volunteers, donations and funding appreciated
Selectmen:
Happy New Year!
The town is seeking members for its Draft Hydrant Committee. This Committee was formed at the May, 2008 Annual Town Meeting to maintain and upgrade the draft hydrants in Egremont. If you are interested in being a part of the Committee please contact Town Hall.
Highway Department:
If our crew damages your mailbox during the winter snow plowing, and your mailbox was installed correctly and adequately, we will repair it. Please contact us at 528-1106.
Egremont has issued a winter parking ban effective until April 15, 2009. This means that any cars found parked on the side of any road in Egremont will be towed at the owners expense.
We welcome new crew member Dante Delmolino.
Emergency Management:
Winter weather often causes power outages. Always contact National Grid in case you are the only one without power. While the power is out keep your refrigerators and freezers closed so they will hold the cold. If possible wrap your pipes with insulation or newspaper to prevent freezing. Let faucets drip a little if you can. Unplug all sensitive electronic appliances to avoid damage when the power is restored. Call 2-1-1 for non-emergency storm-related questions.
As of 2005 Carbon Dioxide alarms are required in homes. Carbon Dioxide alarms should be installed in a central location outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of your home. Test CO Alarms at least once a month. Have your fuel-burning equipment and chimneys inspected ever year. When using a fireplace, open the flue for ventilation. Never use your oven to heat your house. Make sure that generators are located outdoors in well-ventilated areas away from windows and doors. Only use barbecue grills outdoors. Remove your vehicle from the garage to warm it up. Make sure all vents for your home are clear of snow. Be sure your fireplace is out before you go to bed. If your CO alarm goes off immediately move to fresh air. Call for help from a fresh air location.
Don’t leave your pets outside when the temperature drops below zero. Wind-Chill is a threat to pets, even those protected by shelters.
Feed your pets more if they are outside and make sure they have water at all times. Anti-freeze and de-icing chemicals are hazardous to animals. Warm automobile engines may attract cats and wildlife looking to stay warm - check before starting your vehicle.
Medical and non-medical volunteers are needed to support local emergency personnel. If you are interested please contact the Board of Health at 528-0182 ext 22.
Egremont Green Committee:
With yet another drop in the price of oil (below $40 this morning) many of us wonder if we should still care about heating costs and energy conservation. With prices this low, why shouldn’t we just turn our home thermostats way up, don T-shirts and flip flops in the house this winter and go back to our old wicked ways of super-sized oil consumption.
However, global warming is still very much with us even though the price of oil is now low (a welcome gift to all, especially in this economy). Interestingly, though the leading factor of lower oil prices is decreased demand, the position of using more of it will only bring the prices right back to the levels of last summer.
We must continue to limit our consumption of fossil fuels and to embrace newer, cleaner energy technologies. This is better for the planet, it will lessen our dependence on foreign nations for our energy needs, and, most importantly, it will feed our failing economy by investing in the renewable energy industry.
So, just when cheap oil appears to be taking the relevancy out of the green movement, it is actually more important than ever to adopt everyday practices that will work toward a more sustainable future. Together, our efforts can make a difference.
Egremont Green Committee (EGC) EcoTip:
Sign up for the GreenStart Program started by CET. Join by going to www.cetonline.org/Renewables/support_renewables.php, or via your National Grid bill. GreenStart supports renewable energy and contributes to a fund that Egremont can access to build clean alternative solutions to energy issues we face. There is now $17,000 in our fund. If you have questions, our next meeting is January 7, 4 pm, in Town Hall.
Use colorful newspaper instead of wrapping paper -- newspaper can be recycled, and much wrapping paper can't.
The environmentally friendly K&N car air filter gets cleaned instead of thrown away, and it lasts for years. (www.knfilters.com/filtercharger.htm)
Do you have car roof racks but don't use them? Remove the cross bars to reduce draft and increase gas mileage.
Town Clerk:
You will receive your Census form by January 15. Your prompt response ensures your continued status as an active voter in Egremont.
If you live in North Egremont please be sure your mailing address is correct. Also, your Zip Code for residential and voting purposes is 01258-the Egremont Zip Code. 01252 and 01230 are for mailing purposes only.
If you do not receive a form by 1/15 or if you have questions please contact Town Clerk Margaret Muskrat.
Board of Assessors:
During calendar year 2009, the Assessors will be taking photos of Egremont properties to update property record files. We hope to get most of it done when the trees are bare and we are able to take pictures at a distance.
Planning Board:
The Planning Board will be holding a Public Hearing on January 26, 2009, at 7:30 PM at the Egremont Town Hall to consider an increase in fees charged for review of plans for new divisions of land.
