New Salem Town Notices
May 2012 New Salem NewsNew Salem News Flash - Rabbit Run & Library for All Seasons
TOWN ELECTION NEWS
Following are the results from the
annual town election held on Monday, May 7, 2012:
Cathy Jones – elected to Selectboard (3 years)—69 votes
Calvin Layton – elected Moderator (1 year)—91 votes
Mike Yohan – elected to School Committee (3 years)—85 votes
Carla Halpern – elected to School Committee (3 years)—77
votes
Jane McKay – elected Library Trustee (3 years)—93 votes
Jen Potee – elected to Board of Health (3 years)—77 votes
Jamie Beauchesne – elected to Board of Health (2 years)-89
votes
Ken Bright – elected to Planning Board (5 years)-82 votes
Eric Hamm – elected Assessor (3 years)—87 votes
Joe Bergman – (not elected) Board of Health (3 years)—18
votes
FY13 Property Revaluation
The Board of Assessors is starting
to review the properties throughout the town this month as part of the FY13 revaluation. The assessors, Phyllis Stever, Eric
Hamm, and Jean Derderian, have contracted with Wayne Hachey of the Selectboard to do property inspections
throughout the town. We also will
have our field representative from the Department of Revenue
reviewing values in the field and personnel from Vision Appraisal working with us to complete
the task of a full field review. When we come to your house we will
identify ourselves and ask for your permission to do the inspection. This may require entry to the inside
unless we have visited the inside recently. If nobody is home, we will leave a notice on the door to
call our office. We will try to arrange a time to complete the inspection as soon as possible. If you
should have a question regarding the inspections or the persons doing inspections, please feel
free to call our office at (978) 544-5814. We will return your calls as soon as possible. Thank you for
your cooperation. Kenneth Holmberg Asst Assessor
For more details see the Assessors page: Assessors
Architect Selection
Committee Update and Meetings
The
New Salem Architect Selection Committee has hired the firm of Kaestle-Boos of New
Britain, Connecticut to provide the town with a feasibility study and cost
analysis for renovating the town hall and the fire station with an addition for
the police. The contract calls for the feasibility study to be done within 120
days. The committee plans a public information meeting when the study is
completed. The committee, chaired by Ricardo Conte, includes Cathy Jones, Lisa
Finestone, Wayne Hachey, Joe Cuneo, and Tony Palmieri.
The committee meets the second and fourth Wednesdays
of every month at 7:00 p.m in the Town Hall Annex and are open to the public.
The Committee encourages the public to attend in order to hear the various
discussions and proposals.
Senior Tax Abatement Program
Could you use a break on your real estate taxes? Volunteer
at the library or other town office and earn a tax abatement if you
qualify. To qualify you must be over 60 and your income must be below
$30,000 for single; $45,000 for couple. There can only be one abatement per
household. Your maximum earnings would be $750.00 at $8.00 per hour. This
opportunity starts April 1st. Contact Diana Smith at 978-544-6334 if you are
interested.
Lyme Disease
Follow link for information forwarded by the Board of Health
about Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease Information
Planning
Board Needs New Member
The planning board urgently needs a volunteer board
member. Please contact Cathy Jones at gcejones@yahoo.com. We need four members at
every special permit meeting and with one member often absent and another
forced to continue but not able to continue for health reasons we will soon be
lacking that required four voting member quorum. The need is
urgent. We meet the first and third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p. m.
in the Stowell Building. Thank you in advance if you or someone you know can help.
Board/Committee Vacancies
The Selectboard is looking for
people to fill the following Board/Committee vacancies. Please contact
the Town Coordinator, Nancy Aldrich, at 978-544-6437 if you are
interested in serving in any of the positions:
Conservation Commission - 1 vacancy
Energy Committee - 1 vacancy
Historical Commission - 2 vacancies
Personnel Board - 2 vacancies
Website Committee - 2 vacancies
Wired West Update
WiredWest's ongoing efforts to prepare to design, fund and
build a "last-mile" fiber optic network to the homes and businesses
in the WiredWest communities are highlighted in the following
document. WiredWest Update For additional
information and details please visit the WiredWest website at http://wired-west.net/.
Community Garden
The Agriculture Committee has been discussing the
possibility of a community garden. We would like to know if
anyone is interested in this project. Please email us at - lynadams56@yahoo.com
or p.a.skaza@Gmail.com.
New Electronic Waste Collection Program
The Solid Waste District has partnered with MRM and
Electronic Recyclers to offer towns a new electronic waste program. New
Salem has an agreement with the Wendell Transfer Station allowing us to bring TVs
to their landfill for a fee depending on the size of the TV. However, Wendell
can NOT charge you for the following brands of electronics, so you can dispose
of them FREE! Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Quasar, Sharp, Toshiba,
Technics, and Vizio.
District, 413-772-2438, info@franklincountywastedistrict.org),
or the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) Recycling Hotline at
888-888-0784 ext. 2293. You can also refer to the attached flyer.
Money Available for Recreation Activities
The New Salem Recreation Committee has money available to sponsor recreation activities for New Salem residents, in addition to its traditional events. If you would like to organize a recreational activity or event, please contact Karen Duplissie at 544-8614, Jeanne Clayton at 544-7924 or Jane Clukay at 544-2660.
