BUCKLAND — Daniel Fleuriel of Buckland has been appointed to serve on the town’s Recreation Committee. Fleuriel, who is the chief operator of the Shelburne Falls Wastewater Treatment Facility, has often worked unofficially with the Recreation Committee on water-related problems that cropped up with either the old swimming pool or elsewhere at the Buckland Recreation Area. Most recently, he led wandmaking workshops for children during the Mohawk Summer Camp’s “Harry Potter Week.”
“Dan has been active with the Rec. Committee for a number of years,” said Selectboard Chairwoman Dena Willmore. “It will be good to have him officially on the board.”
BUCKLAND — The Highway Garage Committee is still debating what size garage to propose to town meeting voters. Selectboard Chairwoman Dena Willmore said the committee agrees that a new building is needed for a highway garage on the former Mayhew Steel property, but they are debating what size would both address the Highway Department needs and be affordable to taxpayers.
Willmore said the group is looking at a 10,000-square-foot building, which would hold all town vehicles; a 7,000-square-foot building and a 5,000-square-foot building. The smaller versions would require some vehicles to be stored either in two buildings already on the site, or in three-sided pole barns, with sliding doors that could be closed in bad weather.
The town does not have an occupancy permit because the old Mayhew Steel factory buildings don’t meet state code for a municipal garage.
BUCKLAND — Could Ashfield’s future broadband network serve isolated parts of Buckland that are not eligible for the Comcast broadband buildout in Buckland? Town Administrator Andrea Llamas and Selectman Kevin Fox learned from a phone conversation with state officials that regulations for broadband-providing Municipal Light Plants (MLPs) do not regulate intermunicipal agreements for potential service.
Buckland is interested in the issue because households outside of the Comcast cable buildout may be able to receive fiberoptic broadband from Ashfield. Also, Shelburne is interested in finding out if 18 Shelburne households outside the planned Comcast expansion could receive broadband service through Colrain’s MLP.
SHELBURNE — Selectmen this week supported Sweetheart Realty LLC’s application to the state for a five-year state tax break, called a tax increment financing exemption, for improvements and the redevelopment of the former Sweetheart Restaurant, at 42 S. Main St.
The plan calls for the opening of a brewery/brew pub in the first year and a banquet facility/inn in the second year. The company believes these enterprises will create at least 15 full- and part-time jobs.
The base year for determining the assessed value of the property is this fiscal year, with a value of $370,100.
This spring, the town approved a five-year TIF plan on the Sweetheart redevelopment. The local property tax break, from 2020 through 2024, would be about $38,437.