BERNARDSTON — Karen Fitzpatrick and Brandon Grover of the Cushman Hall Committee announced plans during a recent Selectboard meeting to spend approximately $1,200 from the Cushman Hall Fund for a fountain for the Powers Institute Pond.
Grover noted the committee may seek donations to reimburse the fund. He said the fountain is in the planning stages at this time.
“It helps keep the pond clean, as well as it looks really nice and it’s a nice thing to have in town,” Fitzpatrick said.
BERNARDSTON — Tree Warden Brad Bordewieck recently presented the Selectboard with documents codifying the town’s tree removal procedures.
“I’m not really changing anything that we’re doing,” Bordewieck clarified. “I was just hoping to put it on paper so that in the future there’d be guidelines to follow.
Much of the procedures, he added, are the same as in other towns or are based on Massachusetts General Laws.
“I didn’t see a point in reinventing the wheel,” he said.
Residents can submit a written request to the tree warden to have a tree removed, thus initiating a public hearing process. Bordewieck said residents have been asked to donate $100 per inch that is removed. For example, a tree that is 5 inches in diameter costs $500 to remove. This money goes to a tree planting fund and pays for the cost of replacing the tree.
“That fee is actually a lot lower than other municipalities,” he noted. “We don’t have to charge this, I just wanted something on paper that we can go from.”
Bordewieck said he recognizes some families might not be able to afford this cost, and the town could review the fee on a case-by-case basis.
“This is a draft, so if we need to change it, by all means,” Bordewieck told the Selectboard.
Chair Brian Keir noted he’d like to discuss the procedures again when all board members are present, as Vice Chair Stanley Garland could not attend.
“This is great,” Keir told Bordewieck. “We’ve been talking about it for a long time.”
BERNARDSTON — The Selectboard voted to increase the mileage rate for town employees from 40 cents per mile to the federal standard of 58.5 cents per mile. Effective July 1, the town will follow the federal reimbursement rate, which does change annually.
Selectboard Chair Brian Keir said he wanted to bring up the topic given the rising gas prices.
“I’m fully supportive of going with the federal standard,” agreed Selectboard member Ken Bordewieck.
BERNARDSTON — Joanne Balzarini resigned from the Historical Commission, effective May 11. The Selectboard appointed Eric Almeida to fill the opening.
BERNARDSTON — The Selectboard received a petition, signed by two and a half pages of residents, requesting to leave the lower end of Shaw Road unpaved.
“Although there was never any possibility of paving Shaw Road, some residents have started a petition to make sure Shaw Road does not get paved,” Selectboard Chair Brian Keir said. “Although no formal action needs to be taken, we just wanted to mention that there was a rather lengthy petition that was received by the town on May 16.”