Town of Richmond
News from Town Hall
November 10, 2017
Recycling/Trash
Recycling for Monday, November 13th will be cans, bottles, plastics.
Please place your trash and recyclables in a location that is easily accessible for the hauler to collect. Also, please have your trash and recycling out by 7:00 AM to ensure that it is collected. If, for some reason it is not collected, the hauler encourages you to contact them directly at
442-8390 rather than contacting Town Hall.
In addition, please be aware that the trucks used by the hauler are dual functioning trucks in that trash and recyclables are collected together but placed in separate compartments within the truck.
Please note that, effective immediately, all building permits for substantial construction or remodeling will require a sign-off by the Assessor's Department prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy by the Building Inspector.
Richmond celebrates the completion of our Town Beach and Boat Ramp projects:
http://www.iberkshires.com/story/56006/Richmond-Celebrates-Renovation-of-Town-Beach-Boat-Dock.html
Saturday, December 2ND, Richmond Free Public Library, at 11:00 AM: Becky Cushing of Berkshire Sanctuaries will give an illustrated talk on “The Winter Sanctuaries,” including Richmond’s new Audubon property, Tracy Brook, on Swamp Road. Free, refreshments.
Just a friendly reminder that the Winter Parking Ban is in effect beginning November 1st. Overnight parking on all town roads is prohibited and violators may have their vehicles towed. Please remember that you may not pile, plow, or push snow onto public roads so as to impede traffic. Thank you!
Public Input is Needed: Please join us on Monday November 20th at 6:00 PM for a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board to discuss the topic of Marijuana regulation in Richmond.Tom Matuszko of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will be present to facilitate the conversation. The meeting will be held in the main floor meeting room at Town Hall. A discussion will follow a brief PowerPoint presentation.
Holiday Season Schedule: Town Hall will be closed on Friday November 10th in honor of Veteran’s day, on November 23rd and 24th for the Thanksgiving holiday, on December 25th for Christmas, and January 1st for the New Year’s holiday.
The library will be closed Saturday, November 11th in honor of Veteran’s Day.
ATTENTION-RICHMOND VETERANS
Richmond Consolidated School invites you to a Veterans’ Day Celebration Luncheon in honor of your service to our country.
Monday, November 13th from 12:30-1:10 in our school cafeteria.
Please call the school office to RVSP—413-698-2207
MONUMENT MOUNTAIN REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL’S
26th Annual Senior Citizen Fall Festival—Tues., Nov. 14, 2017
Concert in the Auditorium at 11:00 AM followed by a delicious luncheon in the Cafeteria at 12:15 PM.
Everyone is cordially invited.
Please RSVP by November 7th to 528-3346 ext. 167
One More Alternate Zoning Board Advisory Member Urgently Needed!!
Please contact Mark Pruhenski, Town Administrator, if you are interested call 413-698-3882 or email at
MEETINGS/OFFICE HOURS AT TOWN HALL
Monday, November 13th – Planning Board Meeting – 6:30 PM
Tuesday, November 14th – School Committee Meeting @ RCS – 7:00 PM
Tuesday, November 14th – Conservation Commission Meeting – 7:00 PM
Wednesday, November 15th – Board of Selectmen Meeting – 4:00 PM
Wednesday, November 15th – Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting – 4:00 PM
Thursday, November 16th – Long Range Planning Board Meeting – 6:00 PM
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
GENEROUS VOLUNTEERS INTERESTED IN ASSISTING LOCAL SENIORS AND OTHERS WITH THE COMPLETION OF FEDERAL AND STATE INCOME TAXES ARE NEEDED. FOR MANY YEARS THE AARP TAX-AIDE PROGRAM HAS ASSISTED RESIDENTS WITH PREPARING THEIR TAX RETURNS. NEW VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO MAINTAIN THIS VALUABLE SERVICE.
TWO TYPES OF POSITIONS ARE AVAILABLE.
