Town of Merrimac Shares Information about Upcoming Special Town Meeting, Mail-in and Early Voting

pentucketporta on October 16, 2020

MERRIMAC — Police Chief Eric Shears, Town Clerk Gwendolyn Lay Sabbagh and the Board of Selectmen would like to remind residents of the upcoming Special Town Meeting next week, and share information about mail-in and early voting.

Special Town Meeting

A Special Town Meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 19 in the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School Cafeteria, 115 Amesbury Line Road, and start at 7:30 p.m.

All attendees are asked to wear a face mask or covering and maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet from those outside of their household. Seats will be set up 6 feet apart for residents to use and the area will be sanitized prior to the Town Meeting.

To view the warrant articles that will be voted on during that meeting, click here.

Mail-In and Early Voting

Residents are encouraged to utilize either mail-in or early voting for the upcoming special town and presidential elections, both of which will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

State ballots are mailed separately from the Town’s Special Election Ballots. All residents who requested mail-in state ballots should have received them by now. All local ballots will be delivered by Friday, Oct. 16.

When voting by mail, please make sure to follow all instructions and sign your inner envelope to ensure that the ballots are accepted. The ballots for the town election and presidential election must be returned separately in the proper envelopes.

Both ballots may be returned by mail to the Town Clerk’s Office at 2 School St., Merrimac, MA 01860, or can be placed in the ballot drop box located near the front door of Town Hall. Ballots must be submitted by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Early voting will begin on Saturday, Oct. 17 and be held at the Merrimac Town Hall, 2 School St. The full schedule is as follows:

  • On Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18, early voting will take place from 1-5 p.m.
  • From Oct. 19-22, early voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • On Friday, Oct 23, early voting will take place from 9 a.m. to noon.
  • On Saturday, Oct. 24, early voting will take place from 2-8 p.m.
  • On Sunday, Oct. 25, early voting will take place from 1-5 p.m.
  • From Oct. 26-29, early voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • On Friday, Oct. 30, early voting will take place from 9 a.m. to noon.

Voting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Dr. Sweetsir School on Church Street from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

All voters are asked to wear a face mask or covering, and to practice social distancing. Voters should expect wait times while voting to ensure proper social distance guidelines are followed.

Those with additional questions may contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 978-346-8013.

Town of Groveland Shares Trick-or-Treat and Halloween Safety Tips

pentucketporta on October 15, 2020

Board of Selectmen Approves Trick-or-Treating for Oct. 31 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Police Chief Jeffrey T. Gillen and the Groveland Board of Selectmen would like to share safety tips and guidance regarding Halloween activities to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Board of Selectmen, taking into account the most current public health guidance and statements made by Governor Charlie Baker, has decided to maintain the annual trick-or-treating hours, while encouraging strict public health and safety practices.

The official hours set by the Town for trick-or-treating on Saturday, Oct. 31 will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Should residents choose partake in trick-or-treating, they are encouraged to leave individually wrapped candy that can be placed at the end of a driveway or the edge of their yard for families to take. Those who do not wish to participate in Trick-or-Treat are asked to shut off their outdoor lights as an indicator. Residents are strongly discouraged from going “door-to-door.”

Residents are asked to take the following precautions from the Department of Public Health if they choose to trick-or-treat this year:

  • Wear a face mask or face covering. For more information on face masks and face coverings, please see the state’s Mask Up MA webpage.
  • Observe good hand hygiene, including hand washing and use of alcohol-based sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol. Carry hand sanitizer and use it often, especially after coming into contact with frequently touched surfaces and before eating candy.
  • Refrain from touching your face.
  • Stay home and refrain from Halloween activities, including giving away Halloween treats, if:
    • you feel unwell;
    • you have tested positive for COVID-19;
    • you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19; or
    • you have traveled to or from a state that is not classified as lower risk within the last 14 days. For more information on lower risk states, please see the state’s COVID-19 Travel Order webpage.
  • Maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet of physical distance from all other participants who are not members of the same household.

Additionally, Groveland officials would like to share the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists of several low and moderate risk alternative activities that community members can take part in for Halloween.