Under the Massachusetts Subdivision Control Law, the board must approve all plans for dividing parcels of land before such plans can be recorded in the Registry of Deeds. The board currently charges $25 for review of each plan that creates new parcels of land on existing roads. These “divisions” of land are called ANR plans or Form A plans. The board is proposing an increase in the Form A fee to $50 for the first two parcels plus $25 for each additional parcel on a plan.
“Subdivisons” involve new roads being created to provide frontage for new lots. Subdivision plans can be submitted in one of two ways, either by first submitting a Preliminary Plan (Form B) to get initial feedback from the board and later submitting a finalized Definitive Plan (Form C), or by submitting a Definitive Plan without first submitting a Preliminary Plan. In both instances, the current fee is $50 per plan plus $20 per lot. The board’s proposals include, in the first instance, a fee of $250 per plan plus $50 per lot for the Preliminary Plan and $500 plus $75 per lot plus $50 each additional unit for the Definitive Plan. In the second instance, when no Preliminary Plan is submitted, the board is proposing a new fee of $1,000 plus $150 per lot plus $100 each additional unit.
Egremont’s fees have not been raised since 1986 and are lower than those charged by most other towns in the area. The new fee schedule would bring the town’s fees more into conformity with fees charged by other towns and would bring revenue to the town to help offset expenses incurred by the board in conducting its business.
The public is invited to attend the hearing or to submit comments in writing prior to the hearing date.
Conservation Commission:
Asian Longhorn Beetles have arrived! Yes, the arrival of this invasive species from China was confirmed in the US (Brooklyn, NY) in 1996. They were introduced by way of packing crates. And in August of this year, an infestation has been discovered in Worcester, Mass. and has spread to over 1000 trees there. More than 6900 trees were cut, chipped and burned in New York City alone under Federal mandates.
The impact of these species of beetle can be devastating to a number of different trees, namely all our maples (which, for obvious reasons could have enormous environmental as well as financial implications), poplars, birch, willow and horse chestnut among others.
The adult is typically 1" to 1.5" long and black with white spots on its wing covers. In females, its antennae are as long as the body and in males they’re twice as long. Signs of ALB infestation are perfectly round exit holes about the size of a dime, and frass, which is sawdust and insect waste.
Quarantines have been set up around infected areas strictly regulating the transportation of wood products, firewood and nursery stock. It is crucial that we are aware of this and be very careful when ordering firewood or any wood products that they not come from these quarantined areas.
Please take the time to familiarize yourself with this beetle and make a concerted effort to keep your eyes open for any signs of them. Should you think you’ve found an infestation, collect an adult in a jar and place the jar in the freezer. Immediately contact the Department of Agriculture, your service forester or report it via this website:
www.massnrc.org/pests/linkeddocuments/pestalerts /ALB_Aug2008.htm or you can call 617-626-1779. Or for more information, visit
www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/alb or www.uvm.edu/albettle.
Treasurer\Collector
PLEASE NOTE:
FY 2009 - Actual Real Estate & Personal Property Taxes have been mailed. The due dates are February 1st & May 1st, 2009.
Please contact the Board of Assessor’s with questions pertaining to valuations and to apply for an abatement.
Fees & Fines - The demand fee for delinquent tax bills has been raised to $10. 00 per bill.
Motor Vehicle Excise - 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.
Winter Office hours - Tax Collector 7-3 Monday through Friday or by appointment.
Community Notes:
“Pairs and Spares”
You may well ask what that means.
In the 50's a group of young couples decided to have a night out once a month. Some of the early participants were Ollie & Evelyn Willcox, Dud & Virginia Race, Kathryn & Virgil Crocket (who owned the Egremont Inn), Matt & Gertrude Snyder, David & Edith Grant, Tom & Edith Sindler and Harold & Ruth Gordon. They persuaded family members to care for their children and began having potluck suppers together. They called themselves “The Couples Club” and met in the Congregational Church in South Egremont. After some years - for a variety of reasons - they decided to be more inclusive and changed their name to “Pairs and Spares” so all would feel welcome. That name is recognized as an “auxiliary organization” of the church, although the participants by no means are limited to church members. It is one of several other groups which the church kindly allows to use its facilities.
At one point the group decided to do something to make money as a gift to the church in appreciation for the use of the building. They produced a musical revue which played for 3 nights in the North Egremont Men’s club (now a private residence). Although many details have been forgotten, the songs beautifully sung by William Parry (Roberta’s Father) were very special. And unforgettable were the Flora Dora Group comprised of Oliver Willcox, Clarence Brainard and Les Weedon - the latter particularly remembered because the wrap around garters holding up his socks showed beneath his skirt.
