Legate Hill Road bridge project awarded to Davenport
CHARLEMONT — The Selectboard unanimously approved awarding a $316,148 contract to Greenfield’s Clayton D. Davenport construction company for the demolition and replacement of the Legate Hill Road bridge on Monday, Dec. 29.
Town Administrator Sarah Reynolds said the town received nine bids, which were reviewed by Gill Engineering to ensure that the interested companies were capable of completing the design plans within their proposed budget. Gill Engineering recommended the town accept the low bid from Davenport.
“As far as I’m concerned, they’re a good company,” Selectboard Co-Chair Jared Bellows said. “They know the area, too, and they know what they need out here.”
Ashfield to offer lower monthly payment options for broadband installation
ASHFIELD — Town broadband customers will now have the option to extend their payment periods and reduce their monthly payments for installation costs to $50 per month.
On Monday, Dec. 29, the Selectboard approved a request from Municipal Light Plant Manager David Kulp to offer customers more flexibility with their broadband installation costs. The minimum cost of installation is $1,100, with payment plans available for up to two years. Extending the payment plan would allow customers to lower their monthly cost and make joining the network more affordable.
With a $50-per-month plan, Kulp said residents could pay off their installation fees over the course of four or five years rather than two.
“That would make it more affordable for those residents, generally, with the idea that we want to have as many residents as possible in the network and make it more sustainable,” Kulp said. “We want residents to enjoy the services we provide.”
Shelburne Transfer Station hours changing
SHELBURNE — Beginning Jan. 6, the Shelburne Transfer Station will return to its winter hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays.
The Selectboard unanimously approved changing the Transfer Station hours on Monday, Dec. 29, after Chair Rick LaPierre informed board members that the attendant had resigned. While the town searches for a new attendant, he said a community member has volunteered to serve as the attendant, but asked that the station close at 4 p.m.
The winter hours will remain in effect until the end of March, when the station is expected to switch back to its regular hours and remain open until 7 p.m.
Short-term rental license fee set at $125
SHELBURNE — Owners of short-term rental properties in Shelburne will now need to pay a $125 fee to cover the fire safety, building and health inspections needed for their license.
The Selectboard unanimously voted on Monday, Dec. 29, to set the inspection fee at $125, matching the rate in the neighboring town of Buckland. Chair Rick LaPierre told board members that since voters approved a short-term rental bylaw, the town clerk, Fire Department, and building and health inspectors have been working to plan the logistics of how property owners can apply for and receive licenses to operate a short-term rental.
“There’s been a lot of work done to try to figure out the process of enacting this new zoning bylaw that we voted for at last Town Meeting and that was approved by the attorney general just recently, late fall,” LaPierre said. “They’ve narrowed it down to make it a little smoother, and they need us to set the fee for the license to run a short-term rental.”