Mount Washington, MA

Select Board Meeting Agenda

7 PM July 26, 2021 at Town Hall

By ZOOM:
https://zoom.us/j/94468162112?pwd=TVVQTGI0TXlTSVdLYUxkU0NpWHJVdz09

Webinar ID: 944 6816 2112 Passcode: 656851

By Phone
US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 215

Passcode: 656851

• Approval of Minutes from July 12th meeting
• Approval Vendor and Payroll warrant
• STRAP Grant Award – Scope of Work for Bid Solicitation, Consultant Paul Montenegro to serve as project manager, recommended by BETA Group
• Other Highway Department Matters: Goals for next two weeks
• Mount Washington Broadband network – updates
• Schoolhouse Lot Quiet Title update
• Record Access Officer appointments (Town Clerk and Town Office Manager)
• Select Board Management information – Eric
• Audit and any other matters that may come before the Board
• Citizen Speak Time

Board of Assessors Meeting
Thursday 7/22/21
5:30PM

• Discuss Reval
• Anything else that comes before the board.

Date: July 23, 2021

Time: 5:30 PM

Location:           This is an IN-PERSON meeting, weather permitting, it will be held outside of the Town Hall. Should you wish to attend, please bring a chair. All members and attendees will be required to wear a mask if unable to observe social distancing. If the meeting has to move inside Town Hall for any reason, MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED IF YOU ARE NOT FULLY VACCINATED.

Agenda – July 23, 2021

1. Review and Approval of Minutes of June 11,2021
2. Title 5 – Follow up on MAHB and MMA information
3. Camp Hi Rock Inspections
4. Discussion on managing rental properties
5. COVID 19 Update
6. Discussion on minimum standards for keeping of animals
7. Church Fair update
8. Setting of next meeting

Dear Property Owners,

Mount Washington is going to be continuing its property inspection program to satisfy the requirements of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.  Properties that have not been inspected in the past nine years have been coded for a regular cyclical inspection.

The purpose of the inspection process is to verify data in which the assessed values are in part based.  Since soundly equitable assessments require accurate data, we ask that you permit us to inspect your property.  A complete inspection usually consists of an interior and exterior look at your property.  Due to Covid 19 we will be doing exterior inspections only.  Typically, these inspections take just a few minutes.

The Town of Mount Washington Board of Assessors has retained /contracted services with Mayflower Valuations LTD. To assist us in the effort; representatives of this company will be conducting these inspections.  Over the next several weeks one of the representatives will visit your home, and do an exterior measurement of the buildings on your land.  They will be happy to answer any questions you may have at that time.

The names of the property inspectors are:

Duane Adams- Make and model of vehicle: 2017 Black Ford F150 truck- MA plate#-3LP742

James Quackenbush- Make and model of vehicle:  2016 Black Cadillac SRX- MA plate # 7EAD40

Both representatives will have a photo ID as well as a copy of this letter.  Our local police chief and our constable will also be informed.

It is mutually beneficial that we view property to insure accurate information.  Your assistance in this effort is greatly appreciated as we strive to maintain accuracy of our parcel data.

Please do not hesitate to contact one of us if you have any questions.

Vicki Torrico
Jeb Rong
Tom Furcht
Board of Assessors

The News We Have All Been Waiting For!!!!

As most of you have heard, the mask requirement will be suspended on May 29, 2021 for MOST of us. Please be aware that there are still some restrictions until at least until June 15, 2021. Until then, masks will still be required on public and private transportation systems (including rideshares, livery, taxi, ferries, MBTA, Commuter Rail and Transportation Stations), in healthcare facilities and in other settings hosting vulnerable populations, such as congregate care settings). Unvaccinated individuals are advised to continue wearing masks where they cannot maintain social distancing. The June 15^th date MAY CHANGE, and the mask requirements MAY CHANGE as well.

We anticipate that on June 15^th the Governor will withdraw the Health Emergency declared last year. This means that, unless the Legislature makes changes, all orders under the Health Emergency will be ended. Private businesses may make their own rules about masks and social distancing. We ask that you be respectful of their decisions.

The Town Hall will be open for the public on its pre-COVID schedule as of June 15^th and all board and committee meetings will resume the in-person format. Any legislation that changes the Open Meeting requirements will be posted as soon as they are announced.

The local website https://getvaccinatedberkshires.org is still live and is the best reference for vaccination information, making an appointment or walk-in service.

