Council on Aging welcomes new member
NORTHFIELD — The Selectboard appointed Debby Wiesen Kelly to the Council on Aging during its meeting last week, term expiring Dec. 31, 2023.
NORTHFIELD — The Selectboard voted unanimously last week to sign an agreement in principle with FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. regarding recreation improvements the power company has proposed as part of its 50-year relicensing process through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The proposed recreation investments, shared during a previous meeting, include a pocket park on land FirstLight owns on the west side of the Schell Bridge, near where a new pedestrian bridge will be installed. Selectboard Vice Chair Barbara “Bee” Jacque said up to 5 miles of mountain biking trails will be added at the Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center, and at the Riverview Picnic Area, a tour boat dock must be relocated a bit farther north because protective fish barrier nets will be put there. Jacque said this will also be an opportunity to bring the spot into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The full proposal can be viewed at bit.ly/3IVhg3p.
Before the vote supporting the recreation-focused agreement, Jacque emphasized, “This is an agreement in principle. It’s not a contract. The bigger kahuna, if you will, will be coming up in June and that will include other topics, including erosion.”
The three facilities up for relicensing — a hydro-pump facility at Northfield Mountain and two hydroelectric dams in Turners Falls — have been criticized for their impact on the river and surrounding environment.
NORTHFIELD — The Selectboard endorsed sending a letter to Erving supporting a proposal for their towns, along with several others in Franklin County, to collaborate under the Massachusetts Jail/Arrest Diversion Grant Program, through which they would share a co-response mental health clinician.
Erving had approached Gill, Bernardston, Northfield, Wendell and Leverett about committing to the process, Gill Police Chief Chris Redmond said previously. The mental health clinician would act as a first responder that is paired with a police officer in scenarios involving mental health crises and substance abuse situations.
According to Northfield Police Chief Jon Hall, the grant program would provide $90,000 to Erving as the lead community, and $60,000 to each of the other involved towns.
“I don’t really see a downside to this,” Hall said.
He noted that while Greenfield, Montague and Deerfield — which already share a mental health clinician — can have their clinician respond to other towns, “they’re usually already tied up on another call.”
“We really need our own,” Hall said.
In support, Selectboard member Alex Meisner said, “Police officers are expected to be first responders, therapists, doctors, lawyers, car mechanics and all of the above. … So I’m very grateful that we’re able to hire a mental health expert to take this off the shoulders of police officers.”
“There’s only positives that I could see,” commented Selectboard Clerk Bernard “Bernie” Boudreau.
NORTHFIELD — The Selectboard appointed four new members to the Fire Department last week. They are: Derek Worden, Shane Duclos, Thomas Jackson and Tim Momaney. Their terms will expire Jan. 31, 2023.
According to Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell III, these four appointments bring the Fire Department’s membership up to 31.
Northfield student makes President’s List
NORTHFIELD – Sean Zajan Damon of Northfield was named to the President’s List at the University of Alabama for the fall semester.
The President’s List recognizes students who earn a 4.0 grade point average on at least 12 credits of work.
NORTHFIELD — The Selectboard appointed four new members to Northfield EMS last week. They are: Carolyn Warger-Czernich, Dan Momaney, Joseph Reed Jr. and Yvonne Moreno. Their terms will expire Dec. 31, 2022.
Northfield EMS Chief Mark Fortier noted that, in addition to being the primary emergency medical responders in Northfield, Bernardston and half of Erving, his department also picks up a lot of mutual aid calls to other Franklin County communities.
“But in order to continue to do that, we need more hands,” he said. “The more staffing, the better coverage we have.”
With a roster of 26 EMTs, Fortier said there is at least one person at the station from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days per week, for the most part, and he hopes to add a second person.
“My offer is out there to any community who wants to work with us,” he said.
NORTHFIELD — Senior Center Director Colleen Letourneau, accompanied by LifePath’s Age-Friendly Program Manager Nour Elkhattaby Strauch, shared an update with the Selectboard last week regarding a senior needs assessment survey that is due March 11.
According to Letourneau, following an email blast with the survey link, 50 Northfield residents responded in the first week. Paper copies are also available at Mim’s Market, Northfield Food Mart and Dickinson Memorial Library, and Letourneau said print copies are steadily being left in the Town Hall dropbox.
“Not that I’m competitive, but I’m pretty proud,” she said of her town’s early response numbers.
“We’ve had a great start so far to our survey, and it’s really showing the towns that have energy, that have people who are focused on older adults that are doing outreach,” Elkhattaby Strauch added. “We’re almost at 1,000 responses regionwide and we’re not going to slow down … but what’s important is to not only focus on people who can use the internet, because then our data’s not gonna be reflective of the needs of older people.”
LifePath, a Greenfield-based nonprofit, serves 30 municipalities in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.
With a March 11 survey deadline, Elkhattaby Strauch said the data will likely be shared in early summer.
To fill out the survey online, visit surveymonkey.com/r/age-friendly-survey. To request a printed copy be mailed to you, and for any other inquiries, contact Elkhattaby Strauch at nelkhattabystrauch@lifepathma.org or 413-829-9274. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete.
BERNARDSTON — Don Grybko is helping seniors with their taxes during appointments at the Senior Center.
Appointments are available on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Call 413-648-5413 to schedule an appointment.
BERNARDSTON — Brian Brooks of the Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans’ Services District will be at the Senior Center on Monday, Feb. 28, at 3 p.m. to offer resources and help veterans with claims for disability and pension.
For more information, call 413-772-1571 or email brian.brooks@greenfield-ma.gov.