LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — After town meeting tabled a vote to implement new regulations on backyard fowl, the Board of Selectmen are asking the Board of Health to adopt such a measure.
The Selectmen approved on Monday sending two new regulations to the Board of Health, which will not need town meeting approval. The first would limit the number of animals on a property less than one acre and the other would call for owners of fowl to register with Town Hall.
"The main focus of it is, people who are on lots of less than one acre," Town Manager Paul Sieloff said.
The Board of Health only needs a public hearing and a vote to approve the new policies. If that board adopts it in April, residents would have three months to comply. From then on, violations could result in a $100 fine.
"This is something which could be adopted in a few weeks," Sieloff said.
The limit on a number of animals on less than an acre of land would be 12 and no roosters would be allowed, Sieloff said.
"If this regulation is passed, then we have in written form a rule that you have to follow. If you have less than an acre of land you can have up to 12 of these and that's it," Sieloff said.
Selectman Robert Ericson proposed, and was approved, in removing an exception for cats. Cats also will be limited to only a dozen on less than an acre of land. Ericson said there have been issues in the past with residents owning too many cats on small pieces of land but because of a lack of bylaws, the Board of Health was stymied in taking action. He said the number of dogs is already limited under kennel laws.
The second regulation would ask residents to register as owners of fowl every five years. At first that also called for a $25 fee but the Board of Selectmen pulled that.
"I think you'll get more cooperation from people if you have zero fee. If there is a fee, people won't do it," Selectman Henry "Hank" Sayers said.
Sieloff said the registration process will help town and state officials respond to such events as an outbreak of avian flu or the likes. If something breaks out, Sieloff said the town would know who it would have to contract.
"To me, it sounded like a good idea, if we are doing one regulation to do the other," Sieloff said.
But Zaks isn't the only complaint the board has received regarding such practice. It has fielded a few complaints over the years for similar issues.
Last year, the board received a complaint about another resident who is reportedly raising rabbits for food but that hasn't grown into such the public issue as Zaks' case has. Sieloff said the new law would restrict the number of rabbits, too.
The board also considered a regulation on horses, which would require riders to be in single file on public roads. Those coupled with the Zaks' complaint triggered a proposed bylaw at town meeting that was ultimately tabled.
"We will work with as many parties involved to make this possible," Sieloff said of the new rules.
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Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation Scholarships
LUDLOW, Mass. — For the third year, Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation (BWPCC) will award scholarships to students from Lanesborough and Hancock.
The scholarship is open to seniors at Mount Greylock Regional High School and Charles H. McCann Technical School. BWPCC will select two students from the class of 2024 to receive $1,000 scholarships.
The scholarships will be awarded to qualifying seniors who are planning to attend either a two- or four-year college or trade school program. Seniors must be from either Hancock or Lanesborough to be considered for the scholarship. Special consideration will be given to students with financial need, but all students are encouraged to apply.
The BWPCC owns and operates the Berkshire Wind Power Project, a 12 turbine, 19.6-megawatt wind farm located on Brodie Mountain in Hancock and Lanesborough. The non-profit BWPCC consists of 16 municipal utilities located in Ashburnham, Boylston, Chicopee, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Marblehead, Paxton, Peabody, Russell, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield, and West Boylston, and their joint action agency, the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC).
To be considered, students must submit all required documents including a letter of recommendation from their school counselor and a letter detailing their educational and professional goals. Application and submission details will be shared with students via their school counselors. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 19.
MMWEC is a not-for-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created by an Act of the General Court in 1975 and authorized to issue tax-exempt debt to finance a wide range of energy facilities. MMWEC provides a variety of power supply, financial, risk management and other services to the state's consumer-owned, municipal utilities.
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