Month: December 2018

LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWS AND NOTICES

Holiday Hours

Happy Holidays! In observance of the Christmas and New Year’s Holiday weeks, please note the following schedule for the Town Offices:

Friday, December 28                                                                           8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Monday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve)                                          8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Tuesday, January 1 (New Year’s Day)                                               CLOSED

Wednesday, January 2 through Friday, January 4                          8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Now through February 28: 2019 Dog Licensing

Dog licenses for 2019 are now available and must be completed BEFORE March 1^st to avoid late fees. A current rabies certificate must be on file with the Town Clerk’s Office in order to license your dog. To update your rabies on file please email a copy to townclerksoffice@easton.ma.us.

You may license your dog in one of the following ways:

·       License ONLINE (.25 bank convenience fee with electronic check) and your licenses and tags will be mailed directly to you ($1.00 postage & handling fee).

·       License in Person – You may stop by the Town Clerks Office during normal business hours. (Mondays 8:30AM – 7:30PM, Tues/Wed/Thur 8:30AM – 4:30PM, Fri 8:30AM-12:30P

·       License by Mail – Click here for additional information on how to license your dog by mail. Licensing forms will be inserted in with your annual census forms, expected to be in mail boxes the week of January 14^th, and are ONLY required when registering your dog by mail.

Now through January 31:

Real Estate and Personal Property tax bills were mailed at the end of December and include remittance coupons for the February 1,2019 and May 1, 2019 installments. Payment will be given a date of credit when we receive it, and interest will accrue effective the day after the due date. Please note, tax is due even if the bill is not received in the mail. Please call the office if we can confirm amounts due 508-230-0610 or 508-230-0600.

Old Colony Planning Council – Long Range Transportation Plan

Old Colony Planning Council, the regional planning agency is in the process of updating the Regional Transportation Plan. Every four years the OCPC embarks upon an update to the region’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The LRTP helps to determine how federal and state funding will be spent on transportation infrastructure and services in the next 20 years. This survey will solicit community initiatives including mobility needs, quality-of-life and environmental issues. By filling out this survey, you are making a statement about your community’s needs. Click here to participate in the survey. Or Click here to learn more. for more information and how to get involved.

Assessor’s Office

The Easton Assessors’ Office is in the process of doing cyclical inspections of Personal Property throughout the town. The inspections are being done over the next few weeks with the inspector going door-to-door to businesses to do inspections of both the interior and exterior of commercial and industrial properties. The Department of Revenue requires that every community re-inspect its personal property periodically. As a result, the Easton Board of Assessors inspects some of its property every year. In addition to meeting state requirements, the objective of this project is to assure the accuracy of the Town’s assessing data. The inspector, Renee Holloran, will have a letter of identification on town letterhead and will be driving a Volkswagen Jetta. For further information, contact the Assessors’ Office at 508-230-0520.

Columbia Gas Main Replacement

Due to the recent events in the Merrimack Valley, Columbia Gas has temporarily suspended construction operations on Pine Street and Hill Street. We will notify residents when construction will begin again. Columbia Gas anticipates that they have an additional 4 weeks of work to complete the project.

Property Viewer – Geographic Information System Now Available

Easton now has a Property Viewer or GIS (Geographic Information System). One can do a search by address, and pull up detail on a property by then clicking on the top menu “layers” and select additional overlays, such as Aquifer Protection District, Zoning, etc. By clicking on the black dot that shows on the property, after doing a search, one will be able to access the property card. This link can also be accessed from the Town’s website, the lower bottom left sidebar: “Licenses/Permits/Property information.”

Real Estate Property Tax Exemptions FY2019 Now Available – Assessors Office

Applications for Real Estate property tax exemptions for FY 2019 are now available through the Easton Assessors’ Office. The town offers many exemptions designed to reduce property tax for qualifying seniors and disabled residents. Exemptions include: elderly, for those age 65 and older who qualify by income and assets; widow, widower, and persons over 70 or minor surviving child with asset limit; disabled veterans, blind, tax deferral and CPA. Those interested in further information or applications should visit the town’s website, stop by the Assessors’ Office or call the office at 508-230-0520.

The Public Health Nurse will be available for Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar screening for Easton Residents (on a walk in basis, no appointment needed) according to the following schedule:

·       Town Hall (136 Elm St., Mary Connolly Room, 2nd Floor) – Monday, January 28 (3PM-4PM)

·       Parker Terrace Community Room – Wednesday, January 2 (9:30AM-10:30AM)

·       Frothingham Hall – COA (15 Barrows St) Thursday, January 10 (10:30AM-11:30AM)

·       Elise Circle Community Room – Tuesday, January 15 (9:30AM-10:30AM)

To view the Easton Board of Health Public Health Nurse schedule for the entire year, please refer to Public Nurse Schedule

Local Alert System

Easton uses Plymouth County Sheriff’s CodeRED call system to inform residents and businesses during an emergency. To add a cell phone number, email address, or your landline number, find the link to CodeRED Notification Enrollment at www.pcsdma.org/codered.html. Don’t assume you’re already listed.

