Pancake breakfast set for Feb. 28
ROWE — Rowe Elementary School will host a pancake breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 28, to raise money to support the fifth and sixth grade class trip to Kroka Expeditions, a nonprofit wilderness school in New Hampshire, this spring.
The breakfast will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. at the school, located at 86 Pond Road. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children under 12. Families of five or more can pay a group rate of $30. In addition to pancakes, there will be sausage, coffee and orange juice.
Monroe tax rate set at $10.13
MONROE — The state Department of Revenue has certified the tax rate for Monroe at $10.13 per $1,000 valuation for fiscal year 2026.
The rate is $1.14 higher than the previous year, and with the average value of a single-family home increasing by $7,042, the average tax bill is set to increase by 17%. The average tax bill for a single-family home will be $1,859.
Bridge contract awarded to Western Earthworks
SHELBURNE — The Selectboard has awarded a $306,698 contract to Western Earthworks of North Hatfield to replace the bridge over Dragon Brook on Shelburne Center Road.
The board voted unanimously to accept the bid from Western Earthworks after reviewing bids on Monday. Selectboard Chair Rick LaPierre said Western Earthworks submitted the lowest of the six bids received. Work must be completed by the end of 2026.
Shelburne opts out of early voting
SHELBURNE — With a unanimous vote from the Selectboard on Monday, Shelburne voters will not be able to vote early by mail in the spring town election. Absentee ballots will still be accepted, and early mail-in votes will be accepted for the state and federal elections that will be held in the fall.
Town Clerk Joe Judd told the board that, given the historically low voter turnout for local elections, the time and money spent on early mail-in voting does not make sense. He added that he would like to improve voter turnout, but offering early mail-in voting has done little to improve participation. Last year, he said, the town processed eight early ballots in the town election.
Judd said absentee voting applications are available at his office. The town election will be held on May 19. Nomination papers will soon be available at the Town Clerk’s Office for those seeking to run for the following seats on this year’s ballot:
- Selectboard, three-year term.
- Board of Assessors, three-year term.
- Town clerk, one-year term.
- Moderator, one-year term.
- Planning Board, five-year term.
- Shelburne Free Public Library trustee, three-year term.
- Shelburne Free Public Library trustee, one-year term.
- Recreation Committee, five-year term.
- Constable, three-year term.
- Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee, three-year term.
Ashfield town caucus set for March 10
ASHFIELD — Residents are invited to weigh in on who should be on the ballot in this year’s town election during the annual town caucus, which will be held at Ashfield Town Hall on Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m.
Seats that will be on the ballot during the May 2 election are:
- Moderator, one-year term.
- Board of Assessors, three-year term.
- Board of Health, three-year term.
- Contable, three-year term.
- Finance Committee, three-year term (two seats available).
- Parks Commission, three-year term (two seats available).
- Planning Board, three-year term.
- Selectboard, three-year term.
- Sewer Commission, three-year term.
- Belding Memorial Library trustee, five-year term.
- Belding Memorial Library trustee, one-year term.
For those who are unable to attend the caucus but are still interested in running for a seat on a board or committee, nomination papers are available at the Town Clerk’s Office. Nomination papers must be returned by Friday, March 13.
A snow date for the caucus has been set for March 12 at the same time.
National Grid meeting on Bear Swamp upgrades set for March 4
ROWE — National Grid will host a meeting on Wednesday, March 4, to discuss upcoming improvements to the Bear Swamp Substation and along the roadways in town to improve the reliability of electricity in the region.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at Rowe Elementary School. National Grid representatives will present information on planned upgrades along Tunnel Road, Hazelton Road and Zoar Road, including pole and power line upgrades.