West County Notebook: Oct. 10, 2020

COLRAIN — Town Clerk Eileen Sauvageau has announced early voting hours. Polls will be open downstairs in the Town Offices at 55 Main Road on the following days:

<sbull value="sbull"><text xmlns="urn:schemas-teradp-com:gn4tera"></text></sbull>Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 20 to 22 and Oct. 27 to 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

■Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 17 to 18 and Oct. 24 to 25, from 10 a.m. to noon

The Charlemont-Hawley Cultural Council is accepting funding proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities and science programs in 2021. The deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 16.

According to Cultural Council Chair Tinky Weisblat, these grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities in Hawley or Charlemont such as exhibits, festivals, field trips, short-term artist residencies, performances, workshops, books and lectures.

Events may be held in person or online. The grants may also be used to help artists, schools or nonprofits move to working online.

The Charlemont-Hawley Cultural Council gives priority to events taking place in, or created by people living in, its two-town district, according to Weisblat. It is unclear how much money the council will have to award this year; that information will likely be available in November.

Applications may be filled out online, although the Charlemont-Hawley Cultural Council also accepts paper applications by mail.

For more information on the Cultural Council, application forms and a full list of the council’s priorities, contact Weisblat at 413-339-4747 or visit mass-culture.org/Charlemont-Hawley.

HAWLEY — The town is looking to fill a vacant position on the Board of Assessors, with a term expiring in 2021.

According to a newsletter from Administrative Assistant Cass Nawrocki, the Board of Assessors typically has three members who meet once a month and conduct field work as needed. Due to the pandemic, all meetings are being held by conference call and site visits are exterior only.

The role involves gathering information and assigning values for all classes of property, the newsletter explains. Online training and certification is required.

For more information, contact Assessors Assistant and Treasurer Virginia Gabert at treasurer@townofhawley.com or Assessors Chair Rick Kean at rick@rickkean.com.

MONROE — The Monroe Hazard Mitigation Plan Committee, in partnership with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG), has prepared a draft 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan that is ready for public review.

A public forum will be held at the Town Offices on Monday, Oct. 12, during the Selectboard meeting at 6 p.m. to solicit feedback from residents.

According to a notice from Kimberly Noake MacPhee, land use and natural resources planning program manager with FRCOG, the purpose of the Hazard Mitigation Plan update is to identify natural and other hazards that may impact the community; identify infrastructure at the highest risk for being damaged by hazards; inventory and assess town hazard mitigation policies and programs; and identify action steps to prevent damage to property and loss of life.

Once the 2020 plan is approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and adopted by Monroe, the town will be eligible for state and federal grant funding for pre- and post-disaster mitigation projects, the notice explains.

A digital copy of the draft plan is available by contacting Noake MacPhee at kmacphee@frcog.org or 413-774-3167, ext. 130. A paper copy is also available at the Town Offices and one can be found at the Monroe Public Library.

Following the public forum on Monday, the comment period will run until Oct. 27. Comments can be submitted to Marcella Stafford-Gore, 3C School St., Monroe Bridge, MA 01350 or by email at monroe01350@yahoo.com.