Meetings Next Week: December 31 through January 4

See time, date, location, and agenda details on our helpful calendar app:  Town of Easton Calendar. Questions relating to public meetings should be directed to the Town Clerk’s Office at (508) 230-0530. Stay informed of all town board and committee business by signing up for email notifications with our Minutes on Demand service! Sign up here.

Jan 2 through March 1:  Deadline to Obtain Nomination Papers for Annual Town Election

Nomination papers for the Annual Town Election are available beginning Wednesday, January 2, 2019 at the Town Clerk’s Office.  The last day to obtain nomination papers is Friday, March 1, 2019 at 5:00 PM.  The Election Calendar with candidate deadlines, the positions on the ballot and a complete Candidate Packet are available on the Town’s website.  Interested candidates are invited to call 508-230-0530 or email townclerksoffice@easton.ma.us with questions. 

April 23: 7AM – 8:00 PM – Annual Town Election

The Annual Town Election for the Town of Easton will be held on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 from 7:00AM – 8:00 PM at Oliver Ames High School.  Use this link for additional Election Information.

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

Ames Free Library

The Ames Free Library will be rolling out a host of family events and new things to try in 2019. Check out our website! www.AmesFreeLibrary.org

Free Town of Easton Community Calendar

The free town of Easton Community Calendar from September 2018 through August 2019, prepared and published by the North Easton Savings Bank, is now available. In addition to listing town, school and organizational events, it included information about civic and religious groups, community activities, and a brief history of the 135 years of the Ames Free Library. Assisted by the Easton Country Club, Morse Insurance, and Scoreboard Enterprises, the calendar is a valuable resource for all residents. Calendars are available at the Ames Free Library, Easton Historical Society, Town Offices, and all Easton branches of the North Easton Savings Bank.

Year 2025 Easton will Celebrate 300^th Birthday – Fund for Donating

Easton has a great 300^th Birthday Celebration in the year 2025. A fund has been established by the Avery Lee Williams Family Trust to which donations may be made. This fund already has over $13,000.00 in it. To make such donation just send your check payable to the Town of Easton at the Town Treasurer’s office, 136 Elm Street, North Easton, MA 02356 – be certain to put the words “300^th Celebration Fund” on the miscellaneous line.

South Coast Rail Project

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is transitioning all project websites into the newly designed, statewide www.mass.gov website. The South Coast Rail’s new project website can be found at:  www.mass.gov/south-coast-rail.

Recreation Department Programs

The Recreation Department is accepting registrations for Adult Gentle Yoga, Creative Writing and Crafting Workshops, Tennis (Grades K-5), Chess Lessons (Grades 1-5). Click here for more information: http://www.easton.ma.us/departments/recreation_department/recreation_programs.php

December 29: Original Easton Farmer’s Winter Market Welcomes Langwater Farm and Jordan Seafood

The Original Easton Farmer’s Market will be at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, located at 143 Lincoln Street in North Easton, for the rest of the winter season– every Saturday from 10AM-2PM until Memorial Day. This week’s vendorsselling farm goods and locally sourced products are: Langwater Farm (produce); Jordan Seafood (seafood); All Hands In (personal care products for a cause); Daddy’s Homegrown (beef); Keegan Kreations (sweet baked goods); Oakdale Farm (produce); Rosie Bud Farm (honey and bee based product); Sarah’s Tasty Treats (vegan baked goods); Young Living Essential Oils (nature-based cleaning product); and Garden of Easton (microgreens). Check out our Facebook page for the latest information.

December 15 through March 30: Ames Free Library – Learn to Navigate Google and Create a Website

Have you been wondering how to create a web page? Join Burt Lewis, an Easton tech expert, trainer, and local social media pioneer, and learn to navigate Google and create your own web page. To learn more or to sign up for a one-on-one session, CLICK HERE or visit our website www.AmesFreeLibrary.org. These sessions are free and open to the public.

About the Town Crier

The Town Crier is typically sent on Fridays informing subscribers of local government news, notices and community events. To request an event be added to a future newsletter, please send an email to lflorio@easton.ma.us with the information in plain text as you wish it to appear. For consideration, please include event information, the name of the group/event, date, time, location, contact information and website if applicable. Please list all dates that you want to run the notice. The Town reserves the right to reject requests deemed not to be in the public interest or those promoting private benefits and is not responsible for typographical errors. Requests for inclusion must be received no later than Thursday 12:30PM in order to be considered for inclusion in that Friday’s newsletter.Requests in the form of PDFs, JPEGs, press releases, etc. will not be accepted. Have a great weekend.