Lower risk alternatives include:

  • Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them, or at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
  • Decorating your home
  • Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
  • Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
  • Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
  • Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house

Community members may participate in moderate-risk activities, as long as they take the proper safety precautions. These include:

  • Having a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart
  • Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
    • A costume mask (such as for Halloween) is not a substitute for a cloth mask. A costume mask should not be used unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers the mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around the face.
    • Do not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask.
  • Having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family friends with people spaced at least 6 feet apart

Residents are asked to avoid higher risk activities this Halloween in order to prevent the spread of the virus. These activities include:

  • Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door-to-door
  • Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots
  • Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
  • Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming
  • Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household

More information and holiday safety tips from the CDC can be found here.

Groveland Water & Sewer Begins Spring Flushing Work

pentucketporta on May 5, 2020

The Groveland Water and Sewer Department has begun its spring flushing program, which it conducts every year to eliminate the buildup of naturally occurring iron and manganese buildup in underground pipes. Residents should be mindful that flushing in their neighborhoods could have an impact on water pressure and clarity, and that discoloration can be reduced by running a high flow faucet.

2020 Spring Tentative Hydrant Flushing Schedule

This schedule reflects normal flushing operations. Given the current Public Health Emergency and precautions that must be implemented, scheduled time slots may change without notice.

5/5 DAY

Upper Gardner St., Elm Park, Main Street from the Square to the Pines Rec Area. , Marion St., Summer St., Union St.Manor Dr. , Town Hall , River Pines, Main St. from King to Broad St, Outlook dr, Juniper terr.

5/6 DAY

Main St. from the Square to Town Line, Pleasant St. , Park St. , Lower Gardner St., Philbrick, Sylvan, Pecker St., Dewhurst St, Wharf Dr. Esty Park

5/7 Day

School St. at Gardner St. to Carlida, Baldwin Terr. , Merrit Ave. , Abbott St. , Blueberry Hill, View Hill, Highland Ave. , Birchwood, Stocker and Hardy

5/7 NIGHT

School St. from Carlida to Center St., Ann St., Georgia St. , Alyssa Dr. , Dianne Cir., Carlida Rd. , Parker Rd. , Burke St. , Clark St. , Cherry tree , Apple Blossom , Wilbert Ave. , Doris St., Deer Run, Dianne Circle

 5/11 DAY

Salem Street from Tea Garden Georgetown Line, Federal Way, Apple Blossom, Center Street to Stickney’s Boulder, Pheasant Lane, Stonebridge, Pike, Ashcroft Circle, King st from Center St to top of the hill

5/12 DAY

165 King St. to Rocky Woods, All of Rocky Woods Development, Center St. from Washington to yale, Staunton, Matheau, Salem St between Tea Garden and Stevenson Way, Bagnall School

5/13 DAY

Pineau, Hales Ct. Yale St. Harvard Ave, Murray, Washington St from main to center, Madison Ave., Center St from Washington to Salem St, Hillview

5/13 NIGHT

Abbot Cir., Lannen Ave, Salem from washington st to Haverhill Town Line, Benjamin, Washington from Salem to Boxford Town Line, Coleman, Lee and Carlton

Chesterton

5/18 DAY

Wood St, Nichols Village, Main St.  to West Newbury Line, Pentucket Middle and High Schools, Dwinnel, Cranton, Lindsay Way

5/19 DAY

Groveland Commons, Marjorie, Benham, Fairview, Garrison, Seven Star from Broad st. to wood st, Fairway Drive and Balch Ave.

5/20 DAY

Garrison, Governors Road, Francis, Homestead, Cannon Hill Ave, Cannon Hill Ext, Muriel, Briscoe, Alpha, Rollins, Wyka, Amber, Bare Hill, Center from Rollins to Seven Star, Seven Star from Center to Wood St.

Reminder;  

You could experience low water pressure, even NO water during this time. Your water could be cloudy and discolored for a few hours, during and after flushing. Using a high flow faucet (ie Tub, utility sink or outside sill cock), that is close to where your water service enters the home, run COLD water clear before use. This protocol should help mitigate any discolored water from running throughout your plumbing system and into your hot water tank. This schedule is a guide and subject to change, watch our website for any updates.

 

Absentee Ballot Information

pentucketporta on April 4, 2019

Absentee ballots for the May 6 , 2019 town elections may be requested up to Friday May 3, 2019 by completing a Massachusetts Official Absentee Ballot Application and returning it to their Town Clerk’s office. Voters requiring their absentee ballot to be mailed to them, should allow ample time for mailing of the application and the ballot. Absentee Ballots will be available the first week of April. Completed absentee ballots received after May 6 are considered invalid.

