Teacher raising money for boy hit by truck

TURNERS FALLS — Hillcrest Elementary School first grade teacher Kristy Walker is raising money for the family of 15-year-old Christopher Ulloa, who was hit by a truck while crossing the street on a bicycle on Sept. 26.

Walker is accepting monetary donations for gas and grocery expenses via Venmo at @Kristy-Smith-142. Additionally, locals can purchase groceries and bring them to Walker’s house. Direct message her at facebook.com/kristy.smith.338 with inquiries.

Water Department announces water rate increase

TURNERS FALLS — The Turners Falls Water Department has set new water rates to be reflected in the May 2024 bill.

The new minimum usage charge for those who live within the Turners Falls Fire District will increase from $35 to $47, while those outside of the district will see this base rate increase from $80 to $92. Additional rates see an increase of between $1 and $1.35 per 1,000 gallons compared to the previous rates, depending on how much water is used.

“We understand that rate adjustments can impact households, and we want to assure you that this decision was made after careful consideration of various factors, including maintenance costs, infrastructure improvements, loss of major water users, costs of operation and future sustainability,” Eduard Bublik, district accountant for the Turners Falls Fire District, wrote in an announcement.

School Committee reaches settlement agreement with Unit A staff

MONTAGUE — The Gill-Montague Regional School District School Committee approved a collective bargaining agreement with Unit A staff during last week’s meeting, concluding negotiations that lasted for more than a year and a half.

“I do want to thank the teachers for their patience and perseverance in this issue,” School Committee member Bill Tomb commented.

School Committee Chair Jane Oakes said she still needs to sign the contract for it to become official. She expects to receive the documentation imminently. Until she signs the agreement, the School Committee cannot disclose its details, she said.

The Gill-Montague Education Association (GMEA), a union primarily comprised of the district’s teachers, and the School Committee have been conducting contract negotiations since March 2022. While there was a tentative three-year agreement reached in August 2022 outlining raises between 2% and 3% each year, it was ultimately rejected by the union that October. On Dec. 12, the union returned with a new request of 11% over the three years of the contract, a full 3% higher than the original union proposal, according to Oakes. Both sides then began mediated negotiations in March 2023.

In June, the GMEA requested respective 2%, 3%, 3% and 3% yearly salary increases for teachers over four years, beginning in 2022-2023. Adjustment counselor Joseph Katz described negotiation difficulties as “an impasse over a difference of 2% salary increases over four years, with disputed salary increases for the 2024-2025 school year and the 2025-2026 school year.” The school board’s proposal, meanwhile, involved respective 2%, 3%, 2% and 2% yearly increases over a four-year period.

Contractor mobilizing on Montague City Road Nov. 1

TURNERS FALLS — Greenfield’s Clayton D. Davenport construction company will begin flooding remediation work along Montague City Road starting Nov. 1, Department of Public Works Superintendent Tom Bergeron announced at Monday’s Selectboard meeting.

The contractor will begin by installing catch basins along the roadway to remediate current water buildup issues along the road, which frequently floods during high rainfall events. Montague City Road will be closed from Walnut Street to Turnpike Road each day during work hours.

Flooding has been a recurring problem on the stretch of Montague City Road south of the intersection with Turnpike Road. Assistant Town Administrator Walter Ramsey previously explained that the stream next to the road tends to overflow amid heavy rainstorms, washing into the road and making it impassable. The road had to be closed “at least six times” this July alone due to the month’s exceptionally heavy rainfall, he said.

Farren environmental assessment finds no issues

MONTAGUE — Town Administrator Steve Ellis told the Selectboard that there have been “no significant findings” across Phase I and Phase II of an environmental assessment being conducted at the site of the former Farren Care Center on Montague City Road.

The former long-term care facility, which closed in April 2021, received a demolition recommendation in November of that year, with parent company Trinity Health of New England getting the go-ahead to proceed on Dec. 6, 2022 when the Historical Commission opted not to invoke the town’s demolition delay bylaw. Once demolition is complete, the plot of land will be loamed, seeded and given to the town. Either the Selectboard or the Montague Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (MEDIC) — a semi-public town organization that can buy and sell property — could take possession.

Assistant Town Administrator Walter Ramsey previously noted that the town must also see through an “environmental due diligence” process, regardless of which specific entity takes ownership of the property. This includes the two-phase environmental site assessment to affirm soil health. The assessment will cost between $20,000 to $25,000 out of the $100,000 that Trinity Health contributed toward redevelopment of the site, according to Ellis.

Ellis added that the environmental assessment will now be extended to some land surrounding the immediate plot.

Senior Center offering bus trip to New England Christmas Festival

ERVING — The Erving Senior Center is offering a bus ride to Mohegan Sun for the New England Christmas Festival on Friday, Nov. 3.

The bus will depart the Senior Center at 7:30 a.m., make a pick-up stop at Big Y at 7:45 a.m. and arrive at Mohegan Sun at 10 a.m. It will depart Mohegan Sun at 4 p.m. and return to the Senior Center by 6:30 p.m.

Tickets, which are all-inclusive and cost $75, can be purchased via checks made out to Friends of the Erving Senior Center. Checks, which are non-refundable, must be delivered to the Senior Center at 1 Care Drive, Erving, MA 01344 by Oct. 20.

For more information or to book the trip, call Senior Center Director Paula Betters at 413-423-3649.

Historian to discuss tool manufacturing history at Discovery Center

TURNERS FALLS — Historian Tom Goldscheider will host a talk on Franklin County precision steel tool manufacturing and the history of the industry’s trade unions in the Great Falls Discovery Center’s Great Hall from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22. The talk was postponed from Sept. 30.

“Workers organized with a democratic trade union that was targeted in a national political campaign aimed against it,” Goldscheider summarized. “This led to a peaceful confrontation in Greenfield and surrounding towns that surprised onlookers near and far.”

Those with stories related to the industry are invited to share memories at the event or contact Goldscheider at tom.goldscheider@gmail.com.