1. TAX PREPARER-PREPARES FEDERAL AND STATE RETURNS
2. CLIENT FACILITATOR-ASSISTS CLIENTS WITH THE ORGANIZATION OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS AND WITH FILLING OUT A GENERIC QUESTIONAIRE.
TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED FOR BOTH POSITIONS BETWEEN NOW AND FEBRUARY 2018. TAX PREPARATION ACTIVITIES WILL BE CONDUCTED FEBRUARY THROUGH MID APRIL 2018.
ANYONE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROGRAM SHOULD VISIT THE WEBSITE LISTED BELOW OR CALL THE BERKSHIRE DISTRICT COORDINATOR FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS AARP TAX-AIDE PROGRAM AT 413-243-3569 OR http://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide
The Community Health Association:
Weekly Blood Pressure Clinics
The Community Health Association offers Blood Pressure Screenings every Thursday from 9:00 – 10:00 AM at the Congregational Church. No appointment needed. For more information contact Emilie Jarrett, RN: 413-232-0122 or via email at .
Council on Aging News
COA Director
Phyllis’ Office Hours: Tuesday- 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM; Wednesday – 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM and Thursday- 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. She can be reached at 698-3656 or at .
SEEKING SENIORS FOR INTERGENERATIONAL FUN
Amy Brentano, theatre teacher/director at Richmond School and town resident, is producing a workshop to bring together middle school students with beloved town senior residents to explore oral history, communication, and stereotypes through a series of fun games and exercises that should produce a load of great material and lots of laughs.
Ms. Brentano has been devising original theatre with ensembles of actors and non-actors for over forty years and through Richmond Consolidated will be running the workshop on the dates* below. Students in grades 6-8 will participate and the project is seeking at least 5-10 senior residents of Richmond interested in playing listening games, socializing with students, and exploring intergenerational issues. Theatre experience is not required. Do you know what a meme is? How about snap chat, IM, un-friending, or hashtag? Do you have a story about how you communicated with your best friend when you were thirteen? Your boyfriend/girlfriend? How the heck did the world survive before the internet and cell phones? What is a telegram? Remember writing letters? How about a hand-written thank you note????
Ms. Brentano will head up the structured two-hour sessions in October and November, then subsequently will take the material gathered from the workshop and create a performance piece to be rehearsed in January and performed for the public in February. It is not necessary for senior participants to commit to the performance phase in order to join the first phase in October/November, but Brentano hopes it will be so much fun that seniors might wish to continue with the project through performance.
Few opportunities arise for seniors and young people to share stories and laughs. Please consider jumping into this project. And do not hesitate to call Amy at 413 441-7856 for more information.
*All Sessions Held at Richmond School in Cafeteria (Snacks provided!)
TUE 11/14 3-5
THU 11/16 3-5
COUNCIL ON AGING TRANSPORTATION SERVICE
The Council on Aging has increased the suggested cost per ride for its van service and clarified the extent of the area our vans will cover. Ride fees are, as always, suggested:
Any town in Berkshire County
Suggested Fee Per Ride: $5.00
Rides Outside of Berkshire County:
Northampton – Cooley Dickenson Hospital or the Veteran’s Hospital
Suggested Fee Per Ride: $10:00
West Springfield – Specialist Office
Suggested Fee Per Ride: $10:00
Springfield – Baystate Medical Center
Suggested Fee Per Ride: $15:00
Albany – Albany Medical Center
Suggested Fee Per Ride: $10:00
The Council on Aging is not able to provide rides to and from destinations outside of the acceptable distances listed above. Our drivers are volunteers, not paid for their time, it would, therefore, be unacceptable to ask them to devote an entire day to a ride taking 2-1/2 or more hours each way.
For transportation outside of our acceptable area, it is suggested that private arrangements be made with friends and family. Alternatively, you can contact the ambulance companies and arrange transportation with them – very often the cost of such rides is covered by medical insurance.
