Monthly Archives: December 2015

ON THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS, Communications Committee Member and Municipal Light Plant (MLP) Superintendent Lark Thwing received an email from Interisle Consulting Principal Fred Goldstein containing a draft proposal for a Broadband plan for Hawley. When he looked at the level of detail and the cost projections for the proposal, Lark felt it was a joyous Holiday gift, indeed.

Work on the proposal by Interisle is being funded via a $5,000 planning grant that was awarded to Hawley by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI).

Included in the proposal was an inclusive Continue reading →

Subject: Advisory – Hoverboard Safety
From: “Coan, Stephen \(DFS\)” <Stephen.Coan@MassMail.State.MA.US>
To: “Coan, Stephen \(DFS\)” <stephen.coan@state.ma.us>
Date: Friday, 11/12/2015 12:25 PM

[Fire] Chiefs –

By now, most of you have heard of recent fire incidents involving hoverboards (motorized skateboards) powered by lithium-ion battery packs. Attached [HERE] is a guidance document from the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM). Little is known definitively about the causes of these fires. The Department of Fire Services is aware of only one incident in Massachusetts, which was investigated by the local fire department, who in turn reported it to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.CPSC.gov).

These hoverboards are expected to be Continue reading →

THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE HAWLEY COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE that took place on Wednesday, December 2 was truly special as Hawley hosted five other towns in a search for ways by which hybrid fiber-wireless high-speed Internet technologies can affordably and effectively be used as an alternative to the Fiber-to-the-Home model currently promulgated by MBI.

Participating Towns included:

♦ Hawley
♦ Middlefield,
♦ New Marlborough,
♦ Princeton,
♦ Royalston, and 
♦ Savoy Continue reading →