Category Archives: Hawley News

Do We Need an Updated Town Plan? . . . Listening Session Scheduled for November 9 . . .

. . . Remember 1988?

Back then, folks would have thought you were nuts if you started rambling on about cell service, climate change, zip lines, internet, renewable energy, glamping, marijuana dispensaries, social media … etc., etc.! With the exception of a minor change in 2012, we haven’t altered our bylaws since then.

We think it is time to update these bylaws to reflect the present and hopefully address the future. Planning Boards don’t change bylaws. Voters do. Two thirds of them at a town meeting, to be exact. That’s why you are invited to a Planning Board Listening Session on Wednesday, November 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Office.

You can see what we currently have “on the books” at http://www.townofhawley.com/wp-content/uploads/docs/Bylaws/Hawley-Protective-Bylaw-2012-comp.pdf.
What things do you think we should change?

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Franklin County Cider Days have had a small presence in Hawley for a number of years at Peter Mitchell’s Headwater Cider—but this year Headwater is going all out! On Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Hello Hawleyites!

Just letting you know that the State Election will be held at 8 Pudding Hollow Road on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

I have processed a number of requests for early ballots. Happily, Hawley’s ballots were finally delivered! If you haven’t requested an early ballot, you still can. Your request must be received by November 1. We also have early voting days:

Saturday 10/29 from 10 a.m. to noon and from 3 to 5 p.m.

Tuesday 11/1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Election Day. There will also be a bake sale that day to benefit the Sons & Daughters of Hawley, so bring your appetites!

Thanks,

Pamela Shrimpton
Hawley Interim Town Clerk
www.townofhawley.com
(413) 339-5518

The Franklin County Solid Waste Management District is working with five towns to accept clean and dry mattresses and box springs for recycling. This program is open to residents in all District towns. The program is only for clean and dry fabric-covered mattresses and box springs, including foam and crib mattresses. Continue reading →

The Franklin County Solid Waste Management District is holding its Fall “Clean Sweep” Bulky Waste Recycling Day on Saturday, October 22 from 9 a.m. to noon. The three drop-off sites are: Mohawk Trail Regional School at 26 Ashfield Rd. (Route 112 South); Northfield Highway Garage at 49 Caldwell Rd; and Whately Transfer Station at 73 Christian Lane.

Residents from any District town (including Hawley) may bring bulky items such as tires, appliances, scrap metal, furniture, mattresses, carpeting, construction debris, computers, televisions, propane gas tanks, and other large items. Materials will be recycled whenever possible. There are charges for most items. Disposal fees, cash only, will be collected during check-in at each site. A complete list of prices for the most common items is at: https://franklincountywastedistrict.org/p/70/Clean-Sweep-Bulky-Waste-Collection.

Price List

The price list is also available at the Town Office. Residents and businesses do not need to pre-register for the collection. Electronics are accepted at the event, but residents are also encouraged to recycle computer equipment and televisions at their town’s transfer station, or at Greenfield Transfer Station. Staples stores accept computer equipment (no TVs) free of charge: call your local store for details. Clean, dry textiles and books are accepted for free at this collection. Textiles must be contained inside a sturdy plastic bag. 95% of all textiles can be recycled or reused; clothing or linens that are torn, stained, with missing buttons or broken zippers can be recycled into insulation. Acceptable items include CLEAN & DRY clothing, shoes, and accessories; plus curtains, sheets, towels and stuffed animals in any condition (except moldy or wet). Books can be in any condition except moldy or wet, and can be hardcover or paperback. No encyclopedias.

Bulky Rigid Plastics will be collected separately for a special recycling program; $5 per load. Acceptable items for this special recycling program are limited to these items only: 5-gallon pails, plastic lawn furniture, plastic trash barrels, recycling bins, laundry baskets, storage totes, and milk crates. Bulky rigid plastic items must be empty and free of batteries, soil, rocks, and liquids. For more information, contact the District office at info@franklincountywastedistrict.org or 413-772- 2438. MA Relay for the hearing impaired: 711 or 1-800-439-2370 (TTY/TDD).

There will be a FLU clinic this week, on Wednesday, September 28, from 10 a.m. to noon. at the Charlemont Federated Church. Both standard and senior/high-dose formulas will be available. Here the other area clinics that will be dispensing both COVID and FLU vaccines during the month of October.

Bring your insurance cards.

AS THESE THINGS TEND TO GO, Saturday’s Internet Outage was resolved relatively quickly. Project Manager Lark Thwing comments:

Many of you know that we had a network outage from mid morning until around 5 pm on Saturday. Project Lead Brian Foucher tells me that the fiber to Chapel Road in Savoy was repaired by 5 pm and the fiber connection to the Florida Town Hall was repaired shortly after.

Brian told me that the outage was due to a fiber break in North Adams.

I am waiting to learn what caused the fiber outages and is there anything we could do so we can prevent this type of occurrence in the future.

We have redundancy and both main links failed at once it seems.

Please spread this info within your communities.

Thanks.

Kirby (Lark) Thwing

Orange trash bags have arrived, but we don’t have a lot. We’re asking people to purchase only two packages (20 bags) at a time so that everyone who needs them can get them. Please give Tinky a call at 339-5518 to let me know when you’d like to pick some up. As of August 3 Greg Cox will have some as well.

FRCOG Public-health nurse Lisa White has dropped off face masks for use by Hawleyites. We have lots of tri-ply blue paper masks and quite a few N95s. Please stop by during Tinky’s office hours on Tuesday (noon until 3:30) or call to make an appointment to pick up a few.

Please examine Hawley’s Draft Hazard Mitigation Plan/Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Plan, which is POSTED HERE for your review.

Natural Hazard Mitigation Planning is intended to provide the Town of Hawley with a risk-based approach to making planning decisions. Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Planning is intended to support the Town’s climate change resiliency planning and implementation of priority projects.

This plan focuses on both hazard mitigation planning and climate adaptation and satisfies the regulatory requirements for hazard mitigation planning through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and climate adaptation planning through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant program.

We welcome your thoughts – please email your comments to Will Cosby at wilvis413@gmail.com by July 15.