Turners Falls Fire Chief John Zellman talks with Allen Phillips of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, in black, and members of the Montague DPW in front of 38 and 34 East Main St. in Millers Falls which were both flooded by heavy rains overnight.
Turners Falls Fire Chief John Zellman talks with Allen Phillips of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, in black, and members of the Montague DPW in front of 38 and 34 East Main St. in Millers Falls which were both flooded by heavy rains overnight. Credit: STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Here are some brief thoughts on recent happenings in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.

Another category of heroes

Like the health care heroes of the coronavirus pandemic, the relentless rainfall last week reminded us of another category of local heroes — our Department of Public Works employees, public safety departments and elected officials. As record rains pummeled the county last week, they responded to a wide variety of calls demanding physical stamina, heavy equipment and leadership.

Fire Department volunteers pumped out numerous flooded cellars, to the relief of homeowners. Police directed motorists away from washed-out roads, and DPW workers set about repairing the damage.

In Montague, for example, DPW Superintendent Tom Bergeron said he started work on Sunday at 5:30 a.m. and mobilized most of his crew, scraping down roads, cleaning out catch basins. Then he and his crew got called out again Sunday night and did it all over again. 

This was a scenario that played out across the county. In Northfield, as DPW Superintendent Tom Walker recounted on Monday, “We worked 20 hours yesterday, then went home for a little while and started back this morning at 6 o’clock.”

Emergency Management director Floyd “Skip” Dunnell said he contacted Selectboard Chair Heath Cummings, who declared the state of emergency. In addition to the road damage, Fire Chief Dunnell said his department responded to homes with flooded cellars. “Normal storm stuff,” Dunnell said. 

The recovery continued throughout the week, including in Deerfield, which suffered multiple flooded roads and washouts, including on Greenfield Road, a state highway (Routes 5 and 10). Selectboard member Carolyn Shores Ness said the Police and Highway departments have been working around the clock.

“It’s been hard on our highway guys — they’re out there all the time,” Shores Ness said. 

She said the culverts are “way undersized” to deal with the storms the area now receives. “Intensive storms are just the new normal,” she said. 

Climate change, anyone?

Tuesday: Speak up about charter changes

Of the changes recommended as part of the decennial review of Greenfield’s city charter, none has raised more ire than the proposal to increase the threshold for a citizens referendum petition to 10 percent of all registered voters, or 1,272 signatures, which is at least twice as many as currently.

The members of the Charter Review Committee said they wanted a strong show of support in order to put something on the ballot — a groundswell,” as member David Singer put it.

Others have called the proposed revision too steep a hill to climb and have let their city councilors know, with phone calls, rallies and letters to this paper.

Another way to voice your opinion is to attend a virtual public hearing set for this purpose Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. via Webex at bit.ly/3z7N6F0.

As Precinct 6 City Councilor Sheila Gilmour put it, “This is the guiding document that defines how things happen in the city. If people have strong opinions on how the city government is serving them, then this is a good opportunity to weigh in.”