Click here to print a Massachusetts Official Absentee Ballot Application.

Eligibility

This application may be completed by…

  • A registered voter; or
  • A voter’s family member (spouse, roommate, parent, sibling, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, grandparent, grandchild, in-law).

Use this application to request an absentee ballot for…

A registered voter who will be unable to vote at the polls on Election Day due to absence from the voter’s city or town during polling hours, disability, or religious beliefs.

OR

A non-registered voter who is:

  • A Massachusetts citizen absent from the state;
  • An active member of the armed forces or merchant marines, their spouse or dependent; or
  • A person confined to a correctional facility or jail for reasons other than felony conviction.

Completing the Application

  1. Voter Information – Provide the voter’s name, legal voting address, and date of birth. Telephone number and e-mail address are optional fields.
  2. Ballot Information – Provide the address where you want the ballot mailed and indicate for which election(s) you are requesting a ballot. For primaries, if the voter is not enrolled in a party, provide the desired party ballot. Applications for “all elections this year” are valid for one calendar year.
  3. Special Circumstances – Check any of the listed circumstances which apply to this application, if any.
  4. Sign your name. If you require assistance in signing the application, you may authorize someone to sign your name in your presence. That person must complete the assisting person’s information in Section 3.

Submitting the Application

Send the completed application to the local election official at the voter’s city or town hall.

Applications can be mailed or hand-delivered. Applications may also be submitted electronically by fax or e-mail, as long as the requester’s signature is visible.

Please allow ample mailing time for this application and for the ballot. Ballots must be returned to your local election official by Election Day.

Find contact information for local election officials at www.sec.state.ma.us/ele or by calling 1-800-462-VOTE (8683).

Photos: Groveland Water and Sewer Dept. Works Through the Night to Repair Water Main Break at Pentucket Regional Middle and High School

pentucketporta on January 16, 2019

GROVELAND — Superintendent Thomas Cusick reports that the workers from the Groveland Water and Sewer Department worked for nearly nine hours on Tuesday to repair a nearly 60-year-old water main that failed, resulting in a loss of water service at the Pentucket Regional Middle and High Schools.

Crews were on-scene shortly after 2 p.m. and began work to locate, expose, and isolate the break. Groveland brought in the East Coast Excavation company, and a trench was dug from the school-side of Main St. (Rt. 113) to an area near the exit of the school complex. A ring crack in an 8-inch water main dating to the 1960s was eventually located and repaired, and water service was restored to the school complex at approximately 10 p.m. 

Roadway patch and repair work is expected to be completed this week.

Superintendent praised the diligent work of the Water and Sewer employees and contractors.

“While our residents prepared for the evening in the warmth of their homes, our Groveland Water and Sewer Department staff and our friends at East Coast Excavation worked outside in below freezing conditions to dig a sizable hole in the road so that they could locate and repair this break and avoid our children losing a day of school,” he said. “I am very proud of their hard work and dedication to the task at hand.”

While Pentucket Regional Middle School has long been served by the Groveland for water, the High School only began receiving water from Groveland in the past few years, after a serious failure at the High School’s connection to the West Newbury Water Department. For that reason, both schools will be without water until the break can be repaired.  

###

Rebecca Oldham Appointed Groveland Town Planner

pentucketporta on September 4, 2018

GROVELAND — Finance and Personnel Director Denise Dembkoski is pleased to announce that Rebecca Oldham stepped into the role of Groveland town planner today.

In the newly created full-time position, Oldham will work directly with the Planning Board to oversee and direct Groveland’s land use, conservation efforts and activities to advance the economic well-being of the town. She will lead cross-departmental projects, research and apply to grants and manage all funded projects.

Oldham previously served as the senior planner for Methuen, where she has been involved with the construction of the city’s rail trail, obtaining a Green Communities Designation and the development of a Complete Streets policy. She previously served as the community development program coordinator for Methuen and staff planner for North Andover.

“We’re extremely excited that this much needed position came to fruition and that Rebecca will collaborate with the town’s Planning Board and Board of Selectmen to further expand on opportunities for development in town,” Dembkoski said. “Her experience will be greatly beneficial to Groveland and the residents we serve.”

Oldham holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration, state and local government. Both degrees are from Suffolk University.

Residents can find Oldham in the Planning/Conservation office at Town Hall. She can be reached at 978-556-7215 or via email at roldham@grovelandma.com.

###