Category Archives: Hawley News

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 The Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA) is administering a housing rehabilitation loan program on behalf of the Town of Hawley.

The program offers zero-interest, deferred-payment, 15-year forgivable loans of up to $35,000 to qualified homeowners to improve the safety and energy efficiency of their homes. Eligible improvements include:

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THE MOHAWK TRAIL REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT IS PROUD  to announce that Amelie Rowehl, of the Town of Hawley, is the Mohawk Trail Regional School’s 2021 Superintendent’s Award recipient.

Rowehl is a stand-out in her class as a committed student, athlete, and valued member of the community. Ranked first in her class with a 4.54 grade point average, Rowehl consistently challenges herself both in-and-outside the classroom taking Advanced Placement courses while balancing school, sports, and working at her family business.  Continue reading →

FOUR FRANKLIN COUNTY INSTITUTIONS are pleased to announce that businesses, nonprofits, artists, and farmers in the Village of Shelburne Falls and the hilltowns in Franklin and Hampshire Counties may apply for small grants of $2,500 to $15,000.

The grants are being made to help qualified entities and individuals (see grant criteria) to survive the pandemic, enabling them to cover expenses such as payroll, rent, inventory, equipment, working capital and COVID related losses. Grant applications and criteria can be accessed on the internet at https://forms.gle/rTkBbZXQsKtRxYGs8 or be sent to you via email.

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THE LAST BROADBAND POLE IN HAWLEY should be operational by Friday, the 12th of March. Yesterday the 4th of March the pole by Richard Yates’s house was made operational and I was connected to the internet. Hussain Hamdan also notified me that he was connected to the internet yesterday and is thrilled with his service. 

65 people in Hawley have broadband setups in their home and 58 of those people are actually receiving broadband service. The others are waiting for either the pole by Yates or the pole by Jimmy Scott which will be operational by next Friday.
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The Board of Selectmen is seeking Hawley residents to join an Ad Hoc Economic Development Committee to look into possible ways to boost its taxable revenue to offset expenses into the future.  The fact is that Hawley has very limited commercial properties, thus the burden of the tax levy rests heavily on residential properties – your property. 

This Committee will meet for a limited time and look into any possible ways to encourage commerce without detracting from the rural nature of our beloved Town.   They will then report their ideas and findings to the Selectboard for further discussion with the Finance Committee.  

If you have expertise, interest, and/or energy and would like to participate in this Committee, please contact one of the Selectmen (Hussain Hamdan, Bob MacLean and Bob Root), or the Administrative Assistant, Cass Nawrocki, at info@townofhawley.com, or leave a message at the Town Office 413-339-5518.

Reported by Hussain Hamdan

AT ABOUT 9:00 ON THE MORNING OF  February 13th, the Hawley Fire Department was dispatched to a motor vehicle rollover on Route 8A, not far from the Plainfield line.  The vehicle lost control going down the hill, hit the guardrail, and then rolled over.

Above: Motor vehicle rollover on Rt. 8A, Feb 13, 2021

No other vehicles were involved in the accident; although, in an interesting twist of events, another car got stuck in the snow-bank, trying to drive around the rollover before the road could be closed. [story continues]

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We urge everyone, when they are eligible, to get vaccinated. This is the most effective means of slowing the spread and the risk of getting Covid.  Please be patient as the number of vaccines available in Massachusetts has been limited – however, we do expect that everyone who wants a vaccine will get one.
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Updated January 10, 2021
by Lark Thwing

Friday December 18 we completed the Phase 3 sites including the Stetson Road site, the site on West Hawley Road near Savoy Road, the site near Shrimpton’s on Forge Hollow Road, and the site near 129 East Hawley Road (which is temporarily powered by an extension cord from the Sisum’s house).

Phase 4 sites are in the works. Poles are already up at the Hawley Town Hall and the East Hawley Rd site near Yates/Scott. By January 15, we expect to have poles installed on Plainfield Rd near the Scott farm and at the Lawless site, the big house on the cliff overlooking west Hawley. We expect these Phase 4 sites to be configured by the end of January, waiting only for power from National Grid at the Plainfield Road site and the existing pole near Yates/Scott. Continue reading →