Spring will be here before you know it, and if you’d like to go on a trip this year, now is a good time to start planning. Once everyone has packed away their scarves and mittens, the most popular get-away spots are likely to be fully booked.
Whether you’ll be heading south for tropical fun in the sun, up a snowy mountain for downhill thrills, or voyaging overseas so you can get away from it all, you’ll want to be able to cut costs and travel light.
Not so long ago, smart travelers brought along a phone card and bulky laptop so they could make relatively inexpensive phone calls and send emails, but all-in-one devices have really changed the game. Called “smartphones,†the new incarnation of a cell phone/organizer/camera/media player is so affordable now that millions of American families have at least one, and they’re bringing them along for the ride. Communications, entertainment and convenience have merged into a single device that easily fits in a pocket, purse or backpack.
Today’s cell phones can be used as a digital calendar, phone book and calculator. They also have games and music players on them that can be used to keep the kids entertained, and are equipped with digital cameras that can capture “wish you were here†moments. Many are also mini-computers capable of logging onto the Internet and sending and receiving email and instant messages from virtually anywhere in the world.
If you spend a lot of time traveling, the next time you upgrade your cell phone, consider Palm’s latest offering, the Treo 680 smartphone. It’s a world phone available for about the same price as a standard smartphone yet offers some significant upgrades, including an integrated keyboard, 64MB of user-available storage, improved web browser, enhanced email and messaging, built-in dial-up networking over Bluetooth. The Treo 680 also works with Google Maps for mobile, a free application that lets you easily find driving directions and access traffic updates in more than 30 U.S. major metropolitan areas, and partial information in many others.
The phone is available in four colors: crimson (red), copper (orange), arctic (white) and graphite (silver). You can find them in Palm’s online store and U.S. retail stores. To learn more about the Treo 680 or find a list of retailers near you, log on to www.palm.com.
Traveling smart has gotten easier. Whether you choose trains, planes or automobiles, all-in-one devices can help you save money and lighten your load.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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