In the late 70's the group began to have up’s and down’s and the Reverend James Chase (father of Ruth VanTassel and then pastor of both Egremont Churches!) come to welcome new arrivals to town (as was his habit) Murray and Florence Browner. He asked them if they would like to take the list and try to revive the group, which they did - for which we owe them thanks.
“Pairs and Spares” continues to meet for a Pot Luck Supper the 3rd Thursday of each month from October through April and all are welcome - including children. Each month 2 - 3 hosts/hostesses come early to set up and they bring dessert and do drinks. Each person who comes is asked to bring a plate, cup and cutlery, as well as a main dish or salad.
If you are interested in taking part in this community get-together, please call Betty Duryea (528-3426) as it is helpful to know how many to expect.
The next two dinners are Thursday, January 15 and Thursday, February 19, 2009.
Board meeting schedule:
Subject to change. Please see postings of meetings at Town Hall and the Post Offices for more detail.
Archives Room - First Saturday 9-noon and May to October the second third Monday 2-4pm
or by appointment
Assessors - Thursday 9am to 12noon & Tuesdays 6pm to 8pm or by appointment
Board of Health - Monday- 8am to 1pm, Tuesday 8:30am to 12pm & 12:30 to 2:30pm Wednesday & Thursday 8am to 1pm Meetings - First & Third Thursday 9am to 11am
Board of Selectmen - Meetings Tuesday evenings 7pm. Office weekdays 7am to 3pm.
Wednesday 7am to 1:30pm
Building Inspector - Tuesday 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Other times and inspections by appointmentConservation Commission - Second and Fourth Thursdays 7:00pm
Finance Committee - Thursdays 7pm January through March.
Library - Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 2-6pm & Saturday 9-12noon
Planning Board - Second & Fourth Monday 7:30pm
School Committee: Second & Fourth Thursdays 6pm Mt. Everett High School Library
Tax Collector: 4/1 - 11/1 = Monday 7am to 4pm, Tuesday 7am to 6pm, Wednesday 7am to 11am, Thursday & Friday 7am to 3pm.
11/1 - 4/1 = Monday - Friday 7:00am to 3:00pm
Town Clerk - Tuesday evenings 7pm - 9pm or by appointment
Transfer Station - Tuesday & Thursday 8am to 1pm, Saturday 8am to 3pm, Sunday 12noon to 4pm
Water Department - Office weekdays 8am to 2pm Meetings Third Thursday 4:30pm at Town Hall
Zoning Board of Appeals - as needed
To reach a board member or to leave a message please call the Town Hall.
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.
The Silo B&B - guest accommodations
413-528-5195
The Inn at Sweet Water Farm - B&B
1 Prospect Lake Road
413-528-2882
www.innsweetwater.com
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
Home - Asian Antiques & Interior Objects
195 Hillsdale Road (Route 23)
413-528-5383
Blue Rider Stables - Therapeutic Horseback Riding
Lessons, summer programs
www.bluerider.org
413-528-5299
Green River Arabians & Pintos -
Boarding, lessons, a 4-H program.
413-528-2367 arabpinto13@yahoo.com
Indian Line Farm - Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) & Farmers Markets
413-528-8301
Turner Farms Maple Syrup - Phillips Road, open 7am to 7pm 7 days a week. 413-528-5710
G&S Gventer “Books - Buy & Sell Books
413-528-2327
Elfi Six Shiatsu/Acutonics®, Bodywork
413-644-9979
www.CosmicResonance.com
Peter Goldberg, Dipl. Ac - Acupuncture, Pain
Management 413-528-5055
Zorn Family Chiropractic-Chiropractor
44 Main Street
413-528-9654
www.healingspiritdc@yahoo.com
Divine Automotive - Automotive repair
413-528-8007
Old Egremont Country 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
L and L Construction - Home repairs, additions,
new home building
413-528-5548
“Jack of All Trades”-Handyman Services
Jack Buckley
413-528-1982
413-446-1982
Catamount Ski Area - Skiing
413-528-1262
Anita Schilling - Real Estate Listing & Sales
Barnbrook Realty
413-528-4423
Florence F. Browner Real Estate - Full Service
90 Creamery Road
413-528-3266
Kenver Ltd - Ski equipment and apparel
39 Main Street
413-528-2330
Maple Leaf Art Gallery - Joan Mentzinger
154 Hillsdale Road, Route 23
The Agency Without Walls - Helen Krancer
Advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing. 413-644-9700
Cyber Knight - Matthew Wall
PC repairs - Networking - Internet
413-528-5415
Zorn Core Fitness - Boot Camp
Outdoor workouts.
413-528-1594
Support local businesses
Town of Egremont
P.O. Box 368
South Egremont MA 01258
413-528-0182
Printed, on recycled paper, by the Selectmen’s Office Staff
as submitted by Town Departments.
“The Town of Egremont is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”