ONGOING CLASSES:
Exercise Classes with Christine Faber:
Mon.—3:30 PM @ Richmond Cong. Church—Yoga
Wed.—3:30 PM @ School—Tai Chi
Thurs.—11:15 AM @ Town Hall— Osteo Exercise
Fri.—3:30 PM @ Town Hall—Line Dance
Want to join? Sign up with Christine at 413-243-2497 or
Meals on Wheels
The Elder Services of Berkshire County "Meals on Wheels" menu for November
is available on line at www.esbci.org/mow/current.pdf and on the COA bulletin board at Town Hall.
Need Food and/or Fuel Assistance?
You may be eligible for financial assistance from your friends and neighbors right here in town. Contact the Berkshire Community Action Council (BCAC) at 413-445-4503 or visit their website at https://bcacinc.org/. All correspondence is strictly confidential.
New Federal Fuel Assistance Income Limits for Fiscal Year 2017:
Household Size Gross Annual Income
1 $34,001.
2 $44.463.
3 $54,925.
4 $65,387.
5 $75,849.
6 $86,311.
7 $88.272.
Please Note: Persons in Richmond eligible for emergency fuel assistance are also eligible for food assistance through the South Congregational Church Food Pantry located at the rear of the building at 110 South Street in Pittsfield.
Pantry hours are: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 – 11:00 AM and Wednesday evenings from 5:30 – 6:00 PM.
Richmond Consolidated School
Follow this link to read about some exciting changes for Richmond Consolidated School
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/richmond-consolidated-sees-big-changes-with-improved-arts-tech-and-foreign-languages,498807
School Newsletter
If you are interested in receiving the school’s weekly newsletter and other updates please contact Natalie Gingras at and ask her to add you to the distribution list or access the website at http://www.rcscares.org/news-letter/.
From the Tax Collector
Real estate, personal property and sewer betterment bills for the second quarter of fiscal year 2018 will be mailed on mailed September 26th. The second quarter bill will be due on November 1st and covers the period October 1 through December 31, 2017. Payments that are not received by that date are subject to late payment interest. Interest begins to accrue immediately following November 1st and is charged at the annual rate of 14%. Please contact the Tax Collector for the amount that is now due.
Please insure any payment made through a third party, such as a bank, clearly shows the bill year (2018), the bill number and the type of bill. If paying the bill directly, please include the 'collector's copy' of the bill with your payment. Payments received without a reference as to the year, tax type or bill number will be returned.
Initial, demand and warranted motor vehicle excise tax bills have been mailed based on several 'commitments to collect' issued to Richmond by the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Please do not ignore these bills! Significant fees and interest can accumulate on bills not paid by the due date.
Motor vehicle excise tax bills that have been demanded or warranted, now need to be paid through the Deputy Collector's Office. The Deputy Collector, Arthur P. Jones, can be reached at (413) 527-2388 or online atwww.apjones.com.
Richmond Police Department
FID Cards
Effective during my absence from November 15, 2017 through April 15, 2018, all applications for new and renewed LTC’s and
FID’s will be processed by Tracy Dunn. Appointments can be made by calling Tracy at 413-884-2820.
Application forms are located on the Richmond website – www.richmondma.org. Go to Town Departments, scroll down to Police Department, click on that, which will take you to the page. The FID permit application form appears at the bottom of that page.
A reminder that the completed application and a check or money order made payable to the Town of Richmond must be submitted at the time of the appointment.
Chief William Bullet will be available via telephone during this time for questions regarding the application at 413-698-2691 or 413-822-5971.
Richmond Free Public Library
Hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturdays 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Programs at the Library:
Richmond Free Public Library celebrates 125 years!
All patrons who visit the library are entered in our seasonal raffle for a chance to win a seasonal basket valued at $125.00 in celebration of our 125th year!
Donation of Children’s Books
The library is again accepting donations of children’s books
Richmond Reads
A free parent/child playgroup for children up to age 5 meets Thursdays from 9:30 -10:30 AM in the School Library. Activities include circle time with stories, felt board and songs, and table top time with manipulatives and crafts. For information contact Jessica Maloney, South Berkshire Kids Program Coordinator, By phone 413-464-5095 or by email:
https://www.facebook.com/townofrichmondma/