March 23: Polish-themed Easter Bazaar

TURNERS FALLS — Our Lady of Czestochowa Church at 84 K St. will host a Polish-themed Easter Bazaar on Saturday, March 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The annual event has expanded its selection of Polish foods to include several fruit babkas, rye breads, kielbasa, poppy seed rolls, Polish angel wings called chrusciki, Polish fruit-filled doughnuts called paczki and a hunters’ stew called bigos.

Bigos, the national dish of Poland, combines several types of kielbasa, ham, veal, pork, cabbage, sauerkraut, onions, mushrooms, prunes, wine and marjoram. It is slowly cooked for several hours, resulting in a rich, slightly sweet combination of flavors. The church’s St. Hyacinth Pierogi Makers have also been busy for the past three months making and freezing pierogies to sell at the fair.

Coffee, doughnuts and muffins will be available in the morning. The lunch menu will feature a Polish plate that includes kielbasa, mashed potatoes, honey nugget carrots and Polish beet salad. Corn chowder, hot dogs and kielbasa dogs with sauerkraut will also be available.

Additionally, a bake sale will feature a wide variety of baked goods and desserts. Maple syrup, honey, raffle tickets, and arts and crafts will be sold in the St. Teresa building.

Road work starting on Route 2

ERVING — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has awarded a construction contract to Sunderland-based Warner Bros. to resurface a 3.65-mile stretch of Route 2, east of Old State Road. The company is expected to start work in late March or early April.

According to a notice on the Erving town website, MassDOT has required Warner Bros. to install messaging boards near the project area to inform motorists of anticipated start dates and potential delays. Detail officers will help motorists get through the construction area safely.

Streetlight project getting underway

ERVING — The Highway Department is beginning the streetlight installation project on Lillians Way. The exact timeline will be informed by site conditions and weather.

As discussed with residents during site visits last year, the town will replace the two post-style streetlights with three post-style, solar-powered streetlights. According to a notice on the Erving town website, the light fixtures will be focused more toward the roadway surface and sidewalk than the previous fixtures have allowed.

With questions, call the Highway Department at 413-423-3500, ext. 1402.

Town administrator to lead talk at bank

TURNERS FALLS — Saturday events are returning to the Greenfield Savings Bank branch at 282 Avenue A starting March 30 with a presentation by Montague Town Administrator Steve Ellis from 1 to 2 p.m.

Ellis will share his role and experience in town government and discuss opportunities for those who are interested in working in town government or serving on a committee. Time for questions will follow the presentation.

Admittance to the Saturday programs is by reservation only by calling 1-888-324-3191. Reservations will be checked at the door 15 minutes before the start of the program. (The event is being held after normal bank hours, so the doors will be locked.) Attendees are advised to bring identification for verification purposes.

Boulder containing armored mud balls to be moved to Discovery Center

MONTAGUE — Linda Hickman, president of the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center, informed the Selectboard on Monday that one of the boulders containing Jurassic armored mud balls near the old bridge abutment by Unity Park is being moved to the Discovery Center.

Jurassic armored mud balls, consisting of dark, lithified shale surrounded by pebbles, were first discovered by geologist and GCC Professor Emeritus Richard Little in 1970 within “the Jurassic sandstone cable anchors of a now-dismantled suspension bridge over the Connecticut River between Turners Falls and Gill.” His research revealed that the mud balls formed around 200 million years ago after chunks of sticky mud eroded and rolled into a streambed, picking up pebbles before being covered by stream deposits.

There have been eight instances of mud ball formation identified in Franklin County. They are “definitely” the only lithified specimens observable internationally, according to Little, which prompted his push for Massachusetts to designate them as the official state sedimentary structure.

Hickman said the plan is to work with Little to move one of the boulders to the Discovery Center and place it in an area where it can be easily seen, with signs to provide more information. The land the boulders sit on is owned by FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. and Hickman said the company doesn’t object to the removal, so long as another boulder is put in its place.

Funding transfer for EV charging stations approved

MONTAGUE — The Selectboard approved a $2,500 transfer from the reserve fund for electricity costs associated with the town’s electric vehicle charging stations.

Assistant Town Administrator Walter Ramsey said the budget for the stations was down to $349 and it was recommended that the transfer be requested. He added that next fiscal year’s budget would account for this increase.

“Even in the last four months, going back to December, usage is way up,” Ramsey said. “The town will see some of this back through receipt of rates charged.”

Preliminary assessment to be done at former mill complex

MONTAGUE — Assistant Town Administrator Walter Ramsey informed the Selectboard on Monday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needs authorization to conduct a preliminary assessment of the property at 8 and 20 Canal St. in Turners Falls, known as the former Strathmore mill complex, which is owned by the town.

The complex, built in 1874 as one of the first mills in the village, has been vacant since 2007 when a fire, determined to be caused by arson, destroyed Building 10 and damaged two other buildings. It was then bought by the town in 2010 and has since failed as a prospect for development. The town is faced with having to demolish the remaining structures due to their irreparable structural degradation.

Ramsey said the EPA’s Emergency Response Program would be conducting the preliminary site assessment, but due to the presence of contaminated materials, there is some risk involved, should the site continue to deteriorate.

The board voted to authorize the site visit and sign the owner’s consent form. The Department of Public Works will be on hand for the visit.