Cheshire Seeks State Aid For Lake Deweeding
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The town will see if the state will kick in funds for the annual deweeding of Cheshire Reservoir.
Selectwoman Carol Francesconi said Tuesday that she recently held a meeting with members of the Hoosac Lake Preservation District and state Rep. John Barrett III to discuss the state allocating funds for the summer tape-grass removal.
"The entire county enjoys the use of the state-owned lake that we deweed," Francesconi said.
The invasive tape weed has become an annual occurrence during the summer and the cost is typically split between the town and the lake district.
The weeds create a fire hazard because they clog the Fire Department's pumps making it more difficult to fight fires around the lake.
Francesconi said she also met with the Council on Aging and believes the town needs to hire a part-time program director to mitigate disorganization at the Senior Center.
"There seems to be a lack of supervision not only with the employees but with the programs," she said. "Some people want certain things and others don’t."
Francesconi said currently there is a grant-funded outreach coordinator and meals supervisor who really do not report to anyone.
She also asked that they expand van trips during Council on Aging meeting days in hopes of bolstering attendance.
"In the wintertime, the attendance is less. A lot of people don't want to drive," she said. "I don't see why we can't have a six-month trial to see if we can get more people to participate."
She said more seniors who do not drive may also get involved.
In other business, the town awarded the Water Department's emergency repair bid to Condron Construction.
"Seeing they were the only bid, we don't really have a choice," Francesconi said.
The Selectmen also saw McCann Technical School's $9,564,727 fiscal 2020 budget for which Cheshire will be assessed $440,802.
"I think it is a great budget everything seems to be here," Francesconi said.
Interim Town Administrator Edmund St. John IV reported that he would like to consolidate Town Hall printers and eliminate the amount of costly full-purpose printers in use.
"These machines are seven to nine years old and we aren't using them to their full capacity," he said. "Maintenance will be an issue and we can save some money."
St. John said he would like to replace some of the full-purpose printers with simple laser printers.
He said a new round of printers would cost $11,000 but annually would save the town over $1,000.
He added that this would include a $50 monthly service fee that would cover maintenance and toner.
The Selectmen thought it was a good idea and wanted to include it in a future budget.
Tags: Council on Aging, invasive species, lakes, ponds,
