Ashfield
Town Info
- Contact Info
- Town Hall, Main St., P.O. Box 560
- Ashfield, MA 01330
- PHONE: 413-628-4441
- FAX: 413-628-4588
- E-mail: townhall@ashfield.org
- Hours & Days Open
- Monday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
- Tuesday 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
- Wednesday Closed
- Thursdays Closed
- Friday Closed
- SELECT BOARD MEETING DAY AND TIME
- Mondays, 7:30 pm
FRCOG work in Ashfield during 2008
Note: Listed below are services provided directly to the Town of Ashfield in 2008. The FRCOG provides many other services on a regional basis that benefit the communities of Franklin County. In addition to reviewing the service highlights below, we encourage you to look throughout our website to find out more about the other work that we do.
Community Coalition for Teens
- Staff conducted a 100-question Teen Health Survey to assess teen attitudes and behavior among middle and high school students. Staff reported to Mohawk Trail Regional School administrators on results from 262 Mohawk students, representing 78% of the 8th, 10th, and 12th grade classes. Survey data meets federal No Child Left Behind requirements for the school, enables the school to receive Safe and Drug Free Schools funding, and is valuable for grant-writing and program planning.
- 4 students from Mohawk Trail Regional Middle and High schools attended the 17th Annual Youth Conference in May 2008 at R.C. Mahar Regional School. The day-long conference included 24 workshops, one of which was facilitated by the Mohawk students.
- Staff coordinated and conducted Alcohol Purchase Surveys of all opened package stores in Ashfield. These surveys, proven to reduce alcohol use among youth, involve sending young-looking of-age undercover shoppers to check the stores' compliance with underage drinking laws. 0%0f sellers checked for identification.
Cooperative Bidding & Purchasing Program
- Ashfield participated in the Purchasing Program’s cooperative bids and contracts for $123,500 in #2 Fuel Oil, Diesel, and Gasoline. They also purchased $360,185 in Highway Products and Services through the Program. The total fee for participation in the bids was $2,635.
Energy Saving Performance Contracting
- On behalf of 16 Franklin County municipalities, including Ashfield, and 3 regional school districts, including Mohawk Trail RSD, staff facilitated a regional procurement process to select an Energy Services Company and vetted template contracts to provide energy saving performance contract services at public facilities to increase operating efficiency and reduce taxpayer cost.
Franklin County Cooperative Inspection Program
- A total of 105 building permits, including 5 dwelling units, were issued for Ashfield, for a total construction valuation of $3,209,576. 10 Certificates of Inspection were issued. Total fees collected were $20,035.
- A total of 53 electrical permits were issued with $5,570 in fees collected.
- A total of 74 plumbing permits were issued with $6,850 in fees collected.
- All fees collected are returned to the Town.
Franklin County Emergency Communications System
- Staff assisted the Franklin County Emergency Communications Oversight Committee in securing an additional $623,941 for emergency communications for all Franklin County Communities. The equipment upgrade was funded with Homeland Security monies.
Planning and Development Department
- Staff assisted the Town in completing a Commonwealth Capital Application.
- Staff provided GIS mapping to assist with evacuation planning related to dam failure.
- Staff worked with the Franklin County Route 112 Scenic Byway Advisory Committee on developing the Corridor Management Plan, including completing chapters on Cultural Resources and Tourist Services, Transportation Resources, and Community Planning Evaluation.
- Staff completed the Deerfield River Watershed Nonpoint Pollution Study which included detailed Action Plans to address sources of nonpoint pollution such as failing septic systems, river bank erosion, and stormwater runoff in the upper reaches of the Deerfield River and the North, Green, Chickley, and South River subwatersheds. This project was funded by an $87,700 grant from the MA DEP.
- Staff completed a data request for an Ashfield-based non-profit organization.
- Staff conducted four town-requested, and one FRCOG-requested traffic counts. The FRCOG-requested counts were in support of its Regional Traffic Count Program.
- Staff assisted MassHighway and the Ashfield Highway Superintendent with a preliminary assessment of the option for reconstructing Route 116 to the west of Route 112.
- Staff assisted in drafting legislation to designate Route 116 as a Scenic Byway. The Scenic Byway runs through seven Franklin County, Hampshire County, and Berkshire County towns, and was designated in August, 2008.
- Staff met State and Local officials related to reconstruction of a Route 116 retaining wall, and continued to advocate for funding to complete the work. The retaining wall repair is listed in the 2009 Franklin County Transportation Improvement Program for $2.5 million dollars.
Regional Preparedness Program
- The Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition (MAPHCO) awarded Ashfield $881.39 to purchase of VHF radios for Board of Health use in emergency response.
- The Regional Emergency Planning Committee, funded with grants from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), provided the town with copies of an Incident Command System (ICS) Field Operations Guide, a valuable reference work for emergency planners. REPC staff also made available topographical and critical infrastructure maps for use in the town’s emergency operations center (EOC).
- Staff attended two Ashfield Emergency Management meetings.
- Staff met with BOH members.
Town Accounting Program
- Staff produced biweekly vendor warrants, and provided monthly budget reports to all officials and department heads.
- At year end, Free Cash certification was completed, and Schedule A submitted. Provided assistance in completing the Recap for tax rate submission.
- Customized reports for committees and departments were developed and distributed.
- Assisted with annual audit.
- All accounting data was accessible over a secure internet connection to a server at the FRCOG office. Backups were completed daily and there was no unscheduled down time.
Western Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council
- Provided 22 UHF pagers to the Ashfield Fire Department. Each pager valued at $365.00 for a total of $8,030.00
- The Ashfield Fire Department received one MDT(Mobile Data Terminal) and GIS software, an approximate total value $4,500
- Radio Inter-Operability System, a portable Bridging/Patching/Gateway system which facilitates communication capabilities between disparate systems, was purchased to be jointly used by the towns of Ashfield, Dalton, Goshen, Hawley, Peru, Savoy, Windsor & Worthington. The unit can be used by any of these communities during critical incidents. The total cost of the unit was $24,000.00
- Provided reimbursement for NIMS certification and Maintenance to Ashfield first responders.
Workshops & Training
- 1 Official attended “MAVEN Online Disease Reporting” Intro and Advanced Sessions.
- 1 Official attended Municipal Alcohol Bylaws Enforcement Training.
- 4 Officials attended the Municipal Finance Forum.
- 1 Official attended “Acting as your own Public Info Officer (PIO)” Part II – Practical Exercises.
- 1 Official attended the Fuel and Regional Issues Roundtable.
- 1 Official attended Crisis Communications Planning for BOH.
- Two Ashfield representatives attended the Alcohol Enforcement Training.
This page was last updated on April 30, 2012 .