As anxious as we all are to move forward, please remember that it is critical to understand that, while being fully vaccinated will help protect us from the devastating effects of this virus, it may still be a problem for those who have compromised immune systems or who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

Wash your hands frequently, exercise caution when in crowds and stay home if you are symptomatic. If you have medical issues, be sure to check in with your healthcare professional to discuss your activity plans. If you are traveling out of the country, be sure to check requirements before you go.

Just When You Thought We Were Done ….

Outdoor activities are in season, and so are ticks and mosquitoes. COVID may be heading in the right direction, but tick-and mosquito-borne illnesses are on the rise. Be sure to remember to use repellant and cover-up when hiking. Tick checks at the end of the day need to be routine, long sleeves and pants are the fashion statement for evenings!

Have a fun and safe summer!!!

In order to help us all to stay connected during power outages, severe storms or another type of emergency, it is wise to make sure that we have someone in town who we can contact for help.

We are asking everyone to consider setting up an ”Emergency Buddy”. This can be a relative, a neighbor or a friend with whom you can get in touch. This way at least two households stay connected. It does not have to be a long, involved conversation. Something along the lines of “I just wanted to make sure you are ok” can make a huge difference to someone who may be feeling anxious or isolated.

This is not just for seniors – it is for all of us. Everyone will benefit from the act of reaching out to someone else during these stressful times.

We have extraordinary technology available to us, but there are times when it is simply not accessible. A personal connection can make all the difference.

Of course, for a life-threatening emergency, 911 is your first contact. But if the situation is something that can remedied without emergency services, your “Emergency Buddy” can be an important link in keeping our community safer.

Questions?  Call Brian Tobin at 413-528-3204 briantobin@townofmtwashington.com.

The Town of Mount Washington wants to keep everyone up to date on important Town-related information. For that purpose, we regularly send out pertinent information by email.  If you are a resident or property owner and would like to be included in those emails, please contact Elisabeth Lem at elem@townofmtwashington.com.  If we have your contact information, but you have not received messages in the past, please check your spam/junk folder and label the message received thru Mailchimp as “not junk”.

The Town also maintains an emergency telephone outreach service, with 113 contacts listed.  The service is only used for emergencies and important alerts.  If you are not currently receiving these calls but would like to be added, please send an email to Brian Tobin at briantobin@townofmtwashington.com, or call him at 413-528-3204.  Each contact may include up to five telephone numbers.

N O T I C E and R E M I N D E R

TO ALL PROPERTY OWNERS AND GUESTS IN MOUNT WASHINGTON

USING OUR ROADS ON FOOT OR BICYCLE REQUIRES CAUTION. Our roads are narrow, have little or no room on the sides and frequently have low visibility around curves. Running, walking, or riding in low-light environments REQUIRES reflective clothing and/or lights. Moving rapidly from sunlight to shadow can make you difficult to see.

STAY AWARE AND STAY SAFE!

Town of Mount Washington
Board of Assessors

September 9, 2019

Dear Property Owner(s):

Mount Washington is currently undergoing a property re-inspection program to satisfy the requirements of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.  Properties that have not been inspected in the past nine years have been coded for a regular, cyclical inspection.

The purpose of the inspection process is to verify the data in which the assessed values are in part based. Since soundly based equitable assessments require accurate property data, we ask that you permit us to inspect your property.  A complete inspection consists of an exterior as well as an interior inspection of your property.  Typically these inspections take a few minutes and consist of a walkthrough of your basement and living areas.

The Town of Mount Washington Board of Assessors has retained contracted services with Mayflower Valuation, Ltd to assist us in this effort; representative(s) of this company will be conducting these inspections.  Over the next several weeks, one of the representatives will visit your home.  If no one is home or you wish to not have an interior inspection, the representative will do an exterior measurement of the buildings on your land.  If you prefer to have an appointment please contact the Assessor’s at 413-528-2686.  The two dates available for appointments are October 19^th and October 26^th between the hours of 9 AM and 4 PM.

Names of the Property Inspectors are:
Duane Adams
Make and Model of Vehicle:  2008 Audi (Blue) MA Plate Number: 9RD590

Lisa Quackenbush
Make and Model of Vehicle:  2017 Cadillac XT5 (White) MA Plate Number: 193TJ6

Both representatives will have a photo id as well as a copy of this letter. Our local Chief of Police and our Constable will also be informed.

It is mutually beneficial that we view property to ensure accurate information.  Your assistance in this effort is greatly appreciated as we strive to maintain accuracy of our parcel data.

Thank you,

Vicki Torrico
Tom Furcht
Jeb Rong

Board of Assessors
Mt. Washington